Storytelling without props can be fun and spontaneous at times. If I’m storytelling in a public venue I’ll always have a few props on show just to set the scene like a dragon puppet for Chinese folk tales or an Ali Baba for Arabian Nights tales. Plus I bring along props for the children to […]
It’s the start of the Chinese New Year next Thursday. I’ll be telling a couple of Chinese folk tales during my storytelling session at Art House Crouch End. I think it will be lots of fun to tell children about the meaning of the Chinese Dragon in Chinese folklore. Strength, power and good luck! I plan to take […]
I’m so excited to be doing half term storytelling in my local area. I’ve teamed up with Art House, Crouch End and Pickled Pepper Books to offer some energetic, fun packed storytelling for children aged 4-11 years. This is the first time that I’ll be performing and running sessions in public venues. Usually I am in […]
I spent an afternoon telling folk tales with a Year 3 class at Campsbourne school. Everyone was animated and keen to join in with ideas to add to the plot, create atmosphere with musical props or act out a character. The surprising part of the sessions was how much time we spent thinking of various […]
Coconut Nursery welcomed me with a hot cup of tea before storytelling to their babies and toddlers. I felt right at home! For their Black History Month celebrations I re-told the story Jamela’s Dress by Niki Daly. The story is set in Cape Town, featuring the words ‘Kwela’ throughout which refers to the popular South […]
It’s been a brilliant two days of interactive storytelling, creativity and open source coding. My daughter went along to the Mozilla Festival 2014 with her dad Matt Shearer. Matt’s BBC News lab team were running a demo at the Science Fair. Children were getting stuck in for the giant ‘Maker Party’. From coding Minecraft to […]
Today was a fun day of Black History Month storytelling at Willow Children’s Centre in Holloway. I went packed with storytelling props and used these two dolls to help me tell the story of ‘My Two Grannies’ by Floella Benjamin. Teachers said that the babies and toddlers were ‘really engaged throughout’. These are wonderful story […]
Story Boat My mother-in-law Lori very kindly lent me this wonderful boat, to use as part of my storytelling sessions. The boat is over 60 years old! They can imagine they’re sailing away on the Story Boat to another time and place. When I took it to Stamford Hill Primary school for a storytelling session, […]
As part of their Black History Month celebrations, I was asked to do storytelling at Stamford Hill school. I entertained Year 1 and Reception with Anansi and the talking Melon and how Anansi got his stories. The children’s attention was immediately captured when I showed them my huge wooden boat. I explained that we sere […]
Today I spent time with a Year 5 class at Campsbourne Junior School to run an oral storytelling workshop. I’d prepared Black History Month stories which the children could take part in. Some of them had heard the tale of Ananse and the Unknown Assignment by Peggy Appiah from her book ‘Tales of an Ashanti Father’. As […]