Transition Edinburgh hosted its first (hopefully annual) fair of environmentally-friendly options for re-localizing life in Scotland’s capital. As I have argued (probably ad nauseum) when it comes to environmentally-friendly ways to entertain and inform people (especially the younger ones) storytelling is probably as low-carbon as it gets (though I have to own up to the fact that storytellers do exhale carbon dioxide).
There were only two of us telling stories this year, but my mission is to put storytelling on the re-skilling agenda. Next year I won’t to have more people able, willing and desiring to tell stories than we have slots to fill. So stay tuned. In the meantime…
What was on the storytelling menu?
- Hello, My Name is Joe
- The Old Lady and the Vinegar Bottle
- The Three Ladies (Beech Trees)
- My Roots Go Down (song)
- The Red House with no Windows and No Doors
What was learned from integrating storytelling into this Transition Eco-Fair?
- Two half hour sessions are better than one hour-long session
- The number of children at one of these events probably peaks late morning and early afternoon, so have your sessions then
- Participation is essential for engaging children
- Adults and older children may need to be convinced that storytelling is for them
- You may have to go out into the crowd and recruit your audience, a creative way of gathering people to listen to stories would be even better
- Never be afraid of integrating Michael Jackson into environmentally-themed participatory singing
Restorying the Earth 