Top tips for storytelling – from a master storyteller

Telling a story rather than reading from a book is a wonderful way to connect with children and provides fantastic opportunities for children to shape the narrative themselves. Andy  Cannon has been telling stories professionally for over 20 years on stage and in nurseries and schools. He believes we’re all story tellers – here are his Top Storytelling Tips!

Reading stories together: bring words on the page to life

Reading stories together and bringing the words on a page to life provides wonderful opportunities for babies and very young children make independent choices and express their thoughts, feelings and ideas. By responding positively and sensitively to these cues we’re showing children that they are valued and respected – that they have a voice, says Lindsay Quayle, Scottish Book Trust.

Imagining Together

Through arts and creative experiences, babies and young children develop a sense of their own agency and learn about their rights. As part of our campaign Making My Mark, Starcatchers’ board member Dr Ben Fletcher-Watson reflects on the importance of ensuring children can experience theatre from the earliest possible age – not because it will help them when they are older, but because they are audiences now with their own imaginations, ideas, knowledge and able to enjoy art as much as adults do.

‘Every day we see our children are innately creative’

    Katie Robertson, Owner and Manager of The Nurture Nursery, Bathgate, took part in Starcatchers’ Creative Skills training in Glasgow 2019. As part of our Making My Mark campaign, she describes her setting’s approach to ensuring the children have as many opportunities as possible to develop agency through the expressive arts and creative experiences.  … Read more »

‘The wind changed our plan…’ 

Starcatchers’ Stripy Nest team give us an insight into the research phase of this community project to help nursery children feel more at ease in the playground when they make the transition into P1 We have been working with pre-school nursery children at Canal View Primary in Wester Hailes, Edinburgh, who will soon be making… Read more »

Nat Whittingham

Nat Whittingham is a professional circus artist, acrobat and teacher who ‘fell into’ his circus career at the age of 18. He began as a trampolinist at the age of 4, and over the years moved up to competing at national level. His talents were later picked up by No Fit State Circus, which offered… Read more »

Gabbie Cook

Gabbie Cook is a former elite gymnast who combines incredible acrobatic skill with her passion for dance to deliver beautifully-crafted and exhilarating circus performances.   Gabbie has been in intensive training since the age of six, starting with artistic gymnastics and then graduating from The Northern School of Contemporary Dance with a first class honours… Read more »

Arron Sparks

Professional circus performer Arron Sparks is bringing his unique juggling and YoYo’ing skills into Little Top, our magical first circus experience for babies 0-18 months.

Quest for Identity

Lead artist Marion Geoffray reflects on the journey Expecting Something’s young parents embarked on over 10 weeks as part of an expressive arts project to explore their own and their babies’ identities. Through puppetry, the spoken word, mark-making, photography and film participants have explored who we are, how we perceive ourselves and how to share this as something tangible.