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3 Things to Know About Bedtime Stories

Let’s not forget the benefits to parents of storytelling with their children. Whether you read books or tell stories, you slow down and bond with this little one you love. Take the time in the evening to snuggle with your child.

Most every parent knows the request for “I want bedtime stories, please.” issued by their little ones. So here are three tips about bedtime stories that are fun for you and them.

1. Learn to tell stories and not just read them.

You are not limited to the books on your shelf from the bookstore or library. Stories existed and were passed on well before cheap printing was available. So put down the book and give your kids the gift of looking them in the eye while you talk with them. Learn to tell, not just read stories, to your children. Explore guides like the “DaddyTeller” ™ book that teaches Dads (and Moms, too) how to be heroes to their children while passing on family values through a straightforward story at a time.

2. Storytelling improves literacy and math skills.

You might be thinking, “Bedtime stories improve literacy? Continue reading “3 Things to Know About Bedtime Stories”

Six More Storytelling Tips

These six small storytelling techniques can make a difference in how effective and entertaining your storytelling can be.

an illustration of a stagelight shining down on a dark stage with storytelling tips tile Let me share a few simple storytelling tips to strengthen your presentations. While these ideas are probably not brand new to you, I hope this list might make you think about your oral storytelling approach.

Do Just a Little More Research

From personal stories to world tales, there is almost always that “one more” detail or interpretation that can add more depth to your story. As a practitioner of oral storytelling, you’ll be a better teller when you use a variety of sources to make your story more thorough. As you craft a personal tale, ask that friend for their insights into the tale that is part of your shared history. With world tales, there is almost always another variant of any tale you might encounter.

Take That Extra Practice Moment

Before you take the stage, stand up in the boardroom or call students to attention, take that extra moment to run through the events of your story. What happens from part A to part B to part C and onward? Use your time in

Continue reading “Six More Storytelling Tips”

Five Quick Tips for Using Storytelling in Your Elementary-School Classroom

Storytelling is a great way to engage students and build their interest in a topic. It can also help them develop their writing and oral communication skills.

📚 How to Use Storytelling in the Grade-School Classroom 📚

Storytelling is a great way to engage students and build their interest in a topic. It can also help them develop their writing and oral communication skills. Here are some tips for using storytelling in the grade-school classroom:

✨ Start with a Purpose: Before you tell your story, make sure you have a clear purpose in mind. Is it to introduce a concept, teach a lesson, or help students practice their writing skills? Knowing your purpose before you start will help you create an engaging and meaningful story.

✨ Select the Right Story: Select a story that resonates with your students and is age-appropriate.

Continue reading “Five Quick Tips for Using Storytelling in Your Elementary-School Classroom”

My New Driver’s License

“Look at me”, I argued – pointing to a very large belly. “I am married, and I am having a baby. Why should I have to have someone sign for me to drive.” He was unsympathetic to the insult.

keys hanging on the wall My New Driver’s License
By: Ellouise Schoettler

In July, I went to the Motor Vehicle Express Office to renew my Maryland driver’s license Express is just part of the name of this place, not a description of the service, so while I waited in line for an hour, I had time to think about my history in the whole process of being licensed to drive a car.

I got my first driver’s license in 1953 by taking driver’s education during my junior year at Central High School in Charlotte, NC. A breeze —

Four years later, when it was time to renew my driver’s license, I was a married woman, and Jim and I were living in Baltimore. Two weeks before my 20th birthday, I was pregnant with our first child. Continue reading “My New Driver’s License”

Picking Blackberries: How to Develop Personal Storytelling

We all have such stories that are recalled by a specific incident, by seeing an old toy at a flea market, by tasting a certain food or passing a place from our past. These kinds of stories keep us in touch with our roots and allow our descendants to understand a little of how we-and they-came to be who we are today.

Picking Blackberries: How to Develop Personal Tales
By: Granny Sue

Picking blackberries this summer brought back a flood of memories,

a bowl of freshly picked blackberries

especially of days spent in the berry patch as a young mother, picking berries with my four older sons. We spent a lot of time picking

berries-they were a mainstay of our diet because I canned them for winter cobblers, made them into jam for topping pancakes, toast, and biscuits or for sweetening oatmeal, or canned blackberry juice to mix with the juice from the Concord grapes. Sometimes, when the berries were exceptionally plentiful, I made blackberry wine too, which I mixed with elderberry wine to make a clear red wine with a nice bite.

Our farm had many berry patches in the old overgrown pastures, and we found even bigger and better berries along the logging roads on White Rose Ridge, a few miles away. We didn’t worry too much about snakes, although we kept our eyes open for them. We didn’t worry about scratches and pricks on our arms either, and it usually looked like we had been in a catfight after a week of berry picking.

Continue reading “Picking Blackberries: How to Develop Personal Storytelling”