With my last schools storytelling visit completed, it's time to reflect on storytelling in schools this past academic year.
I'm pleased to say it has been a busy one with lots of visits to both new & familiar schools and nurseries. I have traversed my way between Essex, Kent, Surrey, Greater London, Suffolk, Hertfordshire & Norfolk meeting brilliant young people and delighting in the wonderful ideas they bring to my stories. I couldn't do my job without their imaginations and they make all the travelling worth while. I also salute all the teachers I have met along the way, having seen first hand the daily pressures they face, I simply couldn't do what they do each day.
I have also had the privilege of weekly sessions as part of a new storytelling intervention initiative with Barons Court Primary, working with small groups from all year groups from Reception to Year 6. The hour sessions have been full of both listening to, creating and playing with stories together and the improvement in both the listening and speaking skills of the students has been very evident. The young people who attend always bring brilliant ideas to the sessions and it has been a joy to see them grow as storytellers & creators.
Finally, I have been enjoying running storytelling CPD sessions with teachers. I am a firm believer in learning through doing and the sessions have involved lots of laughter and playfulness alongside the tips and techniques!
Summer storytelling.
I'm looking forward to taking the summer to research and craft new stories for the next academic year. I'm also looking forward to summer storytelling events at Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire and returning to the wooded area at Eastbrookend Country Park for their Teddy Bears Picnic event. I might even fit in a little rest along the way and an ice cream - well it is summer after all!
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