"The greatest thing you can give a child is the opportunity to do something great."
- Chief Rabbi on BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day

Little Birds is Snail Tales' flagship workshop programme, aiming to inspire a new generation of storytellers and story makers throughout East Anglia.

Arts Council supported

If you are looking for the Little Birds post-workshop online story activities, please click here.

In Autumn 2008, Snail Tales began a series of in-school workshops and afterschool clubs across the counties of Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Suffolk and Norfolk in which primary age children were able to fully explore their imaginations and pull out interesting characters, fantastical settings and intriguing plots.

Due to popular demand, Snail Tales are relaunching Little Birds for the 2009/10 academic year - and this time, it's going to be bigger and better!

Praise for Little Birds

Photo courtesy of Cambs Times"Our children enjoyed producing and performing their stories. The instructors were able to keep them interested and motivated, and increase their confidence. The content was appropriate for the age group and I will continue to use the warm-up ideas in the classroom."
- Teacher, Class 2 (yr 2-5), Townley Primary School

"I have learned how to tell a story without books! I can see how fun and simple it is to tell a story. Chip and Amy give you lots of confidence. I can even do different stories in different voices."
- From Amy, Year 5

"They absolutely loved each session with Chip and Amy. Chip and Amy are delightful and work well with children and teachers. I would recommend this type of project again."
- Head of Grade 2, Lakenheath Elementary School

"We will miss you and your wonderful telling. You are the best storytellers ever."
- From "Storyteller Jenna", Year 2

"Our children were given creative freedom in a supportive environment which allowed them to explore their own skills creatively and in a different way to the classroom environment. They really enjoyed the performance aspect."
- Literacy Co-ordinator, Spinney Primary School

"It was better than TV!"
- From Evan, Year 2

"The children were engaged from the start of workshop 1 right up to the end of workshop 5. I will certainly continue to make reference to the work they've done in future lessons, especially in terms of confidence and the progression in story making. The whole project was thoroughly enjoyable and I would recommend it to others."
- Teacher, Class 5 (yr 5), Thomas Eaton Primary School

“We should do it again because it was lots of fun and we could use our imaginations.”
- From Archie, Year 3

"What was particularly exciting about the work we did with Snail Tales was the progression of skills and story development which the series of workshops enabled the children to experience. They could really build on their stories, and the ultimate goal of a performance at the end gave structure and a sense of achievement upon completion of the project."
- Events Assistant, Cambridge City Council

“The stories made us learn more and they gave us more words so we can use them in our stories.”
- From Mahin, Year 3

"Overall, the Snail Tales workshops were an interesting and innovative way of building children's confidence as well as showing them that all story ideas can work or be adapted."
- Teacher, Year 5, Fulbridge Primary School


Why do teachers love Little Birds so much?

Chiefly: value for money! 60 children get 5 hours of storytelling mentoring, teachers get 1 hour of storytelling INSET, and the whole school's staff and pupils receive access to a story-making website. Best of all, both workshops and website can lead toward theatrical fame! But the benefits are far longer-term than that...

Every teacher knows how engrossed children can be with a good story well-told. It is an artform older than cave painting, because it appeals to our natural creativity and ability to build up mental pictures. The audience is as much involved in creating the story as the teller - and its this sense of ownership that Little Birds expands upon to draw out the full benefits. It does this by easing children into becoming tellers themselves.

The excitement of story instils a desire to communicate, meaning that storytelling provides many practical skills of literacy. Its focus on mental picturing also exercises skills such as memory. Here's just some of the benefits teachers have fed back to us about storytelling workshops:

Although we do not force children to read or write, the natural enthusiasm for story usually inspires children to pick up a book or a pen on their own initiative.

Flexibility

Our workshops are flexible in use, time and age-range. You can have all 5 in one day as a special event for your gifted and talented. You can request them afterschool for a story club. You may want us to spend a week with one class in the run up to a history topic. We could come in for an hour every week to work with your struggling readers or writers. Or you can play around with the preceding sentences to your heart's content!

What was that you said about "regional fame"?

Last year, the best children's stories from the workshops and the website were adapted into a family show, A Little Bird Told Me, which toured in the summer of 2009 at:

Feedback from the tour was so glowing that we are currently speaking with organisations such as the Arts Council and touring theatre companies to make sure we get to do it again - with grander sets and in more theatre spaces!

Our theatrical performances give your children unbeatable pride in their work, and the potential to be contributing to a new generation of traditional storytelling repertoire. Move aside, Cinderella!

How do I find out more?

Online Support