Hi-5_-_Five_Senses

Tim Maddren

In Inspiration & Health by Edwina Hunter0 Comments

After watching Hi-5 on television while growing up in New Zealand, Tim Maddren’s dream came true – an opportunity to audition! He describes it as “an awesome experience” and his career took off from there. We talk to tim about how to keep kids active and entertained, the effect of technology on children’s creativity, and his charity work with World Vision.

1. What does a typical day look like for you?

It’s so varied, we do albums, films, press and charity work. When in Sydney, our studio and film shoots are based on the North Shore. A typical day would be to get up around 7am, have breakfast, start our first show at 10am, meet with about 20 children, have lunch and then another show. When touring Asia, usually Singapore, we do a few shows a day then the crew pulls apart the set while we wait. Around 5pm we drive to the next venue, then fall asleep. Not as glamorous as it sounds; busy, but a lot of fun! It feels like you’re on a roller coaster for those 2 weeks (laughs).

2. Hi-5 are about to start their 2012 Tour, can you tell us more?

We will be touring around the whole of Australia. It’s so much fun. I often don’t know which town is next because we just hop on the bus and off we go. It’s really nice to be able to go out to the rural areas. It is amazing to be on stage and then meet the kids and I especially love to hear their individual stories. That’s what I really love about this job.

3. How is Dayen Zheng fitting in after replacing Fely Irvine?

She is great! It’s really cool to have a new energy. She’s bright and bubbly and full of enthusiasm and we’re loving it! She’s a perfect fit. Kids seem to go by someone’s energy, rather than their image, voice or words. It is important for us to genuinely get along, otherwise kids sense that. For many kids that come to the show, a lot of the content goes over their head but they get the energy, vibe, fun and hilarity. That’s why it is so important that the energy of Hi-5 is genuine. Kids get bored easily!

We will miss Fely. We have been through so much together. It is very hard to say goodbye, especially without crying!

CHILDREN TODAY

4. Favourite activity when you were a child?

Sailing. I loved it! I grew up in Marlborough, NZ and one day I was out on the water when a dolphin suddenly appeared under the boat with its little baby following behind. They stuck around for a couple of hours.

It’s harder [to sail] now because we tour so much, I have taken to surfing as it’s easier and I can still enjoy the water!

5. You are a naturally energetic person and a self confessed “child at heart,”do you have some ideas for keeping children entertained?

Children will always be the same – they are always discovering and always up for fun! So how about these timeless activities?

The noisy way to have fun is to make cubby houses. Not just two chairs together and then a rug over the top. I’m talking, like, epic cubby houses! You get every cushion in the house and every blanket. Upturn your couches to make a tunnel, then you cover them with rugs, pillows and blankets, make it pitch black. Then you get a torch and crawl through. You can make it a cave or whatever you want it to be. Cubby houses are the best!

I’m not too good with quiet activities but, from my experience, I have one thing that’s really good with kids and will appeal to grandparents. If you really listen to a kid, they really do have the most amazing imagination. Sit down quietly, when they’re nice and settled and ask them what they are thinking about. Whatever they suggest, say “yes” to. For example, they might say, “I’m thinking of going to the moon. Do you want to go to the moon?” If you let them lead the play time, you will be amazed at how imaginative they can be and what kind of whacky and weird world you can end up in!

I often take the time to do this with kids and all of a sudden they’re like, “I’m thinking about being an animal in the jungle. Can we be animals?” I respond with “Yeah!” and off we go to be so-and-so.

6. What is your advice to parents and grandparents when children want to spend a lot of time playing video games and watching TV?

Our show is encouraging kids to watch TV but the goal is to make children interact and that’s what is especially great about Hi-5. There is interaction in the first minute, first line! Without interaction, kids’ shows aren’t good.

The major issue I see, is that TV shows and games have all been developed by someone else. The challenge is to work out some way of getting children to use their own imagination.

7. Do you believe technology helps or hinders children’s creativity today?

I would be a fool to say that technology is wrong, because it’s not – it’s great. It definitely has its place and it’s not going away. Technology is an amazing tool to promote learning. It’s so easy and readily available, like on Youtube you can learn about a place, or watch surfing videos, for example. There is so much at their fingertips. It’s about how to best incorporate technology into our lives and how to use technology in a way that encourages imagination.

If a child is playing a horse-riding computer-game, then after the game, make a horse out of cardboard and encourage them to ride around the house with you. Otherwise, children aren’t using their imagination, which is one of the most important things when it comes to education and creativity. With a computer game, someone else has created and imagined that game and there’s nothing really left for the child to imagine.

My primary school was in a rural area. The playground was conceived and designed by an architect, which was cool, but in this school there was a small forest, a whole lot of native trees plonked together. My mates and I would go in that forest more than going into the playground because we could use our imaginations. We could make a car out of a piece of wood. It was easier to use our imagination there than it was in a playground designed by someone else. Make the most of the beautiful bush surroundings in Ku-ring-gai. Explore and use your imagination!

We don’t know what the world will look like in 10 years but thanks to technology, the way we live has changed completely in the last 10 years. At a time like this, I think creativity is one of the most important skills to have. To be able to adapt in life, invention and creativity are so very important and highly,
highly underrated!

8. I hear you are a big Paul Jennings fan. What’s your favourite book?

Little Squirts for sure. Paul Jennings appeals to boys like no other writer. He is cheeky and funny. Paul Jennings really pushed my imagination. Read Little Squirts and you will see why. I can’t believe he got away with writing that for children, but
he did, so I can say it (laughs).

WORLD VISION

9. You and Hi-5 are ambassadors for World Vision, can you share with us why it is so important to you?

It is about making a change in the world. I think we have become complacent about what is happening in other parts of the world. Just being involved in an organisation, like World Vision, helps you become aware of what is happening; and that can never be a bad thing.

10. Can you share with us an early experience doing the 40 Hour Famine?

I started raising money for World Vision’s 40 Hour Famine in high school. Although, instead of going without food, we did a 40 hour running relay around our cricket ground, which also doubled as a round-a-bout. That was pretty cool. I organised the relay fundraising event and got it all going. One of the sides of the cricket ground was an area linking the airport to the city and there’s an area where pedestrians can cross in three ways. I stood in the middle of the pedestrian island and kept pressing the pedestrian button. Of course, each time I pressed it, it slowed the traffic down, which caused a traffic jam about 1 km long. We took advantage of this opportunity and took buckets to all the cars to collect money. People were giving us buckets of cash! Then soon the police stopped us from doing it, however, the traffic jam had made it onto the traffic report and was aired all the radios. The radios started to say, “These guys are raising money for World Vision, get behind them and make a donation!” Money was getting thrown out of cars, so we were picking up coins from everywhere – an amazing experience!

It was a great thing. Instead of doing the 40 Hour Famine we got a bit creative, which proved very successful. These days, I wouldn’t encourage this idea but hey, we raised a lot of money: $50,000 for World Vision and from that a lot of people were looked after. Since then, my school has continued with the 40 Hour Famine and has raised $600,000 for World Vision.

After that I got a scholarship for World Vision and things followed from there.

A BIT MORE ABOUT TIM

11. Do you go to sleep with Hi-5 songs running through your head?

They keep me up! I had one the other night that would not go away. I don’t know why they stick in your head, I have had a go at the composer about it (laughs).

12. Lastly, where will you be in the future?

Definitely performing and still just as childish! Also, I can’t wait to be a dad. I can’t wait to rediscover the world again!