Digital Theatre Show

Melva’s Mountain
Adventure

The digital theatre show designed to deepen children’s
knowledge and understanding of their own mental wellbeing,
and teach them effective self-management techniques.

Available to Primary Schools and Trusts everywhere NOW.

This digital theatre show tells the story of Melva Mapletree…

Melva is a young girl whose struggles with anxiety, trauma and bereavement (or ‘worrits’ as she calls them) are keeping her from doing exciting new things, and sometimes mean she can’t even leave her house.

Watch the trailer with arrow pointing to video
A photograph from the live Melva show
The film and activities are designed to deepen children’s knowledge and understanding of their own mental wellbeing

Melva’s adventure starts when her Grandpa pretends to go missing, forcing her to leave the house and climb the mighty Mount Scratchicle to find him.

Before he disappears, he enlists the help of the audience to keep Melva safe as she tackles the mountain. The audience are with her every step of the way as, together, they learn how to better understand and manage their worrits, and discover what true bravery really is.

The story is split into 5 chapters and spread across 8 lessons, making it super simple to fit into a weekly lesson schedule, to use as part of a wellbeing week, or to support a specific intervention group in school. The wraparound activities are designed to help you explore the themes of the story in more detail, and deepen children’s knowledge and understanding of their own mental wellbeing.

Testimonials

What people are saying about
Melva’s Mountain Adventure

“I think [the children] have gotten a lot out of the programme – they were given some fantastic techniques about how to deal with different worrits”
Teacher
“I would definitely recommend it to fellow teachers and students because I think it gives a really good way for children to easily articulate when they’re worried”
Teacher
“You want to keep watching it and you want to find out what happens next”
Young participant
“I think it’s really good and quite helpful for me because just watching it, listening and doing the activities got rid of some of my worrits”
Young participant
“You just want to find out what they’re doing to and what they’re going to say. It’s really gripping
Young Participant
“There were a lot of funny twists and it was quite adventurous because they go on lots of adventures up the mountain”
Young Participant
“I think it’s really funny and I think it would help you – especially my brother because he’s not the best at calming down!”
Young Participant
“Melva is simply the best drama intervention I have ever seen […] the rewards are instant and long-lasting”
Headteacher
“The performance handled so many sensitive issues in a really clever, funny and engaging way”
Teacher

Learning in stages

A photograph from the live Melva show where Melva is looking up towards the sky

First…

Children become acquainted with Melva and her Grandpa Pebble, as they start to think and talk more about worrits: what they are, why they’re important, and the trouble they can cause.

A photograph from the live Melva show where Barnabus is kneeling down hugging Melva's waist tightly

Next

As Melva’s adventure ramps up, children start to learn some practical steps to managing their worrits, like talking about them with somebody they trust. They also start to understand more about how other people in their life – and the things they say – can make them feel and behave.

A photograph from the live Melva show where Melva is looking scared

Then

After a dramatic turn, Melva learns more practical ways to recognise and control her physical responses to worrits – like practising mindfulness techniques and shaking out her nervous energy. With the guidance of a very important person in her life, Melva is equipped with everything she needs to face her final challenge and rescue her Grandpa

What you and your
children gain from the
Melva film

The Melva programme is rooted in practical and legitimate mental health research.

It specifically focuses on providing children, young people, and the adults in their lives with accessible language and a creative context to make talking and learning about mental wellbeing easier. Specific benefits of the online film package include:

A participatory experience for your children

Children are given an active role in the story as ‘Mountain Rescue Volunteers’ through the wraparound videos and activities. They must complete their training through practical activities and classroom based discussions, to help keep Melva safe as she tackles her adventure.

Flexible approach for bespoke learning

Our easy to use web portal and simple lesson guides make it really easy to adapt the programme to the needs of your class. Use our online activity timer to boundary discussions, skip straight to the film and come back to activities another day, and choose between different variations of activities, based on what your children need in the moment.

Resources and language to help shape your whole school approach to mental wellbeing

Melva is designed to provide you and your children with a shared language, to make conversations about mental wellbeing easier, and part of day-to-day life. Using the key vocabulary introduced through the Melva film and activities, and our professionally designed, easy to use resources, you can continue to build on the learning from the Melva with your children, even after they’ve finished the programme.

Melva game shown on iPad

The Melva Digital Package

Find out more about the full Melva package and its benefits

MELVA has been developed in ongoing consultation with children, teachers and families since 2017, and is available for you to use in your own setting now.

Melva and Barnabus from the live Melva show
A still of Melva and Barnabus from the Melva Game

What does your school get access to?

  • 3 different MELVA themed creative interventions

    The full MELVA package consists of three different creative interventions:

    Each intervention centres around a different Melva story, and each story is told in a different way: through a series of animation; a filmed theatre show; and a choose-your-own-adventure style game.

    Each intervention is designed to be delivered over the course of 8 x 1 hour lessons, but you can go at your own pace depending on the needs of the young people you are working with. They come with fully prepared lesson plans and practical wraparound activities for in-depth learning, including: creative activities, mindfulness activities, positive psychology exercises, discussion topics and prompts, and practical self-management techniques to learn individually and in groups.

    Click the links above to find out more about each individual MELVA intervention.

    Exciting news:
    We are currently working on a 4th intervention – the Melva BOOK! This will be aimed predominantly at Year 6 children and will explore themes around transition, growing up, and grief.

  • A bank of wellbeing activities & themed assemblies

    As well as the structured interventions, we also provide examples of other simple activities you can use with your class or wider school anytime you like, such as simple mindfulness and breathing activities. These extra resources are designed to help make good mental wellbeing practices part of your daily school routine.

    New for academic year 24/25 will also be a bank of themed assemblies, to support your whole school approach.

  • The MELVA digital portal & Teacher Area

    Your school will receive a unique login for the full MELVA online portal, where the 3 creative interventions are hosted.

    This portal also includes a Teacher Area which holds all the necessary resources and guides you need to get started and deliver with your class, all in one easy to access place: lesson plans, evaluation guides, user guides and more.

  • A simple evaluation report at the end of the year

    We have built evaluation into the MELVA package, including pre- and post- intervention assessments, and session-by-session feedback.

    This means that, subject to proper and full completion and submission of the evaluation data, we can provide you with a simple report at the end of the year to demonstrate impact, including:

    • Improvements in knowledge, understanding and recall
    • Levels of key wellbeing indicators whilst participating in the MELVA programme*

    *We measure this using the PERMA™ framework – a model developed by Dr Martin Seligman and the studies in Positive Psychology to represent the presence of wellbeing

  • Teacher CPD & support for school staff

    With statutory services in such high demand, it is falling to schools to support children with their mental health, in place of trained mental health practitioners. We know this can come with its own anxieties and challenges, especially when considered alongside the epidemic of stress and burnout that teachers and school staff are already facing.

    With this in mind, we have deliberately factored staff support into the programme. Throughout the year, school staff will be able to access:

    • Introductory sessions to support the implementation of MELVA in your school.
    • Digital and in person Teacher CPD Sessions on wellbeing focused topics, such as Emotional Resilience and Managing Difficult Conversations.
    • Bookable 1:1 surgery slots with the MELVA team.
    • Facilitated conversation with other schools using MELVA to discuss your experiences and common issues arising around mental health and wellbeing in schools.

Get the Melva Package

Full online package

Full access to all Melva programmes and their accompanying resources.

£750

Are you eligible for a discount?

Get in touch for bespoke discounts for your setting.

Access lasts for one academic year and will be renewed automatically at the start of the following year unless cancelled.

Frequently asked
questions

How long does a license last?

School licenses last until the end of the academic year in which they were purchased and will renew automatically at the start of the following year unless cancelled, with invoices issued in July. If you purchase a license towards the end of an academic year e.g. Summer Term, we will liaise with you directly to discuss your license start date.

Family licenses do not expire, but are limited to 4 user profiles and once the game has been completed, it can’t be restarted.

Community or non-academic group licenses will be agreed on a case-by-case basis.

Do you offer any discounts?

We have various discounts available on our online Melva packages, including discounts for multi-license purchases (e.g. via a school trust or a corporate sponsorship) and discounts on license renewals.

Get in touch today to discuss bespoke discounts for group or setting.

What age range is Melva for?

Melva is designed for young people aged 7-11 (Key Stage 2 in England and Wales, or P4/P5/P6/P7 in Scotland).

Note: Some of the language used in the game may seem advanced for Lower Key Stage 2 (P4/P5). Throughout the Melva programme, we’ve tried to balance the content so that it will appeal to both the upper and lower end of this age range – inevitably this means not everything will land with every child the same way, but this will not hinder their experience.

Who do I contact if I’m having issues with my login?

If you are having trouble with your Melva online login, please contact melva@mortalfools.org.uk and we will endeavour to get back to you as soon as possible.

Note: The online user guides also include some basic troubleshooting tips, so please make sure you’ve read this carefully before you start using the platforms.

Funded and supported by: