Tell Me Something Good

We Get to Share the Gift of Storytelling to Children by Nereyda Martinez

With the use of more and more technology, I notice more and more eyes looking down on screens. I worry about what that means for our children and their interactions with other humans.

We know technology is not going anywhere and it will continue advancing. We also know that humans are not going anywhere. That’s good news.

Storytelling is a way that restores my faith in humanity for many reasons. When I think of children, in particular, I think of the ways that Storytelling can remind children of the magic of listening to someone without any distractions.

Giving children undivided attention is priceless. As adults, we know that. We appreciate that in others. Children not only desire more of it but it supports them with building relationships with others.

We can’t afford to lose this.

I like to think of how Storytelling will restore so much for our children. I think of how it will restore our ability to use our own imagination. I think of how it will restore our ability to learn valuable lessons from stories. I think of how it will bring us back to a time where oral stories were everything we had.

In my short time of storytelling, I have been able to share stories with my children. I have seen first-hand in my daughter, specifically, the impact that stories have made on her. She will recall stories almost word for word that I have told her. She will also create her own versions of them. She will ask for more.

Not only do we get to bond this way but she is also able to get lost in her own world bringing the story to life in her mind. She gets to receive the gift of Storytelling.

Whether you are a parent, a grandparent, a teacher, a relative, a friend, you get to have the responsibility of gifting Storytelling to children. You get to have the responsibility of gifting your undivided attention. You get to have the responsibility of gifting what our ancestors did for many, many years.

You get to. And you must.

All you need is a story, your own joy, and time. I think we can all manage to make that happen.

Because we’re not going anywhere and neither are our stories.

(The image at the top of the post can be found here, along with a very good article.)

I Love Picture Books by Rebecca Love

I love picture books!

Picture books can address any topic- from the silly to the serious. They are fiction, folklore, mythology and nonfiction including biography, science, and history. The amount of text is controlled to convey a succinct story or set of facts. Picture books have very clear themes or main ideas. They often employ oral storytellers’ favorite tools of rhyme, rhythm, and/or repetition. Picture books include drawings, photos, or graphics that enhance the text content, and offer ideas for oral storytellers to build on for imagery and sensory details. We should all be celebrating authors of good picture books.

When I look for a picture book turn into an oral story, I have to really like the book. Just like looking for folktales, myths, legends, or hero stories to tell, the teller has to love the story or the listeners will know somethings not working. I once read a picture book to a preschool class that I didn’t really like, but the title was part of the preschool curriculum. I felt like I was droning on and on, and I shouldn’t have been surprised when the three- and four-year-olds started to get squirmy and distracted. They were quick to tell me that they were bored or didn’t understand the story very well. I know my reading performance fell flat for the kids because I personally didn’t like the book (and I didn’t really think it was well-written).

Choosing a picture book that features a folktale, myth, or legend is easy for me. Those stories came from the oral tradition, so they easily translate back into the oral tradition for telling.

Choosing a modern, original picture book story to tell orally is a bit more difficult for me. So far, I have found that stories that very heavily rely on the pictures as opposed to the text to be the most challenging

For example, I love the picture book Sam and Dave Dig a Hole.

The boys, Sam and Dave, are so relatable. These two explorer boys, and their adorable little dog, start to dig a hole. They are going to dig through the earth to the other side. What kid hasn’t thought about or tried that?

 The end papers of the book are mirror images of each other, but with slight differences. In the beginning of the book, the two boys are leaving the house and shows a cat with a red collar and an apple tree. At the end of the book, the pictures show the boys returning to the house, but the cat has a blue collar and there is a pear tree. These differencing mirror images imply that each end of the book is on the opposite side of the world or that the world or the boys have changed over the course of their journey. But do I include those awesome end pages into the story? Are they necessary? How would I do it?

As the boys dig, a great deal of the story is told in the pictures and text is used sparingly. Readers can see that Sam and Dave are coming close to all kinds of wonderful hidden treasures like gems or dinosaur bones. The little dog is depicted as being attentive to hidden treasures that Sam and Dave don’t know are there. And then the pictures show Sam and Dave digging in such a way that they miss all the treasure, creating some ironic humor for readers.

How do I talk about the visual information in the pictures and create the images orally and keep the humor and the irony without overexplaining? I am sure that lots of planning, practice, and revision will be involved.

I’ve also seen that some of the best activities to accompany this story. For example, kids can draw their own hole maps and include the treasures that they value and would love to discover on such an adventure. Here’s one example from an adult to role model for kids.

Now that I’ve written this post, I’ve convinced myself that I can and should try to turn this picture book into a story. It might be challenging, but it will be fun, too. Stay tuned for my oral rendition in the future.

How Do I Do This? by Elizabeth Wunsch

“Everybody! I need your help to tell this story. When I go like this can everyone yell SLOP!”
I flung both of my arms above my head, maybe as an exclamation, maybe as a conductor of my classroom of fourth grade vocalists. “Okay, ready?…. 

Up went my arms. A loud “SLOP” rang out through the classroom. Inside I am thinking “Thank God, that went well.” Then I looked down at girl sitting right in front of me. She was holding up a piece of paper that she had printed SLOP on. She wasn’t able to speak it, but she found a way to communicate with me. My heart melted.

Ya see, I don’t have any children and haven’t had the privilege of lots of exposure to nieces and nephews and classrooms of children throughout my life. Telling stories to children seemed so foreign yet so wonderful to me. You can prepare all you want but it won’t hit you until you are in front of that first classroom, telling your first story. “Do they care? Will they listen? Will they like me? How do I do this?”

In the back of the room a boy fiddled with all the things on his desk. Got up and went to the door and his teacher motioned him back. I kept the story going. Arms kept flying up and SLOP kept ringing out. I don’t recall seeing the boy’s hands fly up. But he had finally found a point of stillness. Is he able to listen?

The children heard four stories total from Lauren and myself. They seemed excited as we gathered to take a group picture. Then as we were leaving, the young girl who had been sitting in front of me, came up to me and showed me a piece of paper on which she had printed “Thank You”. Then the walking boy ran up to me, looked me In the eye and exclaimed, “SLOP” and wanted a Hi-Five from me.

I left that room and the next classroom I told in and then the ah-ha came. They do hear me. Just tell from my heart. Let them hear my heart in whatever I tell. Let them know I hear theirs. Just tell. Don’t worry.  Just allow myself to communicate. And appreciate.

I understand now because I took the first step through the door of the first classroom and asked everyone to yell “SLOP!”

(The picture at the top of the post shows Lauren Besich telling to the class that Elizabeth told to later. Unfortunately, no picture of Elizabeth telling :(.

My Mother's Classroom by Terri Jackson

I was raised in a family of educators. My mother, Everlyn S. Franks, taught first grade for many years. She use these techniques and concepts in her classroom many years before scientists and researchers figured it out.

 

She knew Storytelling would develop lifelong skills for children: cognitive understanding, communication, listening, language, and writing skills plus a love for nature.

 

A country girl raised on her parent’s farm, she told stories about feeding and caring for the animals. As the oldest child, Mother  also told stories about taking care of her siblings and how she managed family conflicts. Her students loved to listen to her  humorous family stories , with her quiet voice, and soon began communicating and sharing their own family stories with each other.

 

The class planted seasonal gardens with flowers and vegetables, to share with their families as the students learned to understand their connection with nature.

 

Mother‘s classroom was always filled with story and coloring books kids could borrow and take home.  Additionally, there was an aquarium with brightly colored fish the kids could count and feed, plus a record player for listening to stories or dancing to music. The kids love to play outdoors, but she always had some things they could play with indoors, keeping them engaged  in learning.

 

Reading about the importance of Storytelling to Children, I was glad Mother had a passion for helping children become successful adults through the Art of Storytelling.

 

Never Underestimate the Power of Smell in Storytelling by Sharon Gilbert

Smells bypass the thalamus. Smells go straight to the olfactory bulb, or the brain’s smell processing center. This bulb is directly linked to the amygdala (responsible for emotion) and hippocampus (responsible for memory). The olfactory bulb’s proximity to the brain’s emotion and memory centers might explain why scent can immediately trigger a vivid memory or strong emotion. The sense of smell is specific, which helps to explain how our smell memories can be so precise. (source.)

Have you ever been surprised by a scent out of the blue that takes you back to a memory from your past? I have one memory that does that immediately and that is the smell of wood that has been soaked in water and soap for a long time. It takes me back to a summer spent at my grandparent Smiths home in Ottumwa Iowa in the 1940s.

Writers and storytellers have long discovered that describing the smells in a story can carry the listener into the story from their own memories.

I recently had the opportunity to tell one of my short stories from my repertoire, “Peach Pie”, it elicited several remarks that I expected.” Your story made my mouth water, I could smell the spices, it made me hungry.”   At the very beginning of my storytelling career this was the story whose seeds were planted in a class. When I finally developed it into a full-blown story, I knew I had to incorporate these descriptions of smells into the story so that the audience could become a part of the story and understand why my characters intensely wanted to eat that pie. Most audiences have a memory of the pleasant smells of cinnamon and nutmeg.

We don't have to have the actual items to bring back those memories, we just need to describe them well. So, when we're telling a story we might consider describing the smells involved to carry the listener into the story. I think of Mark Goldman’s story “The Smell of Money”, where he describes the smells of the bakery where the fragrance of baking bread helps a hungry person feel full. When we’re hearing that story, we can smell that fragrance wafting out of the bakery as well and we can imagine it helping the hungry beggar feel better. Recently, there was a storytelling concert at the Tempe Center for the Arts and several of the tellers told stories of preparing food for the holidays. I'm sure that most of the audience was taken back to Thanksgivings in their past by memories of the smell of turkey gravy lovingly described by Liz Warren.

I'm also imagining that a scary story could be made even more scary if the teller describes some unpleasant smells, such as the smell of smoke, or of walking through a damp forest at night,  maybe even the smell of a wet dog, or the putrid smell of a sewer. Any of these smells described in detail could help bring your listener into the story with you by way of their own memories.

I know that retelling a familiar story has motivated me to see how I can enhance other stories I tell and bring my audience in closer by adding more smelly memory clues to my stories.

The image at the top of the post can be found here.

To Tell or Not to Tell by Kate Helm

Like many Americans, I am not one but many. My roots have been planted and dug up many times over. My mother's family all came from Ireland and migrated here in the mid-1800s looking for opportunity and a fair shake. They started out in New York and then moved westward to settle in towns and cities around Iowa. I did not grow up there in the midwest, however, amongst cousins, aunts and uncles. In the 40s, 50s and 60s my grandfather worked in management for various companies like Goodyear Tires and Lockheed Martin that sent him and his family (my mother in tow) all over the country, from Iowa, to California and ultimately to Georgia where I was born many years later.

 

And how about my father's family? They came over in the wave of Eastern European immigration in the early part of the 20th century. My grandmother herself was an immigrant. Her family all settled in Buffalo and she would eventually raise her family there as well. That is my father's hometown, but thanks to the military, he left there at 18 and was eventually stationed in Georgia where he would later meet my mother.

 

So do I tell the stories of my Irish ancestors? How strong is one's connection if it's so many generations removed? How about the midwestern tales from my grandparents and great grandparents? My mother grew up hearing those but then moved herself as a young girl so they fail to conjure strong meaning and connection to me. 

 

I could try my hand at Polish storytelling, but I don't even know what that means. My father's family was not much for stories, preferring to keep their words short and to the point. There's not much room for fairy tales in immigrant households that were just struggling to survive. 

 

I've thought about stories from the American South. I was born and raised among southerners, but they were ultimately not my people. I grew up an outsider in my community - neither of my parents were southerners; I went to Catholic schools with lots of military kids, all transplants from around the country. Telling folktales from the deep south feels performative and appropriating. Ultimately, while I love all the stories, they simply aren't mine to tell.

 

So where does that leave me? What stories are mine to pass down? Which roots do I honor? Which norms do I follow? I don't have any answers but I know they're important questions to ask. If I've learned anything from these few months of learning about storytelling, it's that we must choose stories that resonate and connect with something deep inside of us. Modern day Americans whose ancestors hail from all over are in a unique position to have loose connections to traditions from around the world, but is a loose connection enough? What more do we need to do to ensure that the stories we tell are true, authentic, and meaningful? Thinking about these questions reminds me that storytelling is not simply a privilege, but also a responsibility. A story is not just entertainment, but also a gift we give to our community and our children. I never want to be someone who takes that lightly.

Storytelling and Play by Myranette Robinson

Experts have found that pretend play affords children opportunities to express different processes. Cognitive, affective and interpersonal processes are all important for creativity.  Storytelling can teach lessons without making children feel that they are being lectured to.  Storytelling can also promote creativity and teach reading structure.  Both playing and listening to stories are a fun and wholesome experience for children.  Each gives children a unique avenue to learn acceptable behavior. They also enhance their ability to negotiate conflicts and the ability to think “out of the box.’ 

In the November 30, 2021 issue of Psychology Today, an article by Scott G. Eberle Storytelling is Play; so is “Storylistening," tells of a toddler boy who likes dinosaurs and trucks.  He was taught that some dinosaurs eat meat (T-Rex) and some eat plants (Stegosaurus).  The boy’s imagination had created dinosaurs driving trucks, sailing boats and crossing sandy plains on a llama.

I have a friend who taught his 5-year-old daughter about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott.  She was happy to tell the story to me without much prompting from her father. She is now working on a story about beans. I can’t wait to hear it. 

You maybe wondering what age should combing play and storytelling should stop.  I had a group of over 21-year-old “kids” play imaginary drums during a story. The “kids” had as much fun as the preschoolers.  It shows that combing play and storytelling is fun for all ages.  

The image at the top of the post can be found here.

Who is a Full-Service Storyteller? by Diana Dinshaw

Who is a full service traditional storyteller? Well to answer this question let’s break it up into two; full service storyteller and traditional storyteller. 

A traditional storyteller is someone who tells (not reads) stories from the oral tradition. These are stories from the preliterate societies.

A full service storyteller is someone who can tell any type; folktale, myth, legend, personal, fact-based, children’s story. While they may have a leaning and preference towards one type or another they have all sorts of stories in their repertoire.

While audiences of all ages like listening to stories and aren’t really bothered if a story is myth, legend or folktale from an academic perspective it is valuable to know what the distinctions are. 

Here is what I have learned:

Folktales: These are simple stories that were passed down orally from generation to generation for the purpose of teaching morals and lessons in an entertaining way. The listeners get the most delight out of these stories when they can suspend belief and be transported into the world of fairies, talking animals and magic. Fairy Tales, Fables and Wisdom Tales are types of Folktales. While some people use folklore synonymous with folktales the two are different. Folklore is the collective culture of a group of people and includes art, music, architecture, textile and of course stories. These stories could be myths and legends of that culture as well as folktales. 

Some examples of folktales would be Cinderella, The Scorpion and the Frog, The Boy Who Cried Wolf.

Myths: Myths are stories about gods and goddesses, heroes and how the world was created. At some time these stories were considered to be true and a religious belief for the people of that culture. Like the Greek, Roman and Norse myths. The myths from India are still a living religion for the majority of the people living in India and the diaspora. 

The Hero’s Journey story structure by Joseph Campbell is a useful tool to map the hero myths (and other types of stories). The Labors of Hercules is an example of a myth that can be mapped to the hero’s journey story structure.

Some examples of myths are, Prometheus and the Theft of Fire, Romulus, Remus and the She-Wolf, Odin's Lost Eye, Lord Rama and the Army of Monkeys.

Legends: Stories of real people and events that took place a long time ago. While the people and events are real the story about them may be exaggerated and not completely factual. 

As a full service storyteller the teller may also have some urban legends in their repertoire. However, these are not considered traditional stories because these stories are set in contemporary times and circulated as if it is the truth. These stories are usually spooky and chilling.

Examples of legends would be King Arthur and the Round Table, George Washington Chopping the Cherry Tree.

While I am a storyteller and not a narratologist I do think learning and discussing what makes one type of story different from another is interesting. I say discussing because sometimes the lines between the types are not clear. However, I do not have to be a narratologist to know that the Prometheus and the Theft of Fire is a myth and not a folktale.

Let's Make Magic by Bryce Barraza

Let’s make magic!

…by using imagination! Yes, your imagination! You know, the willy-wonka-style contraption making inventions in your head.

There is logic to what I’m proposing. I swear. Just follow the trail of everlasting gobstoppers.

Elizabeth Ellis explains that, as storytellers, “When we help others use their imagination, they make an image, and something magic happens.” (E. Ellis) That magic refers to the ability of story to transcend time and space. When a story is well crafted and told, the events of that story are happening in present-time, in the imagination of the audience and storyteller –regardless of when and where the story takes place.  

Through imagination, storytellers and audiences, “…are transported to a different realm.” (E. Ellis) Or as Laura Packer states, “They imagine with us and we move into new worlds together.” (L. Packer)

So, how do storytellers make magic through imagination? We have to help create images to spark the imagination!

Okay, okay…so, how do storytellers create images? Well, we have to activate the five senses! 

Activate the five senses!

The five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch! Storytellers Ellizabeth Ellis and Laura Packer offer tips of how to think about sensory descriptions while crafting images within story. Below are some that I find helpful in my crafting, and hope you find them useful, too.

Sight

Consider how much visual detail you need to provide. Sometimes one or two attributes is sufficient. Trust the imagination of the audience to complete the image. To find the most important attributes of the image, E. Ellis encourages you to think of the one characteristic that stands out most.

What one physical characteristic do you imagine when thinking of your pet? I think of my basset hound’s long velvety ears that drag on the floor.

Also consider how you phrase the description. L. Packer offers the technique of using simile when wanting to ‘deepen the experience’ for the audience when creating an image. For example, “The hair was the color of oak bark.” vs. “The hair was the color dark brown.”

Sound

You do not have to be a sound machine or make sound effects to engage the hearing sensory. But if you have that skill, go for it. Just try not to distract from the rest of your story. However, if you’re like me, one who does not have the sound machine gift, consider onomatopoeia (e.g., boom, creak, swish, roar!). Consider changing the tone of your voice to account for different characters and emotions.

Consider describing sound to invoke emotion. The slamming of a door to invoke anger, or the ticking of a clock to describe boredom. (E. Ellis)

Consider describing sound to enhance engagement with the story’s setting. Do you hear the fire crackling or the birds chirping? 

Smell

Smells spark memories. When I smell fresh cut grass, I remember mowing the lawn with Dad as a kid. Smells help enrich the setting. If I sit in my mom’s kitchen, I know I will smell freshly brewed coffee.

Consider incorporating smells into your story. What is your favorite smell? Or what smell can you not stand? If you have an answer to either of these questions, that supports the notion that the sense of smell is a great way to activate the imagination of the audience and ensure they remember the story.

As an exercise, Elizabeth Ellis asks, “What smell do I associate with these experiences…”: ‘I’m in trouble,’ ‘I have faith,’ ‘It’s all over,’ ‘Mother’s kitchen’?

Taste

Taste is not just about food. Taste can conjure feelings. Therefore, if appropriate to your story, consider incorporating taste. What emotion are you trying to invoke in the audience as the storyteller for this image?

Maybe it’s the feeling of comfort when eating a secret family recipe. Alternatively, the taste of a chalky medicine before a medical procedure can make you feel uneasy and filled with anxiety.  

Touch

1. Ellis reminds us that, “…words imply more than is actually being said.” Therefore, think of what you are trying to convey and how the touch sense can enhance your image. If describing royalty, their clothes may be rich feeling fabrics such as silk and cashmere, which have a very different feel than a burlap sack.

1. Packer also categorizes ‘kinesthetic sensory’ descriptions as more complex experiences that include the physical or touch sense. Maybe you have the flutter of butterflies in your stomach while talking to your crush. Or your heart sank after hearing the news.

Be Intentional

It’s not a check list. Not all five senses need to be used for every image or in every story. Be mindful of the intent of the image. What do you want to convey and have the audience experience? Select the type of sensory detail best for the story and specific image.

Thank you for making magic.

Sources

Ellis, E. (2012). From Plot to Narrative. Parkhurst Brothers Inc.

Packer, L. (2019). From Audience to Zeal: The ABCs of Finding; Crafting and Telling a Great Story. The Small-Tooth-Dog Publishing Group.