Students have been experimenting with different loose parts to create their own story or to create stories with a friend. Different materials are introduced each week to see if new materials can spark new ideas. We have been focusing on two of the many story elements: characters and setting. Students enjoy thinking about characters other than people. Could they be animals? Could they be cars like in the children movie Cars or trains like Thomas the Train? Some story workshop materials include wooden people, beads, different colours of felt, toy animals, coloured chips, etc. Students are asked to use their imagination for what certain materials could represent, for example, beads could be treasures in a treasure chest or coloured felt could represent different settings (blue felt could be a body of water, yellow felt could be sand/the beach). This year, I have enjoyed talking to students about their stories and how I can support them to build their stories.
