Telling Stories Together This Thanksgiving

Hello, friends! This last week I quietly launched Story Club, my quick-start guide to storytelling with kids ebook. Because families are coming together this weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving, I wanted to tell you more about it.

Story Club is literally the perfect thing to do with the kids this weekend. I designed it with weekends like this in mind. I would argue that you don't even have to have kids around to enjoy it. Story Club has a ton of great ideas for stories to tell -- everything from new stories that you (and the kids) haven't heard before, to old favorites, to story starters for telling your own family's stories.

That's what I want to focus on for a second. Isn't getting to know each other better the whole point of spending time together during the holidays? We want to get together, share gratitude, and have FUN! But in the end we don't want it just to be the kind of fun we could have had any weekend. We want it to be the kind of fun that couldn't have happened if we weren't together. Story Club helps you have that kind of fun.

Buy Story Club

Is it easy to download Story Club? Yes it is. I walk you through the process on this page; but it's so easy I can sum it up here. 1. Click on the buy link, a window comes up right over the top of Everead. 2. Put in your name, email, buy it with PayPal. 3. Download link pops up and also goes to your email in case you want to put Story Club on multiple devices.

Is it easy to use Story Club? Yes. So easy. Within five minutes of opening it up you can be telling stories. I'm not even joking. I timed it. And if you put ten or more minutes into it you'll be full of more and more story ideas. It really is a quick-start guide.

Is it worth the price? Yes. I had a friend the other day say "I think I read some of it on your site already," and I was like "Nope, this is all new stuff." The only story I've ever shared on Everead is the one that started it all, and trust me, that's just the tip of the iceberg. See, I knew if I wrote an ebook I was going to have to sell it. So I didn't write something I'm not proud to sell. It's completely worth $8. I am a cheapskate and I would pay $8. That said, I think in the spirit of Black Friday and holiday sales we'd better have a little sale, don't you? So from now until Dec 1, 2016 Story Club is $5. So cheap. And so much good stuff inside. No coupon necessary, the discount will be automatically applied.

Even more info over on the official Story Club page.

I love you guys and hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families, telling stories about when you were young, cooking together and laughing together and having a great time.

Alysa

Story Club

Three Fun Facts about Story Club

Hello!

Been working on Story Club a bit lately. You guys, even though I'm totally sick of working on it, and I just want this project to be done and out in the world . . . I still like it. I think it's a good little ebook. I hope you like it, once it comes out.

Here are three fun facts about Story Club:

1. It will be 37 pages long. Well, it will be 44 pages if you count the title page and all that, but I don't. Thirty seven pages of content is what we're talking about here.

2. It has two parts. Part one is about creatively retelling stories: how you can do it and how you can help your kids learn to do it. Part two is about collaborating with your kids to tell stories, both true stories and made-up stories.

3. Included in the final book are some examples of creative retellings that my own kids did. I think these might be my favorite part of the whole book. I mean, sometimes you ask your kid to tell you the story of Goldilocks with his own twist and Goldilocks ends up at the dentist's office and it just gets better from there.

Tell me you're excited for Story Club. Please.

You can totally sign up in the sidebar for email notification once the book is available. See "Get the Everead Newsletter."

And good gravy let's get this thing done.

p.s. more posts labelled Story Club are here.

Story Club Update

Hey all!

It has been a while since I have given you a Story Club update.

Not this kind of Story Club

For any who don't know, Story Club is the ebook that I am working on. It is "a quick-start guide for storytelling with kids." It's targeted to parents, though of course teachers and others who have kids in their lives could definitely use it. It also has step-by-step instructions on how to start a storytelling club (Hence the name Story Club!), but I've heard from parents who say that it's helpful even if you're only planning on telling stories with/to one child.

So here's the update: we are now in beta-testing phase! The book is written. The book was edited. The book was re-written and re-edited. The book was designed. Now it's going into the hands of beta readers who are reading it and playing with it and giving me feedback.

I can't believe this is actually happening! Yay! And what took me so long? Good grief there have been months when I haven't even touched the project. Ah, well, I am giving myself permission to be patient with myself.

I read a great quote or article a while back, and now I can't find it. But the gist of it was that someone had finished a creative project and was surprised and heart-warmed to find that people cared about it. People had been patiently waiting for it, even though they hadn't been banging down the door for it, they had been there and been interested. Whereas this woman (I think the artist was a woman) had worried that the silence indicated indifference from others, she found out that it indicated patience and trust.

My heart is full of gratitude for those who have helped me with the project thus far. And I feel like so many people have been patient and trusting with me. Though it isn't quite done yet, we are definitely on to the next phase and what a thrill that is for me! I announced the project on April 11, 2014, hoping to have it done in six months. Two years later to the day I'm still working on it, but I'm getting really really close.

It feels good.

p.s. If you want to get notified by email of when Story Club is available for download, make sure you are subscribed to either the Everead Newsletter (subscribe in the sidebar, more info here) or the Story Club Email List (subscribe here).

A Spoonful of Story Helps the Medicine Go Down

Hi guys!

I just have to share with you something that my cousin Mary reported to me today. She read my post about How to Charm a Stubborn Toddler, which talks about using a story to help your child imagine that something they don't want to do is going to be amazing and fun.

Mary said she was going to give it a try. It took her a few days to find the right moment:

I tried this today and it was amazing! [My daughter] didn't want to go pick up [her brother] from preschool. So, I asked her if she was ready to ride her blue unicorn. Her eyes lit up and she jumped right up and ran out the door. :-) Although she did seem slightly disappointed when she realized it was her same old stroller. LOL. But we did have fun continuing to imagine on our way. 

First, that is awesome and hilarious!

Second, there is a fine line between pretending and lying. Definitely make sure that when you apply the storytelling technique I described, you use a fantasy element (i.e. a unicorn) and not real elements (i.e. a friend's minivan that your kid loves). Pretending with your child, and teaching them that "this is imaginary" actually teaches your kid the difference between pretending and lying, unless you use these opportunities to lie to your child. Please don't do that. Keep it fantastical and imaginary and help your young one learn to pretend, not deceive.

Third, I think that continuing to imagine is one of the big keys for getting this strategy to work well. If you just pretend with your child until they've done what you want and then you drop it, they're gonna know. If you keep playing with them, they'll not only realize you wanted them to comply (toddlers are smart!) but also realize that you wanted to play with them. And playing and talking with grown-ups helps kids feel loved.we are still getting a lot of use out of unicorn stories ourselves.

Fourth, we are still getting a lot of use out of unicorn stories over here. Just today Jubilee didn't want to have lotion put on, and she desperately needed it. (Anyone else have a toddler with eczema?) So as I began to rub her down I told her a story about her unicorn, Princess Pinky Pie and how her mommy explained to her that lotion was good and Princess Pinky Pie then gladly let her mom put lotion on her. After the story was done, Jubilee still complained that the lotion felt strange, but she at least let me put it on her.

A few minutes later, I told her the story of a unicorn who was brushing her teeth. I think you can guess what that story helped us accomplish.

I don't think the story always has to match the plot of what you're doing -- in fact I think it usually works better for me if it doesn't match. But it is much easier to just change reality slightly, isn't it?

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How to Charm a Stubborn Child

Hello and welcome!

Last week I told you how to charm a stubborn toddler.

This week, I'm going to tell you how to charm a stubborn child. This one in particular is named Levi, and he is five years old and in Kindergarten.

Maybe you've already guessed: I charmed Levi through Storytelling.

Before I tell you the whole story, I want you to know that I'm writing an ebook about how to tell stories to and with your kids. The ebook is nearly finished!

And I'm happy to email you when the ebook becomes available for download. Even if you are only mildly interested, you should give me your email address. Because then you'll know when it's ready and be able to decide for yourself if the ebook is something that you want. I promise I won't spam you: Mom's honor.

Notify me at...

How We Did It

Tonight after dinner it was time for Jubilee to take care of her bowl, spoon and cup. You'll remember from the previous post that Jubilee is 2 years old, going on 3. She was supposed to take her dishes in to the sink, and she knew it. Hers were the last ones on the table. After asking her a couple of times to take them in, I could see that she was beginning to dig her heels in about the issue, "You know, if you don't take your dishes in, you don't get dessert." I had warned her.

I decided to apply the story tactic.

I picked up her bowl, and jiggled it a little as I said in a deep voice, "I'm going to eat your dessert and you're not going to get any." Her spoon and cup followed suit, in higher voices, telling her that they were going to eat it all up.

"Nooo." She gave them the eyebrow.

Jacob and I helped her play along.

"You can't let them do that!" Jacob said.

"Yeah, take them to the sink!" I added.

"I'm going to eat your dessert," her bowl said again.

And that's when she decided to defeat these dirty, dessert-hungry dishes once and for all. She took them to the sink. As she left, Jacob smiled, shook his head, and said, "There has to be a story."

Just minutes later, Levi, who is 5, was refusing to put away his laundry. Jacob had asked him two or three times to take it upstairs and put it away. I decided it was worth it to try the story tactic.

I jiggled his folded pants a bit and said, "I'm going to eat all your dessert."

Being a five-year-old boy, he responded by punching the pants.

"You'd better put those pants away, I said.

"I punched them." he said.

"Oh, that won't stop them, they'll still eat your dessert."

"Yeah," Jacob chimed in. "The only way to keep them from eating your dessert is to put them upstairs, where they belong."

Levi looked back and forth between us. Were we serious? He could see that we were serious. And serious silliness is Levi's very favorite kind.

He took his clothes upstairs with great enthusiasm.

Why It Worked

This little story worked like a charm on both our 2-year-old and our 5-year-old. And my guess is that it would have worked pretty well on the 7 year old, too, but he wasn't feeling the need to test us.

Here's why it worked. This is the world's simplest story. The only characters are the kid and the bad guy. That automatically makes the kid the hero of the story! And it makes me not the bad guy anymore.

So, when I'm sick of being the bad guy, this is the kind of story I whip out. I just make the item that needs to be dealt with or the task that needs to be done into the bad guy and then vanquishing the foe becomes so fun.

What now?

1. Subscribe to the email list above.
2. Try this out on some kids
3. Tell me how it went

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How to Charm a Stubborn Toddler

Hello there!

Raise your hand if you have a stubborn child between the ages of 1 and 4.

I do! Her name is Jubilee and she's currently 2 years old, going on 3. Don't get me wrong, she's not all stubbornness all the time. She is full of sweetness and is very smart. But, like any little one, she is sometimes very stubborn.

The other day I was at my friend Meghan's house and I used my favorite trick to charm her and convince her that it was time to go. When she was nearly out the door, Meghan said, "This is fascinating to watch! You should blog about this."

So here's my favorite trick for stubborn toddlers:

Storytelling

Here's how it went down at Meghan's house. We had had a lot of fun playing, and Meghan's one-year-old had gone down for a nap. Now Jubilee had all the toys to herself and was having a heyday. But, it was time to go.

I said a couple of things to prepare Jubilee for leaving:

"It's time to go."
"We need to get our jackets on."

I got my jacket on and turned to Jubilee for Serious Business time.

"Are you ready to get in the car?" I asked.

"No." she answered.

Of course. Rookie mistake. When it's time to do something don't ask your toddler if she's ready to do it. But now that it was made I decided to roll with it. As I began to put her jacket on her I went for the distraction-through-storytelling tactic.

"Are you ready to go ride on a pink unicorn?" I asked.

"Yes." she said.

"Ooh, good!" I said. Her arms were now successfully in her jacket, and I began to work on her zipper. "Unicorns have a horn, what color is your unicorn's horn?" I asked.

"Umm, pink." she said.

"Coool!" I said. "And what's your unicorn's name?"

"Princess Pinky Pie," she said. And her zipper was done. Success.

"Ok it's time to go ride our unicorns!" I turned to Meghan to say goodbye.

"This is fascinating to watch." she said.

"What? Oh, yeah, haha." I laughed at the thought of someone watching me tell my daughter to invent a unicorn.

"I could use this on Patrick, when he gets older." Meghan said, earnestly.

"Yeah, for sure!" I said. I haven't found a kid who doesn't love imagining things. Most adults like it, too. It's practically the only way I can get myself to clean the house: imagine that it's someone else's house.

"You're good at it!" Meghan said.

"Lying?" I laughed.

"You should blog about it." Meghan suggested, and I said I would.

Well, not only was the unicorn story a great way to get Jubilee out the door, but it provided us with fun for the rest of the day.

As I buckled her, Jubilee began to resist but I reminded her we were riding our unicorns and had to buckle up to ride them. Worked like a charm. As I backed out of the driveway I said, "Are you ready? here we go! Wheee! We're riding our unicorns!"

A few minutes later Jubilee asked me about my unicorn. Mine, I decided, had a golden horn, and was named Gloria Goldenhorn. We talked about some of the things our unicorns said, and later shared the stories with Benjamin and Levi. Somewhere along the way our unicorns got wings as well. Levi had soon imagined a unicorn of his own, named Prince Green.

In short, this tactic works so well that it not only gets the job done, it also make the job FUN. As Mary Poppins says, "A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down." All I had to do was ask my little one if she was ready to do something silly that I knew would appeal to her, and then keep the questions coming.

Edit: I just heard a great example of someone using my technique! Click here to take a look at it and read 4 tips for making this actually work for you.

The Easiest Bedtime Story Ever

So last night I was trying to think of a way to help Jubilee (almost two years old now) chill out. See, bedtime has been a little rough this last week (ever since she started consistently climbing out of bed).

Last night I put Jubilee in bed and she immediately swung her leg up to climb out. I knew if I turned around to get a book, she'd be dangling from the rail in no time.

"Hey, did I ever tell you the story of Spot??!?" I don't remember if this was exactly how I started the story, but it was something like this. Including my best ever attention-all-preschoolers voice.  The voice worked so well, in fact, that Levi (age 4) popped his head in the room.

As I started telling the story of one of her favorite board books, I could see she was loving it. She knew this one. Levi came and settled himself down in the room to listen.

Shortest bedtime story ever. Easiest story ever! Do you know how many times I have read her favorite books to her? I've certainly lost count.

Retelling a favorite book was such a hit that I went on to tell several more. Levi counted and told me that I did six in all. (The number of stories he gets at night is important to him.) I honestly don't remember! I was just looking at the bookshelf and picking favorites that I knew would work. I had to reject favorite concept books (a counting book is a little less exciting without the items to count) but I still had a good handful. Here are the ones I remember retelling: Where's Spot by Eric Hill, Rocket Town by Bob Logan, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

I didn't tell the stories word-for-word, though I probably could have. Instead of aiming for accuracy, I was telling them quick and silly to distract Jubilee from her intention of climbing out of bed. I'm pretty sure my very hungry caterpillar ate some bananas, which is totally apocryphal.

Related: 5 Board Books that are Great for Groups also 6 Books to Give at Baby Showers

My storytelling was successful, and the baby-love soon settled down for the night. (After I kicked her brother out of the room, and sung a lot of favorite songs, and breathed calm breaths in hopes that she would be hypnotized by them). Let's not talk about how bedtime went tonight. Maybe I shoulda tried the same trick.

So, what do you think? Will you try this with your kids? Have you tried it already? Or maybe you've tried some other storytelling tricks? Leave a comment below.

Jacob says that he thinks this bedtime story hack would not have worked so well with Benjamin (age 6). I agree. He would have been very indignant and insisted on a REAL bedtime story. But for the preschool crowd? I highly recommend it!

Related: Benjamin helped me review Rocket Town when he was only three years old.

Also related: My e-book to help parents jump-start a storytelling habit with kids, Story Club, is undergoing another round of edits right now. So exciting! Visit the Story Club main page here.

I'm a writer

Oh my garrrrrsh. Is it just me or is writing Story Club taking forever? It's been almost a year since I began this project. My first ebook.

Good news though! I'm making progress on it, and getting closer and closer to being ready to release it. I wrote the table of contents tonight. That's gettin' serious. Because you can't write the table of contents until you know what the contents really are.

I had an epiphany the other day. I'm a writer. I mean, I've identified as a blogger for some time now. But there's a difference in my mind between being a blogger and being a writer, I guess. I don't think of myself as an author, at this point. But writer? Yes.

Anyway, I like writing. I do it for fun. I do it for work. I do it for my personal therapy (I keep a nightly journal). And sometime after listening to Lisa Congdon talk a couple times, I realized that writing is kind of my art of choice.

So that's cool.

Did I ever tell you the story about . . .

Working on Story Club tonight!

And I just had to share with you this gem I found on the internet. 21 Surprising Parenting Tips. Especially because I tried this little bit of advice:

3. If you want their attention at the dinner table, or anywhere else, start a sentence with "Did I ever tell you the story about..." 

And it worked amazingly well on five 3- and 4-year-olds who were not listening to me.

See, we got an electric keyboard from some friends who upgraded theirs, and it's power cord is a bit finicky (thanks to the fact that we tried to jam one of the wrong size on there, shortly after getting it). Anyway, the aforementioned preschool group kept bumping the piano, which would make it turn off, which would cause them to shout at each other for turning it off.

"Did I ever tell you the story . . . about how this piano needs to be treated gently?"

It was magic.

While we're on the subject, I would love to hear your best parenting tips! Share them with me in comments. I'll put some of my own down there, too.

Here's one!
Double the fun of getting a package in the mail
by giving the kids markers and letting them draw all over the box
before you recycle it (or save it for your upcoming move).

The Big 5 Questions about Story Club, Answered!

Let's have some fun together.

Who is Story Club for?

Story Club is for parents and children, especially. Grown-ups and kids of all kinds will enjoy it and be able to use it together. Preschool teachers are going to love Story Club. Grandparents? Yes. You name it! But I couldn't help designing Story Club with parents and their children in mind.  

What is Story Club, exactly?

Story Club is an e-book. It contains instructions and tips for storytelling with children, and more than 20 stories (and story ideas) you can use and adapt for your own storytelling time ("Story Club") with kids. 

When will Story Club be released?

At this point I think a December 2014 release would be both achievable and awesome! This is my first e-book, though, and I feel like I can only see around the next bend in the road, so to speak. So I'm shooting for December, but I'll keep you posted. ;)

Where can I use Story Club?

Marie and her little guy have enjoyed Story Club at the lunch table. Lindsay and her daughter do Story Club in the evenings. Kate and Anna don't call it Story Club, but their storytelling time together has been more enjoyable lately. You can (and probably do) use Story Club stories and principles at home, at school, and in other settings with kids. It's good stuff.

Why should I tell my friends about Story Club?

When I first started thinking about making Story Club, I didn't know if other people would be interested. Since then, I've been completely convinced. Even if you don't think Story Club will be your jam, there are others who are kind of dying for something like this! Share! Help them! See some evidence below:

It can be "shockingly difficult" to come up with story ideas.

"Storytelling is a chore," but I want to work on it. I know my child will love it.

"Even I could tell a story," if you put it that way.

Even when kids are less than enthusiastic, these principles work!

So. Who do you know that would like to know about Story Club? Send them over! I have created a Story Club page on Everead: www.evereadbooks.com/p/story-club.html This page highlights some of the best posts about Story Club, and links to the complete archive. 

One Unbreakable Storytelling Rule from Matt Phelan

Hurrah! The first draft of Story Club is done! It took me a lot longer than I thought it would. So much longer. It felt like running a marathon, when I'm used to running 5K's (a.k.a. writing blog posts). But that's all in the past, now. Onward!

I "finished" last Thursday and this week I'm working on making it actually presentable. At the end of the week I'm sending it to my lovely, in-house editor Ashley. (She really is a free-lance editor, did you know?)

While I go work on eliminating typos and creating parallel structure across chapters, you can read this lovely storytelling tip that Matt Phelan shared at the Decatur Book Festival:

 "You can't say NO."- Matt Phelan #DBF2014

Matt Phelan spoke on a panel with Amy Krouse Rosenthal (R) and Kelly Light (L), moderated by Laurel Snyder (far L). It was great. And when it was time for audience Q&A I had the chance to ask the question "What tips do you have for storytelling?"

Kelly Light talked about how bedtime stories with her daughter became serial. She started out telling a story one night and wrapped it up neatly. But the next night her daughter opened it up again and wanted more. What she thought was going to be a standalone turned into a series.

Matt Phelan springboarded right off of this and talked about how he went to college for drama, not for writing, where he played improv games. The only rule with improv games (when someone is on stage with you and the two of you are making up the story as you go along) is that you can't say "NO."

"That deflates the balloon" as Matt put it. When someone comes up with something, you have to roll with it and say "Yes! And..." So that is his tip for storytelling with your kids. If they jump in and start to improvise, (mine have) you can't say, "No, no. This is what happened really..." you have to just roll with it and move along.

Funny thing is that I knew this rule, but I still tried to break it a month or so ago. Levi was like, "And then, [wacky tangent]. . . " and I listened politely and was like "Well actually . . . thus and so . . . The End." Levi listened politely himself and then was like, "No, it actually went like [my way]." I let it drop, because I knew I was trying to break a rule that really can't be broken. Also, I knew you can lead a horse to the Kool-Aid but you can't make him drink.

What has been your experience with this?

p.s. You know I like Matt Phelan's books! I've collected my reviews of them here. I haven't yet read Kelly Light's book, Louise Loves Art, but I intend to. It comes out today, in fact! It sounds fabulous and she seems very smart. Amy Krouse Rosenthal was also lovely to meet, and I reviewed one of her titles here.

A Story from Grandma - One way to keep 13 kids seated and happy

On our recent vacation I saw a fun example of storytelling. I had been looking forward to hearing more bedtime stories from grandpa at the Stewart family reunion, but that didn't work out this time around. He did tell the kids a good long story in the daytime, though, I'm happy to say.

At the reunion there were a baker's dozen cousins and most of them were under 6 (see photographic evidence below).  We had an evening up the canyon and had some songs from grandpa, an awesome family tree activity, and a cook out. The event that stole my heart, though, was a quick story that grandma told the kids while Uncle Jonathan got something out of the car.

Grandpa announced to this crew, "Ok kids, Grandma's got a surprise for you!" .

"No, I'm not ready yet." Grandma said. Then she whispered with Uncle Jonathan and sent him to get something.

"Ok kids, everybody come sit down. While we wait I will tell you a story..."

She told the story, a long joke really, about a wide mouthed frog. It was great, with the physical element. I loved the story and the kids did too. After that, Levi was playing around talking like a wide mouth frog.

The killer thing is, I can't even remember what the "surprise" was that came afterwards. Haha!

Have you heard the joke before? If you had to entertain this crew for a few minutes, what would you try?
___________

After you comment, visit (or re-visit) another post about storytelling, and more info about Story Club (the e-book I'm working on).

How I Stopped My Children's Whining with Story Club

The boys looking bored. "When will the fireworks start?" "It will be a while, yet. It's not even dark."

I'm Bored

Yesterday afternoon, after we had done all the things and the baby was sleeping I was sitting on the couch. It was a hot day. Benjamin came in and plopped down and said, "What do you want to do, mom?"

In Benjamin-speak, this phrase is code for "tell me something really fun to do and give me permission to do it. If you don't get it right on the first try I will whine at you in the whinyest voice ever."

I did not immediately guess the perfect activity to entertain his majesty my hot, tired six-year-old. But pretty soon Levi joined us and I thought of a great idea: Story Club!

Despite Benjamin's grumbling, Levi was up for telling stories. I picked The Three Little Pigs -- one of the best, most basic fairy tales for kids.*

Tell a story

I told the boys the story. You know it: Three little pigs making their way in the world. House of straw, house of sticks, house of bricks. And then the action really gets going with the Big Bad Wolf. Levi was riveted the whole time. And by the time the house of straw had been huffed and puffed to bits, Benjamin was into it too.

Now what?

I got to "The End" and it was time to test out the Story Club formula:

1. Tell a story.
2. Ask the kids to tell it back to you, with their own twists.

I was totally nervous! That seems so funny now, but it's true. Would Levi be willing and able to do this? He's not done any official preschool yet, you know. Would Benjamin want to participate? Or would he shoot us down and bring back the whine-fest?

"Now you tell it to me." I said to Levi. (Benjamin's body language was still non-participatory, so I didn't even go there.)

Levi started with the most memorable part for him: the wolf trying to decimate that brick house. When I had told the story, I had the wolf huff and puff and run out of breath. Then I had the wolf push and push and try to shove the house down. Then Big Bad tried the windows and at last the chimney, from which he scampered back up and sat in the river.

Levi's was a guided retelling. "There was a wolf, and he wanted to eat the pigs!"
"What did the wolf say?" I prompted. Followed by lots of "and then what happened? And then what happened?" But he did an awesome job of it. He stuck pretty close to the version I had told (though he passed over the wolf trying the windows and had him head straight for the chimney).

Did it beat the blues? 

By now, Benjamin had turned to face us and when Levi finished I praised his retelling and asked Benjamin to tell the story with his own twist. He delighted in it, naming the first two pigs with nonsense names and naming the smart pig Max. And the look of pleasure on his face was priceless when he announced that the big bad wolf got all burned up.

Ah! The joy of storytelling! The feeling of power you get when you consign the villain to a horrible fate! The pleasure you get in anticipating that you will shock your audience! Suffice it to say we were all having fun.

After this, Levi wanted to tell it again and started off strong with four little pigs (one was a baby). Things got murky, though, when a giraffe showed up and he wasn't a replacement for the wolf. His story petered out before really concluding. But man! It was so fun to tell stories together. I was so pleased to see the boys having fun together, with me, and learning and practicing literacy skills. I had to share it; it was the highlight of my day.

Even from behind you can see them smiling.

*Is the Three Little Pigs really a fairy tale? I don't know. Maybe I should say one of the best, most basic animal stories for kids. I can't decide. Please weigh in on this debate in the comments.

More about Story Club >

Story Club: Grandpa Hooked Us on Bedtime Stories

I can't think of a time in my life when I didn't love to tell stories. Whether I was telling a joke, singing a song, acting something out, writing it down or just plain talking, I've always loved telling stories.

I love to tell stories with my kids at bedtime, and so does my husband Jacob. But we didn't always tell bedtime stories.  It all started at one particular family reunion.

At this reunion, Benjamin and a whole gaggle of his cousins were treated to bedtime stories by Grandpa Craig several nights in a row.  He really made these stories special. He told old stories that he had told Jacob and his siblings when they were young. He told new and goofy stuff he made up on the spot. And he had props! I remember one night he gave each of the grandkids a flashlight they were supposed to turn on and off at certain times. As you might imagine, the kids got more riled up than ready for bed; they had so much fun.

Benjamin loved it! And man, was that a rough time in the bedtime chronicles. He was about three years old. Anyway, Grandpa's stories were such a hit with him that we decided to keep a story before bed as the perfect bribe. "If you are in bed, ready to sleep at bedtime, you can get a story!" In the years since this reunion, our routine has morphed. The boys now start off with two bedtime stories as given, but can be penalized for not getting in/staying in bed.

And that is how The Bedtime Story became a thing at our house.

Just for fun, here are some of the kinds of stories we like to tell:

• Stories from the scriptures,
• Stories from "when I was young,"
• Stories from "when you were younger,"
• Stories from extended family,
• Stories about the boys' current favorite cartoon characters,
• Stories about the kids in a fantasy world: Sir Ben often faces dragons, Benjamonkey loves banana pancakes,

and of course the handy dandy...

• Stories that conveniently teach you about something you had trouble with today. :)

How about you -- do you tell bedtime stories? Did you get told them as a child? If yes, what are some of your favorite story-starting ideas? If no, why not or do you wish you had had bedtimes stories?
Please share so we can ALL benefit from your experience!

Storytelling inspiration

This evening I'm content. I've just done a bang-up job at turning something I dreamed up into a real thing. That is always a guaranteed mood-boost for me.

Specifically, Jacob showed me how to use Inkscape a little bit, and I made a graphic organizer ― a document I'm calling "Story Club worksheet" right now. Basically it will help you organize your thoughts of Who, What, When, Where and Why so that you can start your Story Club. :-)

As you can see, the printed version is much more beautiful and readable than the first draft.

Anyway, tonight I wanted to share some of the lovely storytelling quotes I have begun to collect. The first comes from an author whose books I love, the second from an author whose work I have not read. Both are lovely.

"Stories make us more alive, more human, 

more courageous, more loving.”

 ― Madeleine L'Engle 

 "Stories can conquer fear, you know. 

They can make the heart bigger.” 

― Ben Okri

Do you agree with the quotes above? Is there a time when a story has helped you in one of those ways? Hearing my mom tell stories about her childhood helped me conquer some of my own fears when I was young. Tell me your experience.

Got any great storytelling quotes? I would love to put them in my repository. Share in the comments, below!

Story Club: You Don't Join It, You Start It.

Ok. I have figured something out about Story Club that I want to share with you. It's been settled in my mind for a while and I haven't changed my mind about it, so here it goes:

You don't "Join Story Club" here on Everead.

Back in April, my awesome mom commented, "I can't wait to join Story Club!"

I love you, Mom.

In May, Ashley said,  ...the title, story "club." [...] To feel like you're being asked to "join" a "club" ... I'm not sure. That seems to suggest there's more commitment involved, somehow. It's a very cute name, though, so I'm on the fence.

I've thought about it, and, at this point, with the skills and resources that I have, I simply can't make Story Club something where we, the readers of this blog, come together and tell stories and have a story club made out of us. Remember the missions of story club? (It's the part with bullet points.) I just can't fill those missions by having you join Story Club here on Everead. Even if you did pay fat dues to the overlord (which would be me, muahaha!).

So. If you don't "join story club" here, what do you do? You buy the guides and you form your own Story Club. In your own life. With your own people. You are the leader of your very own story club.

I sketched this up.

Let's go back to commitment, like Ashley mentioned above. Forming your very own real-life club is going to require commitment -- but, I think it's a different kind of commitment, and pays different dividends. Story Club is not going to be like the Disney Movie Club, where you join and you have to stay in until you can quit. You won't need to make a certain number of purchases or pay dues. Story Club is going to be like . . . Story Club, where you buy the guide and form the club on your own terms, and have a great time (bonding with others, getting smarter, more empathetic and resilient). And if you want to buy more guides you can, and if not, well, you've had fun. And just like that big sign in my elementary school gym said, "If you had fun, you won!"

...what do you think? (It doesn't matter, it's settled.) (But tell me anyway.)

Story Club: thinking positive thoughts

Hi! So, remember how I said I was working on Story Club five days a week? Well, I fell off the wagon. But that's ok. Remember how I said I might need help to stay excited once the initial rush of the project wore off? Well friends, that day has come.

With life being what it is, and with some new responsibilities at church, my tidy work schedule got derailed. But then this afternoon I got a lovely message from Marie. She said that she had never thought of telling stories with her preschooler until I mentioned it here on Everead. She started telling stories with him at lunch, and now they're hooked! They love it! That just thrills me. It warms my heart.

I turned to my co-author here on Everead for some encouragement this morning, before I got Marie's message. I had let Ashley look at some Story Club stuff a couple weeks ago. I said this morning, (looking for motivation to carry on) "was it fun for you to read those story ideas? Do you think having story ideas like those might be valuable to a person?"

I loved her answer: "Yes, I enjoyed reading the ideas. Yes, I think they could definintely be valuable. I would love more of them myself."

Yippee! Ok. I can do this. I was kind of (quite) worried, since it was all crickets over on the post about the story that started it all.  But I totally trust Ashley's judgement. If she wants more of something, it is something worth having.

Can you relate to the feeling of having the excitement wear off of a project?  Tell me your best tips for keeping yourself motivated, please. :)

Story Club: The Story That Started It All (and 4 Storytelling Secrets)

Jacob: Superdad!

So, at our house, Jacob is usually the captain of the bedtime routine. However, one night earlier this month, I was the one on bedtime duty.

Picture the scene: Benjamin, age 5, in his twin bed. Levi, age 3, in his toddler bed. Multiple nightlights bathe the room in such a bright glow that no adult could ever hope to sleep in here.

"Tell a story about me!" said Levi.

"Ok." I responded, "Once upon a time there was a boy named Levi."

"No! I want to be Jack."

"Ok." Try again. "Once upon a time there was a boy named Jack. And he loved to draw." True enough, we know a boy named Jack who loves to draw. Secret #1: Crib details from real life whenever possible. Being original is so . . . for the daylight hours. 

"I want to be in it!" Benjamin interjects.

I continue, accepting his challenge: "and, sometimes, Jack liked to draw a picture for his friends, and give it to them, as a present. Well, one day Jack decided to draw a picture for his friends Benjamin and Levi." This story is shaping up nicely!

"And he knew that Benjamin's favorite animal was a . . ." Here I paused. I promise I can usually recall my children's favorite animals. But some nights . . .

"Monkey!" Benjamin helped me out. Secret #2: Let the kids help. Roosevelt had a brain trust, I've got my helpers.

"Right, Benjamin's favorite animal was a monkey. And Jack knew that Levi liked sharks. So," time for the punch line, "Jack drew them picture of a monkey riding a shark!"

Peals of laughter. Cha-ching! A golden formula. Now when they begged for another story, all I had to do was make Jack draw a picture for someone else, or mash up two other things they liked that would be equally as ridiculous together. Secret #3: Make things easy with a formula. 

Our friend "Jack" went on to draw many pictures. For Jacob, who likes BYU basketball and computers, Jack drew a BYU basketball player shooting the ball at a computer instead of into the basket. For me, Jack drew a dolphin (my favorite animal) swimming in refried beans (my favorite food).

After a couple of these, Benjamin had picked up on to the meme and insisted on telling some Jack stories of his own. Glory, hallelujah! Secret #4: Trick the kids into telling their own stories.

We had so much fun telling Jack stories over the next few days that I knew I had to run with this! I don't love to draw, but I do love to make presents for my friends. I started working on story templates like Jack's five days a week, and came up with the name Story Club.

If I give you Jack's story template, will you try it out for me? Tell it to your kids, your friends, your students. Or just make one up in the comments here. Let me know how it goes!

Once upon a time there was a boy named Jack and he loved to draw. Sometimes he drew pictures for his friends and gave them to them as gifts. One day he decided to draw a picture for his friend, _____. He knew that [friend's name] loved ___(a)___ and ___(b)___. So he drew a picture of [ridiculous mashup of (a) and (b)].  

Story Club: What do you need?

On Tuesday night I hosted book club at my place. (The book: Walden.) It was awesome, as book clubs usually are. And, because Benjamin reminded me to, I told my girlfriends about Story Club.

By the time I got around to Story Club, myself and three others remained. I asked them all, "Do you tell stories with your kids?" And that is what I want to ask you. Do you tell stories with the kids in your life?

Anya said, "Yes! All the time."

Abigail said "No. . . we read books together."

And Nicole said that when she's putting her kids to bed they get to pick: story or song? One of her sons (7 years old) always wants a story. Sometimes, she confessed, she tries to talk him out of it. She's fresh out of story ideas, but she has children's hymns and songs that will float to the tip of her tongue at any given moment. "Could you just send me a text, like 'Here's your story idea for tonight...'?"

Which of these moms are you most like? Or does storytelling fit into your life in some other way? My friend Alex doesn't have kids yet but he has students and he keeps the kids of his friends close.

Help me know what you need, so I can make Story Club something that you will love.

When it comes to storytelling, what do you need?

Gerald here is putting a lot of thought into this. 

p.s. I sent a 1st draft of the first part of Story Club to my editor today! :-D I'm getting going (and it feels good!) but there is plenty of time to tweak things (which feels good, too).

Project in the works...

So, I'm making something for you! 

I don't exactly know what it is yet. 

It might be an e-book. It might be a private email series. It might be several ebooks or a small book in print! It might come in modules or units or themes. Or it might be an "information product" that is not any of those.

I'm calling it Story Club in my brain right now. (I'll let you know if that changes.)

I do know some things about Story Club:

• It will inspire storytelling.
• It will help you tell stories.
• It will help kids tell stories with you.
• It will help you bond with others (because stories do that).
• It will help you become smarter, more empathetic, and more resilient (because stories do that).
• It will be worth your time and you'll totally love it. 

I don't know yet when it will be ready for you. But I do know that I am working on it every weekday until it is done. And I wanted to tell you about it so that a) it wouldn't come at you out of nowhere when it comes forth in all its shiny glory; b) so that your excitement for it could help me stay excited once that just-beginning thrill wears off.

Thanks for being awesome, guys. I'm going to make you something wonderful.

Alysa

p.s. A story Benjamin (now in kindergarten) made up the other day!

Allow me to transcribe the sticky notes for you.

Rice Squares: Do you like me?

Toasted Oats: Do you like me?

Almond milk: Do you like me?

Unsweetened almond milk: Do you like me?

Cow's milk: Do you like me?

Frosted mini spooners: I like you.

Benjamin: You are fake.

Benjamin has brought smiles to Everead in the past. Click here for more Benjamin.