For more info about Airplay Skills or Suitcase Circus please email me
Airplay Skills is a program of dynamic hands-on activities based on a range of traditional children's games from around the world. Airplay Skills is also based on the work of Jo Bolton his father, Dr Reg Bolton & the highly successful 'Suitcase Circus' physical education program. The core group of games/skills in the program are: Diabolo, Hoops, Juggling, Plate Spinning, Rhythm Sticks, Trick Bricks & Twirling Poi
Participation in the Airplay Skills program will encourage students to: • Learn new physical skills whilst enjoying some active exercise. • Develop a productive self-acceptance of their current physical coordination & skill level. • Strive for continual self improvement without needing to emphasise competition. • Think laterally & use imagination in problem-solving & practice. • Make meaningful links between different learning areas. Each of the Airplay Skills activities offer: • The initial ‘WOW' factor. • A simple starting point. • Incremental step-by-step progress. • Scope for infinite improvement. • The opportunity for appropriate showing off, with attendant self-esteem boost. • The chance to be undeniably better at something than your teacher/parents. • Less risk of injury than many sports. Airplay Skills is based on the following premises: • For centuries these traditional skills have been enjoyed in many societies around the world, in a range of cultural forms including games, circus, dance, sport & storytelling. • Progressive, measurable, fun-to-do skills are a great way to develop spatial awareness & hand/eye/body coordination. • This range of skills represents a useful & enjoyable way for people to share a direct understanding of certain properties of the physical world (e.g. gravity, momentum, balance, speed, rotation & time). • A student enjoying learning is a student eager to achieve more. Jo Bolton Jo has worked with children for over a decade & has a considerable reputation as a caring and conscientious teacher. His skills, exemplified in the program, are inspiring they enable him to accurately monitor & guide the techniques of any student. Jo worked with Suitcase Circus in community arts projects, & performed all over the world throughout his childhood and youth. He has also performed in various theatre, musical theatre, film & television productions. As the inaugural ‘Captain Starlight’ in W.A. for the Starlight Children’s Foundation, Jo helped to establish their Starlight Express Room & Starlight TV channel at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children. He has conducted workshops, residencies & shows in dozens of W.A. schools & organisations. Single Visit. Airplay Skills provides a workshop (to suit timetable) for up to 60 students (30 students or less recommended, for more one-to-one tuition). Workshop activities are tailored to the age/attention span of the students. A standard workshop structure is: • A dynamic presentation of Airplay Skills for the whole group. Including some inspiring demonstrations & background information about the various games/skills. • Volunteers from the group help to demonstrate the specific activities to be attempted during the workshop. These depend on the age & experience level of the group. • A circuit of activities from the range of Diabolo, Hoops, Juggling, Plate Spinning, Rhythm Sticks, Trick Bricks & Twirling Poi. All students are engaged all the time. Residency 2 to 10 visits (longer residencies available) We believe our program is consistent with the curriculum framework & can help to facilitate new discoveries in various learning areas. • Students have the time to develop advanced skills with ongoing expert tuition. • Students have the opportunity to discover their individual strengths. • A residency can culminate in a group showcase performance. © 2006 Airplay Skills