Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The Sorcerers Apprentice on 10" 78RPM



Hey, Baby Boomer storytellers, want some childhood nostalgia? Go to http://www.kiddierecords.com and there you will find downloadable copies of those records parents used to buy their kids. I've noticed quite a few I recognise so I must have scored with Christmas or birthday presents a number of times.

'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' was published and sold as a 10" 78RPM album with Milton Cross as the narrator. I remember loving and hating it as a kid in front of the beautiful old radiogram. It could be a bit scary if you were listening on your own in the half dark.

Paul Gallico's 'Snow Goose' was another I recognise. The sound quality is very familiar although I'm sure ours got progressively scratchier with time.

Could make a quite interesting retro-audio resource for teaching etc.

Under 8's Week Storytelling & the red peg

Under 8's Week is not as big as it used to be but I am busy telling stories however. Had some wonderful sessions this week. One of my centres warned me that the audience would be mainly boys and they were. We had heaps of fun. It was fascinating watching them struggle with male conditioning to be 'boofy' and at the same time letting themselves enjoy story and fantasy and fun.

One of the stories I regularly tell is 'Grandpa Chris' about 3 grandpas and their mateship on the one hand and their volunteering for community on the other. The boys loved it when Grandpas Chris (who catches fish to give to all his friends) goes zooming along in his tinnie. I could see them wanting to resist singing the different grandpas songs but joining in just the same. The story and the fun kept them there.

After the story session while I was packing up, one of the boys came back in and said, 'I found this in the garden. You can take it home if you like.' I said, 'Oh thank you. I'll put it in my treasure chest.'

It was a small piece of broken red plastic clothes peg.

He went out with a big smile on his face.