After telling children Roald Dahl’s “The Twits” I enjoy posing the following question about the story:

Do Mr and Mrs Twit love each other?

The children are never in doubt; Mr and Mrs Twit do not love each other.  If you push them on this opinion they say things like “because they are nasty to each other” and “because they play tricks on each other”.  I understand the basis of this argument but happen to believe the Twits actually love each other.  Let me explain why..

In many of my most popular storytelling sessions (Roald Dahl’s The Twits, Jeremy Strong’s The Hundred Mile an Hour Dog and Nigel Auchterlounie’s  Dennis and the Chamber of Mischief) I use water pistols to spray the audience.  I don’t mean that I use them to gently flutter a few droplets of water in the vague direction of the audience I mean I use water pistols to quite literally drench the audience.  When outraged children ask me why I do this I point out (and they agree) that they enjoyed getting wet.  You see it’s all about the context of the soaking; if I walked up to a stranger in the street and threw a bucket of water over their head they’d be justifiably irked.  My audiences are rarely upset at getting wet.  This is partly because I’ll have forewarned them that water will be a part of the presentation but mostly because the soaking I dish out makes some degree of sense in the context of the story.

What’s this got to do with Mr and Mrs Twit?

Mr and Mrs Twit are vile, disgusting, revolting people.  Mr Twit has a filthy beard, Mrs Twit has a glass eye and they both have a wicked sense of humour.  In the first part of the story we learn how Mrs Twit put a glass eyeball in Mr Twit’s drink and worms and his spaghetti and that in return Mr Twit put a frog in Mrs Twit’s bed and made his wife believe that she was shrinking.  You could say that these cruel tricks demonstrate that they detest each other.  I say it shows why they are compatible.  Yes, the jokes are extreme but rather than causing the victim to run away they provoke a sort of brinksmanship as Mr and Mrs Twit try to better the previous plot.  You might say that this to do with a desire for revenge or that the Twits are trying to kill each other but I’m not convinced.  Their treatment of the monkeys and the birds show that Mr and Mrs Twit are capable of much darker, much more devious deeds and that if they wanted to kill they’d have done it already as murder is clearly within their power.  Then there’s the fact that despite their revolting trickery they are willing to work together with a common awful purpose at the drop of a hat.  Like my audiences who enjoy getting squirted with a water pistol in the context of a storytelling session I believe the Twits thoroughly enjoying playing tricks on each other.  It may seem bizarre but Mr and Mrs Twit seem prepared to be the butt of the other’s cruelty in the context of their own private game so much so that it’s difficult to say when the mark is overstepped (does Mr Twit go too far when he has his second nasty idea?).  In my view the reason the Twits keep coming back for more is that they don’t just love each other they depend on each other.  I therefore wonder if Mr and Mrs Twit find some perverse satisfaction in the fact they share the same grizzly fate?

When I approached the story I wanted to make the complexity of Mr and Mrs Twit’s twisted relationship as clear as possible.  As well as revelling in the Twit’s tricks, in my retelling composer Joseph Attenborough reflects  their shared joy of being utterly horrible by devising a series of snatches of laughter; Mr Twit, Mrs Twit and finally both the Twits laughing.  It’s the briefest of acknowledgements but it is there and now you know to look out for it hopefully you’ll hear it the next time I tell the tale.

My licence to tell Roald Dahl’s “The Twits” in primary schools, libraries and at events was recently reviewed and extended.  To find out more about this and other projects contact me.

 Children need guidance to perform better in school and they also need it to deal with social situations that the curriculum does not cover. We often expect children to become better and to make the right decisions but we overlook the fact that they receive misleading information from their surroundings and the media, where they might not have the best role models and develop bad behaviours and bad habits.

 Confidence Skills

Confident children will be excellent negotiators and great sales experts. Who does not need sales skills? Probably about everyone if we are honest. Children will need sales in order to apply for jobs, they will need to pitch their skills to an employer and they will need sales for business meetings. Confident children work harder to achieve their goals and they are resilient.

 Self-esteem

Children are not often taught how to love themselves more. Most of the time children are told off when they have failed an exam or when they have done something wrong, however, they are no often praised for their good behaviour or their achievements. Sessions for children will help them to understand  that they have value, they will learn to accept their differences and to work on their strengths. Children need to learn to value themselves whilst staying authentic and humble.

 Leadership Skills

Children will be the bosses and business owners of the future. It makes sense to prepare them to be successful in their careers and to stand out. It is important for them to be able to delegate and motivate others. Teaching them the importance of rewarding and recognising hard work as well as making the right decisions for their own benefit and the benefit of their team.

 Problem solving and techniques

Children will need problem solving in school just as much as in real life. They need to be able to come up with solutions and use their creativity.  Practise is probably the best teacher when it comes to problem solving, however, providing techniques and tools will give them a head start.

People skills

People skills is one of the most overlooked skills and probably one of the most valuable. This skill is required at school, at home, in sports and with friends. Children that do not know how to socialise will struggle to make connections, this also increases bullying in schools,  at home and outside. As mentioned before, children will pick bad behaviours from different sources and this will make them make wrong choices and break connections with those around them.

Helping children to understand and control their emotions will give them a massive advantage and this will guide them to become the bright and happy stars of the future.

Contact us on 03302210568 or email us: team@holisticwork.co.uk to discuss your school challenges and the needs of your students, we can arrange for an explanatory and no-commitment meeting.

Many subjects in the Primary Curriculum lend themselves bringing external experts into the classroom, especially in sports, arts and humanities. Most schools these days are used to working with outside musicians, football coaches, dance teachers etc. for both in- and out-of-hours activities, often on a regular basis. But what about using a one-off visitor to help with your history topic?

After all, isn’t it better to go to a museum or living history centre? Well, yes and no. There are some excellent places to take children such as Anglo Saxon villages and Tudor manors and working Victorian farms, and trips out form an important part of the curriculum. However, they are also expensive, a logistical nightmare and – especially with museums – you run the risk of the children having a wonderful time in the gift shop or running off to look at the Egyptian mummies when they are supposed to be concentrating on Greeks.

Having someone come to the school to run a history workshop / activity day, can really engage the children in a way a museum can’t. They will be allowed to handle the objects, try their hand at crafts, ask all the questions they could ever wish to ask, and have the whole day immersed in the topic rather than spending two hours getting to and from the museum, trying to see crowded, glass-defended displays and then forgetting their packed lunch on the coach.

This short guide is intended to help you in choosing and using an external visitor to get the most out of an Impact/Wow day, whether you’ve used visitors before or are trying to decide whether a visitor is for you.

What is a History Visitor?

Usually, this is someone who is an expert in their particular time period. They will come to the school in period costume to present workshops for up to a full day. Workshops are available from the Stone Age through to WWII workshop and a visitor should bring a variety of props, artefacts and activities for use throughout the day.

Whereas specialist external arts or sports teachers are usually qualified, most history visitors are not. However, a lack of a history degree or QTS doesn’t mean that the visitor is no good – in fact it’s often an advantage when portraying a person from a certain time period. Some visitors choose to present the whole day “in character” (including eating Viking-style and chucking chicken bones at the MDAs), some use more curriculum based activities and include worksheets, and some may use a mix of the two.

Visitors may be retired teachers or historians, they may be hobby re-enactors, or they may just be interested individuals who have a knowledge of their subject. They may be professional, full time school visitors working through a company, they might be members of a reputable re-enactment society, or they might be individuals who visit schools on the side for a bit of extra cash.

Some of the best visitors are part-time amateurs, often because they have a deep love for their subject and want to impart that love to others. Don’t be put off if someone is not a full-time professional, but you do need to weed out the ones who will turn up looking like Hagar the Horrible from those who really know their subject and can impart knowledge in a child-friendly and useful way.

How to choose your visitor

Visitors do, of course, vary widely in quality and reliability, and there is no regulatory body or easy qualification to look for in a visitor. This can make for a minefield when choosing where to spend your hard won budget. You want to make sure that you and your children get the best possible experience which leads to quality topic work.

So to help you avoid Hagar, here’s five easy steps to follow when choosing a historical visitor:

Perhaps this seems obvious: you have probably searched online for your visitor and may have found them through a website, facebook page or online directory. Thoroughly checking out their website should, however, give you a feel for their level of professionalism and certainly should allow you to see some photographs of the person in costume. Their website should also list such things as their level of experience, previous clients, and whether they are members of a re-enactment society, professional association or other group, and whether they adhere to any authenticity standards. You don’t want your Viking turning up (as was suffered by one school) with furry trousers, Ugg boots and an African drum!

Even if there are testimonials on their website, reputable history visitors will be more than happy to provide you with referees from schools they have previously worked with. A good visitor will be asked back year on year to the same schools so will have built up a bank of happy clients for you to contact. Do not be afraid to ask detailed questions: you’re bringing someone into your children’s safe environment, so make sure you are happy with the answers you receive.

Is the visitor insured? Will they provide a risk assessment and invoice? At what point is your booking guaranteed? Do you have to pay a deposit? Is the visitor DBS checked? By law (and Ofsted, which is kind of the same thing), external visitors are NOT required to be DBS checked as they are not taking part in a “regulated activity”. However many visitors will be, which might help you make a decision depending on your school’s child protection policy.

Has the visitor asked for plenty of information about the school? A good visitor should make sure that they are familiar with what you want from the day, any particular focus you have for the topic and any issues/barriers to learning that there may be within the group. Usually a visitor would want to know the group age, size, how many adults the school will provide for supervision, the space available (halls? Classrooms?), the school timetable for the day so that activities can be timetabled properly, any SENs or particular issues with any children, where they can change, where they can park etc. If the visitor isn’t asking the right questions then it could be an indication that they are inexperienced at best, and at worst may turn up on the day and start turning the school upside down because things are not suitable!

While there are a (very) few people who will visit your school for free, most people will ask a fee plus expenses. As with all things in life, you gets what you pays for! The costumes, artefacts, and resources all take time and money to prepare, and travel expenses, insurances and admin costs must all be covered. Some visitors will charge per day up to a maximum group size, whereas some will charge per head of children. Get a few quotes to make sure you’re in the right ball-park. Make sure that when you make your first enquiry that you include your location so that expenses can be included in your quote: many visitors travel country-wide to provide their service, so those petrol and accommodation costs can mount up.

Do make sure that whatever the quote you have received, that it is clearly laid out and is the total amount. Don’t be caught out by hidden costs such as photocopying worksheets for 100 children if the visitor didn’t mention that at the start.

If the visitor is part of a large agency, ensure that you get to speak to the person who will actually be visiting your school. While it may also be tempting to ask the secretary to do the ringing around, you are the only one who knows your children, and it’s important that you get a feel for who that person is, what their presentation style may be and whether they will be right for your group’s dynamic.

You’ve booked the date, the newsletters have been sent home and your little Roman Army/Victorian work house children/Elizabethan peasants are busily getting mum to knock up a costume because they forgot to tell her until the night before. What can you do to make sure everything goes swimmingly on the day?

From when the visitor arrives (probably around 8am), he or she will need to find the hall/classroom, unload and set up, which can take up to 90 mins depending on how many props and artefacts the visitor has brought. Delays because the receptionist didn’t know about the day, or there’s nowhere to park, or the breakfast club won’t let them into the hall, can impact the start time severely and shorten the entire day. If you can’t be there first thing then arranging for a premises manager to be around is extremely useful. It can also be disruptive if Year 1 suddenly turn up halfway through the day expecting to use the hall for PE, so make sure all spaces are properly booked out.

This may seem obvious, but I have personally visited many schools where the teachers have not been present for much of the day. I cannot stress enough how important teacher participation is. The visitor will want to discuss the running order, housekeeping (where are the loos? And more importantly the coffee?) and any special arrangements with the teacher before the children arrive. The class teacher(s) should make sure that they are available for the whole school day so don’t schedule in PPE time, meetings, or sit in the corner catching up on that marking. If you are not experiencing what the children are experiencing, how can you prepare follow up work? Visitors are an incredibly valuable resource and it’s not only the children who can learn an awful lot from the day. A good visitor will be happy with you making notes for future use and asking your own questions: after all, that is what they are there for.

Most importantly, involving yourself in the day helps enormously with immersing the children. Teacher participation (especially when you get to cynical year 6 classes) can make the difference between children buying into the activities or feeling self-conscious and not fully taking part. Good visitors will of course make every effort to build rapport with the children and get the most out of them on the day but having teacher join in can make this process a lot easier.

Even the best behaved classes can get over-excited when faced with a WWII gun or Viking axe. How do you want to manage behaviour between yourself and the visitor? Some visitors prefer to manage behaviour themselves, some welcome additional help from teachers. If it is a large or particularly boisterous group then it’s unrealistic to expect one visitor to have eyes everywhere, and teacher backup will be necessary to make sure everyone gets the most out of the day. If you have a particular method of calming a class down, such as clapping rhythms or holding up a hand or counting backwards, it can help to let the visitor know.

There may be loud noises involved in the day (yelling, blowing horns, shield wall clashes) which might upset some SEN children and you will need to know when these are likely to occur. The visitor will also be “in character”, and as a Roman warrior or Victorian school mistress this may mean talking to children as they are not used to being spoken to, which could exacerbate behavioural issues. Teachers will need to identify children who may not deal well with shouting or being singled out.

Even the most professional, reliable visitor cannot be held responsible for Acts of God(s), weather conditions, or public transport. They understand how much of an event a day like this is for the children and the school – organising fancy dress, moving the timetable around, cancelling regular activities etc. – and no good visitor will take lightly the decision to cancel. In the past five years I have cancelled only a very few times: twice when roads were closed due to high winds and heavy snow; once when my car broke down 5 miles from the school; once when I’d lost my voice; once due to a death in the family and once because London Transport were on strike and the roads were clogged so badly it took 3 hours to drive 5 miles!

It’s therefore vitally important that you have a back-up plan in place to avoid all those puppy dog eyes when you have to tell them that the Viking’s ship sank. Visitors who have to cancel should be happy to reschedule the day where possible, and where not possible should make a full refund on any deposits paid.

Hopefully these top tips FindSchoolWorkshops will help you find the best history visitor or school workshop for your topic. A good visitor can fire children's imagination for weeks after the workshop; a bad one can be dull, uninspiring or just plain laughable! If you’ve had any experiences worth sharing – good or bad – with visitors coming into schools, then leave a comment or email me at dom@vikingschoolvisits.com or visit our site: https://marvelloushistory.com/