LAC (Little Anxious Creatures) process drama resource

Here’s a wee drama written by the Dramatic Inquiry team at Knighton Normal school in Hamilton (Jacki Paia, David Hannah, Diane Cooper, Nicole Antoniadis, Whakarongo Tauranga) with support from Viv Aitken. This group of teachers has been working to support children in their transition back to face-to-face schooling, with experiences in dramatic play, process drama and Mantle of the Expert.

The drama is based on the picture book Lessons of a LAC by Lynne Jenkins. The story is all about two groups who live on opposite sides of a mountain: the Little Anxious Creatures and the Calmsters. These two groups have a long history of battles. But then one day Loppy the LAC learns some useful strategies from his new Calmster friend and they start to consider a new kind of relationship…

The team felt this story was a good way to begin a conversation with children as they process their feelings about the Covid-19 pandemic and the return to school. The use of drama and the imagined world of the story provides a safe, frame-distanced and enjoyable way to explore some important questions of wellbeing.

Teachers have been trialling the drama this week and it’s gone really well. Now they want to make their planning freely available for others to use. THANKS team for your generosity.

Please post a response below if you use this planning in your class – we’d love to hear how you get on!