We Tell Tales

Fun Tellings

wetelltales — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:10:35 +0000

Last week was a great week of story telling performances. From snowy stories to mixed up fairy tales, I had a blast meeting new teachers and students! Here’s where I went last week:

Snowy Scene at Make Way for Ducklings

Make Way for Ducklings, West Springfield: I was excited to visit the other Make Way for Ducklings location after I had so much fun at the Springfield spot a few weeks back. This location was just as fabulous! The little story tellers were full of excitement and giggles. There was one little girl in particular who kept reminding me to wait for the “happy ending” to finish the story. I did my best to keep going until I got to the proper finish. Also great, was a spotting of another Mont Marie teacher! As I’ve mentioned before, it was so sad to see Mont Marie Child Care close last summer. However, it makes my day to see these great teachers in happy new locations!

Fairy Tale Book at Early Childhood Center Agawam

Early Childhood Center of Agawam: Some of my dearest friends’ little ones attended this school, so when I was invited to share stories, I couldn’t wait. I visited in the morning for the AM preschoolers, then again in the afternoon for the PM preschoolers. After “jumping” into the story book we found that magic had spilled on the fairy tale book scrambling stories. So, we were stuck with “Goldilocks and the Beanstalk”, “Little Red and the Pig”, and “The Bad Guys Dinner”. Though the stories were non-traditional, the children immediately recognized fairy tale characters with giggles and insight. Both groups were engaged, excited, and a ton of fun!

A huge THANK YOU to the teachers, administrators, and students at both of these great schools!

What would you like to see?

wetelltales — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:29:55 +0000

I’m working hard on a few new story telling themes. But, I’d love to hear what you’d like to hear. So, vote below on which interactive story telling you think sounds the most, fun, exciting, educational, etc. If you have additional ideas comment on this blog post! Thanks!

Take Our Poll

Fun Telling!

wetelltales — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:32:08 +0000

Snowy Scene at Make Way for Ducklings

We may have not got much (or any) snow this week but I still had a great time setting up my snowman, snowy scene, and presenting the story telling performance “Snow Day!” Here’s where I went this week:

Make Way for Ducklings in Springfield, Ma: It’s always great to go to a new school, it’s even more fun to go to a new school that you’ve heard such great things about. This was the case this week as I visit Make Way for Ducklings. Let me tell you, the school definitely lived up to the wonderful words I heard about it. I performed first for the older group of students who were wonderful listeners and participants! They were concerned for Jack in “Jack in the Wind”, they memorized the parts in “The Bear who came to dinner” and they laughed at the goofiness of letting forest animals live in your house in “It could Always be Worse”. The second group of younger students were great as well. They wiggled and giggled as we “jumped” into the stories and had truly one of the best group growls in “The Bear who came to dinner”. The teachers in both groups were engaged, excited, and invested in the children. It was a great performance.

So, thank you to the administrators, teachers, and students for allowing me to share stories! I am looking forward to visiting the other Make Way for Ducklings in West Springfield next week.

Have a great weekend!

What’s Going On?

wetelltales — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:01:07 +0000

Anyone else still playing catch up from the holidays? Between annual reports, updating contacting information, creating new advertising for the New Year, performing Snow Day, battling a cold, and writing new tales, I am feeling a bit…well, busy! In deciding what to blog this week I came up with this great (and lazy) idea of making a little list of “what’s going on” which has dual purposes. One, its wildly interesting….or, at least somewhat interesting. And, two, it helps me feel organized. So, here we go:

Writing, Research, and Planning: I am tweaking stories for “Oops! Fractured Fairy Tales” as I will be performing that next week. Coming soon will be a special under the sea themed story telling performance so research and writing on that project are under way. Also in the near future (Spring is near future, right?) are two school residencies that I am excited about which are requiring a bit of writing time.

Reading: This time of year, I love to read all of the great “year-end” awards and reports about children’s books that have come out this year. In particular, School Library Journal and The Horn Book have great details on which books are the greatest. I am also reading all kinds of under the sea folklore. Also in my library basket is the book Icefall by Matthew Kirby. I’ve greatly enjoyed this mid-grade fantasy so far and the references to story tellers in particular have been great.

Telling: I performed “Snow Day!” for the first time of the season today and will be doing a bit more with the icy tales before moving on to fractured fairy tales. More on my performance today at Make Way for Ducklings in Springfield on Friday.

Thanks for sticking with me on this completely self-serving blog post!

5 Things to Expect at “Actors to Authors”

wetelltales — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:48:14 +0000

It’s the last day of registration for “Actors to Authors” that’s being held Thursdays at 6:30p.m. starting Thu. 1/12 in Wilbraham, Ma. For more information and to register click here.

Still contemplating signing up? Here are 5 things you should know about the program:

1. We will not be sitting still

2. Story telling and theater will combine to include props, scenery, and acting that is absoultely hilarious

3. The stories of Rumplestilskin, Sleeping Beauty (and others) will never look the same after we get our hands on them

4. When completed, each actor will have created their own one-of-a-kind story

5. Writing has never been so silly!

Want to see the weekly schedule? Click here.

I hope to see you there!

Fun Tellings!

wetelltales — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:29:25 +0000

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and your new year is already filled with great things! It was great to have some time off, visit with family, and share in the celebrations, but it’s also great to be back to work. Through the busy holiday, I visited two great centers and a birthday party that I wanted to share with you all. Here’s the run-down:

Wizard of Oz Party, Athol Ma: I had a great time one Saturday driving up to Athol to share a collection of “Royal” tales at a Wizard of Oz party (great theme, huh?). I was blown away at how attentive the group of children (and parents!) were and greatly enjoyed my time with them. The birthday girl in particular really seemed to be having a great time- which made my day! It was also neat to have my mom join me at this performance.

Arbors Kids at Mason Wright, Springfield: It was a pleasure to visit another Arbors Kids location the week before Christmas to share “Holidays Around the World” for the last time of the season. It always makes me a little sad to know it will be a whole year before I share “The Christmas Spiders” again. The group in Springfield was full of energy and excitement and were a blast to be with.

Arbors Kids on Birnie Ave, Springfield: The last in my tour of the Arbors Kids, was a visit to the after school and vacation care location in Gerena Community School. I had a wonderful time sharing “Snow Day!” with the elementary age students. From great input in the tales, to acting out “When it Snowed Tortillas”, to even helping me clean up, this group was really amazing.

A huge thank you to all for allowing me to share stoiries!

Coming later this week…a sneak peek into “Actors and Authors” the great program offered through Wilbraham Parks and Recreation!

Happy Holidays!

wetelltales — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:34:39 +0000

2011 has been an amazing year. I have enjoyed creating new programs like “Actors to Authors”, and “Through Ellis Island”. It’s been a pleasure re-visiting schools, preschools, and libraries as it has been visiting for the first time. It amazes me constantly how lucky I am to do what I love.

Thank you for making 2011 so wonderful! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and a your new year is filled with the things you love most.

(P.S. though I have a few more performances on the schedule, when not performing I will be out of the office Wed. 12/21-Mon. 1/2, returning Tue. 1/3)

Fun Tellings!

wetelltales — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:57:41 +0000

It’s been another busy week of telling “Holidays Around the World” at two great schools! Here’s where I went this week:

Arbors Kids in East Longmeadow: It was great to travel to Arbors Kids to share seasonal tales. When traveling in East Longmeadow, I am always sure to see at least one familiar face. This visit was no exception! The group was great, and I was super impressed to see the young toddler class stay for the WHOLE performance! It was also a lot of fun to hear lots of input on what the dragon should look like in “The Dragon who Came to Dinner” and the great ideas for stories.

Epiphany Preschool in Wilbraham: I was thrilled to return to Epiphany to see friends I’ve known for quite some time, and to meet new friends, too. We had a blast sharing “Holidays Around the World”. The little story tellers seemed to really like trekking into the forest to get all sorts of wildlife in “It Could be Worse”. In this tale, a wise old woman instructs a woman to get animals to come into her house in an effort to make her house less noisy. In the end, when the critters leave, the woman realizes “it could always be worse”. I found it very funny that there was one boy who every time the old woman was thinking about what to go and get next, he would say (somewhat sinisterly) “she needs hot lava”. That may have just done the trick.

A HUGE thank you to my friends at Arbors Kids in East Longmeadow and Epiphany Preschool. Two great schools, great teachers, and great students! Thanks!

Winter Specials

wetelltales — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:37:42 +0000

Introducing two new winter themes that are sure to celebrate the season with cozy tales. Don’t forget about the special 3 for $300!

Around the Campfire, American Folk Tales

Snuggle up beside the campfire during the cold months and journey across the nation through story. As we “travel”, we will hear from Native Americans, pioneers, and other exciting characters. This performance is filled to the brim with American folk lore, historical tellings, and tall tales. This interactive performance can be geared for children of all ages.

SNOW DAY!

Tales of the great north come to life through snowy scenery, props, and tons of interaction. This chilly performance is ideal for the snowiest months of year. Great for children of all ages.

Actors to Authors

wetelltales — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:46:36 +0000

I am super excited to introduce a new program “Actors to Authors” for children age 6-10.The writing process has never been so much fun!

Join us as we preform famous folk tales, fairy tales and fables re-writing and creating as we go. Hysterical games, story telling, and theater are used to enhance the creative process allowing each writer to create their own one-of-a-kind story book. This creative program is full of silly make-believe that is sure to spark the inner writer in all participants.

Actors to Authors is being held through the Wilbraham Parks and Recreation on Thursdays (Jan. 12- Feb. 2nd 2012) at 6:30-7:30pm.Check out their website for more details. Or, contact me. Sign up begins Dec. 13th!

Here’s a sneak peak at the schedule:

Week One: Sensational Settings. The group will perform a very silly version of Sleeping Beauty exploring the setting of this classic tale.

Week Two: Captivating Characters. While performing Rumpelstiltskin the group will find out what makes characters interesting, creepy, and hilarious.

Week Three: And the Plot Thickens. The actors will get to do a story telling performance of The Woman who Swallowed a Fly seeing first hand how stories build.

Week Four: Your Masterpiece. On the final week, we will put all we’ve learned together to create a wonderful tale that can be told, performed, and written.

I hope to see you there!