Children everywhere love our Storysacks. They are a fun way to engage children in reading and enjoying books.
A Storysack is a bag that holds a children’s book, a non-fiction book related to the story’s content, an audio recording of the book and either store-bought or handmade (sewn, crocheted, knitted, etc.) props.
Each Storysack also has story extenders, or activities that are based on the story. These might include activities like comprehension questions, colouring pages, puzzles, memory games, bingo, and lacing cards. Each activity helps develop specific skills. Lacing cards, for example, are good for hand and eye coordination. We also create a display board as part of the Storysack.
A Storysack gets children involved with reading. They get to dress up as the characters in the book and then act out the story. This engages them in the story.
They can play memory games, or colour pictures of the characters or animals in the book, or do a craft. For example, they might make a polar bear out of a Styrofoam cup, cotton balls and googly eyes.
Anyone can make a Storysack. You can involve the whole community! A few years ago, Kakisa made a Storysack for each family in the community. Some NWT libraries have made Storysacks to lend out just as they do with library books.
The NWT Literacy Council also has Storysacks for people in the NWT to borrow. We created a manual to help people create their own Storysacks and we provide training workshops, as funding allows. Thank you to Dominion
Diamonds for sponsoring workshops this year for the Tłı̨chǫ and Beaufort-Delta regions.
-- Pat Ilgok
