I think the thing that Helen Hansen does so beautifully with her Storytelling Kit, is to make the unattainable seem possible. So if you thought you couldn’t tell stories (like I did), this kit is for you! It will change your mind in a gentle, practical and interesting way. And you’ll find yourself turning the mundane into story often during the day – it really does teach one how to brighten up the way in which one views the world! The storytelling kit is an audio which is divided into four sections, each of which is approximately twenty to thirty minutes long – it’s a good length of time for listening! Each section addresses a certain theme pertaining to storytelling, and I was absolutely fascinated by the wealth of information imparted in each. Part 1 (30 mins) introduces the story in general – we all have a story! It answers the question What is a Story?, and illustrates how stories can be found everywhere (in people, in nature, in the elements, in fact in everything you see!) and the positive effects story telling can have on both narrator and audience. Children in particular love stories, and stories can be an incredibly useful tool in education. Stories stimulate the imagination (which in turn develops both IQ and EQ), open neural pathways, and are comfort on a down day. I loved the reference to Albert Einstein: when a concerned parent asked Mr Einstein how to improve her child’s mathematical abilities, he replied, ‘tell him stories.’ At the end of Part One, I was left pondering this: ‘A tale is just a thought away.’ Part 2 (20 mins) gives a chronological breakdown of children’s ages from baby to 12 years old, and what each developmental stage along the way will require from a story. Also what can be absorbed as children grow up - obviously a two year old and a twelve year old will have vastly different levels of comprehension, and one would need to adapt one’s storytelling approach accordingly. In the baby stage, the story teller would use gentle, …
Launch of new website offering green choices to help SA families thrive!
Thrive is the new website on the block, but they have been helping families for years! It began 9 years ago when Mia Blom and Jacqueline Baldwin were mamas with new-borns, desperate for a bit of guidance. Like all new mothers, they received a barrage of well-intentioned, but outdated information and opinions and had little access to fresh perspectives. They knew that there were innovative and eco-friendly baby products out there, but were clueless where to find them. "It was not that long ago, but it was before social media, and we were based in the Garden Route – so we really were in the dark!" quips Jacqueline. Proving that necessity really is the mother of invention, they sourced products and articles that ‘felt good’ to them -inspired them and helped us survive and decided to share them! So the Survival Guide for Families was born. They printed quarterly A5 guides for 8 years – with distribution channels in the Garden Route, Johannesburg and Cape Town. By the time the babies, who’d suckled while they burnt the midnight oil doing layouts, started ‘Big School’, they discovered that they weren’t the only things that had changed. Mia recalls, "The world was a very different place! It was time for us to change too!" They addressed three relevant questions and made important changes. Why print? Even eco paper did not feel light enough on the planet and totally unnecessary in a technologically changed world where sharing information, quickly and inexpensively is possible. They decided to drop print publications entirely in favour of a purely digital focus, with emphasis on using social media and an app in addition to a website to support families into the future. Why just survive? They also realised that while there was a time (which most new parents will know well) when surviving was the best they could wish for on the average day, they had made good choices and our families had thrived. It was his that motivated their rebrand from Family Survival Guide …