Friday, September 01, 2006

Wonderful Digital Story from Wales.

You know by now I'm quite passionate about digital stories - best thing since ... since ... since 'Skippy' so here's a beauty for you to have a quick look at.

It's on Capture Wales and I think it is just so elegantly simple but beautifully storingtellish.

'Flashback' by Ieuan Sheen. Have a listen and let me know what you think.

Ah! What a day!

What a day. What an amazing storytelling day it has been.

First of all out along the Gateway Motorway to Boondal Kindie. They're old favourites and this group of kinders were just wonderful. They were so easy to perform with. Did a couple of old favourites of mine -'Little Blue Train Takes the Children to the Beach' (what a classic), the Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle - I love it the way children say - 'Hey. I've got that book!) and a great little improvisation about a great big dinosaur and a tiny little mouse who lived in a house in the dinosaurs ear. It was good to see a father on parents roster joining in being a butterfly flying around. He loved it. He was saying how positive the community feel is at the Boondal and I believe it.

Back home and off to Dutton Park Primary School. The Teacher Librarian, Walter Vechio booked me for Children's Book Week performances in the library.

The kids were great and the older they got the better they were - just wonderful kids to perform with. Hats off to parents and teachers. It's good when this happens. It means I can put all of my energy into performing well and creating interesting stories for them.

Once again a mixture of old favourites and improvisations. Created a couple of quite good 'Enchanted Forest Stories' to add to the list. I'm pleased the way the older students still appreciate the fairytale theme. Mind you the adventures get a bit more adventurous and their sense of humour is definitely different. In one story the girl slipped and fell into a pool of dragon's blood and was, of course, turned into a dragon and the boy had to help get her back. It was good fun.

So after my fifth show for the day it was back home and finish off the Arts Queensland Grant Application. I'm hoping for some assistance in business development to cope with the multiple streams of storytelling I'm taking on these days. Would be good. We called the project - 'Creating a New World of Storytelling'. The idea is partly inspired by the 'Planet Creature' web site which creates this imaginary world out past that now mini-planet Pluto somewhere. It partly commemorates the life and creativity of Maeve (a young girl who was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident) and provides resources for families and communities to cope with similar events. It's quite beautiful.

Well that's it. We got the grant application into the post. Thank you to the people who provided support - Rob Whyte from ToadShow, Andrea O'Brian - Young People's Librarian at Ipswich, Browny Jewell from QCAN, Sheryl Anderson from Brisbane City Council and most of all Karen Tunny for helping so much with application.

Ah! What a day!