I chose The Storytelling Loop as the blog I am sharing this week. This blog is very interesting and caught my attention almost instantly! The blog is run by two people, Silke Rose West, and Jospeh Sarosy. Silke has over thirty years of experience in teaching kindergarten She helped create the first “forest kindergarten” and helps parents, teachers, and schools learn how to be better storytellers. Joseph wrote for “Fatherly”, a parenting blog, where he won awards for his articles. He has been writing The Storytelling Loop, which has reached over 70,000 people! I also love that at the bottom of their “about” page, it says that they “…live in Taos, New Mexico, where storytelling is a part of every day!” Their blog claims to share tips, research, and examples of how to make connections with storytelling. With this information being read, I knew I had to dive into this blog, and I found some amazing things!

The first blog post I found to be interesting is called The Storytelling Tree. The intention of this blog post was to give an example of a story where storytelling is the focus. It focuses on the importance of connection, rather than grandeur of the story itself. It starts with huge tree in the middle of a town. There are master storytellers who entertain the town with their skills. Other people do not believe they are capable of telling such stories. Annabell, a young girl, asks her mother to tell a story, and the mother does believe she can. Throughout the story, the two realize that it is more important to tell a story from your heart and make connections with the listeners. This story warmed my heart because I believe as future librarians, we get caught up in wanting to have the “perfect” storytelling experience. This story gives confirmation that the best stories come from the heart, and that is what we should focus on!

            This next blog post I found to be interesting is called This is Your Brain on Stories. It focuses on human need and connection with stories. It dives into the science behind why stories impact on everything in an adult human’s life. It discusses Pareidolia, which is mistaking something for something else, and how it helps our cognition abilities. It further talks about how our cognition rates are imperative when it comes to storytelling. Most of the time, we do not worry about if a story is true or false. The false stories are usually our favorite. One of my favorite parts of this blog is when the author compares excitement while reading to being ice cream for your brain! It ends with discussing that storytelling is more than words, and it truly is about connection.

            Another part of this blog worth mentioning is that is moving from written blogs into mostly podcasts. I explored the blogs and noticed that there were not many being posted anymore. I then saw the note that the authors were putting more energy into creating their podcasts for their viewers and listeners. The podcast is called How to Tell Stories to Children. Season one has already been completed, and it has a variety of helpful topics included Season two is currently in action, and I found this to be so helpful. In most of this season, they tell a story, then discuss the importance of the story’s context and meaning. They say they want to inspire listeners to feel empowered to tell their own stories. I think this is awesome, considering most adults have little time extra time in their daily schedule. A podcast can be listened to in the car, or even while cooking dinner! This is such a helpful tool and resource that can be used to further enrich your knowledge of storytelling, even if you think you do not have time for it.

            Another fact worth mentioning about this company is that they have a book that inspired their podcast! It is also called How to Tell Stories to Children. The book discusses the importance of storytelling with children, and how it can impact development and relationships. It also discusses all the tools and simple skills needed to become a storyteller. They shift the focus from creating a narrative into creating a relationship with children. This is evident in their blog posts and podcasts. I think it is awesome that this resource exists, and after exploring their website, I will definitely be adding a copy to my shelves.

Link to buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/Tell-Stories-Children-Joseph-Sarosy/dp/0358449278/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

             I hope you are able to take your own journey through this company’s blog, podcast, and book! I think this is a resource that can be worthwhile to people who want to become storytellers who are able to create stories that reach the heart of children. This company definitely supports those values. Let me know how your reaction to The Storytelling Loop! I hope it impacts you like it has impacted me!

References

(2021). The Storytelling Tree. https://howtotellstoriestochildren.com/blog3/the-storytelling-tree

(2021). This is Your Brain on Stories.

                    https://howtotellstoriestochildren.com/blog3/this-is-your-brain-on-stories

Sarosey, J. & West, S.R. (2021). How To Tell Stories To Children. Harvest.