I’ve been so busy recently, that I’ve not been posting my latest Drawing School Videos. Anyway, to celebrate the publishing of the last Monster Boy books in paperback, here is a video of me reading the complete story of Monster Boy – Siren’s Spell.
Hope you enjoy it. It is also up on my site at www.shoo-tube so you can watch it in school, where it should get through the filters, and you can also see it on Teachertube.com.
I had a wonderful day on Monday, at Mitcheldean Endowed Primary School. I’ve known the Head Teacher, Julia Dowding, for some time, Indeed, her husband was my children’s primary school head. Mr Powell, who taught my children maths, was also there, so it was a bit of a reunion!
What a very hot day. We were in the hall with the doors wide open and, luckily, a fan twirling around in the centre of the octagonal, pointy ceiling.
At lunchtime, I sat in on the auditions for lead roles in the school production. All were very good – I wouldn’t want to be the one making the decisions as to who plays which role.
Again, my www.shoo-tube.com video drawing lessons had gone before me and some of the children had been busily drawing the Ginger Ninja. If no one else wants to reprint the Ginger Ninja, I think maybe I should make use of modern online printing technology and put it back into print myself! The book seems to have a definite, continuing life.
Thanks everyone in Mitcheldean for a really great day – Keep on reading!
I had a wonderful day yesterday at North Baddesley Infants School in Hampshire. They booked so long ago that they had slipped of the calendar and had become double-booked! All that was sorted and, even though my Sat Nav crashed on me. I got there on the right day at the right time.
Year One were starting their Space Theme, so we talked about Ricky Rocket and I showed them how to draw him. I love doing this. All the intense concentration that goes into the drawings is amply rewarded by the fabulous drawing that all the children did. Each one so different and full of the artists character. It’s such a shame children can’t keep that spirit going. There comes a time when they start comparing themselves to each other and to great artists and decide they are no good at drawing, but they are all ready good at drawing and have their own natural style too – it takes years to regain that! After a bit of discussion, I left them with ideas to carry on with a Ricky Rocket story of their own.
I hadn’t realised that The Reception Year were doing space too, so I dropped my planned session and reminisced about the Apollo Space Missions and did lots of drawings of Saturn Five rockets and Lunar landing modules.
Year Two had been writing transformation stories about magic stones. I searched my bag to see if I had Viking Vik And The Lucky Stone with me, but I didn’t. On the spur of the moment I decided to retell it from memory aided with drawings. It worked really well, almost better, as I didn’t have to refer to the book and so all my attention could be focussed on the audience. It was a bit of a revelation to me actually. I was ably helped by one boy who had borrowed the book from the Library recently, and he helped me remember the bits that I forgot!
Many thanks for a great day and good luck to all you young NASA trainee astronauts!
If you want your children to quieten down at bedtime, there are six little magic words that work almost every time. What are they? “Who wants to hear a story?”
Simple, huh? Yes, it really is that simple. Your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews will all respond willingly. Children are hard-wired to snuggle up and listen to stories. So how can you make the experience even better? Try these five tips.
Make the time. Children can sense if you are in a hurry. If you rush your way through a story, they will feel cheated and nag you for more. It becomes a vicious circle – you want them to calm down and go to sleep but all you succeed in achieving is to wake them up and leave them huffing and puffing with a sense of grievance that will keep them awake, calling for endless glasses of water!
Let them absorb the story and see all the pictures until you reach the final and satisfying ending. you may then still need to answer some clarifying questions. Remember, this is how children really learn.
Get a good book. If you are not sure what to choose, ask. Everyone has a favourite and will be happy to tell you all about it. Ask at your bookshop or Library. Librarians are really nice people and are incredibly knowledgeable about books. It’s their job to help you and, like most other people, they really enjoy helping their customers.
Rehearse. Yep! even if it’s a quick flip through, get the feel of the story you are about to tell. Try out the different voices. “VOICES!” I hear you say, in panicked tones. “Isn’t that like acting?” yes, it is, but children will love you for trying. It doesn’t matter how bad you are, children are the most forgiving audience. The skills you learn reading to children will improve your confidence and public speaking skills. You could pay thousands for this kind of advice and experience!
Make it a special time. Wait until supper and baths are over, the favourite TV program has finished and it is definitely bed time. Have just a low bedside light on and snuggle up. Make a cosy, safe little world inside the glow of the lamp into which you can introduce fabulous imaginary worlds.
Picture Books are not for babies! Picture books are for sharing. Teenagers and adults love to share a picture book if they feel they are allowed. I know I read picture books to them quite often! While you read the words, children read the pictures and begin to fall into that dream-like state that will calm them down ready for sleep.
Bedtime reading is the greatest gift you can ever give to a child. You will improve their reading and writing skills rapidly and sweet dreams lead to a rested child that is going to do better at school the next day.
Like anything in life, bedtime storytelling needs a little time and effort. At the end of the day, this is hard, but you might just find it gives you a moment to recharge your batteries too!
I wrote last Friday how I’d woken up early with the idea to make a story work after years of telling then writing then rewriting. Well I tried it out today at Dartmouth and Kingsbridge Libraries, and it works brilliantly. Just one or two little changes and I can get on with a dummy. I’m thrilled. I’ve been trying to get this right for so long and all it need was to find out the name of the heroine… simples!
I’ve been telling a story about this little girl in schools and libraries for about ten years now. The story has changed and evolved in that time. I thought I had it cracked when I rewrote it around a pop-up gimmick I invented. But the banks crashed, the recession hit and it proved too expensive. I’ve been thinking about how to rewrite it ever since. I had one major rewrite, but it didn’t work at all.
It’s amazing the way the subconscious works. Last night I had an email from the editor I was working with at the time, Natscha Biebow, with a lovely picture of her son on his first birthday. She was writing to say she wouldn’t be returning to work.
I suppose, subconsciously, I’d been awaiting her return to get on with the story. Her email must have loosened something in the brain, because I woke at 5.30 with the answer. It was so simple I can’t think why it’s taken me ten years or more to think of it!
Am I going to tell you the secret? Of course not! Unless you are a picture book editor and would like to have a little look!
I had a wonderful day with Cwmaman Infants today. The school is hidden way up at the top of the valley. I almost felt I was coming to the top of a fiord in Norway. Cwmaman is the home of the Stereophonics and this was the school they went to!
I read Little Horrors to year one and then we tried to come up with a new idea the the children could write after I’d left based on the Little Horrors stories and characters. I’m not going to share with you the idea we came up with, because I think I might see if I can develop it myself!
I did painting a d drawing with reception and the Just so Stories with year one. I managed to get most of them to get up and dance the hornpipe, as does the man of infinite resource and sagacity. As ever, my small, but very useful penknife was much admired!
Afterwards the year ones were making Welshcakes to take on a school trip to St Fagins on Friday. Everytime I’ve had Welshcakes before,they have been at least a day old and probably older. I was allowed to sample a fresh cake, straight off the “hot stone”. It really was delicious and the best I’ve ever tasted. Just as they should be eaten, still warm. They are cooked on a very low heat, slowly turning them and moving them around until they are cooked. Yum!
