CPD and Training
Groundswell Arts regularly delivers training for early years and primary educators from schools, nurseries and via local authorities. These CPD offers support the EYFS and primary curriculum and focus on a wide range of cross-curricular and inclusive approaches.
Our training offers are suitable for early years and primary educators and courses include puppetry and storytelling, green screen and animation film-making, working creatively with light, Steam experimentation through our Invention Lab programme and training related to our Communication Pod focused on story-telling and drama techniques. We also collaborate with partners to deliver puppetry training.
In addition to our courses we also offer free training resources for schools and families which you can access via our our resources page.
For schools who participate in Story Lab or Sing Our Story you can access our resources portals below.
Sing Our Story – Personalised Music Making
This training shares the pedagogical approach explored in our Sing Our Story project. We work with educators to explore the benefits of simple songwriting in supporting children’s wellbeing and sense of inclusion.
This training will give opportunities for practitioners to create their own music for children. The training will also explore how they can support children’s own compositions and song creation within their settings and work to support SEN learners with transitions or behaviours that are challenging through personalised musical approaches.
The course is suitable for EYFS staff or primary staff and you do not need to be a music specialist to participate.
Early Years Music Making
A practical hands on music making training led by Angeline Conaghan of Groundswell Arts that will boost practitioners confidence with developing music making in your Early Years setting or school.
This training will extend your repertoire of songs, explore ways of incorporating instruments into your sessions and offer ways to extend and encourage musical free-play. Learn about all of the areas of learning that music supports and feel confident to develop your own unique music projects within your setting.
Lightbox (Early Years and Key stage 1)
The Lightbox project: The Light Box training will give practitioners the opportunity to experiment and play using a range of materials. Exploring the playful possibilities for learning, drawing, writing and building with light.
Learn how you can use light-boxes, projectors, torches, shadow screens, glow paint UV and interactive lighting to invent and experiment and take loads of ideas for resourcing light play back to your setting.
Story Lab (Early Years and Primary)
Using simple IPAD apps Groundswell Arts how they have been working in early years and primary settings with children as young as 2 to create films using animation, and green screen technology.
This hands on training linked to our Story Lab program will give practitioners the opportunity to learn filmmaking techniques and to consider how to support children’s digital literacy in a way that is still multi-sensory, and hands on. Learn about the way in which working with film can support children’s stories and storytelling by bringing stories to life.
The Communication Pod (Early Years and Primary)
The Communication Pod is a unique multi-sensory installation.
It uses natural resources and interactive technology built into a child friendly environment, which encourages, play, exploration and storytelling.
This unique training will enable practitioners to spend time within the pod and learn about how to inspire their own communication friendly environments and approaches within their settings exploring how to work more with objects to inspire story-telling.
Puppetry and Immersive Storytelling (Early Years)
Working in Partnership with ‘Tigerboat Theatre’ we will work with early years and primary practitioners to explore how Puppetry and Immersive Storytelling can engage your learners. In this training you will have the opportunity to create design, and make your own puppets and magical immersive worlds, which will bring stories to life.
Explore how theatrical techniques can be brought into your own practice to enhance children’s experience of story and encourage their participation and speech and language skills.
Invention Lab (Early Years and Primary)
Come and explore and play with inventing your own contraptions in Groundswell Arts Invention Lab for the day. Taking their inspiration from
Rube Goldberg’s machines transform, create and invent cause and effect machines, experiment with loose parts, old toys and junk, cogs, pulleys and other items and see what you can invent. Explore and test out ideas that can be taken back to inspire a future generation of inventors in your setting and to show how you can create lots of fun things to do with what you have around you.
Puppet Making
CPD Sessions for Early Years Teachers
Woodlings – Puppets made with natural materials
Log Puppetry – Simple woodworking
Two workshops run by puppeteer Tratincica Tinka Slavicek to introduce either natural materials to make woodling creatures or simple woodwork to make and create log puppets.
Both sessions are hands-on opportunities for teachers to make and craft unique puppets and develop their improvised storytelling skills. These workshops are ideal for focusing on early speech, language and communication opportunities.
Testimonials
“Thanks so much for the early years music training on Monday. There was really positive feedback from staff & it was good in terms of staff wellbeing too”
Head Teacher 2021
“Its provided me with the knowledge, confidence & skill to deliver exciting lessons using IT and creativity”
KS2 teacher Chestnuts Primary School 2018
“An eye opening session for me ‘a digital migrant’. I look forward to using the app now!. Loved it really!”
Story Lab training participant 2019
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