Pamela Virgo

I was recruited to be a storytime facilitator for Dramabuds. Dramabuds is a children's workshop company for 3-6yrs that visits schools to encourage children to use their imagination through storytelling and creative play. “Yo, hello, how you doing!” These are the greetings that I got the children to say at the beginning of my Dramabuds weekly sessions. I mainly did this so that the children could introduce themselves to each other and myself, but I also did it because I am bad with remembering names and it was a great way to hear the names again, (well except for the child with the really low voice, that I couldn't hear and had to keep asking them to repeat themselves louder. “Can you say that again, louder? Nope? ok”. “Roger, its Roger” Luckily for me the kids love shouting each others names out for them, so I was saved every time lol! The sessions consisted of : A warm up game (that usually had to do with the theme/story of the day) Musical statues making sounds, of animals, vehicle poses Marching around the room, then doing an action when the music stopped, eg:fairytale theme -When I said Sleeping Beauty, they had to fall asleep on the floor. (This was a great way to get the kids to be quiet lol)! -Prince Charming (They galloped around on a horse) -Evil Queen (Making scary faces) -Cinderella (Scrubbing the floor) etc. After the kids are all warmed up, the story begins. If it was a continuation from the last session, I would re-cap what we did then carry on. But for a new story I introduce the characters and then the adventures would begin, with props and music. I have been through many stories / themes with the kids, Peter Pan, The Mouse Hunt etc. I had fun with all of them and the kids had fun too (well thats what the nursery staff told me). Image supplied by Woodleywonderworks Reward experiences with Dramabuds One of the rewarding things for me is seeing how the kids have grown in height and also in confidence, from the first time that I had met them. Some of them were shy to say their names or to use their imagination and get lost in the story, but by the end of my time with them this was not a problem. It was also great hearing from the nursery staff, who told me that one of the kids doesn't join in with any other outside visitors, but he always joined in my sessions. This made me feel very proud of myself, because believe me it can be hard to get a child to join in with something new, and keep them interested for 30-45 mins. So I am very proud of that. (Isn't it funny how the reactions of a 3year old can make or break your day!). It was also great when one of the kids whom is slightly autistic, answered his name correctly after a few…