My Mother Mary Cox started the original "Box Tree Buds" as an extension to the original adult group "The BoxTree Theatre company." It was aimed at children in the 6-12 year age group.

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Being an ex Archaela for the cubs, and a dinner lady at the local school, gave her the foundations she needed to build the club from scratch.

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The Box Tree Buds first opened it's doors to the public in the April of '88' when I was 11 years old.

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The evening would always begin with a selection of fun and exciting games!

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The aim of the games were to burn off the children's energy a bit, and to help build on their social and team skills.  (below is a list of game examples my mother would have used.)

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Physical games :

Tide Turn

Simon says!

Cat and mouse

Various relay races (Often involving costumes and props)

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Drama based games :

Lifeboats and Quarterdecks

Child friendly charades

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Memory games :

Kims game

I went on holiday

Chinese whisper

 

Skill Games :

Land, sea, and air (a catching a ball game)

Human letters (children form a letter on the floor using team members.

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Once the games had finished we would move onto the rehearsals for upcoming shows and presentations.

If no shows were scheduled my mother would do activities that helped us to develop our stage presence , and confidence .

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Another activity that was commonly done was a role playing scenario.

We would be given a piece of paper to read  in small groups, that had a task or scenario on it. 

For example! 

You are playing on the beach, and you see something glistening in the sand.

What happens next?

We would then be given 10-15 minutes to put together a little story, and to produce a miniature play to show the rest of the group (This was my personal favourite activity.)  This particular type of activity allowed children to direct others, and helped them to use their imaginations, and share their ideas with others! Very good for team building skills and social interactions.

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In the last 15 minutes of club, we would have what mum would commonly refer to as a Pow Wow. It usually involved singing some campfire style songs, that used some form of action.  Some of Mums favourites were :

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We are the red men tall and stout

 

Heads, shoulders knees and toes

 

Do, re, mi (from The sound of music) and

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Found a peanut.

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She even developed her own club yell. See below!

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Boom a Cracker, Boom a Cracker, Boom, Boom, Boom.

Zing a Cracker, Zing a Cracker, Zing, Zing, Zing.

Boom a Cracker!

Zing a Cracker!

Who are we?

We're the Box Buds,

can't you see!

Box Tree, Box Tree

B. U. D. S.

Okay!

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Club was great fun, and there was never a dull moment.  Not until Mum sadly passed away, that is. 

I tried to continue the group myself in her memory with another member of the main drama group, but at 14 wasn't really mature enough to carry it out. 

The group folded in December 1990, along with the main Box Tree Theatre Company.

 

All was not lost!

11 years after the original Buds folded, I started my own children's performance club under the new name: "The Box Tree Pippen's"  So named because, from the fruit of the tree comes a seed, and a new life begins. 

The club ran successfully for a few years, and in it's time put on 2 main performances to a family audience. The youngest performer was only 2 and a half years old, and my eldest was 12.

 

Club folded in April 2003 due to my own family commitments, and lack of child attendance through

other weekend activities.

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