It's all about stories!

Story Café ~ MAY 2024

Story Café is a stay and play session with a focus on Communication and language development, with an emphasis on the benefits of sharing stories together. We share a story with props, play and explore around the story with activities, enjoy a healthy snack and finish with songtime. Each child takes home a free picture book and a sticker. Story Cafe sessions are FREE, including all activities, picture book and snack for children and adults, and led by our teacher / Communication Champion. This month we shared...

Bee by Britta Teckentrup

A gorgeous story, shared with families on a gorgeous morning in the park. We hunted for bees in the trees, went on a nature scavenger hunt, played parachute games and popped bubbles. Published by Little Tiger Books in 2016 Find out more here - https://www.booktrust.org.uk/book/b/bee/. And here's a nice video so you can share the story at home - https://youtu.be/9rZchsF3Tlw

Here's what we did...

We're going on a bear hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury

A classic story for sharing and joining in. Brilliant rhyming text and lovely illustrations.

We also shared a poem from Something about a Bear by Jackie Morris today. Find it in the children's library.

and People need People by Benjamin Zephaniah.

Who was Benjamin Zephaniah? Read all about him on the Book Trust website here - https://www.booktrust.org.uk/authors/z/zephaniah-benjamin/

The illustrated version of the beautiful poem from the late Benjamin Zephaniah. Benjamin was a performance poet, he wrote stories that rhyme, stood on a stage and told those stories to lots of people who loved to listen to him speak. He wanted everyone in the world to live together peacefully. The illustrations are great too - loads of opportunities to spot things in the pages and talk about how the people might be feeling and what they are doing. We shared the story, explored painting our hands, making hand and people shaped stick puppets, and cutting out little chains of people holding hands.

Listen / watch the story on youtube here - https://youtu.be/8uHHjAsPbLc?si=ch5zdrEBT93Pet2r

Sharing stories with families at First Steps Norwich CIC. Part of the NR3 Stories for families project, supported by The National Lottery Community Fund and Norfolk's Early Childhood and Family Service. And a big thanks to Rose Feather for joining us to sketch families sharing stories and to engage families in exploring mark making.

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What I Read ~ APRIL 2024

Everything I read in April 2024 - fiction, nonfiction, poetry and children's books.

How Green was my Valley by Richard Llewellyn. Or rather How Wet is my Valley by The Hudson family...

All the stories we shared with families at our Stay and play sessions this month. For loads of great story inspiration keep reading...

First Primrose by Leonard Clark, from I am the Seed that Grew the Tree, a nature poem for every day of the year, selected by Fiona Waters and Illustrated by Fran Preston-Gannon.

Published by Nosy Crow Books. Find out more here - https://nosycrow.com/product/i-am-the-seed-that-grew-the-tree-a-nature-poem-for-every-day-of-the-year/

Ten Terrible Dinosaurs by Paul Stickland, published by Macmillan. Find out more here - https://www.booktrust.org.uk/book/t/ten-terrible-dinosaurs/ Rhyming and counting dinosaur fun.

Never shake a rattle snake by Michaela Morgan and Nick Sharratt, published by Pan Macmillan Find out more here - https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/michaela-morgan/never-shake-a-rattlesnake/9781509842872 We learn never ever to shake a rattle snake and many other useful things, plus never ever ever make an elephant sneeze...

Polar bear polar bear what do you hear by Bill Martin Jr and illustrated by Eric Carle, published by Penguin Random House Children's UK. Find out more here - https://www.waterstones.com/book/polar-bear-polar-bear-what-do-you-hear/eric-carle/mr-bill-martin-jr/9780141383514 Animal sounds accompanied by the brilliant illustrations of Eric Carle.

The Pigeon wants a puppy by Mo Willems, published by Walker Books Find out more here - https://www.booktrust.org.uk/book/t/the-pigeon-wants-a-puppy/ The pigeon really really does want a puppy, very very much, and promises to feed and look after it. Until he discovers how big an actual puppy is. Hilarious.

A Busy Day for Birds by Lucy Cousins, published by Walker Books. Find out more here - https://www.booktrust.org.uk/book/a/a-busy-day-for-birds/ I love sharing this story, it's perfect for joining in, standing on one leg like a flamingo and swooping like a starling. Twit twoo.

Blog | www.itsallaboutstories.blogspot.co.uk

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A Busy Day for Birds by Lucy Cousins

All the stories we shared with families at our Stay and play sessions this month. For loads of great story inspiration keep reading...

Hope is the Thing with Feathers by Emily Dickinson and illustrated by the award-winning Tim Hopgood. Thos is the first in a new series from Magic Cat Publishing called Picture a Poem, introducing little ones to the world's best loved poems, brought to life in pictures to inspire conversation, curiosity and a love of language. I absolutely love this - Tim Hopgood is one of my favourite picture book illustrators and expanding the reach of poetry is one of my goals for 2024.

Barbara Throws a Wobbler by Nadia Shireen.

Published by Penguin Books. Find out more here - https://www.booktrust.org.uk/book/b/barbara-throws-a-wobbler/. Thanks to Book Trust for an extra copy of the book to gift to a local family. This is a brilliant story about emotions, letting the wobbler take over, and calming the wobbler so they go away. Barbara throws a big one, so big she doesn't even want an ice cream or a hug. But she soon gets to know the wobbler and learns how to make it go away. Will it come back though? Almost certainly.

Here's what we did...

All the stories we shared with families this month. Read on for more...

Blog | www.itsallaboutstories.blogspot.co.uk

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Pinterest | uk.pinterest.com/allaboutstories /

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What I Read ~ FEBRUARY 2024

Story Cafe | FEBRUARY 2024

These sessions have a focus on Communication and language development, with an emphasis on the benefits of sharing stories together. We share a story with props, play and explore around the story with activities, enjoy a healthy snack and finish with songtime. Each child takes home a free picture book and a sticker. Story Cafe sessions are FREE, including all activities, picture book and snack for children and adults, and led by our teacher / Communication Champion.

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson.

Published by Walker Books. Find out more here - https://www.booktrust.org.uk/book/o/owl-babies/

Sharing stories with families at First Steps Norwich CIC through stay and play sessions and special Story Cafe sessions, and with local childminders at our Childminder Support Group.

Jack Frost by Kazuno Kohara