Around the World in 7 Stories

We've been busy preparing for our summer storytelling sessions - Around the World in 7 Stories, and hence we haven't been able to post any blogs in the past few weeks.

It has been a fun experience preparing for the storytelling sessions, and we have also managed to update our own geography knowledge :).

The storytelling sessions start from 18th April 2012.

We'll begin each storytelling session with a song about the 7 continents. Then, we'll pick one continent and walk children through the famous places in it. Through our visual-walk, we'll tell them some amazing facts about the continent and give some information about the land forms and wildlife in the continent. We'll then lead them into an enchanting story from the continent.

At the end of the session, the children will do a craft activity and make a souvenir related to the story or the continent.

Did we mention, we are giving away passports to the children too? Each time they visit a continent, they get a stamp in their passport.

So, if you'd like your children to take a trip around the world, come visit us at the Landmark Book Stores in Mumbai.

• Every Wednesday, 4pm-5pm at Landmark Book Store, Inorbit Mall, Vashi
• Every Thursday, 4pm-5pm at Landmark Book Store, Infiniti Mall, Andheri (W)

We hope to see you there!

Talking Books or Storytellers?

In the movie, Moneyball, Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) uses the phrase "Adapt or Die", while convincing his team to embrace the new baseball player selection system.


I believe that the phrase "Adapt or Die" applies to everyone, everywhere and even to storytelling. The trend of storytelling began even before the time of our grand parents. We've all grown up listening to grandma's stories. As times changed, books replaced grandmas, and today digital content is replacing books.


But does that mean story telling is dead? Not really, even today we still like to listen to a story, if it is told well. However, the method of story telling can be changed to adapt to today's digital generation preferences.


Storytellers can choose to use digital media as a supporting tool to enhance their story telling experience. They can create a slide show of visuals and change slides, as they narrate a story. And, audio effects can be added to enhance the experience.   
 
But the media can only be a supporting tool. Because, the media cannot replace the giggles and chuckles that are heard when a storyteller makes a funny or grumpy face, or rolls his/her eyes or does funny moves to enact a character's style or changes his/her voice to change the mood of the story, or interacts with the children and makes them a part of the story.

Do you agree?

Which would you prefer - a child watching a story or a child being part of a story?