Story Telling

Albert Einstein was once asked what preparation was needed to become a great scientist. The answer he gave was, "Read Fairy Tales". Storytelling helps to develop imagination and also to explore the world around us.

Meet your storyteller Abimbola Alao

I began telling stories at the age of 10. I am the first of four children and my parents refused to invest in a television set, so to entertain my siblings I imagined stories of all sorts and told it to them. They enjoyed my stories so much that even during holidays when children complained of boredom, my siblings never had a dull moment. We did not play with plastic toys rather we all acted out the stories that I told them.

I did a first degree and masters in Classics and after teaching in the University for a few years I got married and began to raise a family. A few years ago, I set up a story circle program for my children called ‘Stories from Afar.’ We not only have storytelling sessions, but the children also learnt story-making skills. The program helped my children blossom into confident avid readers and good storytellers. ‘Stories from Afar’ is now enjoyed by thousands of children in Devon and beyond.

The following are some of the programs that we take to schools:

STORIES FROM AFAR

Enter the world of imagination as Abi your storyteller brings stories from distant lands and people. Using multicultural costumes and musical instruments Abi encourage audience participation in dancing, drumming, and singing.

ECOLOGY

This program seeks to encourage students to relate positively with their environment. Also, the theme 'Adaptability of human being' is presented through Stories, Afro-Caribbean cookery and Food Tasting.

HEAD START IN GEOMETRY: Art of African Hair Braiding

As Abi puts on her Braiding apron, she tells stories about the origin of this art. She also demonstrates how to create geometrical scalp designs and how to weave it out on people's hair! Abi is able to work on live models or mannequin.

For further information contact Abi Alao from the Contacts Page.