Story sacks have been around for a few years now. They are a popular resource widely used by schools, nurseries, childminders, health visitors, libraries and parents, to help bring picture books to life and enhance the story-sharing experience.
The typical sack will include not only the story book itself but a variety of cuddly glove puppets and toys, scenery and props, a CD or taped version, and usually a non-fiction book and some suggestions for associated activities too - all designed to encourage a fun, instructive and interactive experience based on the story being shared.
Story sacks have proved to be an excellent way of involving even the most reluctant child in a book, allowing them to 'meet' the characters, act out the story and learn through play. The new 'Play and Perform' Boxes can provide a smaller, cheaper and more portable option, opening out like a mini-theatre to capture young imaginations and containing all that's needed to interact with the story.
But for those with special educational needs or learning difficulties, the traditional story sack concept may not go quite far enough to ensure that they can be fully engaged and able to participate in and enjoy the story being told.
Bag Books is a registered charity, based in south-west London. It was founded in 1993 by its current director Chris Fuller, who had written and published a manual of instructions for making 'tactile stories' which would be beneficial for children with learning difficulties, but had soon realised that few buyers had the time or resources to gather the materials required and assemble the stories themselves.
Bag Books' objective is 'to provide multi-sensory resources for children, teenagers and adults with profound and severe learning difficulties and physical disabilities,' says Mrs Fuller. 'But we would very much want to promote SEN inclusion', so that the ideas and products can be enjoyed by all children, through exploring the senses and bringing a real feeling of fun to every story.
There is an object or movement matched to every line of the story being told, all specially designed to capture and sustain interest and encourage involvement and participation at whatever level each child is able to achieve.
The stories, specially developed for learning and fun, can be read with individual children or small groups. They encourage the use of exaggerated voice tones and timing. Each story is printed in full on a laminated A3-sized board, which can be placed within easy view and does not need to be held by the storyteller, so there is no traditional book, no pictures to point to and no turning of pages to worry about, leaving the storyteller's hands free for gestures and interaction.
Sounds and textures
The storyboard is accompanied by a series of smaller page-cards that can be handled and shared. Each pack incorporates some highly imaginative items that enhance and expand the storytelling through a mixture of sounds, textures, colours and even smells, bringing each child right into the story at every stage.
The charity's workshop is staffed by a team of workers and volunteers who hand-make the contents of each story pack using a wide range of different materials - anything from silk to steel - and pack them in a slim easy-store box with handle, that also includes an introduction to the multi-sensory story concept and some practical suggestions for using the pack to its full advantage.
The stories 'can be enjoyed without being understood,' says Mrs Fuller. She explains that the stories are told 'interactively, through actions and emotions rather than words and pictures, so they are perfect for anyone with a low developmental age, severe learning difficulties, profound and multiple learning difficulties, those on the autistic spectrum, or those with language delay. They also work well with younger mainstream children with sensory impairment.'
A typical story focuses on one simple event, includes different characters with names and voices, and is only ten to 15 sentences long. When told with the use of props, this will usually mean the whole story can be presented in about ten to 15 minutes or less, with each sentence involving a sight, smell, sound or action that helps to move the story forward.
Bag Books is keen to involve new writers when seeking out stories suitable for their packs. Its website lays out some guidelines and prompts about what the ideal Bag Books interactive story should try to achieve. So if you have any great ideas for its next pack, do let them know! Complete packs cost around £55 each from Bag Books, but instructions to help you make some of the packs yourself are available at a small fee, all going towards the charity's funds.
- Viv Hampshire is a library outreach worker at Barra Hall Children's Centre, Hayes
EXAMPLE STORY: C.J. THE LIBRARY CAT
This pack is particularly suited to very young children or to those with a developmental age of around 18 months to two years. It tells the story of a cat made homeless when the owner of the toyshop leaves, but who follows a glimmer of light into the safety of a children's library. Contents include a large strokeable cat-shaped pad of soft ginger fur, a collar with tinkling bell, a fabric-covered wooden paw with different textured surfaces for it to rub or scrape over, a small torch, a tile of stair carpet, some squeaky toys, a headscarf-sized piece of slinky white transparent material dotted with textured 'snow' bobbles, some buttons on a waistcoat and a 'trembling pet' toy.
USEFUL WEBSITES
- www.bagbooks.org: Gives Information and products from the Bag Books range; guidelines for writing an interactive story; aims of the charity, including details of how to help with fundraising
- www.storysack.com: Find out about the history and benefits of story sacks. View and buy Storysacks, Play and Perform Boxes, and the new Sandsacks (ideas and resources encouraging sand play)
- www.bookstart.co.uk: A national scheme providing free book packs for young children and information for parents, with special packs now available for both blind and hearing-impaired children
- www.chelltune.co.uk/Story-sacks.php: Promoting sign language for babies and children, with ideas and suggestions for creating story sacks of your own
Links to EYFS Guidance
- UC 1.1 Child Development
- UC 1.2 Inclusive Practice
- EE 3.2 Supporting Every Child
- EE 3.3 The Learning Environment
- L&D 4.2 Active Learning
- L&D 4.4 Areas of Learning and Development - Communication, Language
and Literacy.
