Story Tour: Students Discover Enchanting New Worlds at Home
Explore Jane and Finch through the eyes of the kids who live there
By Alexandra Yeboah
Fellow travellers and story creators, we invite you to unlock the portal to the many astounding places discovered by our young authors! Access guaranteed.
The Story Tour
Through our latest imaginative workshop series, close to 100 students from four schools in Jane and Finch gained first-hand experience writing, producing, and recording their own stories. The resulting Story Tour App features all sorts of wildly fantastical adventures for you to read and listen to! Believe us when we say you can expect the unexpected. We’re not kidding! You may encounter anything from strange happenings in haunted buildings to peculiar characters on lost islands. Maybe you’ll fly to new heights in super-powered planes, or navigate through lavish mansions. Can you picture the endless possibilities?
For eight weeks, students worked with facilitators to create the stories they envisioned. Patrick Pfeiffer, media producer and facilitator for Story Planet, says that the program helps to ignite students' creativity, build confidence, and enable them to tap into various forms of artistic expression. “We are introducing the kids to a new form of story-making that ensures kids feel excited to be storytellers," he says. "[It] also makes this a fun opportunity for them to remember and use those skills in their life and feel less afraid of speaking in public [in the future].”
First stop on the tour: The scribing of zany, spectacular ideas. Second stop: Students practiced reading their stories aloud and conveying the right emotions. Next on this mind-blowing adventure: Recording what they wrote. “A factor in [Story Tour] is making them feel comfortable enough to perform,” Patrick says. “What's important is that the kids understand what kind of emotion and theme their stories are exploring.” Our students are brilliant story-makers!
So many places to go and amazing things to see, but so little time! The good news is that here at Story Planet, goodbyes are never final, and students never leave empty-handed—they take their magical memories with them. "Being in [Story Tour] and [experiencing] this raw and genuine moment is something that I think sticks with [the kids] and that they are reminded of forever,” Patrick says.
The last stop of the tour is far from the end! Outside of the classroom, new adventures continued to unfold. In April of this year, the immersive dance performance that premiered at York University, choreographed by Annemarie Cabri, was inspired by a piece written during a Story Tour workshop. This event was made possible through a partnership with the National Ballet’s YOU Dance. (Check out the CTV Coverage of the event here).
Here are some additional thoughts from Story Tour participants:
What teachers are saying:
“My students LOVED this program, were inspired to write and looked forward to every Story Planet session. The bonds that Story Planet staff created with my students were phenomenal!” – Jennifer Kent, Driftwood Public School
“The students developed confidence in their ability to use their imaginations and create their own stories. They learned the importance of brainstorming, organizing their ideas and creating final products that demonstrated their learning and creativity. They were always excited about the program.”– Marcia Clarke-Nichols, Firgrove Public School
What students are saying:
“This program made me feel good about my ideas and imagination!” – Grade 5 Author, Firgrove Public School
“I was a little nervous reading and recording my story, but I had fun practicing because it was cool.” – Grade 5 Author, Firgrove Public School
“I learned a little more about creating stories and characters in my story, and to imagining what my characters would look like.” – Grade 5 Author, Driftwood Public School
“I learned not to be scared to speak out loud.” – Grade 5 School, Driftwood Public School
