In the recent weeks we have begun having Story Workshop in Preschool. Story Workshop is a structure we continue to develp at Opal School that supports both children's literacy and social emotional development. Through playing with various materials such as, collage, tempra paint, small world dioramas, cardboard, or blocks, a story might pop-up or they might be reminded of one from memory. As a child continues to play with the material and explore further her story, she may begin to consider more details of the story, the sequence or setting may begin to reveal itself and the language she uses to share her story becomes more clear and powerful. The materials act as a vehicle that enable the stories of children to come alive to share with one another!
During Story Workshop the preschool room is set up in a way that is familiar to the children, but is all the more enticing because they now know that the teachers have a slightly different role during Story Workshop and that is to help record the stories they uncover while at play. The children are invited to explore in search of their stories. Children can be heard saying, "Can you write my story down?" Or "I found a story!" The teachers eagerly write the words of the children as they begin to tell the story they've uncovered through playing with materials.
In the words of the children Story Workshop is…
… when the kids go to play and they make a story about it! -G.G.
You might find different stories while you're playing. You're looking for a story in your mind. After you make a story, whatever place you want, a teacher writes your story and you put it in your folder. -L.D.
Story Workshop is something that you get your paper and you can draw a story or play with a story or you can paint a story or Dramatic Play. Story Workshop can be like making things, too! It's like playing! -K.J.
The zebra can fly. Zebra was flying over and he flied up so high. Then his tail flew behind. He didn't touch the monkey and then he saw his friend. Then he went underground and saw a ghost and then he came back. Zebra is just going to fly right to his bed. [Zebra talking to the leopards] "This is our house, wanna come in?" …"This is our bed, friends…." -A.R.
There's two suns in the sky because it was really, really sunny. Bad guys came to wreck the building. But they wanted to be good guys so they builded up the building back to where it was before. -J.H.
There was a dragon. He had all the stuff. He had the jewel! The jewel gets cooked in the dragon's fire. One girl put her hand in the fire with a mitten and saved the jewel and put it in her treasure box so it's nice and she closed the top so its nice and warm and safe. She put small things in the treasure box and closed it so the dragon could never get it again! -T.F.
One day a little girl and her mommy were going on a trip and they wanted to get to the pool as soon as possible. When they got there they went straight to the pool before the pool closed so that they could swim in the hot tub. The little girl wanted to go inside the water slides. After they went to the pool and did their waer slides and hot tub they went home to their hotel and they lived happily ever after. The End -G.G.
There's two leopards together. They're gonna walk and push the barrel. Then they're gonna try to eat the eagle because they're hungry.They're gonna run up and try to get him! The eagle flies fast and then he goes to another branch and then finally the leopard got him because them jumped all the way onto the branch that the eagle was on. -A.N.
It’s a house and all the people are going to bed. They brush their teeth all by theirselves and then the kids get out of bed and jump in their beds and their parents get mad at them! -R.C.
Teachers are wondering alongside the children and asking together:
What materials might inspire a story?
When playing with materials, what memories are awakened?
Where might a story live?
What connections will we make with each other through stories?
