Programs for Senior Living Community Audiences
CREATIVE AGING – SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
Interactive Stories to Delight and Nurture: A proven, social-interactive story program carefully designed to encourage the active attention and joyful participation of older adults.
By artfully combining artifacts and personal stories from the 1940 to the 1980s with world folktales in each story session, audience members enjoy an exciting and interesting change to what is often provided on daily activity schedules at many senior living communities. Storytelling is a wonderful way to entertain and involve people who live independently, residents in assisted living or memory care sites, and folks enjoying daycare services. There are 40 different story topics offered, and each session is 45 to 60 minutes long. All of these programs are time and audience tested to ensure satisfaction.
WORKSHOPS
How to be a Storyteller (Adults)
If you have thought about becoming a storyteller but don’t know where to start, this workshop is for you. Learn how to tell stories to your family, in front of a group of students, in the library or before large crowds! Discover how the basic methods used by seasoned storytellers can help you polish new skills and become confident about communicating the wisdom of stories to others. This learning opportunity can be tailored for small groups or designed for specific individual study.
How to Use Puppetry in Storytelling (Adults)
Puppets and stories are perfect performance partners. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn about the different kinds of puppets available, and determine the best type of puppet to use to complement their storytelling style. This energizing workshop is an excellent way to expand a storyteller’s repertoire.
Fearless Storytelling Skills for Teachers
Discover how to use storytelling to stimulate student interest in exciting and memorable ways. During this interactive workshop, participants will learn how to be fearless about sharing a story to enhance specific teaching goals. This practical session provides educators with effective storytelling tools to connect with students and energize the learning experience.
How to Find and Tell Family Stories (Grades 4 – 12, family groups and teachers)
This workshop is ideal as an enhancement to school language arts programs, but is appropriate for anyone interested in exploring family stories. Information shared during this presentation will encourage dialogue between generations and stimulate original writing skills. This entertaining, nonthreatening program of participation and exploration is a great way to initiate an active interest in family and community history. A ready-to-copy bibliography and resource packet are provided.
Performance-based Learning for Students (Grades 8 – 12)
By using a familiar folk tale or story prop as the foundation for group improvisation, students create a new story for presentation. Students are able to expand their knowledge of others and develop new communication skills by assuming different characters during this workshop. The positive aspect of giving and receiving feedback in the form of “appreciations and suggestions” will be explored. A resource packet is provided for the teacher’s use.
WORKSHOPS
How to be a Storyteller (Adults)
If you have thought about becoming a storyteller but don’t know where to start, this workshop is for you. Learn how to tell stories to your family, in front of a group of students, in the library or before large crowds! Discover how the basic methods used by seasoned storytellers can help you polish new skills and become confident about communicating the wisdom of stories to others. This learning opportunity can be tailored for small groups or designed for specific individual study.
How to Use Puppetry in Storytelling (Adults)
Puppets and stories are perfect performance partners. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn about the different kinds of puppets available, and determine the best type of puppet to use to complement their storytelling style. This energizing workshop is an excellent way to expand a storyteller’s repertoire.
Fearless Storytelling Skills for Teachers
Discover how to use storytelling to stimulate student interest in exciting and memorable ways. During this interactive workshop, participants will learn how to be fearless about sharing a story to enhance specific teaching goals. This practical session provides educators with effective storytelling tools to connect with students and energize the learning experience.
How to Find and Tell Family Stories (Grades 4 – 12, family groups and teachers)
This workshop is ideal as an enhancement to school language arts programs, but is appropriate for anyone interested in exploring family stories. Information shared during this presentation will encourage dialogue between generations and stimulate original writing skills. This entertaining, nonthreatening program of participation and exploration is a great way to initiate an active interest in family and community history. A ready-to-copy bibliography and resource packet are provided.
Performance-based Learning for Students (Grades 8 – 12)
By using a familiar folk tale or story prop as the foundation for group improvisation, students create a new story for presentation. Students are able to expand their knowledge of others and develop new communication skills by assuming different characters during this workshop. The positive aspect of giving and receiving feedback in the form of “appreciations and suggestions” will be explored. A resource packet is provided for the teacher’s use.
FAMILY, ADULT AND MIXED AUDIENCES
1914 -1926 Arizona Ranch Girl: The Story of Dusty Vail (Fourth grade to adult audiences) Meet Dusty Vail and learn about what it was like for a young girl to grow up in the early 1900s on one of the largest cattle ranches in the west. Dusty was riding horses by the time she was five years, and when she was eight she had her first riffle. Dusty had many adventures during the twelve years she lived on the Empire, and she never forgot the lessons she learned about ranch life when Arizona was still considered part of the Wild West. Click here to see a short video (2:51) of the Empire Ranch and Dusty Vail.
The Stories of Hans Christian Andersen (Family groups and students of all ages)
Enjoy a collection of favorite and little-known tales adapted from the rich collection of stories from the imagination of this master Danish storyteller. In the mid-1800s, Andersen used his stories to reflect the human spirit and frailties with such power that they continue to resonate with us today. His tales cause listeners to think about hope, hard work, bigotry, loss, luck, perseverance, gossip, beauty and joy. This program might include some of the following stories: “Luck Can Be Found in a Stick,” “The Ugly Duckling,” “Clod Hans,” “The Pixie and the Gardener’s Wife,” “It’s You the Fable Is About,” and “It Is Perfectly True.”
Ghost and Scary Stories (Halloween parties, Sleepovers and Summer Camps)
Everyone enjoys a good ghost story as long as the atmosphere is really a safe one. This storytelling session promises age-appropriate scares, thrills and creepy stories for audiences seeking a memorable and spooky time.
PUPPET/STORYTELLING SHOWS
“Super Hero Squirrely Shirley – Ready to Save the Wetlands” is an action-packed adventure with Squirrely Shirley taking on the role of SUPER HERO to help her friends who live in riparian zones around the world. Riparian zones are the places where the land meets water, and where hundreds of critters, like frogs, birds, bugs and fish have their homes. At the end of each show, Shirley provides each youngster in the audience with a Junior Riparian Super Hero Kit full of ideas about what they can do to help.
“Squirrely Shirley Discovers the Magic of Science” is a laugh and learn puppet/storytelling program for kids and families. Audiences have fun joining Glenda Bonin and Squirrely Shirley in this program of surprises and scientific discovery.
This participatory show helps kids understand why it is important it is to follow directions and how to figure out what can be learned from a scientific experiment.
“Squirrely Shirley Digs Up a Treasure Chest of Trouble” (A lively puppet and storytelling show about solving a mystery and doing the right thing.) This fun show of stories and audience participation features Squirrely Shirley, a feisty little puppet, who needs help after she finds a map and some puzzling clues that lead her to a treasure chest full of shiny objects and a book. Shirley wants to keep the treasure (“bling!”), but the clues tell her (and the audience) who the treasure chest really belongs to. What should she do?
“Squirrely Shirley Makes Waves!”(A water safety program for children and family groups) This delightful show of interactive stories from around the world features Squirrely Shirley, a puppet who lives in a tree stump who wants to learn how to swim. With the help of youngsters in the audience, Glenda helps her friend learn about water and swimming safety.
