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Story sacks are a popular, non-threatening way of encouraging
parents and carers to start sharing stories with their children,
especially those parents with little positive experience of
books. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many adults, after
they have been involved in a story sacks project, are motivated
to take up opportunities for further study and so improve
their own skills.
A story sack is a large cloth bag containing a children's
book with supporting materials to stimulate reading activities
and make shared reading a memorable and enjoyable experience.
The sack contains soft toys of the book's main characters,
and props and scenery that parents and other adults can use
with children to bring a book to life, even if the adult's
reading skills are limited. The sack might include a non-fiction
book on the same theme, an audio-tape of the story, a language-based
game and a short guide containing questions to ask, words
to consider and other ways to extend the reading activity.
A workshop for parents about how to share story sacks with
their children provides guidance on storytelling and ideas
for making best use of the contents of the sack. At the end
of one training session a mother explained that, though she
could barely read, she now felt that she could really do it
- she could tell a story.
The Basic Skills Agency ran a Storysacks National Support
Project, and the project is now run on a freelance basis by
Neil Griffiths, who first conceived the idea. The project
has now spread to almost every local authority.
Story sacks are mainly used by schools, and are a way of getting
the whole community involved in the life of a school. Groups
as diverse as the Women's Institute, businesses and inmates
of local prisons, as well as parents themselves, have all
been involved in making sacks for schools. Story sacks are
increasingly used by other groups such as Sure Start, public
libraries, playgroups, health visitors, speech therapists,
social workers, children's hospitals, prisons, family centres
and adult learners. Many local authorities have built story
sacks-making activities into accredited courses for adults,
some of whom go on to further adult education groups, become
reading volunteers, in some cases, leading to jobs and training.
Story
sacks in Southampton
The Library Service in Southampton manages various story sack
projects, aiming to reach people in deprived areas and groups
at risk of social exclusion because of their language, culture
or abilities. The theme of the sacks may address issues faced
by these groups. The libraries work in partnership with community
groups and their supporting agencies.
The Roshni Storysack Project, one of the first, took place
in a day care centre for Asian elders. It aimed to involve
the participants in reading partnerships and enable the elders
to share their rich cultural experiences with a younger generation.
Later projects have involved other ethnic minority groups,
adults with disabilities and children from a local playground.
Librarians are also working with groups of local parents,
in conjunction with Sure Start, with family literacy groups
and with the Social Services Education Team and foster carers.
Another project, launched in March 2003, is a joint initiative
between Southampton's Health & Social Care Directorate's Roshni
Centre, The Black Heritage Group and The Environment Centre.
It is funded for three years by the Department of Environment,
Food & Rural Affairs. Participants have created story sacks
for sharing with local children and the wider community, aiming
to promote reading and storytelling across different cultures
and generations while educating minds of all ages on environmental
issues. Each sack contains a tale that promotes a sustainable
development issue, together with accompanying props to make
it come to life.
One such story is "The Busy House", the story of grandparents
coming to visit a modern western household, where resources
such as fuel and water are used in a very wasteful way. The
grandparents tell the people living there that modern appliances
have not always existed and that more economical and environmentally
friendly methods can be used.
All of the projects aim to give participants the confidence
to enjoy books and reading with children; with the supporting
materials contained in the sack, such as a taped version of
the story, which means that adults with poor literacy skills
are still able to share stories and realise that they can
make a contribution to children's literacy and learning.
A librarian commented that no group had lacked the ability
to make story sacks - only the confidence and the opportunity
to try their skills. The Library Service loans the sacks and
uses them in training schemes and storytelling: in the year
from January 2002-2003, 7,662 children and 2,530 adults attended
storytelling sessions. Librarians have found that adults who
might be reluctant to go to a venue like a college are willing
to visit and enjoy the library.
Story
sacks, Harlow Basic Skills Project
This is a story sacks project that aims to encourage parents
and carers, particularly those with low basic skills, to enjoy
sharing books with their children. It also provides a resource
of story sacks, based in the toy library at the local Sure
Start centre, which can be lent to trained pre-school groups,
Home Start volunteers, other service providers and families
across the town. Staff are seconded from these other organisations
and their expertise plays a key role in the effectiveness
of the project. Workshops have also been held at which parents
make story sacks; a first group of parents supported a second
to make story sacks with a Christmas theme. The parents worked
together as a team and gained confidence from the experience.
They have been offered activities such as visits to libraries
and on-line learning centres in order to build on their skills.
The Basic Skills Agency has been asked to evaluate the effectiveness
of the project which, according to staff observations and
participant feedback, includes improved confidence and skills
among the participants, an increase in library use and a willingness
to engage in community activity. Numbers involved in the project
have been increasing. The story sack project is part of, and
funded by, the Harlow Basic Skills Project, which aims to
raise basic skills in all age groups in the town. Additional
funding is provided by Sure Start.
Link:
For more on the Harlow Basic Skills Project visit
www.applications.e-gfl.org/harlowbasicskills
 Story baskets, Hampshire Gypsy Heritage
project
The Living Album: Hampshire's Gypsy Heritage project
received a small grant from Hampshire County Council's Early
Education and Childcare Unit to produce five "story baskets"
which will give children an opportunity to learn about Gypsy
Traveller lifestyles in a fun and exciting way.
Two of the baskets are housed in a Reading Wagon story box,
adapted to look like a traditional Gypsy wagon. The Reading
Wagon story box was also accompanying a touring exhibition
entitled The Living Album: Hampshire's Gypsy Heritage, which
visited museums and libraries across Hampshire from October
2006.
The story baskets are based on the same principle as story
sacks and contain a story book, a tape recording of the story
with small cassette player, as well as 'smell cubes' and objects
which relate to the story. The Reading Wagon with examples
of the story baskets - Stone Soup and Shaun's Wellies Each
of the selected titles not only relate to Gypsies and Travellers
but also explore ideas and issues around acceptance, tolerance
and inclusion. Therefore, the story baskets will allow childcare
providers to discuss cultural and racial issues in a fun and
innovative way.
The story baskets are particularly relevant for Hampshire
education providers as the Gypsy Traveller population is the
largest ethnic minority group within the county. Intended
uses for story baskets include:
- supporting children who are from a Traveller background
- as a means of exploring different cultures and inclusion
issues
- promoting co-operation and participation amongst children
by each child being responsible for a particular sound,
smell or object
- for group story telling sessions (selected titles are
available in a large storybook format)
Individual "story baskets" were made available to early years
education and childcare providers within Hampshire from September
2006. Story baskets will be loaned for up to four weeks at
a time.
For further information about The Living Album project see
the website at www.hants.gov.uk/rh/gypsy
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