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19 Storytelling Chairs - Growing Schools Stoytelling... · Storytelling Chairs CURRICULUM LINKS Art & design KS1 ... design and make a storytelling chair for use ... atmosphere for

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Page 1: 19 Storytelling Chairs - Growing Schools Stoytelling... · Storytelling Chairs CURRICULUM LINKS Art & design KS1 ... design and make a storytelling chair for use ... atmosphere for

“Tell me a story…..” Children love listening to stories, and inventing their own ones, too. Storytelling helps them to develop their

literacy skills alongside social and cooperative skills, and can inspire them with a lifetime’s love of literature. Making a special storytelling

chair for the quiet area of school playgrounds can make the listening experience more memorable and transform the process for

children, increasing their attention span and encouraging far greater participation.

Storytelling Chairs

CURRICULUMLINKS

Art & designKS1 – 1ab, 2abc, 3ab,4abc, 5abcdKS2 – 1abc, 2abc, 3ab,4abc, 5abcdKS3 – 1abc, 2abc, 3ab,4abc, 5abcd

Design & TechnologyKS1 – 1abcde, 2abcdef,3ab, 4ab, 5abcKS2 – 1abcd, 2abcdef,3abc, 4ab, 5abcKS3 – 1abcdefgh, 2abcde,3abc, 4b, 6a, 7b

EnglishKS1 – En1, En2, En3,KS2 – En1, En2, En3,KS3 – En1, En2, En3,

Every storytelling chair, whether speciallymade or improvised, can be an innovativepart of the playground. It can also show thatlistening to stories is not a passiveexperience but one to which all children canmake their individual contribution. AlvanleyPrimary School, Cheshire contributed theirunique carved chair to the Growing SchoolsGarden and Loddon Special School,Hampshire provided an imaginative propsbag to help bring stories to life.

Alvanley School enlisted local artist PaulNoon to help them build their ownstorytelling chair. Alvanley’s brief was ‘todesign and make a storytelling chair for useby everyone using our school grounds.’ Firstof all, the younger children sketched theirfavourite characters from traditional stories.The older children considered what wouldbe the most appropriate materials to use.

Once it was decided that the chair was tobe made of wood, the school invited localsculptor and wood carver Paul Noon tocome to visit the school and talk to thechildren. He encouraged the children toshare their ideas and make a positivecontribution to the design of the chair,making it special to the school byincorporating features of Alvanley’s beautifulVictorian school building into the design –the rose window and the school bell.

Paul Noon prepared the wooden panelsfor the chair and ensured that all the childrenwere involved in making their own marks inthe wood, using traditional wood-carvingtools.The panels were of oak board and theseat made from the butt of an ash treetrunk. Paul assembled the panels andconstructed the chair, with children helpingto finish and varnish the wood.

Your chair could be a much simpler affair.Trycustomising an inexpensive folding ‘director’schair’ by inscribing the canvas back with largecolourful letters to show its new identity asthe school’s storytelling chair. Add a shadeparasol, and imaginative props like adirector’s hat, or make-believe lights, cameraand action clapper. Using a foldaway chairalso enables it to be stored under coverwhen the weather is wet.

Deciding special ‘rules of the game’ canhelp engage all pupils’ attention and make thestorytelling sessions go smoothly. Forexample, the inclusion of a real bell inAlvanley’s chair also served as a prompt, sothat ringing the bell was the signal to moveon.

The chair may also serve as an incentivefor children to write their own stories.Reciting traditional ballads, or rapping, ormaking up new poems and rap sagas mightalso be a creative use of your chair and adda dramatic dimension.

Loddon School showed that interestingobjects from everyday life also have a role toplay in creating the setting for a storytellingchair – and these can be ephemeral andinterchangeable.They made a special propsbag filled with objects to help enhance thestorytelling experience.

For example, to conjure up the rightatmosphere for a story about going to theseaside, the props bag could be filled withfamiliar things from a trip to the coast.

Children could sit on beach towels, rubsome sun cream into their arms, listen to atape of the waves, feel sand with their feet,build a sand castle, feel pebbles and seaweed, or even experience a water spray.

Large pieces of material could be used tosimulate the sea, and the children could dressup in appropriate clothes for the sun (hats,sun glasses) and perhaps have waterproofs incase it rains. Other elements like masks,costumes or tapes of sound effects or musiccould also be added.

HOW TO CREATE a Storytelling Chair and Props Bag

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Page 2: 19 Storytelling Chairs - Growing Schools Stoytelling... · Storytelling Chairs CURRICULUM LINKS Art & design KS1 ... design and make a storytelling chair for use ... atmosphere for

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For details of local artists working with schools, your own local authority may be able to help.

Alvanley’s carved chair surrounded by seats for listeners

Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in partnership with Learning through Landscapes (LTL), the Federation of City Farms and Community

Gardens (FCFCG), and ‘Gardening Which?’ magazine. Designed by Sarah Harmer. www.teachernet.gov.uk/growingschools

Story prompts ina props bag

A simple storytelling chair

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