Story lub c
W RIT E
Hello! Welcome to Story Club. Story Club is for anyone who loves stories! Using the power of our imagination, we take ourselves on wild adventures and travel the world! This week we are celebrating the great outdoors. We’ve been building Secret Gardens and creating Nature Trails. So, this week you can take
people on tour and throw a party! As always, we’d love to hear your amazing stories or see pictures of your work. However, mostly, we want you to have fun and get creative! Happy Holidays, Bounce Theatre
Nature Trail Haiku A haiku (pronounced ‘Hi-koo’) is a short poem, which comes from Japan. Haikus are now written in different languages all over the world. You can write a Haiku about anything, although they are usually used to celebrate brief, passing moments in time. In English, it is often said that a haiku is made up of seventeen syllables (that’s the sound a vowel like A or E makes), in three lines of five, seven and five. Today many haiku poets are not so strict and write haiku with different line lengths.
Take a look at these different versions of one of the most famous of all haiku, ‘Old Pond’ by the Japanese poet, Basho: Furuike ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto - Basho Harry Behn has chosen to use the traditional 5-7-5 syllable lines and lots of detail: An old silent pond... A frog jumps into the pond, splash! Silence again. - Translated by Harry Behn Robert Hass decided to write a simpler haiku, with shorter lines, leaving more space for the imagination: The old pond a frog jumps in, sound of water. - Translated by Robert Hass This version is even shorter! The writer tries to capture a sense of movement and surprise with as few words as possible: Still pond Springs frog Splash - Translated by Sharon
As you can see, haiku are flexible poems, less about rules, more about ideas and feeling. Your challenge this week is to create a local nature trail for your friends and family, with specially written haiku celebrating some of the natural sights, sounds and smells they might find in your neighbourhood. STEP ONE: You will definitely need: • Something to write or type with (paper, pen or pencil; smart phone if you prefer it). You might also want: • Something to draw with (probably paper, felt tips, coloured pencils or paints). • Something to take photos with (a camera or smart phone). • Something to record sound with (probably a Voice Memo app on a smart phone). STEP TWO: Where will you place your nature trail? Often these are in nature reserves or parks but you might find somewhere more surprising. There are wild plants and
W RIT E
Hello! Welcome to Story Club. Story Club is for anyone who loves stories! Using the power of our imagination, we take ourselves on wild adventures and travel the world! This week we are celebrating the great outdoors. We’ve been building Secret Gardens and creating Nature Trails. So, this week you can take
people on tour and throw a party! As always, we’d love to hear your amazing stories or see pictures of your work. However, mostly, we want you to have fun and get creative! Happy Holidays, Bounce Theatre
Nature Trail Haiku A haiku (pronounced ‘Hi-koo’) is a short poem, which comes from Japan. Haikus are now written in different languages all over the world. You can write a Haiku about anything, although they are usually used to celebrate brief, passing moments in time. In English, it is often said that a haiku is made up of seventeen syllables (that’s the sound a vowel like A or E makes), in three lines of five, seven and five. Today many haiku poets are not so strict and write haiku with different line lengths.
Take a look at these different versions of one of the most famous of all haiku, ‘Old Pond’ by the Japanese poet, Basho: Furuike ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto - Basho Harry Behn has chosen to use the traditional 5-7-5 syllable lines and lots of detail: An old silent pond... A frog jumps into the pond, splash! Silence again. - Translated by Harry Behn Robert Hass decided to write a simpler haiku, with shorter lines, leaving more space for the imagination: The old pond a frog jumps in, sound of water. - Translated by Robert Hass This version is even shorter! The writer tries to capture a sense of movement and surprise with as few words as possible: Still pond Springs frog Splash - Translated by Sharon
As you can see, haiku are flexible poems, less about rules, more about ideas and feeling. Your challenge this week is to create a local nature trail for your friends and family, with specially written haiku celebrating some of the natural sights, sounds and smells they might find in your neighbourhood. STEP ONE: You will definitely need: • Something to write or type with (paper, pen or pencil; smart phone if you prefer it). You might also want: • Something to draw with (probably paper, felt tips, coloured pencils or paints). • Something to take photos with (a camera or smart phone). • Something to record sound with (probably a Voice Memo app on a smart phone). STEP TWO: Where will you place your nature trail? Often these are in nature reserves or parks but you might find somewhere more surprising. There are wild plants and
animals all around us, even in the middle of the city. Where is the most unusual place for a nature trail? Here are some ideas: • In the outdoor spaces around your home • On a quiet street with trees and front gardens. • On the beach. • In your local playing field. • In your home, by the pot plants, fish tank or pet’s basket.
inspiration. Then write down a plan with the stops on your trail.
STEP THREE: Go to your chosen place. Make sure you bring an adult if you’re leaving home! What do you find there? Haiku often celebrate small things and passing moments of life. Look closer. Listen. Perhaps you will find something (or someone!) you’ve not noticed before. Squirrels quarrelling in the trees. Seagulls stealing chips. A tiny wildflower beside a litter bin. Minibeasts crawling under a stone.
STEP SIX: Decide how your audience will find the trail. You could draw a map, marking all the stops where they need to read or listen to a haiku. You might want to write directions, telling them where to go, where to stop, and what to read? (You can handwrite or type these directions or record them as a Voice Memo.) You may decide to become the nature trail tour guide and recite the haiku to them in person.
You might be inspired to write a haiku straight away. If you need more time, take some notes. Here are some questions you might want to ask: • What does it look like? • What sounds does it make? • How does it move? • What does its smell remind you of? • What is the weather today? • What is the time of day? • Does it remind you of anything? • How does it make you feel? You might want to take a photo or make a sound recording to help you remember. This spot where you were inspired will be the first stop on your haiku nature trail. STEP FOUR: You will need at least four or five stops (with a haiku for each one) to complete your trail. Keep your eyes and ears open for wildlife until you have gathered enough
STEP FIVE: Write your haiku. They can have strict 5-75 syllable lines or shorter or longer lines - it’s up to you. Some haiku in English rhyme but again this is completely your choice. Decide how much detail you want to add - and how much you want to leave to the audience’s imagination.
House Number 87. Stop at the wooden gate and have a look for Archie. He’s usually up around this time, sunbathing or hunting for breakfast:
Legs loaded with leaps A tabby time bomb on the wall. Who will this cat catch?
Staying in the same spot, let’s turn our attention to the pavement. It might not look like anything special but it’s as teeming with life as any woodland pond. See the ants scrambling between the cracks. The little mushrooms peeking from the shadows. A few insistent tree roots bursting through. The city can be a wilderness, if you look at it the right way.
The chewing gum spots lily pads on concrete slabs. So us frogs hopscotch.
Have go if you like. Go on - no-one is watching. Mind you don’t trip! Phew, that
was close. Now look left, right, left again, watching out for cars. When all clear, cross the road. We’re going to Number 72. Poor Alice can’t get out to do much gardening these days. It’s looking a bit untidy. But there’s poem to be found in all of nature, even garden weeds.
Kings of the garden, Dandelions nod in the breeze. Nothing shakes their thrones.
Almost done. Turn round one last time. There, on the other side of the street, is our house. Does it look different to you? Busier? Wilder? Butterflies bouncing about the hedge blossoms. Wildflowers shyly peeking by the side of the path. A pair of pigeons roosting on the chimney pots. There’s a haiku in that. Hear the words form in your mind. Count the whispered syllables in your head, on your fingers. Five sounds, then seven, then five.
STEP SEVEN: Give your nature trail map or directions to a family member or send them to a friend! Here’s one we’ve written for inspiration. Haiku Street Safari Wake as early as possible - sunrise if you can! Draw the curtains or raise your blinds and check if the weather’s kind to us today. Sunshine… phew! Dress quickly. Breakfast can wait. Let’s catch the day when it is new. Hear the door clunk shut behind you. Take a deep breath. Turn left to look at the neighbour’s garden. Our haiku nature trail begins…
Egg yolk dawn The sunflowers stretch and yawn To all, Good Morn
Turn right and step forwards. Mind the steps! Lift the rusty latch of the front gate - and make a mental note to oil that squeaky hinge when we get home. Don’t forget to shut the gate behind you! Turn right and walk forwards. Next stop:
find a good spot for your hotel with the materials you can find, build your hotel in layers create lots of different size spaces Don’t forget to build a roof! you could make a hotel for other wildlife too!
animals all around us, even in the middle of the city. Where is the most unusual place for a nature trail? Here are some ideas: • In the outdoor spaces around your home • On a quiet street with trees and front gardens. • On the beach. • In your local playing field. • In your home, by the pot plants, fish tank or pet’s basket.
inspiration. Then write down a plan with the stops on your trail.
STEP THREE: Go to your chosen place. Make sure you bring an adult if you’re leaving home! What do you find there? Haiku often celebrate small things and passing moments of life. Look closer. Listen. Perhaps you will find something (or someone!) you’ve not noticed before. Squirrels quarrelling in the trees. Seagulls stealing chips. A tiny wildflower beside a litter bin. Minibeasts crawling under a stone.
STEP SIX: Decide how your audience will find the trail. You could draw a map, marking all the stops where they need to read or listen to a haiku. You might want to write directions, telling them where to go, where to stop, and what to read? (You can handwrite or type these directions or record them as a Voice Memo.) You may decide to become the nature trail tour guide and recite the haiku to them in person.
You might be inspired to write a haiku straight away. If you need more time, take some notes. Here are some questions you might want to ask: • What does it look like? • What sounds does it make? • How does it move? • What does its smell remind you of? • What is the weather today? • What is the time of day? • Does it remind you of anything? • How does it make you feel? You might want to take a photo or make a sound recording to help you remember. This spot where you were inspired will be the first stop on your haiku nature trail. STEP FOUR: You will need at least four or five stops (with a haiku for each one) to complete your trail. Keep your eyes and ears open for wildlife until you have gathered enough
STEP FIVE: Write your haiku. They can have strict 5-75 syllable lines or shorter or longer lines - it’s up to you. Some haiku in English rhyme but again this is completely your choice. Decide how much detail you want to add - and how much you want to leave to the audience’s imagination.
House Number 87. Stop at the wooden gate and have a look for Archie. He’s usually up around this time, sunbathing or hunting for breakfast:
Legs loaded with leaps A tabby time bomb on the wall. Who will this cat catch?
Staying in the same spot, let’s turn our attention to the pavement. It might not look like anything special but it’s as teeming with life as any woodland pond. See the ants scrambling between the cracks. The little mushrooms peeking from the shadows. A few insistent tree roots bursting through. The city can be a wilderness, if you look at it the right way.
The chewing gum spots lily pads on concrete slabs. So us frogs hopscotch.
Have go if you like. Go on - no-one is watching. Mind you don’t trip! Phew, that
was close. Now look left, right, left again, watching out for cars. When all clear, cross the road. We’re going to Number 72. Poor Alice can’t get out to do much gardening these days. It’s looking a bit untidy. But there’s poem to be found in all of nature, even garden weeds.
Kings of the garden, Dandelions nod in the breeze. Nothing shakes their thrones.
Almost done. Turn round one last time. There, on the other side of the street, is our house. Does it look different to you? Busier? Wilder? Butterflies bouncing about the hedge blossoms. Wildflowers shyly peeking by the side of the path. A pair of pigeons roosting on the chimney pots. There’s a haiku in that. Hear the words form in your mind. Count the whispered syllables in your head, on your fingers. Five sounds, then seven, then five.
STEP SEVEN: Give your nature trail map or directions to a family member or send them to a friend! Here’s one we’ve written for inspiration. Haiku Street Safari Wake as early as possible - sunrise if you can! Draw the curtains or raise your blinds and check if the weather’s kind to us today. Sunshine… phew! Dress quickly. Breakfast can wait. Let’s catch the day when it is new. Hear the door clunk shut behind you. Take a deep breath. Turn left to look at the neighbour’s garden. Our haiku nature trail begins…
Egg yolk dawn The sunflowers stretch and yawn To all, Good Morn
Turn right and step forwards. Mind the steps! Lift the rusty latch of the front gate - and make a mental note to oil that squeaky hinge when we get home. Don’t forget to shut the gate behind you! Turn right and walk forwards. Next stop:
find a good spot for your hotel with the materials you can find, build your hotel in layers create lots of different size spaces Don’t forget to build a roof! you could make a hotel for other wildlife too!
PLAY
This week we are going to throw a party inspired by the front cover of Story Club. The job of the secret garden is to make people feel happy. So first of all, decide who you want to bring to party. I decided to invite my family in two days’ time, so I had time to prepare!
Once you are ready to prepare, start by taking a good look at the cover of Story Club. • How does the picture make you feel? • Which part of the picture would you most like to touch and why? • What do you think this picture would smell like? • If you could eat this picture, what would it taste like? • Which part of the picture is your favourite to look at? Here are my answers! • Happy • The leaves to feel the texture • It’d smell like a walk in the countryside • It would taste of sunshine • My favourite part is the arch of flowers, as it reminds me a bit of a rainbow Now, your task is to find objects around your home that represent how the picture made you feel. I brought: • Pictures of my family • A selection of blankets and scarves • Some flowers from outside • A cup of orange juice • Felt tips These are going to be your party decorations! Now, decide where you want to have your party. I chose a bit of my garden that always gets the sunshine. We have a table there. - I put the scarves and clothes over the table. - I bought a jar from inside outside and put the flowers in it. - I put the pictures of my family on washing pegs and clipped them in the tree. - Then I bought some paper and the felt tips outside. I also decided to collect interesting stones, leaves, petals, and flowers that had fallen to the floor. I used these to make a path to my table, It had the same shape as the arches on the picture to my picnic table, so you’d
have to walk up to it in a special way. I also decided to go back inside and brought out some cushions for our chairs. My party needed snacks, so I went back in and packed up some orange juice, cups, and snacks. Next I had a list of things we could do. Big Family Time Whilst we had our snacks, I asked everyone to write a word that describes our family. We clipped the words up in the trees we were “Happy, smiley, funny family” Then we played the compliments game. Everyone had to pick someone and give them a compliment. I was told I was good at making snacks :) Next, we all made a wish for the year ahead and then we played some party games! Plan - party games! I made a list of games that we could play outside: • Egg and spoon race (with tennis balls if not real eggs!) • Keep it up (use a balloon or a ball, one person hits it up into the air, calls someone else’s name out, they have to knock it back up in the air so it doesn’t touch the ground) • Recycled bowling - collect plastic bottles. Fill them with water. Find a ball and play bowling games • Do the limbo - find a broom. Two people hold it up and see how low you can limbo What else could you think of? Happy party day! (I also had a day where I felt like just being by myself. So, I had a secret garden party indoors. I put blankets down on the floor in my bedroom. Then bought up my wildflowers and stones to make a miniature garden in my bedroom. I spent the rest of the day drawing pictures of my garden and eating biscuits. It was really lovely. Sometimes it is just good to be quiet.)
CREATIVE CHALLENGES This week, our creative challenges are inspired by the outdoors Sit in front of a plant outside for five minutes and see how many different creatures you spot in that time – how many did you count?
Collect five objects around your house. Turn them into a butterfly
Doodle a picture of what you can see from your window
Pretend to be a tree once a day. Stand on one leg. Bend the other knee and place the sole of your foot on your inner thigh. Sway like a tree in the breeze. Swap sides.
Surprise someone in your house with a compliment Collect petals, leaves, and bits of nature that have fallen to the floor. Make a flower arrangement.
Take your shoes off and let the grass tickle your feet
Bonus challenge: When you’ve finished Story Club turn it into an aeroplane if you don’t want to keep it.
PLAY
This week we are going to throw a party inspired by the front cover of Story Club. The job of the secret garden is to make people feel happy. So first of all, decide who you want to bring to party. I decided to invite my family in two days’ time, so I had time to prepare!
Once you are ready to prepare, start by taking a good look at the cover of Story Club. • How does the picture make you feel? • Which part of the picture would you most like to touch and why? • What do you think this picture would smell like? • If you could eat this picture, what would it taste like? • Which part of the picture is your favourite to look at? Here are my answers! • Happy • The leaves to feel the texture • It’d smell like a walk in the countryside • It would taste of sunshine • My favourite part is the arch of flowers, as it reminds me a bit of a rainbow Now, your task is to find objects around your home that represent how the picture made you feel. I brought: • Pictures of my family • A selection of blankets and scarves • Some flowers from outside • A cup of orange juice • Felt tips These are going to be your party decorations! Now, decide where you want to have your party. I chose a bit of my garden that always gets the sunshine. We have a table there. - I put the scarves and clothes over the table. - I bought a jar from inside outside and put the flowers in it. - I put the pictures of my family on washing pegs and clipped them in the tree. - Then I bought some paper and the felt tips outside. I also decided to collect interesting stones, leaves, petals, and flowers that had fallen to the floor. I used these to make a path to my table, It had the same shape as the arches on the picture to my picnic table, so you’d
have to walk up to it in a special way. I also decided to go back inside and brought out some cushions for our chairs. My party needed snacks, so I went back in and packed up some orange juice, cups, and snacks. Next I had a list of things we could do. Big Family Time Whilst we had our snacks, I asked everyone to write a word that describes our family. We clipped the words up in the trees we were “Happy, smiley, funny family” Then we played the compliments game. Everyone had to pick someone and give them a compliment. I was told I was good at making snacks :) Next, we all made a wish for the year ahead and then we played some party games! Plan - party games! I made a list of games that we could play outside: • Egg and spoon race (with tennis balls if not real eggs!) • Keep it up (use a balloon or a ball, one person hits it up into the air, calls someone else’s name out, they have to knock it back up in the air so it doesn’t touch the ground) • Recycled bowling - collect plastic bottles. Fill them with water. Find a ball and play bowling games • Do the limbo - find a broom. Two people hold it up and see how low you can limbo What else could you think of? Happy party day! (I also had a day where I felt like just being by myself. So, I had a secret garden party indoors. I put blankets down on the floor in my bedroom. Then bought up my wildflowers and stones to make a miniature garden in my bedroom. I spent the rest of the day drawing pictures of my garden and eating biscuits. It was really lovely. Sometimes it is just good to be quiet.)
CREATIVE CHALLENGES This week, our creative challenges are inspired by the outdoors Sit in front of a plant outside for five minutes and see how many different creatures you spot in that time – how many did you count?
Collect five objects around your house. Turn them into a butterfly
Doodle a picture of what you can see from your window
Pretend to be a tree once a day. Stand on one leg. Bend the other knee and place the sole of your foot on your inner thigh. Sway like a tree in the breeze. Swap sides.
Surprise someone in your house with a compliment Collect petals, leaves, and bits of nature that have fallen to the floor. Make a flower arrangement.
Take your shoes off and let the grass tickle your feet
Bonus challenge: When you’ve finished Story Club turn it into an aeroplane if you don’t want to keep it.
Don’t forget to send us your stories and pictures so we can see your wonderful work! email: lauren@bouncetheatre.com Whatsapp: 07980210705 We read out all the stories & show the pictures online every Friday to celebrate StoryClub