Everyday superheroes

Before you begin

Invite someone who serves your community to talk to everyone about what they do. You could get in touch with a local councillor, a shop or business owner, a teacher, a firefighter, a medical professional (for example a GP, nurse, dentist, or pharmacist), a faith leader, or a sportsperson.
Make sure your guest knows who you are and when and where you meet. Do they have any access requirements?
Don’t panic if you can’t find a guest speaker. One of the people leading the activity could talk about how they try to be helpful every day, or everyone could take it in turns to chat about the things they do.

Basil was a small brown bear who lived with his daddy, Barnaby, and his mummy, Bisma. Both were brown bears too, but they were much bigger and much older than Basil. They all lived in a house built into the branches of a tall oak tree.

Bisma was a nurse and went out to work every day. Barnaby would stay home and look after Basil. They would play games, go for walks and attend lessons.

Today, Basil wanted to play dress up. He had watched his favourite TV show about a white tiger called Tianna, who was a super-strong superhero that could fly.

She wore a blue cloak and a blue mask. She kept the people of the mountains safe from avalanches and evil villains.

Basil ran into his playroom and began to search for his Tianna the White Tiger costume.

‘Why don’t you dress as a different hero today?’ Basil’s dad asked.

Basil stopped and looked at his other costumes. He couldn’t see another superhero outfit.

‘But Dad, I don’t have another superhero outfit.’

Barnaby looked through the costumes and picked one up. ‘What about a nurse, like Mummy?’

‘But Daddy, nurses aren’t heroes,’ Basil whined

Barnaby raised an eyebrow. ‘Oh really? Who makes you feel better when you are sick? Who looks after you when you graze your knee? I think that makes them heroes, don’t you?’

Basil thought about this. He nodded in agreement and reached for the costume. But Barnaby picked up another costume.

‘What about a police officer, like Turner the Turtle?’

‘But Daddy, police officers aren’t heroes!’ Basil whined.

Barnaby raised his eyebrow again. ‘Oh really? Who arrests villains and keeps you safe? Who helps Mrs Fig cross the road? I think that makes them heroes, don’t you?’

Basil thought about this. He again nodded in agreement and reached for the costume, but Barnaby had picked up another.

‘What about a Supermarket worker, like Eamon the Elephant?’

Basil shook his head firmly. ‘But Dad, they can’t possibly be a hero!’

Barnaby smiled. ‘Oh really! Who brought our food when we couldn’t go out? Who makes sure food is on the shelves? I think that makes them heroes, don’t you?’

Basil smiled and nodded in agreement. But he didn’t reach for the costume. This time he ran back upstairs. ‘Wait there, I know which hero I want to be!’ he yelled.

Barnaby was confused as Basil hadn’t taken a costume.

Suddenly, Basil burst into the room. He was wearing a red shirt of Barnaby’s, a pair of Barnaby’s shoes that were much too big for Basil, and Barnaby’s favourite green tie hung around his neck.

Barnaby chuckled. ‘Why are you wearing my clothes? I thought you wanted to dress as a hero?’

Basil smiled. ‘You help me when I’m ill, you help me cross roads safely, and make sure I always have food when I’m hungry. And you give me the biggest cuddles and make me feel loved. I think that makes you a hero, don’t you?’

By Chris Allerton

Who is it?

Everyone should chat as a group about the people in their community who do good things every day. What sorts of roles do they have?
The person leading the activity should help the group to think of as many people as they can.

Listen and learn

Everyone should split into small groups.
The person leading the activity should explain that a guest speaker is coming to talk to everyone. They should explain their role so everyone understands a bit about what they do.
Each small group should think about any questions that they’d like to ask the guest speaker. The person leading the activity should write the questions down.
Everyone should listen to the everyday hero talk. What will they learn?
Once the guest has finished speaking, everyone who wants to ask a question should raise their hand. They should take it in turns to ask their questions.
Everyone should take some time to reflect on the activity as a group.

Reflection

This activity encourages everyone to respect each other and everyone in their community. Throughout the activity, people will come to understand more about other positive citizens in their local area and learn more about the world around them.

You can chat about these optional reflection points throughout the session or at the end.

The bear who had a hero

Are there any jobs in the book that people hadn’t heard of? Which ones?
Are there good people everywhere? Why do people think that is?

Listen and learn

What new information has everyone learned today?
How can everyone here be an everyday hero?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Active games: The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.