Stories in Special Settings

Last summer I was able to take active story telling out of the classroom to sites which matched the themes and give  8-10 year old  children a chance to bring literacy to life. This is a  rich way to get to know local heritage and develop literacy skills at the same time! It really lights the fire of talent in young learners. One  8 year old boy  put  in his own way when he said

"I feel like I have jumped into a story"

All this was possible through the financial and administrative support of  Custom's House  South Shields . They are committed to developing a quality of arts practice in the Schools of North & South Tyneside. Four Primary Schools took part and they chose their own theme.

Each  had  three days of preparation developing their drama, dance and story telling skills before they had a day at an appropriate site.

We had two schools who wanted to work on a Roman theme and as the NE England has an impressive choice of  Roman sites we went to the nearest which happened to be Segadunum Roman Fort & Bath House managed by Tyne & Wear Museum Service. They were very lucky on the day,  not only were they able to see the bathhouse but also play out their dramas in the Museum surrounded by authentic relics and well reconstructed Roman history.

 Another school wanted a haunted house theme in an old country home. Seaton Delaval Hall had just opened again  to the public and once again we had the support of the staff, this time from National Trust, who gave us total access to the house and grounds for the day. We filled the Hall with the rich sounds of tales told, acted and explored.

 Even the chance to sit on a bale of straw to have lunch is hard to beat if you normally live in a city!

The South Shields School had  tales of the sea for their theme so we all went to Souter Lighthouse Whitburn for the outing. This was perfect as the National Trust  team were geared up for school visits and as well as climbing to to top of the lighthouse and re-enacting life in Victorian lighthouse, we visited the cliff coast. However the highlight was creating their own pirate story outside on the climbing frame with the backdrop of the North Sea.

Nothing can replace this live and expressive experience of language. I would love to hear from similar projects as I am sure there are many to learn from.