Shared Gypsy proverb 

                  (from Meg Gilman)

We are all wanderers on this earth. 

Our hearts are full of wonder, and 

our souls are deep with dreams

Calendar: 

   Summer Reading Programs

Thankfully, programs in June, July, and even into August have booked up quite nicely. Taleypo will be presenting new programming to go with the IL IREAD summer theme "Mission Read: To the Library and Beyond". The programs include:

• Dancing with the Stars - selected celestial stories adapted for the age of the group.
• Coyote Dances with the Stars - Puppet Show. Professionally recorded with exquisite rod puppets. PreS - 3rd grades. To see the script, just click HERE.
• Stories 'n Stones: The Mystery of Woodhenge and Beyond. Archaeologist Larry Kinsella and Taleypo team up once again to provide this edu-entertaining program. This is the sixth program they developed. It is about the sun calendar at Cahokia Mounds with stories about day and night/sun/moon/stars. It includes a craft - a rubbing of a  calendar symbol on copper.

See the flyer for this summer's offerings by clicking HERE.

For the St. Louis libraries whose theme is "Get a Clue at the Library" I am offering a program called "Whodunnit Stories." They include "Mystery a the Docks" and Who Lives in Rabbit's House?"

Some other sites you may want to visit  while you are here are:

• The Riverwind Newsletter - March 2007 - Read what the Riverwind Storytellers are doing in and around the St. Louis Metropolitan area. To learn more about Riverwind, just click HERE

                *********

The I'll. Tell Newsletter - Winter/Spring 2007- Find out what is happening in storytelling all around the state of Illinois.

See what's new on   my   website:

• Home Page: Some sort of weird something happened on my main page. It disappeared! So, I'm taking this as an opportunity to give my home page an extreme makeover. Until that time, the homepage looks "different" but is viable. So, please keep me on your "Favorites" for future reference. And, be sure to visit when Taleypo comes back - with a fresh, new look!

• "SS Admiral, I Salute You" - my new story that takes you down memory lane to St. Louis's number one attraction back in the day!

• The Story Stone: Besides the listing of most of the stories I tell, the page, also has the stories in categories. So far there are:

• Native American Stories

• Halloween Stories

• Christmas Stories

            Easter Story

Ron Adams told this at Gateway once, from one of those internet forwards. I've told it at school --

yes, at a public school, resulting in several misty eyes, and one student sent another teacher to ask me to tell it to her.  Of course, I first asked if anyone would mind a story with Christian motif, and no one did.  I'll try to get down the

bones for you. Of course, I've changed many

details, most likely, so you may also.

         Jamie, or He Is Risen

Teacher is waiting late after school for a parent meeting.  Jamie, sweet but very special boy, whose many

questions disrupt the flow of his 3rd grade class.  Even his twisted walk distracts the class when he

 makes one of his many trips to the teacher's desk for help. It isn't fair to the other 24 students, whose progress is being hurt.  She has decided to recommend he go into a special classroom.  Parents arrive and begin by thanking the

teacher for the wonderful year Jamie is having in her class and disclose that Jamie's doctors have

said this will be Jamie's last year, his sicknesses have taken too much from him.  Of course,

the teacher changes her plan and decides to keep him.

The week before Easter she gives each child a plastic Easter egg with the assignment to fill it with something that represents Easter. 

 She forgets to make a call to Jamie's parents to tell them the assignment.  The next morning the children put their eggs in

the basket on the teacher's desk.

Before recess, she begins opening them -- some grass, a fluffy chenille chick, a flower -- an empty egg, surely Jamie's. She puts it quickly aside, but Jamie raises his hand and calls out, "That's mine!!"

"Yes, Jamie?  It's empty??"

"Right, because they put Christ in the tomb, but on Easter, it was empty. He is risen!"

Shortly before the end of the school year, Jamie passes away.  At his funeral, there is a basket on his coffin, filled with 25 plastic eggs, one for each of his classmates, and one from

 the teacher.  A bright ribbon on the basket proclaims,

               "He Is Risen."

For more programs offered by Taleypo the Storyteller and Stories 'n Stones go to "About Marilyn". To see what Taleypo can bring to your school, click
Storytelling with A+ 

              TEACHER/TELLER

                     The Storytelling Classroom                  

RECAP:  In the last issue I told you about the book that came out and the workshop I developed  to go with my submission on the story "Tiki-Picky Boom-Boom"  Just click HERE for more info on  the workshop. If you are interested in purchasing a copy, you can click on the picture. However, if you contact me at markinsella19@hotmail.com I will be able  to save you some money.

UPDATE: Since the last newsletter, I presented the workshop at the St. Clair County Teachers' Institute on Friday, March 30. Here is one of the comments I received:

"Thank you for the great ideas and expanding on ideas and variations."

There were also some questions on the index cards   I handed out:

Q. "Is there an organization for Christian storytellers?"

A. Yes, there is. And, there is a national conference that will take place in Normal, IL in June. Here is the link to the pdf form:    http://christianstorytelling.com/2007_Flyer.pdf

You can also go to http://christianstorytelling.com/ and find out more information about Christian storytelling.

In St. Louis there is a group of storytellers called MIST (Midwest Inspirational STorytellers). They meet periodically, but it is not strictly Christian.  They embrace inspirational stories from all faiths.

Q. I see storytelling connecting most naturally with character education and art. With art, it would give students a chance to share their interpretations of the visual representations for the story. You could provide different resources to create characters or draw scenes.

A. Here is an idea from www.storyarts.com:

 A Picture is Worth 1000 Words
A class selects a classical painting. Looking at the painting for inspiration, the class constructs the   first few sentences of a tale through group discussion and suggestion. The paragraph is then sent on to another class which reads the first paragraph and adds on another. The process is repeated including as many classes as possible   until the tale seems finished. All the classes then gather to hear the result of their group effort read  out loud and to see the painting, that inspired the story.

Q. Character education: discuss good/bad choices, sharing, truthfulness....

A. Yes, You may want to check out the book by Bobby and Sherry Norfolk called "The Moral of  the Story: Folktales for Character Development."

       It is available on-line and at many libraries.

        For further reading click on this article:

      http://www.teachingvalues.com/whystorytelling.html

At the workshops I drew a name to receive the book The Storytelling Classroom. I chose one name but there was no address. So, the second name I chose was Margery Handy  from Abraham Lincoln School in Belleville, IL. Congratulations, Margery. I will deliver the book to your school!

Some of the teachers wrote to say that they were already using storytelling  and even hoped to pursue storytelling after they retire. Hopefully, the ROE will offer some storytelling workshops in the near future. It will be a great, fun way to learn some easy tricks to tell a story...from your heart...without a book. Keep your eyes open for times and dates. 

Northlands

The Northlands Storytelling Network holds a conference once a year. This year it is at the Edgewater Hotel in Madison, WI on April 27-29, 2007. They have an education tract especially for teachers. Here is a link to all the workshops and here are the excellent educational offerings:

• Story by Story: Building a School Storytelling Club (3-hour intensive)

• My World, My School, My Story: African-American Boys Speak for Themselves

• That Reminds Me of a Story:  Conveying Curriculum Through Stories

• Making History Come Alive: Storytelling Community History

• Frog Goes to High School: "Stealth" Storytelling in Upper Grades

           St. Louis Storytelling Festival

                                         (Recap)

The St. Louis Storytelling Festival Under the Arch is the first full weekend in May 2-5. Click on the link for a roster of some of America's best storytellers and a schedule of events. This is a free festival!!!!

•  St. Louis Festival Study Guide Fellow    storytellers, Annette Harrison and Sherry Norfolk, have    compiled a study guide on the                                        Arch Festival Website. Come and read about ideas on how to best prepare the class for the festival and some easy follow-up activities.

• Saturday, May 5th is the Ruthhilde Kronberg     Youth Storytelling Concert from 10-12 o'clock            at the University City Public Library. If you know    of   a youth that would make a good storyteller, please contact me at markinsella19@hotmail.com

                YES at July Conference!!       

Through the Gateway:  Storytelling Frontiers Open for Educators and Youth

YES! (Youth, Educators, and Storytellers   Alliance) SIG Pre-Conference

St. Louis, MO - Thursday, July 12, 2007

8:30 am-4:00 pm

Teachers will want to take advantage of the Tuesday, Pre-Conference. There is a whole day o    f workshops topped off with a children's concert highlighting the best new young teller that are ready to take the stage! This is sponsored by a   SIG (Special Interest Group) within NSN called  YES that supports storytelling in the classroom    for youth and teachers. Click HERE for info and a line-up  of the workshops.

              

If you are interested in environmental/nature/science stories, be sure to click on this website:

Visit www.environmentalstorytelling.com to read summaries of over 100 environmental stories and discover other environmental storytelling resources. The site was made possible with a grant from the National Storytelling Network. Connecting people and nature, one story at a time
Kevin Strauss, storyteller, author and speaker www.naturestory.com

kevin@naturestory.com