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Monthly Archives: May 2018
Storytelling Resources 6: Tools
Tools of Storytelling
- Costumes
You can dress up like a character, such as if you are Olivia you can wear a red dress and a pair of pig ears. Or you can be simpler. If you are telling a story about cowboys, wear a cowboy hat or if you are a fairy, put on fairy wings. Even these small things can help immerse the audience in the story. Look at Pinterest or google images for some easy to make costume ideas. Kindergarten Kiosk has some simple ideas that might help as well. Check their site: https://www.kindergartenkiosk.com/kindergartenkiosk/3/23/halloween-costume-ideas-for-teachers
- Props
As with costumes, the can be simple. If you are telling Jack and the Beanstalk, you can have a handful of beans and a golden egg. If a character in your story has a wand, you can make or buy one to flourish at appropriate times when casing a spell. These possibilities can be endless. The trick is to make sure they are easy to wield and store. You might need a bag or box for your beans. Whatever it is you choose, make sure it is easy to use. For Dear Zoo, I used a manila folder with the front cut out while keeping the door in place. Inside were large postcards that could be taken out to reveal what new animal the zoo had sent the reader. The kids love guessing the animals.
- Puppets
Puppets can serve many functions in a storytelling program. One of the biggest advantages is that kids tend to focus on them. They treat the puppet like it’s another person regardless if you are a ventriloquist or not. They have faces and features and expressions. They can be simple or complex, but they will help add another character to your story even if you are the only performer.
- Felt Boards
Making decorative panels, characters, and props offers another visual element to draw the audiences attention. These can be simple, food, or they can be complex monkeys climbing a tree and the crocodile that lingers beneath them. They may not be as individual as puppets, not becoming characters on their own, but it does keep he attention of the audience and enhances the story,
- Instruments
Music is a wonderful element to add to storytelling performances. Jingle bells, ukuleles, drums, or even just the performers voice layers the story. Using songs and chants encourages the audience to participate and join in with the storyteller. The instruments just make the songs even better.
- Songs
These can be familiar songs, like Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Sar, or they can be something the performer creates to add to their story. It doesn’t have to be just songs. Animal noises and sound effects draw the audience deeper, and how many kids are not happy to throw their head back and howl? Make the songs and sounds enhance the story.
- Chants
Like with songs, chants can be simple and familiar, or they can be fresh and have to be taught to the audience as the performer gest to them in their tale. Think if the Three Little Pigs. Most kids know the wolf’s huff and puff exchange and the pigs hairy chins. Layer this into the story and get the audience to join you. They will pay attention so they know when to use the chant.
- Audience Participation
The trend of “audience participation” can be found in many of the tools above. If an audience can chant, sing, dance, or make sound effects, they are going to stay focused on the story. Kids and adults familiar with the stories are enthusiastic with a little difference and they learn very quickly when encouraged to join in. Making them part of the story enhances the event for them and for the storyteller as well.
- Crafts
Having a craft after the event related to the stories is a pleasure, but what if you can make it part of the story> Use newspaper, roll it up, cut, and boom, you can have a beanstalk for Jack to interact. (Okay, maybe not me, but I have seen it done). Drawing stories on a large pad as the story is told can add wonder and magic to the story. Draw a flower and use each petal as part of the story’s journey.
- Setting
Some stories can be enchanted with a little bit of setting. It can be simple, a puppet box that looks like a dragon cave or something far more complex. If you a re telling a story on the sea, build a pirate ship to stand in or next to during the story, The audience will be riveted and want to know what your doing with the ship next,
Use the tools that work for you. I’m not very crafty, to be honest, but I can sing and play a few instruments. I can add those with simple props, like a candle as my story creeps through the dark, or layer on a cowboy hat and a bet if that character would wear it. Find what works the best for you. Play to your strengths and have fun with the tools and the stories you share.
Sources
Brotherbae. “Image – Bus on Shelf:. Accessed 30 April 2018. https://pixabay.com/en/toy-bus-school-bus-props-2113528/
Evecolor. “Image – Boy in Costume”. Accessed 30 April 2018. https://pixabay.com/en/portrait-one-people-sunglasses-3293849/
Haven, Kendall and Ducey, Mary Gay. “Crash Course in Storytelling. Libraries Unlimited. 2007.
Lehman, Kim. “Entertaining and Educational Programs.” Accessed 30 April 2018. https://www.kimlehman.com/
Storytelling Resources 5: Book Trailers
Storytelling can be used for many occasions, Marketing is one of those, As we’re talking about stories, let’s look at book trailers. Publishers and authors will hire professionals to create teaser trailers for upcoming books. Authors will make their own and fans will honor books and authors they love by creating their own. These trailers are video blurs, offering information like what might be found on the back of a book, complete with all the teasing. Below re several book trailers across ages, genres, and skills used to make them. Some are professional and others are made by fans.
Book Trailers:
- Shadow House by Dan Poblocki
Shadow House invites children in and traps them with ghosts. They can’t get out and many go missing. (Horror – Middle Grade)
- The Missing Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix
A plane appeared with no pilot, no adult, only babies on board. Some children receive letters claiming they were one of those babies (Time Travel – Middle Grade)
- Wonder by R. J. Palacio
August was born different and his parents protected him as much as they could. Now, he must enter a normal school with normal people and discover how to find his place. (Contemporary – Middle Grade)
- The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Regan Barnhill
Luna was given to a witch as a sacrifice when she was a baby, but she was special. Now, she may be the only person that can save the witch, Xan, with her own magic. (Fantasy – Middle Grade)
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
\Starr is a young woman trapped by impossible choices – living in a poverty-stricken neighborhood and attending an elite private school. What is she supposed to do when Khalil, a childhood friend, is shot unjustly by a cop in front of her? (Young Adult – Contemporary)
- Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Cinder is a retelling of Cinderella that brings in space, aliens, and genetic mutations. Cinder herself is a cyborg and a talented mechanical engineer. Can she survive her evil stepmother and a society that sees cyborgs as non-citizens? (Young Adult – Science Fiction)
- Scythe by Neal Shusterman
People no longer die. Thunderhead, the AI, has made sure of it so Scythes are chosen an only they can end a human’s life. Two teams must compete to become Scythes, but will they survive the training? (Young Adult – Science Fiction)
- Warcross by Marie Lu
A bounty hunter only finds escape in the virtual reality game, Warcross. Though popular and the creator seen as a technological hero, things are not what they seem. Can she delve into the virtual world and find the truth? (Young Adult – Science Fiction)
- Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater
Clairvoyant Blue helps her mother herald the dead where they belong until Gansey crosses the wrong way – toward them. Can Blue help Gansey fond out what happened to the rest of the Raven Boys? (Young Adult – Fantasy *Trailer illustrated and created by author*)
- A Darker Shade of Magic by Victoria Schwab
Four London’s exist in four different worlds, and only an antari, like Kell, can breach the walls between them. Not all the cities or worlds are as harmonious and filled with magic as his own. Can Kell stop a threat from another London against his own? (Adult – Fantasy)
Videos
Booktrailersforteens. “Video – Wonder”. Accessed 30 Aprl 2018. https://youtu.be/vyvyGFjLiZY
CBS. “Video – The Missing Found”. Accessed 30 April 2018. https://youtu.be/swRTZpnsXgY
Ingalls, Kathleen. “Video – The Girl Who Drank the Moon”, Accessed 39 April 2018. https://youtu.be/SzTNIECAX5w
Luongsoupham, Kayla. “Video – Cinder”. Accessed 30 April 2018. https://youtu.be/bRmxQxfIaGc
Luongsouphom. Kayla. “Video – The Hate U Give”. Accessed 30 April 2918. https://youtu.be/h7RcHAsR2R0
Penguin Teen. “Video – Warcross”, Accessed 30 April 2018. https://youtu.be/Zj_Q44ruIuA
Scholastic. “Video – Shadow House”. Accessed 30 April 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFt5eQ7eS0w
Steifvater, Maggie. “Video – Raven Boys”. Accessed 30 April 2018. https://youtu.be/nWzaJrJUP-w
Tina. “Video – A Darker Shade of Magic”. Accessed 30 April 2018. https://youtu.be/AIt_2DaGFzU
Walker Books. “Video – Scythe”. Accessed 30 April 2018. https://youtu.be/HPZPY8UWhSk
Storytelling Resources 4: Storytellng Themes
When planning a storytelling performance, having a theme for your stories might help the elements flow together. This will help you choose songs, crafts, audience participation opportunities, and more. Below is a list of theme ideas, but there are far more themes that can be used. Dinosaurs, environments, urban legends, even ninjas and monsters can be used if you do your research and find the right stories. There is a version of the Three Little Pigs that has a ninja theme, Three Ninja Pigs (9780399255144) that could be modified for an oral storytelling with fun props and costumes. Take the suggestions below and modify and change them to fit you, your storytelling preferences, and what fits your community.
Themes
- Holidays:
Holiday events draw people to libraries. If a storytime or storytelling event falls near or on a holiday, put together a storytelling event to entertain families that have come to the library for other events, such as crafts or Hogwarts Holidays. The themes for this can be endless. Consider myths and legends from other countries and cultures that might enrich the storytelling.
Halloween: witches, monsters, zombies, vampires, Halloween parties
Christmas: Hanukah, Kwanza, Santa Clause, Polar Express, Jesus’s birth
Thanksgiving: Giving, sharing, families, history, feasts
Mother/Father’s Day: Celebrate parents and families
Easter: Easter Bunny, egg hunts, spring
Fourth of July: celebration, fireworks, picnics, families, independence
- Seasons: Look at cultural myths on how the seasons started. Choose stories that might help teach about the way the world changes in each season.
Summer: beaches, vacations, heat, fun
Spring: rebirth, flowers, awakening
Autumn: color, leaves, holidays, fall festivals
Winter: snow, Jack Frost, snowmen, sledding, ice, cold
- Mythologies across nations: Take the opportunity to introduce audiences to stories from other cultures. Use mythologies from several that are similar such as Coyote and Anansi, both tricksters from different cultures. Resources for ideas can be found in this post:
Native American: animals, the four directions, White Buffalo Woman
American: Northern Lights, Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, Rosie the Rivoter
African: Anansi, Circle of Life, gods, ancestors, heroes
Aztec/Mayan creation myths, nature, animals, religion
Irish: Tuatha de Dannan, wee folk, fairies, gods, spirits
German: Nix, mermaids, giants, gods, spirits
- Creatures: Monsters are fascinating to kids. Whether it is vampires or trolls or aliens, kids are drawn to these stories. Make them funny, fun, and creepy and the audience will be riveted.
Dragons: fire, gold, princes or knights, princesses, St. George
Unicorns: innocence, beauty, young girls, magic, hope
Griffons: flight, freedom, eagle and lion, Harry Potter
Mermaids: sea, ocean, sailors, beaches, songs
Loch Ness Monster: Nessie, kelpie, rives, lochs, Scotland
Aliens: space, technology, planets, asteroids, space ships
- Fairy Tales/Folk Tales/Fables
Children and adults enjoy fairy and folk tales and fables. Using modern versions can put a new spin on them or using the classics that many have heard before can reintroduce them to favorite stories.
Cinderella: The Egyptian Cinderella, The Rough-Face Girl, Ashpet, Angkat
Beauty and the Beast: The Pig King, Scarlet Flower,
Rumpelstiltskin: Tom Tit Tot, Whoopity Stoorie, Penelope, Mistress Beautiful
Rapunzel: The Canary Prince, Prunella, The White Cat
Pecos Bill: Dust Devil
Three Little Pigs: Three Ninja Pigs, Three Little Cajun Pigs, Three Little Javelinas, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
Tortoise and the Hare: Hip! Hop! Don’t Stop, The Groovy True Story of the Tortoise and the Hare
Images
Cocoparisienne . “Image – Witch”. Accessed 29 April 2018. https://pixabay.com/en/witch-s-house-the-witch-moonlight-1635770/
Dutchpirates. “Image – Rapunzel Towers”. Accessed 29 April 2018, https://pixabay.com/en/rapunzel-prince-horse-fairy-tale-2928820/
Kellepics. “Image – Frost Giant”. Accessed 29 April 2018 https://pixabay.com/en/fantasy-landscape-mountains-human-2925250/
Parker_West/61. “Image – Centaurs”. Accessed 29 April 2018. https://pixabay.com/en/centaur-centaurs-sagittarius-chiron-3189763/
Suju. “Image: Snowman”. Accessed 29 April 2018, https://pixabay.com/en/snow-man-snow-winter-cold-wintry-3008179/
Ramblings of Jhenry 