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Resources Little Troopers virtual workshops
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Little Troopers virtual workshops

There are 2 free online workshops available to bring together Service children in a similar situation to explore the unique challenges and opportunities that they experience as members of the British Armed Forces community and celebrate what it means to be a ‘Little Trooper’. The sessions are pre-recorded as a ‘live’ event, delivered by an experienced team of facilitators using Little Troopers’ primary school resources incorporating storytelling, movement, group discussion and role play. The workshops are open to all Service children in your setting of primary age and suitable for groups of any size.

 

Outcomes

The aim is for your Service children to leave the session feeling proud of their identity and to feel as though their unique circumstances and life experiences have been acknowledged and understood. Your school will also be provided with useful information to assist with the continued and ongoing support of Service children in your setting.

Bringing children together

These workshops have been created with all primary-age Service children in mind meaning it can be delivered to a large group of children of different ages at once. This gives Service children who might not usually communicate with one another the opportunity to share their experiences and recognise that they are not alone. Furthermore, the workshops have been organised so that it appears pupils are logging in at the same time as other Service children across Wales. This will help the workshops to feel more like an exciting ‘event’ that brings children together and gives them a sense of belonging.

Gifts for the Service children

Each child that participates will receive a Little Troopers storybook, certificate, sticker, and SSCE Cymru goodies.

I really enjoyed the workshop; it was nice to know we are not alone. Knowing that there are others across the world that get these feelings was good to hear. I am glad that there are people in school that help us.

The workshop was thoroughly enjoyed by all, especially the role play making a guard room. Lots of laughter and fun was had.

The children have benefitted from this workshop and were excited to share their experience with teachers and friends, of their journeys moving home and schools in the past.

In preparation for your workshop…

Choose which virtual workshop you would like to do and let us know when you’ll be running it by completing the form on this page. We can then send you:

  • Storybooks that the children will need to use as part of the session
  • SSCE Cymru goodies, including pens, notepads, bookmarks and stickers.

Workshop recordings:

The workshops have been pre-recorded but will appear as ‘live’, so you can watch them in advance if you want to. Choose from one of the following three (Royal Navy, Army or RAF) workshops that is most appropriate for the Service children in your setting. The majority of the content in all workshops is the same, apart from the roleplay activity.

Little Troopers Virtual Primary Workshops

 

Please download the PDF from the Little Troopers Workshop link above, it will provide you with the following items to print in preparation before you start.

  • The Facilitator's guide
  • Worksheets
  • Certificates

 

What you will need during the workshop:

  • Good internet connection
  • A large screen that all of the children can see – the bigger the better
  • Lots of space for the children to spread out and move around
  • Colouring in pencils or crayons – these crayons will be used for the children to express their emotions during one of the activities, so please make sure there are plenty for them to choose from – e.g. red, black, blue, yellow
  • Resources (provided by us)
  • Facilitator notes to help you support the children throughout the workshop (provided by us)
  • You do not need a web cam.

Photos

We would love to see some pictures of the children taking part on the day. Please send all photos to pr@littletroopers.net and SSCECymru@WLGA.gov.uk as soon as possible after the event so we can share them on the day. Some of the pictures we’d love to see are:

  • Pictures of the children’s superhero drawings (ideal for schools where children need to remain anonymous)
  • Groups of children smiling at the camera
  • Children taking part in the warm-up game
  • Children drawing / completing worksheets
  • Children doing their superhero pose
  • Children taking part in their own role-play activity

Photos sent to us will be used as indicated in the SSCE Cymru Privacy Policy. As such, please make sure you only send us pictures of children who have given parental consent for us to use their images.

FAQs

Can non-Service / civilian children attend the sessions?
No. The sessions are designed to be a safe space for Service children to explore their experiences of military life and therefore it would not be appropriate for non-Service children to attend.

What sort of space do we need to run the session?
We suggest using a big TV or projection screen that all the children can see. You also need to allow for space for movement, role-play and worksheet activities. How you set up the room is up to you. Smaller groups will be fine in a classroom. Bigger groups may be better in a hall.

Do we need to have our web cams on?
No. The event is a pre-recorded ‘as live’ event. This means that it will look like a live event, but we will not be able to see or hear the children.

Who do we contact if we have any problems on the day?
You can email SSCECymru@wlga.gov.uk

Does a teacher / teaching assistant need to be present?
Yes. We would suggest that at least two members of staff attend the session as we do need support in the session to hand-out worksheets, encourage the children to stand / sit in the right place and there will also be a ten minute section where children will be encouraged to take part in their own role play activity.

Service children’s quotes

"As soon as we get used to a house, you get moved - I’ve been to four schools and moved six times."

Aiden

"I lived in Nepal, then we went to Brunei, then Malaysia."

Ashim

"In my eyes, you have hundreds of friends in different places."

Chloe

"I’m used to moving now and mixing with the children... I’ve done it so many times, it’s just a normal thing now."

Chloe

"It's ok talking over skype and that, but sometimes you just want a hug when Dad is away."

Georgia

"I’ve enjoyed going around to lots of places around the world, it's adventurous and exciting."

Harry

"In my eyes, you have hundreds of friends in different places."

Ieuan

"My mum got a chalk board and it says how many sleeps on it with chalk, every minute it’s getting closer for him coming home."

Mia

"I don’t want him to get promoted... I want him to get promoted but I don’t want to leave."

Oliver

"I might be going to boarding school so that I don’t change schools every few years."

Ryan

"I've been to seven different schools; I’ve not stayed put in one school long enough."

Shana

"He has been away for six months and he is back for two weeks, then he goes away again."

Sianed

"My parents were in the Army. My mum is a like a nurse and my dad went to the war in Afghanistan. I actually didn’t really know what he was doing so I was like, ‘Cool Dad, go there,’ but then I found out and thought, 'Thank God he came back alive.'"

Sanjog

"He signed off last week, so he will be done by the end of this year. He’s done 24 years. I find that better because he will be around a lot. He likes watching us playing rugby, so he will get to see us more."

Lewis

"I’m going to a new place entirely. They don’t know anything about me and that’s a big restart and that’s really good for me."

Piaras

"I moved to Wales because my dad was posted in the Army. I thought I would get bullied and I was shy when you meet new people, but I made some friends."

Dan