I had originally intended to wait before posting about story sacks – at least until there were some reviews on the site! – but given that I’ve now finished the bags I was asked to create for use in our local community, I just couldn’t wait to share what I’ve been up to.
After looking through the existing collection to see what was lacking, I decided to focus my efforts on strong female characters, the inclusion of people of colour, STEM* subjects and encouraging a growth mindset. Our local Early Years Forum granted me a small sum of money with which to do this, but I have to confess that I cheated slightly by adding in some of our own books which no longer saw use, in addition to second-hand toys. As a result, I managed to make six bags with the budget I was given for two. Hooray for more stories!
The titles I selected, in no particular order, were:
Ruby Nettleship and the Great Ice Lolly Adventure, by Helen and Thomas Docherty
Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts
Dream Dancer, by Jill Newsome and Claudio Munoz
Ada Twist, Scientist, by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts
Lily Brown’s Paintings, by Angela Johnson and E B Lewis
Meet The Parents, by Peter Bently and Sara Ogilvie
Over the next few weeks, I’m going to try and upload more information about each story sack – the list of contents and the ideas for activities which I included in each. As some of the items I’ve included are no longer in production, or have limited availability (i.e. the log-cabin building set with ‘Iggy Peck, Architect’ was bought during a special event at a German supermarket) I will try to list possible alternatives.
I’m really looking forward to covering these, and sharing the stories with you – I think Ruby Nettleship is my favourite children’s book of all time! Which is yours?
Farn ❤
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*Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths
THE INQUISITIVE NEWT 