Story sacks

[Hulababy]

Does your school use story sacks at all? Again, looking for inspiration in the new job

I have just started working as a TA at a local infant school. Part of my job is to be the study support group coordinator.

The study support group will run 3 mornings a week, for 30 minutes before school. It is for pupils AND their parent/carer. There will be me plus 4 or 5 other support workers (these are not all school/child experienced people, most are students living locally). We will have a group each, group of about 5 or 6 pupils.

For now the group of pupils being invited to join are those who have been highlighted as not quite on target, focusing on literacy. They are Y2 pupils. They are not SEN, but are below the average for their cohort, and need a bit of encouragement perhaps. So far all those highlighted are boys. A fair number, def more than half are EAL although not to such an extent for it to be a major barrier.

The headteacher would like the main focus for now to be on literacy and encouragement, getting them to enjoy books, be intereted in them and to want to pick them up. At present many of those selected do not have this interest - which I think is the key barrier to jump.

The key area the head is wanting to use are story sacks - and to begin with some of these to try anf oster some form of appreciation for books and reading, if not a love for them.

We do have some old story sacks. The bags themselves are fantastic and can definitely be reused. I went through the contents today and they are old, tattered, most bit missing, etc. They need a complete overhaul - and I have about 2 weeks max to do it!

So, I need to get some inspiration.

Do your schools (or elsewhere) have story sacks?
What do they contain - what kind of resources?
What things go down well?
Anything in them you thing are a waste of time?
How do you use them/see them being used?

Any other thoughts?

Thank you!

Not able to help to any meaningful degree as DD's school doesn't appear to use them. However, I went to a conference once where Neil Griffiths (the 'inventor' of storysacks) was the keynote speaker, and it was the most inspirational talk about children and literacy that I have ever heard. I went home really fired up to read to my children despite having got a bit jaded. I think the man is fantastic!

We have them in the playgroup at work at.

We have a train one, which contains a train story book, a Thomas domino game, an engine drivers hat and flags.

Another one is based on the Owl Babies story which contains the book and three baby owls etc.

The children love them but they are of a younger age than those you are working with.

We have 5 in total and lend them out for taking home for a week.

misshardbroom - apparently he came into the school a few years back and worked with some pupils and children and the staff were thrilled with it all. It is how they have actualy got so many story sacks in school. Just they are now old - the sacks themselves are perfect and will be reused. But the contents are mostly missing or old and tatty.

I have a book of his about story telling to have a read through.

Fimbo - I think the age thing is the hardest part here. Have lots of ideas for younger children. Y2 boys are not my area of expertise at all!

DS1 is in reception and they have about 20 different story sacks for a class of 25.
We were getting one a week, but they did have a problem with things going missing. So you need to be strict checking them in and out.

Basically they are a mixture between bought story sacks and ones that the teachers have made themselves (far cheaper I have heard!).

They all have a story book in and then variously: a train set (that was a lovely book about a train journey, very rhythmic. The sack was a homemade one and they included a cheap £10 wooden trainset, animals figures etc), puppets, soft toy characters, board games, puzzles, DVD's, CD's, games, reference books.

DS1 loves them, they bring the story to life and the only problem is making sure that you keep the contents safe (esp from DS2!).
He had a nice story about a mouse which then included reference books, a puzzle and a puppet mouse, again that was a homemade one.
DS1 loves books anyway, but he enjoys the games and puzzles and re enacting the story.

I love them, it's a fun way to learn and there is great excitement when he gets a new one from him, me and DS2!

These won't be going home as far as I know. They will be for use in the stuudy support sessions.

No problems then.
I really do like them, we are waiting for a Space themed one, DS1's friend had it and it has great models and a game apparently

Do your schools (or elsewhere) have story sacks? - Pre-school does
What do they contain - what kind of resources? -A book, a puzzle, a doll, and a tape with a theme (numbers, time, whatever)
What things go down well? - Book, puzzle, all of it except...
Anything in them you thing are a waste of time?...the tape since no-one has tape-recorders anymore
How do you use them/see them being used? Have only had one brought home. Just played/read. Gosh, not sure what I was meant to do now. Have I missed something?

Would be interested in what is in the Space one.

That is the example I am going to type up next - a list of what kind of things we could include.

Have had a go at a Jungle animals one, and one base don Horrid Henry. Not sure on the resources fr Horrid Henry fully yet.

I can try and find out a little more.

DS1 was so enamoured of the train one, especially acting out the story with the wooden train set, he doesn't play with his own train table as well.

I know the PTA funded the bought ones (not really any better than the made up ones), I could try and find out who sells them so that you could get some ideas?

Good site here
Storysacks

Sorry if you have already looked at this!

I have some catalgues with the made up ones in but they are very expensive. We already have the bags - lovely big ones in great condition. So works out better to buy seperatelly sadly.

Might be worth having a look at what is in them to get ideas?

I know how expensive they are, one puppet was lost and the teacher said it cost £28 to replace!

We have story sacks at our school. I think it depends on the teacher whether they are used or not.

In our school, the sacks that are the most popular are as follows:-

The very hungry caterpillar

Red rockets and rainbow jelly

Handa's surprise

Don't forget the bacon

3 Billy goats gruff

Harry and the bucketful of dinosaurs

Owl Babies

Desperately racking my brains here for more titles.

Some of our story sacks have been knitted, salt dough, actual soft toys or puppets.

They contain jigsaw puzzles, story tapes, general knowledge (for example if it was The Owl Babies then it would have information on owls) Games, words (like in the Hungry caterpillar days of the week and numbers), Symmetry again for the hungry caterpillar - this included little plastic mirrors and half of a picture with a line of symmetry.

We found that when we made the story sack, it was a good idea to laminate the contents list and have it hanging off the side of the bag.

We also used a lot of pillow cases to make the actual sack and turned the top over so it was like a hem and then threaded a cord through it.

Off to pick DD3 up from Brownies, if I can think of anything else then I will post.

At our last school we had a group of parents making them each term. It's very easy to put them together with bits and pieces from charity shops etc.

People often sell 'storysack' sets of resources on eBay too if you want a quick solution (and cheaper than the 'real' thing)

We did one for Room on a Broom, and did things like word bingo cards, which I still have somewhere if you want them?

I have a Year 2 boy who is an OK, but not overly-keen reader. If I was to try to engage his interest I think the topics I'd be going for would be:

• aliens/ space themes
• football / sport stories
• anything slightly gross/ slime/ messy
• robots/ technical type stuff
• maybe Dr Seuss silly type stuff