Storytelling Inspiration

I just came across this blog post about Hoxton Street Monster Supplies in London.  This really seems like a wonderful way to promote the young writer's imagination.

Inspired by 826 Valencia and founded by Nick Hornby, the Ministry of Stories runs the monster supply shop as an inspiration for writers.  Volunteer teachers and writers mentor young writers at the Ministry of Stories.  A lovely quote from their website:  "The best results are achieved by making writing seriously playful".

I love storytelling in the classroom and the way that young children's imaginations create stories, combining their experiences in real life with stories they have heard and their own fantastic ideas and word explorations.  It makes me wonder - why does 826 only start working with children from the age of six, and why does the Ministry of Stories only start working with children from eight?

Teachers of young children promote writing in different ways, trying to spark creativity.  Some take down children's dictation in the form of oral stories and then read them aloud again to the children.  Some write the children's words down on a picture that the child has drawn and then talks about.  In the past few years, I have been providing pre-made books that the children write and draw their stories in, and then they read their books at the end of the day to the class (if they want).  I try to pull children aside to read them to me, also, so I can get a preview.  I'm also really interested in the way that some children keep the same story - sometimes verbatim - every time they read.  Other children make a story up as they go along and change it each time.  I find that is most common when the children make marks or shapes on the pages that are not meant to be "something" - they often write stories for the pleasure of getting up in front of the class and sharing.  I obviously can't make these generalizations about all children - this is how writing works with the children I work with right now.

Below is a story from today - this is the very youngest student in the class, 4 years and 2 months old.  She read the story again later, to a friend, and she told it just the same.  Tomorrow she'll be sharing it with the class, and I'm interested to find out if it stays the same or changes.

pete the cat

 Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes

think about water

Thinking about water means thinking about mud, paste, floating, spraying, flowing...

expanding on work by reflecting

The same materials from my documentation conundrum were on a table today, along with photographs from T's work.  When I asked her what she was doing in the photos with the cylinders and the rubber bands she said, "putting it together".  She did not come back to the materials, but the children who did used the photos as a jumping off point for their constructions.  Some paired in colors, like T; others made new combinations.  No one had much to say, but their actions spoke loudly.

cameras in the children's hands

I took some time today to watch a child use materials in a new way.  This was important for me to see from a teacher perspective because I think I have become more flexible with materials.  It was also important in the perspective that I saw T active and engaged in this.  Even though she did not have any words to go along with it, she said so much with her actions.  I hope I'm on the road to more meaningful documentation.

Water and bubble solution in the sensory table have been an interesting science prompt. The children blow bubbles until they are out of breath, choose something new, and then return to the sensory table to blow more bubbles.  Here, A explored making noise through the straw as he blew bubbles.

documentation and making it meaningful

This post at Beyond the classroom has me thinking today.  How do I document?  How do I respect not only the children's communication through words and visuals, but also through movement?  How can I make a continuing record to show what is valued by the children and the teachers in the environment?

For me, lately, it has been more than that, even.  How can I follow through with the children's interests?  How can I support them as they bring their explorations to the next level?  I begin the documentation, but then it falls short.

 

For example, weeks ago, I brought in a variety of things from m kitchen that may or may not grow.  Dried garbanzo beans, caraway seed, fennel, lentils, sesame seeds, and more.  I put them on a table with lots of containers and magnifying glasses.  I was there from time to time, talking to the children about sorting.  There were also small cards on the table and black pens, and I occasionally prompted the children to draw their predictions of what different seeds might look like when they grow.

Reflecting on the experience now, I do understand what I could have done differently.  This could have been separated over more days; it could have been in a format where it was facilitated by an adult with small groups of children - an atelier type setting, really.  I did not write down any words, and no one drew a picture.  After this day, the children helped to plant the seeds, but I did not have them follow up in any way besides the obvious watering and using the plants for observational drawings as they grow.

Every moment is not going to be recorded, and I see a beauty in that.  But I do see how I need to improve on my practice of documentation.