Storytelling spans the generations
By Jayne Warren - 19/02/2007
Valerie Wood-Gaiger and Carroll Nunnerley are helping to bring the generations together through the medium of story telling.
Their “Grandma's Stories Ltd” is a series of books, CD Roms and podcasts designed to encourage grandparents to be actively involved with educating their grandchildren. And the whole ethos of the business is centred around work being produced from home in a rural community.
The books are also part of 'Learn with Grandma', which aims to develop fun, educational activities and resources that grandparents can do with their grandchildren (including virtual activities) and inform parents & grandparents of them.
"We want to create employment for mature people,” says Valerie, “especially grandparents, who can visit schools and help set up after school clubs and activities. This is an inclusive business helping both older and younger generations and there are plans to publish Welsh language stories this year."
Telling children about their past
Grandmothers Valerie and Carroll created Grandma's Stories Ltd after they were made redundant from jobs they loved - working with disabled people. They both live in the tiny village of Myddfai in The Brecon Beacons National Park in rural Wales.
Valerie, who has three grown up children and seven grandchildren, has always told stories and has a great interest in European history and prehistory. She decided to bring the two together to tell children about their past. Valerie and Carroll soon realised that these fictional stories could also be used to help children learn English, as both first and second languages, and form the basis of a holistic learning programme based on how Valerie’s grandma made learning fun. Valerie wanted children to share the love of learning that her grandmother gave to her.
Carroll, who has three children, six grandchildren and been a foster mother to many more, has a BA in history and a MA degree in education for children with special needs, both gifted children and the not so gifted. She was also fortunate to have both her grandmothers living in the family home. One gave her the love of books and reading, and the other a love of the natural world and the arts.
Changing times for active grandparents
Valerie commented: "Today more grandparents are actively involved with caring for their grandchildren on a regular basis than at any time in recorded history, mainly due to divorce, single parenthood and the necessity for two wage earners to support the average mortgage. Fortunately grandparents now live longer, have more active lives and can help out.
"Conversely there are also more grandparents living at greater distances from their grandchildren and others who are unable to maintain regular contact instant with their grandchildren. Fortunately the internet and telephones were invented!"
To date, Grandma’s Stories Ltd comprises 14 stories based on prehistory from The Ice Age to The Roman Empire, providing the chance to teach languages, history, geography, science and more. The beautifully illustrated storybooks are available in English and can be printed in dual languages, English and any other language. Parents, or teachers who cannot read English at all can read the stories in their own language and then learn English while helping their children. And as families learn to read, speak and understand English they will also learn about European history and culture.
Make learning fun and memorable
Each book also has suggestions of educational fun activities for the whole family, or class. Drama and topics for discussion, places to visit, like museums, nature reserves and farms, historical sites, craftspeople and local manufacturers, even supermarkets. They also encourage using the internet for further research and even learning to cook the food our ancestors ate so that children learn where our food comes from and how it is produced.
Valerie and Carroll have plans for further historical stories, other educational stories and a series of pan-European folk and fairy stories. All of them will need extensive research and will include the unique Learn with Grandma holistic educational programme.
Valerie adds: "We plan to develop the site, add a forum and encourage school twinning. Children will be able to send their pictures for Grandma’s Art Gallery and see their art on the web, and a ‘virtual’ grandma on our website will write regular newsletters and can sent e-cards.
"One longer-term aim is to establish after school clubs as cafes, where local produce could be sold, and where all sections of the community would be welcome. And Grandma’s Place tea shops or ice-cream parlours as a fun place to meet where group leaders can encourage better citizenship."
Learn with Grandma is a separate not for profit organization with educational and social awareness aims funded by 20% of the net profit of Grandma’s Stories Ltd. Donations and grants are also be most welcome.