Tag: Storytelling for schools

Promise Groups – Winter Term at Peterhead Central Primary School

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Here’s the my second post about this winter term’s #PromiseGroups

As well as Boddam Primary School, I was visiting Peterhead Central Primary School!

The pupils:

– listened to stories of all kinds

– learned to use hand puppets and watched a couple of Jim Henson videos to see how the professionals do it (The Rainbow Connection by Kermit The Frog was a firm favourite!)

– gave hand puppets characters and voices

– created their own story and decided that instead of a film, they would do a story board!

– worked really hard drawing scenes for the story board

– help me tell the story on Wednesday to the P6 class and showed off the storyboard to the class.

– grew in confidence with stories and with me – knowing that you don’t need to be good at WRITING stories to create them and have fun! 🙂

The story wasn’t intended to be a film, but I put this quick video together so I could show off how hard working they’ve all been. Well done you lot!

@we_care_aberdeenshire

Stories at Banchory Academy

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A wee photo from Friday this time!
Here’s mi – posing in the super library at Banchory Academy Library

I was in for a full day telling three sets of my favourite stories – some spooky, some with a twist at the end, some that needed solving – to the S2 pupils.

Each group were a fantastic audience and kept me highly amused! Particularly chuffed with the enthusiastic pupils who told me about ghosties their great granny saw, about folkloric characters to look up for more tales and to those who sat on the edge of their seats. It was a real pleasure to visit!

Gingerbread Men with my Promise Group!

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Would you look at these amazing gingerbread men decorated by one of my amaaaazing Promise Groups!
What do you think? Proper artists!
They’ve listened to stories, played story games, created their own brand new tale, worked on narrating the script, leaned to use hand puppets and… it’s all gone in to a film which the school will see next Wednesday at assembly.
Such a great group!!

Next up I’ll be working on the other amazing school’s exhibition 😊

Week 3 with my Promise Groups

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Here’s Strawberry Moose enjoying a day trip on Wednesday – My two Promise Groups were enthusiastic, creative and joyous puppeteers!

Both groups started off with a story (the classic Stone Soup) and then had a lesson on how to effectively bring hand puppets to life. It really is SO tricky, when first picking up a puppet, to make it open its mouth for each syllable. We had a lot of fun with that.

Then both groups started creating their stories with me. They’re going to be very different from eachother and displayed in a different way – one will be a film and the other will be a storyboard (maybe with animated drawings!) watch this space!

@we_care_aberdeenshire #PromiseGroups #KeepThePromise

Kaimhill Primary Ripple Visit

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What a lovely visit I had to Kaimhill School on Tuesday as part of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival’s Big Scottish Story Ripple. I told stories to two P1 classes and two P2 classes who were fantastic listeners! They really got in to stories of a king and a bee, a woman who could stitch the most amazing things, and… an affa thirsty puddock!
#sisfstoryripple2025

Post edited to add:

Talking of frogs…. (see my last post)
I was so happy to see this book in the P2 classroom – It used to belong to Wee Imp and she donated to Kaimhill a few years ago when she was having a clear out!
The teacher said it was a favourite 🙂

Story Creation Fun at my Promise Groups

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I’m still grinning after my two #PromiseGroup visits yesterday! Both groups started with story where they could join in with describing whatever plant or tree they could imagine – then we made our first stories together using story dice!😁 #KeepThePromise #WeCareAberdeenshire

Promise Group Progress!

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Look at this suspicious bunch hanging around on a Wednesday morning… What were they up to?

Well! Seeing as you asked… They were waiting to film the introduction to my Promise Group’s story! All the pupils contributed SO well today!

– best fist bumps!
– finishing last weeks shadow puppets
– cutting out a few new shadow puppets and scenery
– drawing some magical items for the story
– recording the story introduction with the hand puppets
– starting to record the audio for our film !

In doing ALL THIS today, they showed their outstanding
– creativity
– drawing and cutting skills
– courage to speak out
– voicing of characters
– attention to detail
– ability to learn and pronounce new words
– clear and audible speech
– willingness to have fun

10/10 you lot! ❤

#wecareaberdeenshire#KeepThePromise#ScotlandCares

It’s all about the planning…

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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.

Aye, I’ve been a busy quine!

Promise Groups with We Care Aberdeenshire

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A new project for a new term! When my pal Sarah and I over at Windswept Stories Photography were out for a walk the other month, she was telling me how she was working with care experienced children – teaching them photography skills, increasing confidence – and having fun!

“Cor. Someone should do storytelling with the groups! It’s what gave me confidence” was my response.

So a couple of months down the line, here I am working with my first group for We Care Aberdeenshire https://thepromise.scot/ #KeepThePromise #ScotlandCares

We’ve planned to

1) create a new story

2) learn to use hand puppets

3) make shadow puppets

4) film our story for the pupils ‘ grown ups, friends, and school to see.

I was so excited I had to have a lie down in the library carpet afterwards

Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month (GRTHM) at Mintlaw, Wednesday 11th June

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I’m delighted to be telling stories this coming Wednesday at MACBI Community Hub in Mintlaw as part of Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month.

Although not from a traveller family myself* I have been lucky and privileged to have learned stories and ballads from the wonderful Stanley Robertson and many other Gypsy, Roma, Traveller and New Age Traveller storytellers and singers that I’ve met over the years. I owe them all a huge debt of gratitude!

I’ll be telling some of my favourite stories from Stanley, Duncan Williamson and Lucy Stewart and can’t wait to meet the bairns from local schools who’ll be coming along for the day.

*(Actually we do have Smiths, Williamsons and Stewarts in the family tree – but those were hawker g-g-grandparents all making themselves difficult to find in the censuses in the 1800s!)

“To celebrate this years Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month, (GRTHM) there is a Community Event in MACBI Community Hub on Wednesday, 11th June from 9.30am to 12.00pm. Davie Donaldson, Traveller Activist, podcaster and charismatic speaker will be doing a “Show and Tell” of Gypsy/Traveller objects. Pauline Cordiner an amazing Storyteller who studied under the great Stanley Robertson will be telling us one of her great stories. This will be a very interesting and fun event and all are invited. It will take place in Hall 3. Hope to see you there!! Many thanks.”