UK youngsters trail behind the rest of the world academically according to recent media reports - but what about their creativity? When our children can seem in semi-permanent ‘lock-down’ with their hi-tech gadgets and homework; how can we even begin to get them thinking ‘outside of the box’? In my experience (as both a parent and now an author of children’s books) the most powerful way to spark a child’s imagination is through story telling. By nurturing the next generation’s imaginations early on, we can encourage them to build their storytelling skills and find their own narrative voice - before they are drowned out by technology, or buried deep in Ofsted reports.
Making time for creativity is important; but so too, is the right environment. To give children the best possible chance to learn the art of storytelling; we need to give them variety, away from screens and schools and screeching cars. A peaceful place is good. A magical place - teeming with natural history that constantly evolves? Perfect! And, there is no better way to rediscover the lost art of storytelling than to begin with the age old line: Once upon a time...
Once upon a time, there was a forest...
Forestsand fairy tales go together like bluebells and woodlands: magical and timeless. The light and shade of the forest environment, has been a firm favourite for authors and storytellers through the ages. From the forest’s darkest corners - an ideal villain’s hideout - to glorious sunlit clearings in the woods conjuring the perfect spot for happy-ever-after endings, the woods have it all. It’s hard to imagine a traditional fairy tale without an ancient forest. Beauty and the Beast, Hansel and Gretel, and little Red Riding Hood, the list is endless! Enid Blyton’s ‘The Enchanted Forest’, Tolkien’s; ‘The Hobbit’ - even The Gruffalo; with its singsong rhyming text, is set in a woodland. Include a few anthropomorphised creatures, hairy monsters, and a deep, dark, wood, and you have all the magical ingredients for a classic children’s story.
If you go down to the woods today...
A forest offers visitors an ever changing environment; brimming with sounds, smells, and textures. Every season nature brings another visual drama. Winter offers the spooky silhouettes of gnarly branches; the ideal prompt for a narrative crammed with witches and spells. In the spring; ferns unfurl like the heads of fiddles to inspire a story about a magical, musical forest!
