January 2022
Charlotte and her Mini Mumbler recently went along to try out Pyjama Drama; a class providing drama and imaginative play for pre-school children in and around Leeds. Find out what they thought here…
A firm believer in make-believe, I was keen to see what Pyjama Drama had to offer. We were warmly welcomed by Sara, who runs the Leeds classes, and got ourselves comfortable while we waited for the session to begin. With such a large room, and just Sara in the middle with a box and a speaker, I was curious to see how the session would go.
The session began with some warm-up exercises to be ‘performance’ ready; brushing our hair; our arms; wiggling our fingers, stretching our arms up high, then dropping them down. We also warmed up our vocal cords with some ‘me, me, me’s’; followed by the pyjama drama theme tune.
Each class has a weekly theme and this week it was birds; more specifically ducks. We initially sung an action song about birds, which sticks in my head even now; ‘With a cluck, cluck, cluck and a cock-a-doodle-doo, a tweet, tweet, tweet and a twit-a-woo!’ First with actions and then adding instruments.
We spent the rest of the session in a make-believe world; from waking up, to looking out the window to check the weather, to getting ourselves dressed for the park, to deciding what food to feed the ducks, to venturing off to the park and pond to feed them – Robin got a little wet as he wandered into the pond, and Sara even got bitten by a duck – so we had to get a plaster and towel!
Robin really enjoyed moving about the room, following the quack sounds to find the ‘ducks’; although he was a little bamboozled when we ‘found’ them, rounded them up and then mummy started ‘stroking’ one. He happily played with the other children and everyone had their own thoughts on what to wear, what to feed the ducks and how best to look after them.
The session was rounded off with a warm-down, mirroring the warm-up; a bow; and a stamp – which proved very popular with all those involved.
It’s worth noting that Pyjama Drama is not a stage school or an ‘acting’ class – it is so much more than that! It’s a class that brings children out of their shell, helping them to develop their communication skills and confidence through singing, dancing, make-believe and play. Robin was initially very shy and unsure what to think, but as the session went on, he got more involved in the pretend play and really enjoyed himself; submerging himself in the make-believe.
Pyjama Drama is aimed at children up to 7 years, but these classes are specifically tailored towards 2-4 years, and last 40 minutes. Sara has a great imagination, and sparks some serious thought in the children giving them a fun platform for problem-solving, communication and building confidence.
Locations and times:
Mondays (2-4 yrs) 1:30-2:10pm at The Queens Hall, Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Harrogate Road, LS17 6LE
Tuesdays (2-4 yrs) 1:50-2:30pm at Oakwood Methodist Church, Oakwood, LS8 2QA
N.B. Monday classes currently have a waiting list but there’s space on Tuesday.
Costs:
A 3-week trial costs £15 and includes a FREE t-shirt. Classes are then £5.50 per week, consecutively.
Contact:
To get in touch, contact Sara on 0113 834 6522 or email sara@pyjamadrama.com or for more information visit their Website or Facebook page.
*Mumbler received a complimentary session for this review. However, all of the comments in this review are our open and honest opinion.
