Family Storytelling Party!

I am so very excited to be involved with Atlantic Street Center, thinking about programs and projects to collaborate on together. Our pilot project this summer is a Family Storytelling Party, the first of which was held today (you can join us next week!). Here are some photos from the very successful event!

The premise: Supporting general literacy skills in communities of recent immigrants, whose children attend local elementary schools

The Very Hungry Caterpillar with a sock puppet that eats through one apple, two pears, three plums, four strawberries, five oranges ... goodness gracious!

Three little mice creep up, one by one, on Coyote in "Coyote's Whiskers".

ART TIME! Taking the images in our minds of "Coyote's Whiskers" and putting them to paper.

It was inspiring to see everyone's different images. One girl (upper right photo) even made a kind of storyboard for it. It looks like we'll be able to make a picture book of them as a way of remembering the story for next time.

I've enjoyed the stimulation this project has provided my thinking about connecting storytelling with literacy development. Though storytelling and literacy are two different things (oral v. written/printed word), there are so many ways they can support each other, and can support children together. This project has been a great way to understand that better through my experiences and the reactions of the kids.

We've got some things to think over for next week, but all in all, it was a success. We will see what next week brings! Hope you can come!!