The Magic Pomegranate

First try of a new story today (apart from when I practised by telling it to my laptop's webcam, but that doesn't really count) and it went REALLY well. Especially with the Year 4s. It's great getting a new story in the bag - another one that I'll be able to draw on in the future. So thanks to everyone at St Peter's for giving me the opportunity to try that one out. Turns out it's a great one to link with Persuasive writing and Stories with Dilemmas.

Streethouse Primray and alternative uses for slides

This is one of my favourite, and most challenging schools. THe reception / nursery class that I worked with on Friday were extremely bubbly, and also really hard work. Liam adopted me after about two seconds, and I could hardly get out of his sights to make my way to the toilet throughout the whole day! Perhaps I should follow his lead in the future - in the afternoon he needed the toilet whilst standing at the top of the slide in the playground. In his mind he must have thought 'why bother going all the way inside?' So he didn't. And the slide got rather wet...

Biggest school ever!!!!!

My first journey to a school in Hull on Thursday last week, and WHAT a school. Loooong, straight corridors stretched into the distance, with classrooms spread out on both sides. When I asked how many children were at the school, I was told by the very helpful Atlanta that there were merely 613 pupils at Eastfield's primary school. 613!!!! Compare that to the modest 56 at Thurstonland First school in Huddersfield. You could fit more than 10 of those schools into Eastfields.

I found it so strange to have driven less than an hour, yet be met with such a different accent. Faaaaive was the new 'five' - it always amazes me how diverse our accents are in this country.

As for the three reception classes that I saw, they were brill. The majority of them were absolutely convinced that they'd seen Sweet pete by the end of the day, and were all chattering about him as they left. Thanks also to the staff who made it such a lovely afternoon, and who promoted my book so kindly on my behalf.

Poet Lucy

Poet Lucy

My name is Lucy
I am a poet
If I didn't tell you
Then you probably won't know it.

I like words that rhyme
And words that are funny
Like flibbity jibbit
And hoppity bunny.

I like poems
As you can see
Maybe one day
You will join me.

By Lucy


Well done Lucy! This is a great poem. Any poem that gets the words 'flibbity jibbit' in it is a good one in my view! Thanks for the poems and keep writing!

Ackworth Poetry Extravaganza

WOW! What a brilliant two days I've just completed at Ackworth Howard school. It's a brilliant place with excellent staff and lively, fun pupils. And we've been doing poetry, poetry, poetry and more poetry. It all culminated in today's final competition in the 'Right Royal Poetry Contest' which was nail biting! The eventual winners were Louis from Class 3 and Douglas from Class 5. I was really chuffed that two boys won it - I always like to see the boys representing when it comes to writing. Their poems were fabulous, and the King and Queen were extremely impressed. As was I!

Thanks everyone at Ackworth - you were great!

John, Jack and a Jamaican Anansi

I tried out a full one hour interactive storytelling session on my Year 6s today - and they LOVED it! First up was 'The Three Sillies' as recounted by Hugh Lupton (whom I also had the pleasure of seeing in action a few weeks ago at York Theatre Royal - he was brilliant), then 'Jack and the Old Giant' and finishing with 'Anansi and the number nine.' I was keen to see if their attention would be held for a full hour, and it pretty much was, apart from the odd shuffling here and there. I was very pleased with the reaction to Jack and the Old Giant, as this is the first time I've ever told it to anyone other than my webcam (I keep having to webcam myself for my mentoring by Gemma from 'Once Upon a Story'). And as for Anansi - the kids LOVED it and they LAUGHED so much at my (admittedly slightly shaky) Jamaican accent.

The afternoon filled me with joy - I really really did have a good time, and once again I realise that stories that are humorous are my kind of story. One thing I also realised - when I do full days of storytelling, I can't be shouting as loud as long as I did in the Anansi story. My voice is fried!

Thanks to Year 6 at St Peter's. They were fab.

I am still here

Well, 4 months into 2011 and you could be forgiven for thinking that I'd dropped off the end of the earth. But thanks to a gentle prompt from Gemma, my storytelling mentor, I'm back writing on my blog. The truth is that actually, due to being very busy in schools, and looking after our three delightful daughters, I've just been rather overrrun with things to do!

I'm very excited to be receiving such ace storytelling training from Gemma. She runs the brilliant company called Once Upon a Story and is a most excellent tutor. And I'm learning more and more about the art of storytelling. Got another training day (actually, two days) down in London in August and I'm really looking forward to that. But before that happens I've got LOTS of schools to visit, to have fun with, and to inspire to write write write!

Yaay, I'm back blogging. Well done me!