Community Literacy Morning

By:  Melanie Midgley

Today was our final Starting Out Right Community Literacy Morning.  We celebrated our last morning together with stories, songs, crafts and some role play.  

 

In our first story called The Sandwich Mystery, Brown Bear makes some honey sandwiches to share with his friend Red Squirrel.  But Brown Bear soon discovers that one of the ooey-gooey sandwiches has gone missing...

Red Squirel comes to the rescue and solves the sandwich mystery.  Can you remember where the missing honey sandwich was?

These boys are attentive listeners!

These children are helping each other.

Later we re-visited Elder Ellen White's story called The Stolen Sun.  We added masks, fabric and musical instruments so the children could participate in the story-telling.  Children always enjoy re-telling familiar stories;  it enables them to develop vocabulary skills as well as practice important communication skills.  

Role play also gives children an opportunity to work together in solving problems and it allows them a chance to explore a range of different feelings and emotions.   Story telling is a springboard for conversation:

I wonder how the animals felt when it was dark?

Why did Qwuni keep the sun in a box?

I wonder how Sun felt stuck in the box?

We made sun crafts and found some time for independent reading. 

Later in the morning we brought our box of story props out to the garden and several of the children continued to be rapt in role play.  With an adult alongside to support their play, the boys are girls were able to share the masks, take turns and use their imaginations to create new and exciting twists to the traditional tale.

Donna and myself would like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to all of the wonderful children, families and staff at the Boys and Girls Club for inviting us to share our stories on Wednesday mornings!  It has been our delight to read, sing and play alongside these bright and beautiful children.  
 

The Literacy Bags are a small reminder to read at least 3 stories a day.  So pick your stuffy, find a spot and snuggle up with your little one everyday!  Re-tell old stories, find new ones, look at pictures and find rhymes, make connections, ask questions, sing songs, invite siblings, cousins, grandparents...and above all enjoy!