JB Rowley @ The Hub
Recently I was at The Hub at Docklands, Melbourne to conduct pre-school story time for the Indian festival of lights (Diwali). In the photo you can see me in action decked out in my salwar kameez (pants and shirt) and dupatta (head scarf) that I bought in India a few years ago. My storytelling apron is over the top as I was about to tell an apron story.
The blue fabric is the deep blue sea. As a precursor to stories about ocean creatures I use the fabric together with a chant. I ask the children to guess what ocean creatures might be in the story. Little Molly might say ‘dolphin’. I float the blue fabric over the head of the children and chant: Dolphins live in the deep blue sea, the deep blue sea. Dolphins live in the deep blue sea and I know because (looking straight at Molly) because Molly told me so. Even the shy kids are eager to join in with this little game when they realise their name will be used in the chant.
On this occasion I varied the game to fit in with Diwali. The goddess Lakshmi emerges from the turmoil of the ocean on Diwali night so I pretended a child might be Lakshmi. I floated the ‘deep blue sea’ over their heads then allowed it to drop gently on the head of a child and asked, “Is this Lakshmi?” Of course they laughed and cried ‘No’. I did the same with several of the children and then started the story.
The storytelling at The Hub is organised by: Melbourne Library Service
and I was booked by: The Storytelling Garden
