Fit a grand visit tae the residents o Overdon Care Home in Kintore wi Sheena on Tuesday! This was a session organised by Doric Books far we’ve been daen oor Doric ABCs
Active, Blethers an Community Singing!
The theme this wik wis “Hame” an we hid stories aboot a wifie fa winted a bigger hoose (an mair aifter that), Purley Wurley Puddock an a hale bunch o sangs includin Sheena’s Washin Machine sang!
(Photo fae a ghostie nicht wi did a couple o year ago – we were ower busy tae tak photos on Tuesday!)
It might be the weekend, but I’m busy busy busy planning upcoming projects!
First of all, I’ve been preparing my plan of action for the next 6 weeks with my Promise Group. We’re creating a story, working with hand puppets, making shadow puppets and filming it all before showing the film to their grown ups and the rest of the school at the end of the term!
I’ve also been planning ABC visits to care homes across the North East with funding Doric Books have received from Hands Up For Trad! The sessions will be based around Work, School and Home and will aa be in Doric – the Activities, the Blethers and the Community Singing. Three of the visits will be with Sheena Blackhall, so I’m really looking forward to that!
I’m delighted I’ve still got two visits to local schools funded by The Doric Board – working with the rhymes of Annie Shirer, a project thought up by Ewan McVicar – you can find out more about that here – https://annieshirerrhymes.co.uk/
And I’m chuffed to be covering three weeks of Scots Song with SC&T Youth – the songs have been chosen and the fun warm ups are being sung around the house!
I’m also planning the rest of the term’s stories and activities for the GREC Language Cafe. These are free weekly sessions for New Scots, those seeking immigrant status and abdy else learning English as a new language. Each session has a theme and there are often visitors who talk about what they do and what services they provide. My job is to tell a story and come up with ice breaker questions and activities for the Cafeistas. The cafe meets weekly (during school term time) at the Arts Centre on Thursdays between 11 and 3pm. Find out more here – https://grec.co.uk/language-support/
Oh! And the Guiding organisation in the UK has created some new interest badges for Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers. Including… the Brownies’ FOLKLORE BADGE! So I’ve had fun planning some stories and activities for that.
Well that was a fun week for the SC&T Youth tutors at St Peter’s Primary School in Aberdeen!
P4, 5 and 6 pupils learned clasarch, guitar, whistle, and Scots song every morning, with a concert on Friday where they were able to show off the tunes and songs they’d learned to the rest of the school and their teachers. P4 and 5 instruments would accompany the P6 singers, for example.
Here’s a photo of P6 enjoying a video of Joe Aitken singing the Barnyards of Delgaty – they were all singing along within a couple of choruses! I was especially impressed with their pronunciation of all the Doric words which were new to almost all the pupils.
One of the P6 girls drew this amazing portrait of me! – I love it when pupils do that! There are some amazing details in there – I’m particularly loving the duck earrings!
I’m really looking forward to next week when we’ll be sharing songs and tunes with the pupils of Riverbank Primary School.
Finally it’s here! It’s the Stonehaven Folk Festival !!
While I’m looking forward to the songs and the tunes and the World Paper and Comb Championship… I’m also really looking forward to … Telling Stories!
All my storytelling sessions are either FREE or COST ONLY £1 this year and 3 of them are FAMILY FRIENDLY!
Tonight – along the boardwalk, join me (and probably those nuisance fairies in the photo!) for STORIES ON THE RICKSHAW with The Stoney Rickshaw ! We’ll be leaving the Men’s shed about 7pm and making our way along the board walk, stopping somewhere there if there’s an audience for a wee tale. Then follow us to the harbour for some more stories, finishes 8pm.
Tomorrow – Saturday 8th July 10.30am – 11.30am. Join us for SINGING FOR KIDS – a workshop aimed at kids of all ages and their grown ups – Held at the Community Education Centre on Bath Street. Only £1 per person!
Following that at 11.30am – 12.30pm, there will be STORYTELLING FOR KIDS and their grown ups – a family storytelling session of monsters, heroes and probably farts.
And for the grown ups, I’ll be doing some ADULTS ONLY STORYTELLING at the 65 Club from 9 to 10pm on Saturday – Likely some spooky and bawdy tales just before Susie’s Singing Session!
Of course there are many many other amazing concerts, workshops and sessions going on throughout the festival, many of which have no charge – have a look at their web page for more details!
Pauline Cordiner - Scottish Storyteller 