The opportunity to invite some of the amazingly realistic puppets from the stage production 'Dr Dolittle' to our nursery was too good to miss. It was almost like having a zoo come and visit - but without the mess.
Gub Gub the pig, a goat, a duck called Dab Dab, a huge hairy sheepdog, Polynesia, the parrot who taught Dr Dolittle to actually talk to the animals, a seal and even a skunk came along with two professional puppeteers. They left behind the Pushmi-Pullyu and a massive pink sea snail that needs a huge lorry to carry it.
The daughter of one of our nursery nurses is deputy stage manager with the touring stage show and we were lucky to be able to arrange the free visit through her when the company was performing nearby. Some theatre companies do make similar trips if you contact them directly (it's great advertising for them) so it is useful to keep an eye on what's due to appear in neighbouring theatres.
We're always eager for the children to have new experiences and often invite visitors because we feel it is important for the children to meet and interact with different people. Our four-year-olds went to a pantomime at Christmas, but having the cast of a production come to the nursery was a new experience for us all. The 'Dr Dolittle' puppeteers were great at interacting with everyone from the babies upwards. They pitched their talk at just the right level and it was educational as well as entertaining.
We're lucky to have a big room that we could set up so that all the 75 nursery children, who were sitting on chairs or on the floor, had a good view of the puppets. The puppeteers didn't need any additional equipment and simply used a chest of drawers to hide behind while operating some of the puppets.
The children were captivated for over an hour by the range of animals and we were all mesmerised by how realistic they were. The wonders of animatronics brought the puppets to life and they could blink, yawn, nod, flap wings and even make life-like noises. The Jim Henson Creature Shop created the menagerie and the show cost 4m, but despite the puppets being so expensive the children were actively encouraged to carefully touch and stroke them - not surprisingly this was done with some trepidation. One little girl nervously announced that she didn't like parrots so Polynesia was moved away from her, but the sheepdog proved a great hit, despite dwarfing the youngest children.
Seeing the lifelike puppets created the opportunity for us to discuss animals and many of the children wanted to tell our visitors about their own pets or animals they had seen. They demonstrated their knowledge of animal noises and even learnt that skunks give off an awful smell to repel predators, although one child did helpfully suggest that it is because they 'poo'!
The children were interested to see how the puppets worked - some by remote control and others more traditionally operated by hand - and to talk about puppetry. They also learnt how to make a dog and duck 'puppet' with their hands and had fun practicing at getting their 'hand animals' to talk to each other. Since the visit the older children have been inspired to make their own puppets and have put on a show.
The visiting puppeteers made for a fun and memorable morning for children and staff alike and the animals certainly stole the show.
Linda Holmes, deputy manager at Rocking Horse Nursery, spoke to Annette Rawstrone