Slow and Steady Wins the Race: Stor e Telling Summer 2008

Hare and Tortoise
by
Milo Winters, 1919

I have penned the Stor E Telling column since January of 2002 and the articles from 2002-2006 are the publications page of my website found here http://www.storybug.net/stor-e-telling.html. I will be adding the columns from 2007 to 2012 to that page as well. However, I am in the process of checking what link URL's have changed or are now defunct. It is a time consuming process so I am taking the “slow and steady” approach via Aesop and will post the individual columns on my blog for now.

I will not be adding current columns until the following year, so if you want immediate access to the newest websites, consider becoming a member of the National Storytelling Network.

Please feel free to comment on the blog and let me know if you find this useful.

 

SUMMER 2008

Summer wouldn’t be complete without stories about the sun!

Solar Folklore - I shared this in 2002 but it bears repeated. 
http://solar-center.stanford.edu/folklore/

Sun Folklore - Activities, lesson plans and stories.

http://tinyurl.com/34blrj

Windows to the Universe - A site as vast as the galaxies beyond.

http://tinyurl.com/4b5cb5

In Hawaii, people share stories while others add to it as it is being told; this is called “talk story.” Here are tales from their culture so you can talk story too!

Hawaiian Legends

http://tinyurl.com/5fb7dt

Hawaiian Legends of Old Honolulu

http://tinyurl.com/3nmcc8

Traditions of O'ahu: Stories of an Ancient Island
http://apdl.kcc.hawaii.edu/oahu/

Lights! Camera! Action! Interested in taking stories to the screen? Here are some links to help you digitalize your tales.

DigiTales - Information and resources, everything you need to help students craft a digital story.

http://www.digitales.us/

Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling - Examples, tools, evaluations and more.

http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/

Lesson Plans for Digital Storytelling -A step by step guide, rubrics and additional resources.

http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli08167b.pdf

Robert Clow Elementary School - Storyteller Sue Black and librarian Bev Frett offer resources and digital stories created by their students.

http://tinyurl.com/6bjk6z

Miscellaneous sites

Google Scholar - Type key word(s) in the search box and scholarly articles are at your fingertips; a helpful tool to locate research materials to support your work.

http://tinyurl.com/6bthe3

Manybooks.net - What better way to spend part of your summer than by downloading free books for your PDA, IPod or EBook Reader.
http://manybooks.net/

Russian Fairy Tales - The site shares twenty-one fairytales. Most offer both a short and long version, for those who want more details.

http://tinyurl.com/6blpls

Voice Thread - This tool allows you to collect the voices of an entire group on a single page"; it truly is easy, fun, can be password protected and has many of educational uses!

http://voicethread.com/

We are just into the sizzling days of summer but September will be quickly upon us.  Here are some sites that will help you kick start the new school year with stories!

Folktales of Cooperation for your Kindergarten – Grade 3 - From Education world, a curriculum guide that includes stories, related activities, discussion questions and additional resources.

http://tinyurl.com/47m4t6

Dramatizing Folktales, Myths and Legends - This lesson guide celebrates the Native American culture offering suggestions, resources and links them to the national standards.

http://tinyurl.com/5zh6n3

Fairy Tale Writing Unit – Elementary Level - From Teachers.net a two to three week unit offering suggestions for whole, small and independent work.

http://tinyurl.com/6duz6v

And if you missed any of the pervious “Slow and Steady…” blog posts here are the links to the  series so far.

2007

January February 2007
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/06/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e.html
March April 2007
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/06/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_30.html
May June 2007
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/07/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e.html
July August 2007
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/07/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_15.html
September October 2007
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/07/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_20.html
November December 2007
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/07/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_29.html

2008

January February 2008

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/08/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e.html
March April 2008
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/08/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_11.html
May June 2008
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/08/slow-and-steady-wins-race-may-june-2008.html

 

Karen Chace 2013 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

 

 

 

Flowers, Fairytales and Folklore

Today I received a lovely surprise from a storytelling friend Georgy Rock.  She bestowed upon me The Sunshine Award. Not only did it make me smile but it gave me the idea to share some stories about flowers, who need the sun to grow, and more stories about the sun.

So thank you Georgy, not only for the award and ideas, but for the smile. We can never  have enough!

"Peace begins with a smile."
                                       ~Mother Teresa


THE MYTH OF PERSEPHONE
Based on the Greek Myth - An original story and interpretation by Laura Strong, PhD

It was a beautiful day like all the others in this land, the sun shone brightly in the sky, the hills were lush and green, and flowers blossomed from the earth. The lovely young maiden, Persephone, frolicked with her friends upon the hillside, as her mother Demeter sat near by, and her father Zeus peered down from the sky above. Laughter could be heard in between the young girls' whispered secrets, as they gathered handfuls of purple crocuses, royal blue irises and sweet-smelling hyacinths.

Persephone thought to bring some to her mother, but was soon distracted by a vision of the most enchanting flower she had ever seen. It was a narcissus, the exact flower her father hoped that she would find. As she reached down to pluck it from its resting place, her feet began to tremble and the earth was split in two. Life for Persephone would never be the same again...Read the rest of the story here:  http://www.mythicarts.com/writing/Persephone.html

WHAT CAME OF PICKING FLOWERS
From the Grey Fairy Tale Book, collected by Andrew Lang

There was once a woman who had three daughters whom she loved very much. One day the eldest was walking in a water-meadow, when she saw a pink growing in the stream. She stooped to pick the flower, but her hand had scarcely touched it, when she vanished altogether. The next morning the second sister went out into the meadow, to see if she could find any traces of the lost girl, and as a branch of lovely roses lay trailing across her path, she bent down to move it away, and in so doing, could not resist plucking one of the roses. In a moment she too had disappeared. Wondering what could have become of her two sisters, the youngest followed in their footsteps, and fell a victim to a branch of delicious white jessamine. So the old woman was left without any daughters at all. Click here for the rest of the story:
http://www.childrensnursery.org.uk/fairy-grey/fairy-grey%20-%200193.htm


THE STORY OF THE QUEEN OF THE FLOWERY ISLES
From the Grey Fairy Tale Book, collected by Andrew Lang

There once lived a queen who ruled over the Flowery Isles, whose husband, to her extreme grief, died a few years after their marriage. On being left a widow she devoted herself almost entirely to the education of the tAvo charming princesses, her only children. The elder of them was so lovely that as she grew up her mother greatly feared she would excite the jealousy of the Queen of all the Isles, who prided herself on being the most beautiful woman in the world, and insisted on all rivals bowing before her charms.

In order the better to gratify her vanity she had urged the king, her husband, to make war on all the surround­ing islands, and as his greatest wish was to please her, the only conditions he imposed on any newly-conquered country was that each princess of every royal house should attend his court as soon as she was fifteen years old, and do homage to the transcendent beauty of his queen.

The Queen of the Flowery Isles, well aware of this law, was fully determined to present her daughter to the proud queen as soon as her fifteenth birthday was past. Click here for the rest of the story:
http://www.childrensnursery.org.uk/fairy-grey/fairy-grey%20-%200241.htm

HOW SUN, MOON, AND WIND WENT OUT FOR DINNER
From Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs

ONE day Sun, Moon, and Wind went out to dine with their uncle and aunts Thunder and Lightning. Their mother (one of the most distant Stars you see far up in the sky) waited alone for her children's return. Now both Sun and Wind were greedy and selfish. They enjoyed the great feast that had been prepared for them, without a thought of saving any of it to take home to their mother--but the gentle Moon did not forget her. Of every dainty dish that was brought round, she placed a small portion under one of her beautiful long finger-nails, that Star might also have a share in the treat.

On their return their mother, who had kept watch for them all night long with her little bright eye, said, "Well, children, what have you brought home for me?" Then Sun (who was eldest) said, "I have brought nothing home for you. I went out to enjoy myself with my friends--not to fetch a dinner for my mother!" And Wind said, "Neither have I brought anything home for you, mother. You could hardly expect me to bring a collection of good things for you, when I merely went out for my own pleasure." But Moon said, "Mother, fetch a plate, see what I. have brought you." And shaking her hands she showered down such a choice dinner as never was seen before... To read the rest of the story click here:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/ift/ift28.htm


Flower Fables - From the gentle hand of Louisa May Alcott, nine lovely, short fables.

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/AlcFlow.html

How the Sun Was Rescued - Siberia
http://windows2universe.org/art_and_music/hsr.html

Solar Folklore - http://tinyurl.com/7syur

Sun Folklore - Activities, lesson plans and stories.
http://tinyurl.com/34blrj

Why Cats Sit on the Doorway in the Sun - Romania adapted by storytellery Barry Eldrbarry
http://www.eldrbarry.net/rabb/folk/noahcat.htm


CURRICULUM

Cross-Curriculum Flower Activities - An Elementary Gardening Theme Unit
http://lesson-plans-materials.suite101.com/article.cfm/crosscurriculum_flower_activities

Spring Theme Activities for Young Children
http://www.preschoolrainbow.org/preschool-spring.htm

Fast Facts on Persephone - http://gogreece.about.com/cs/mythology/a/mythpersephone.htm

Flower Week Theme Lesson Plan
http://www.adaycare.com/PreschoolCurriculumSample5.html

Early Childhood Sun Protection Curriculum
http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/SkinCancer/Documents/skin_sunproteccurriculum.pdf


CRAFTS

Enchanted Learning Flower Crafts http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/flowers/

Flower Crafts for Kids  http://www.dltk-holidays.com/spring/crafts-flowers.htm

You Are My Sunshine Crafts for Kids
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/mom/msunandflower.html

Karen Chace  2010 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.