[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]How old were you when you became aware of the concept of identity…and started to ask the simple age-old question, ‘who am I?’.
Well, I have no idea how old I was! But I can tell you that my kid, Baby Explorer, is just shy of eleven months when we take part in Hear Me Roar Babies, a show being developed by Polyglot Theatre and Elbow Room. The show promises to dive into a picture of the world from a child’s point of view, exploring subjects of identity and choice and asking children to demonstrate their own ideas and instincts when it comes to the simple question of, ‘who am I?’
Once all babies and carers are assembled at reception, ArtPlay staff welcome us with a Welcome to Country before ushering us into the performance space where we were able to park our prams and remove our shoes.
The workshop consists of three or so activities spread across three spaces. First we are introduced to the team and provided with an overview of what they are trying to workshop. Then we enter a room that is practically lined with brown paper. The walls (section curtains) are covered with large sections of paper with personality characteristics on them; later we are told these are words that the team used to describe themselves as children.
The floor is also lined with brown paper and torn off pieces; we each find a piece and are given crayons which we use to draw around our babies. Some babies lie flat, others wriggle and crawl away to touch other babies… or even better, grab crayons. Over the course of this session Baby Explorer goes from simply wanting a crayon, to wanting a crayon to put in her mouth; how quickly they pick up things from each other! We then colour in the shapes we’ve created in colour/s that we feel represent our child.
Then it’s into the final room where carers are each given a piece of paper and asked to stand back and observe our babies and then to use the paper to map out how our babies use the room. The room has been decked out with a number of different playstations: a line of colourful paper mobiles hangs from the centre of the room; a tent full of textural wrapping paper, a cubby with glowing lights and more, all linked via a “road” of bubble wrap! It’s a wonderful exercise. So often, I find that I’m either carrying Baby Explorer around a playground or letting her play by herself at home; I haven’t given myself the opportunity to just “watch her out in the world”.
Around the time of this session, I’m feeling nervous about enrolling Baby Explorer in childcare; worried about how she’ll cope without me. This little activity helps me see that she is just fine and ready to explore the world without me fussing all over her.
Another surprise for me is the involvement that the adults could have. We are invited to take part in an Interview as well as a “Choices” session. I take part in the Interview and find it interesting to be asked questions about Baby Explorer’s character, my own character at age five and what hopes I might have for her. I am even asked to cast my mind to how she could disappoint me. I don’t have an answer right away but it certainly leads to an interesting discussion with my partner later on!
Then it’s back to the adjective-room where we are asked to share the adjectives we used to describe ourselves as babies, and then the words we use to describe our babies. We all come back together and share our learnings as a group. It turns out I’m not the only one who finds the session a valuable tool for self-reflection and learning about our child!
From the name of the show, I was expecting ‘Hear Me Roar Babies’ to be a loud and noisy activity. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lot of fun for the babies but as an added bonus, it is also an enjoyable and slightly therapeutic opportunity for the parents and grandparents in attendance. I enjoy the session and am so curious to see how it evolves into the next show Hear Me Roar (2 to 5 years) that I’m considering borrowing an older child so I can go check it out!
Hear Me Roar Babies was run on 18 April. Further phases of the show are Hear Me Roar (8 to 12 years) on Sunday 3 June, Hear Me Roar (2 to 5 years) which runs on Wednesday 6 June and a Hear Me Roar Interactive Performance on Saturday 9 June.
Click here for more places to go with babies and toddlers
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text el_class=”thon-hot-tips-panel”]HOT Tips:
- Head to the City of Melbourne website to book tickets for the 6 June session of Hear Me Roar (2 to 5 years)
- Artplay run free and paid workshops for children 0-12 years;
- before or afterwards visit the Artplay playground;
- Eat at cafes at Federation Square – I recommend Riverland and Pilgrim by the water or the ACMI cafe. Top tips on places to dine out with kids in the CBD; and
- The closest parking is at Federation Square Wilson Parking $16 per hour, or if you are able to book online prior to your visit, $9.50 will effectively get you a 3-hour stay (you get one hours grace period before and after your booked entry time; and
- Pleasant five-minute stroll from train and trams at Flinders Street station.
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