Category Archives: Story

Palindromes and Drawings

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One day O, aged 5 years, drew our house, made palindromes, and had a drawing lesson.

The first drawing O did was a picture of our dog, Callan, sitting down. He showed it to Andy who did a little drawing in the corner of a sitting dog, then O had another go at grounding the feet.
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callan-sitting-thinking

On the other side of the paper O drew a detailed picture of our house – with pitched roof, chimney, front door with transom window, decorated glass side panels, a number 2, and himself standing in the doorway. There are shrubs in the garden. The dotted line at the bottom of the page depicts the street, the solid line separates the footpath from the road, and there’s a path leading to the front door. Our car is parked in the driveway next to the house and, from the top of the gable a bird is pooping SPLAT! on the windscreen.

O signed his name and Andy told him it was a palindrome, then he wrote ‘pop’ and ‘poop’

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O carefully cut out a plain piece of paper from his drawing and, with Andy, wrote some more palindromes

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‘A Stunning New Musical for Australian Schools!

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This great resource for children aged  5 – 12 years blends songs, drama, comedy

“Award winning author Phil Cummings and renowned composer/songwriter Glyn Lehmann launch their new musical Arlie Abbstock and the Incredible Cape.

Written for performers aged 5-12 years, this work is full of songs, drama, comedy, action and even a rap. This work celebrates difference and explores themes of resilience, perseverance, resourcefulness, artistic endeavour, empathy, acceptance and recycling!

The story revolves around Arlie Abbstock who lives in a small medieval village. The other children like to play with swords and battle axes but Arlie likes to stitch and weave and sew. When the king is captured by a dragon, and the bumbling knights fail to rescue him… Arlie has a plan of his own.”

Available Now at: www.songlibrary.net/Arlie-Abbstock

Arlie Abbstock and the Incredible Cape

…a magical, medieval musical script and lyrics by Phil Cummings

music by Glyn Lehmann
There’s a terrible dragon, a kidnapped king, a feisty queen, a plucky princess, bumbling knights…and then there’s Arlie Abbstock.
Arlie Abbstock and The Incredible Cape

Arlie isn’t like the other children; while they play with swords and battle axes, he likes to stitch and weave and sew. When the dragon kidnaps the king, the knights attempt his rescue but return blackened and defeated.

Who will save the king now?

With help from the princess, Arlie puts his plan into action by doing what he does best. Teased by the other children and scorned by the knights, Arlie surprises them all; proving that friendship and a little self-belief go a long way.

Drama, comedy, songs, rap and much more!
For performers aged 5-12 years.

Duration: approximately 40 minutes

MORE INFORMATION
Arlie Abbstock and the Incredible Cape celebrates difference and explores themes of resilience, perseverance, resourcefulness, artistic endeavour, empathy, acceptance… and recycling!

Key aspects:

  • 19 speaking parts and chorus opportunities in which many children can participate.
  • Easy, flexible costuming options with opportunities for recycling.
  • Staging suggestions for do-it-yourself stage design and props.
  • Parts included for beginner recorder and ukulele players.
  • As well as the obvious benefits of being involved in a school production there are a number of themes that may be expanded upon in the classroom. We have provided suggestions in the accompanying materials.

We hope you enjoy teaching, learning and exploring our new musical.

Phil and Glyn

Pirates – part 2

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I do not ask the children to stop thinking about play. Our contract reads more like this: if you will keep trying to explain yourselves I will keep trying to help you think about the problems you need to solve.

Vivian Gussin Paley (1981) Wally’s Stories

 The pirates nudging each other

When Richard told me his next story Ned was sitting next to him.
‘I’m going to do a play,’ said Richard.
‘There’s only two people. Ned, do you want to be in my play?”
Ned didn’t answer.
‘Ned, do you want to be in my play?’
Silence
‘Ned, do you want to be in my play?’
Nothing.
‘Ned, do you want to be in my play?’
‘Maybe’. Continue reading →

Pirates – Part 1

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Nudging Ned

a-sams-drawing

For many weeks Ned and Richard were playing pirates together. The day Richard said, quite politely, ‘Walk the plank, Ned’, things changed. Ned stamped his foot, got red in the face, and stormed off to the cubby house, shouting. ‘I’m the captain, Richard!’.

Ned refused to be in Richard’s story – the one where Richard was the captain. I had been watching this drama unfolding, aware that Ned always assumed the role of captain, and that Richard was getting a bit sick of being the pirate who always ended up in the shark-infested water.

I couldn’t help them work it out that day. I tried to help them find other ways to tell their stories.
‘You could paint or draw a picture about your pirate story.’
‘I can’t paint a pirate.’
‘You could each tell me the story that you’re thinking about, and I could write it down, and we could act it out at mat time.’

Richard was the first one to tell me a story.

‘There’s only Ned and Richard. There’s only two people. It’s about Ned and Richard. Ned and Richard fight with the swords and I’m the goodie and Ned is the baddie. There was a sea and I pushed him into the sea and I made him walk the plank.’

At mat time, Richard asked Ned to be the pirate who walked the plank. Ned shook his head, ‘No’, so Richard chose someone else. Ned wasn’t ready to take on that role – not in dramatic storyplay, and not as a character in Richard’s story. He as watched another child acted his part – a baddie being pushed into the sea. Continue reading →

Quick as a Wink Fairy Pink – Teacher Notes

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Teacher Notes
by Janet McLean 

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Written by: Lesley Gibbes
Illustrated by: Sara Acton

Young children will want to jump into bed as quick as a wink to have this story read to them. It is a delightful story of play, hide and seek, and finding ways not to go to bed.

Five little Flutter Fairies going off to bed.
Fairy Blue, Fairy Green, Fairy Gold, and Red.
But one of them is missing. Which fairy do you think?
Could it be the smallest one?
Is it Fairy Pink?

WRITING AND LANGUAGE
As a former teacher Lesley knows the kind writing techniques that young children respond to, and that will help them to learn in a fun way. Quick as a Wink, Fairy Pink is an interactive book, enticing readers into a game of fairy-hide-and-seek. The regular rhythm and rhyme throughout the book is infectious. Children will soon pick up the pattern of the words and will begin join in (some spontaneously, and some with a little encouragement). The repetitive, predictable pattern of the text and the layout is set up in the first three pages.

On the first page there’s elements of humour and suspense – the text says, Five little flutter fairies going off to bed, Fairy Blue, Fairy Green, Fairy Gold and Red. We hear five, but we only see four fairies climbing the stairs. Turn the page, and open to a  double page spread and YES! out pops the fifth Fairy – from under the bed ‘shooshing’ us with a finger to her mouth.

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The blue, green, yellow and red fairies all have their own double-page spread to brush their teeth, have a bath, get dressed, or read a book before bedtime. The rhythm and beat of the text on each these pages follows the same pattern 

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Between each double page spread the reader is asked to look for, and find Fairy Pink.

screen-shot-2016-11-11-at-3-03-11-pm Continue reading →

Emily’s turtle

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One day Emily brought her pet turtle, Kirk, to kindergarten (preschool).

I found him in Grandpa’s dam.
Was he swimming in the dam
No. There wasn’t any water in it.
Mum said I could bring him home.

When Emily came in a few days later I could tell something was wrong –
watery eyes, sad shoulders and mouth.
She came over to me where I was squatting on a child’s chair.
She leaned into me and said,

I lost Kirk.
Ohh. What happened?
Mum said to put him in the garden for a wander.
And now we can’t find him.
I wonder why Kirk went away?
I wish Kirk hadn’t gone away.

Later that day Emily painted a picture.
When she’d finished it she brought it to me and said,
Can I do a play?.

Image: © Janet McLean 2016

Can I  do a play?                                Image: © Janet McLean 2016

She dictated her story as a play script which we acted out at mat time.

THE STORY THE LEARNING
Emily had ‘written’ other stories and she knew that I couldn’t write as fast as she could talk. She told her story slowly so I could keep up, word-by-word, phrase-by-phrase.

Once there was a creek.
In the creek there was a turtle living.
Some people went to the creek.
They found a turtle.
The turtle was the same turtle
and something was the matter.
The turtle was funny because it was lying still. And it was still funny.
The people caught it.
They brought it to the vet.
It was having a baby.
The mum loved the baby.
The people that found it took it home.
They kept it forever.
The baby turtle…
The baby turtle growed and growed,
and until it was a adult.
It had it’s own baby.

At mat time we displayed Emily’s painting as a backdrop for the play. Before we acted out the play I asked Emily to tell us about her painting.

The turtle is lying on its back. And that above, that is what he’s thinking.

What is the turtle thinking?

It’s thinking about the family that it lost,

So this is like Kirk, You were his family, and he lost you?

 No, They died in the war.

 Recalling and using symbols Emily drew on and used her own experiences and knowledge to paint her picture, and to tell and dramatise her story.

Expressing feelings: Emily expressesd her feelings directly in conversation, and figuratively in her story

Literacy: Emily used a classic narrative story structure: There’s a beginning: “Once there was…’. Early in the story she introduced the main character – the turtle, Kirk. There was a problem (something is wrong the Kirk).The problem was solved (Kirk was rescued and taken to the vet). The ending was satisfying but open-ended – the family took the turtle in. The turtle had a baby which grew up to have baby of it’s own. Her story about Kirk was complex and metaphorical.

Visual literacy: Emily’s painting depicted ideas drawn from personal experiences. She included universal symbols (hearts, for love), and she included the literary device of a speech balloon.

Literacy through social interaction – with adult. Emily chatted with me in a natural way. We exchanged ideas. She asked me to help her express her ideas in written form. I helped her find new, more complex ways of expressing her thoughts – verbally, written, and visually.

Social interaction – with children. Emily has two close friends, Ruby and Ari. The three of them play together, in all areas of the program. However, Emily often works independently, developing her own ideas. She wanted to share her ideas with the other children – the whole group.

Further thoughts:
Emily trusted me to listen to her, and to take seriously the ideas and feelings she was trying to express and share with me, and through me, with the other children

I searched for the hidden meaning in her story and picture. When I talked with her and her Mum I discovered  hidden meaning embedded in her story and the picture. Her Mum filled in some of the details. On the ANZAC Day long weekend Emily went to visit Nan and Pop in the country with her Mum, and her sister and brother. They found Kirk along with dozens of other turtles floundering in the near-empty dam. While they were at Nan and Pop’s caught up with lots of  Aunties, Uncles and cousins, and there was lots of talking around the kitchen table. One of Emily’s great-uncles was one of the oldest living ANZAC soldiers, and on ANZAC Day  his photo was in the local paper. They found out which Aunties were expecting babies. Then, on the way home they stopped for a picnic near a river, and found an injured swan. They called the ranger to come and look after it.

I thought ‘funny’ was a funny word to use. until II realised she was using it to mean odd, or strange – her use of funny is idiosyncratic, immediate and touching. At mat time I helped Emily to choose other children to be the characters in the play. Together we directed the action. First I read the whole story, then broke it up scene-by-scene:

  • The children on the mat became the creek, gently swishing their hands.
  • The ‘funny’ turtle lay on his back next to the creek.
  • The family came along, found Kirk, and took him to the vet.
  • The family took the turtle home.
  • The turtle had a baby.
  • The baby grew up.
  • The baby had a baby.

Today, Emily worked over a long period of time, in different areas, to work through and express her ideas.

She actively participated in shared learning through creative literacy and art experiences.

In the process she created a coherent metaphorical tale of rescue, love, and the circle of Life, drawing on a number of different real-life experiences

© Janet McLean

The lost footy jumper

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Sunday night. Just settling down to watch TV when the iPad started buzzing.

Hello?

         Hello, Janna?

Oh! Hello Rory

         Hello Janna. Is my Essendon footy jumper at your place? 

Ahh, well, I think it might be. Let me go and look.

Hang on. It might take me a minute or two to find it.

Okay.

I went to the cupboard where I stash the clothes that get left behind for me to wash when the brothers come over. I pull out five pairs of trakkie daks – two Size 8s, two Size 6s, and one with a flying bat on each knee that looked about a size 4.

Then out tumbled five T-shirts.

  • One black, long-sleeved, size 18-24 months emblazoned with a Superman logo, and the words My Daddy is Superman.
  • One plain grey, size 8.
  • One black, size 6.
  • One white, size 8, with long blue sleeves, and a huge lion’s head wearing a stars and stripes helmet.
  • One red, size 6, with a picture of a bear holding a skate board and gazing pensively off to the right.
  • Another grey, size 6, with a bear wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses and an orange T-shirt.

There’s also a bag of too-small nappies, two packets of baby wipes, four bibs, one pair of pajama pants, nine pairs of socks, and any number of odd socks, and…

…an Essendon footy jumper.

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Rory, are you there?

         Yes.

I think I’ve found it. Is it sleeveless?

         Umm…

Does it have KIA logo on the back?

         Urr. It’s…

I think this is it. Do you need it straight away?

         Yes

What do you need it for?

         Tomorrow is hot dog day at school and we are allowed to wear our colours.

What are your colours?

         Our footy team.

Oh, okay.

         So, how are we going to do this?

You need it tomorrow do you?

         Yes

I could bring it over in the morning before you go to school.

         Oh, okay. What time?

What time do you leave for school?

         We leave at 8.30.

Okay, I’ll be over there by 8.30.

         Thanks, ‘bye.

         ‘Bye.

 A few minutes later the iPad dinged with a message.

“Hi it’s Rory thank you so much for finding my jumper see you tomorrow I don’t know how to thank you send us another message to tell us what you want me to do.”         

I messaged him back.

I’m happy to bring the jumper over – If you want to do something for me maybe you could do a drawing of the Queen Fairy to go with this story. See you tomorrow at 8.30. xx

This is the story I sent. It is one of many that I have collected over many years of teaching in a story-sharing preschool.

THE QUEEN FAIRY

By: Anon. Aged 5 years

She is wearing a crown.

She has golden teeth

In one hand she is holding her wand, and juggling water

With her other hand she is juggling the whole moon, which she has picked out of the sky

She changed the moon into the world because she didn’t want it to be light at night

All of the people wanted to be scared so they told her to do that

Then she took the sun out of the sky, so every night and day it was dark

The snake in the grass bit her because she took the moon away

It was a good snake and if you did something bad it bit you

 It wasn’t long before the iPad dinged again. It was Rory sending a photo of his drawing…

…with the message:

is this ok for you                                                                                                  

Perfect – thanks Rory

(The snake says, ‘You took the moon’).

the-queen-fairy-rory

 

 

A 68-word story

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Sorry for the poor quality of the reproduced drawing. I hope you get the idea how Tyler used the drawing to help process his thinking.

And there was the day Tyler asked me if he could ‘do a play’.

Sure, I’ll just go and get my writing book and a pen. 

Tyler fetched a large sheet of drawing paper, and the red, blue, green, black, and pink markers. He placed these side-by-side on the table, and said:

Captain Planet gave some rings, with diamond rings, to little kids.

While I was writing Tyler started his drawing. Up in the top right hand corner of the paper he used the blue marker to draw Captain Planet. Then he started on the rings, which he placed on either side of Captain Planet, and as he drew he said,

A red diamond on it.

A pink diamond.

A blue diamond.

Now, there’s two more.

Now let’s see – green, I think.

Now, one more.

Blue – water.

Red is fire.

The pink one’s heart.

The green one’s …

I’ll just make up a name for green.

The Black one’s wind.

I’ll just call green, earth.

 I need to draw the little kids.

Red is fire.

Now, what was the second one?

Heart Continue reading →

Drawing

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Sharing a link:

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM CHILDREN’S DRAWINGS?

http://theconversation.com/what-can-we-learn-from-childrens-drawings-64527

Things that make an impression on them loom large on the page.

…

another drawing milestone is reached as children start to anchor their drawings on the page, where previously their objects had floated randomly in space.

They draw in baselines and skylines, usually thin lines of green grass and blue sky, as they try to represent the world they see around them.

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Drawing, anon, aged 5

Image © Janet McLean

I’m in love too

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Version 2

I watched you Jake, sitting with your friends at the making table, drawing, and making puppets and signs. You were talking about what happened when you all went camping over Easter. Do you remember, Rory and Jessica came bustling in from outside? Rory was looking for something and Jessica was close behind, asking him the same question, over and over.

‘But Rory, who’s the favourite girlfriend of them all?’

‘All of them.’

‘Who’s the favourite one?’ ‘

‘All of them.’

‘No, who’s the best one?’

And you said, ‘I think she means only one.’ Continue reading →