Story Sacks - Ideas please

[Pedagog]

Hi all I am looking to make some story sacks, but am at a lose as to where to start.

Ideas please ladies. I have lots of books, and should have cuddly toys etc for a lot of stories, but just do not know where to start.

Thanks in advance.

[miss mopple]

Have a look on ebay as there are usually lots of story sacks on there. Should give you an idea or two.

In my Hungry Caterpillar sack I have

lifecycle toys
fact books
other butterfly books
wind up caterpillars
hungry caterpillar card game
laminated lifecycle game
sequence cards
snap cards
audio cd

sure there's more in there as the bag is huge but can't think right now

hope that helps

[angeldelight]

You could do the Gruffalo

For the sack......

The book
Soft toys - woodland creatures fox , snake etc
Finger puppets
Books about woodland animals

Just keep adding to it

Talk about the creatures ask the children how they think the creaturers were feeling etc
Ask the children what makes them scared
Listen for the rhyming words
Go for a walk through some woods
Encourage the children to imagine what it would be like for the creatures
Draw or make a Gruffalo

Link to EYFS

PDS - Do you they have a developing awareness of their own needs, views and feelings?
Are they sensitive to the needs and feelings of others ?
CLL - Do they show an awareness of rhyme. Continue with different ryhmes
KUW - Find out about places they live and the natural world. Find out about their environment and talk about the features they like and dislike
PD - Handle equipment - paints and crafts for making the Gruffalo safely and with increasing control
CD - Make constructions, painting and drawings
Sing some familiar songs that ryhme

Read some different stories to extend this

Some great ideas online too

http://www.gruffalo.com/

[tulip0803]

I am doing a Gruffalo one at the moment

I have the gruffalo soft toy, finger puppets of all the animals except the snake - a soft toy snake, the book and I hav started collecting activities to go in it.

Start with something simple and then add things as you find them.

This is the official site by the man that started them
http://www.storysack.com/sacks/list

They cost a fortune but might give you some ideas - I like to see the extension activites they include. I have puzzles but never thought of putting a monster one in the sack until I looked on here

[Pedagog]

Thank you everyone.

[Monkey1]

That is my project for autumn making up story sacks as we do the stories. The children are going to help!:rolleyes:

Love the Gruffalo cake Angel! Will keep that one Thank you x

[butterfly]

i've got one for:

the three little pigs - with construction and building things in it as well as puppets, cuddly toys etc

the three bears - with other bear things in it

10 in a bed - book, cuddly toys, counting bears

hungry caterpillar - lifecycles, butterflies, caterpillars etc

to name but a few

most of my ideas came from ebay. i've bought lots from ebay and then added to it with my own ideas

[brillminder]

i tend to add to each sack as i come across items, i have some from storysack.com ( send for the booklet to keep for ideas too. also take a photo so you know whats in the sack as some things can be used in other bags, and keep planning sheets named then you can go back and revisit when you want to ..........car boot sales are a fab place to resource items and look out the the ty soft toys as they can be repeated i.e. 3 pigs , 3 billy goats gruff, i make my own bags & sack pm for details :)

[Spangles]

I've got a Gingerbread Man one, it's got

the recipe typed out and laminated
picture cards and masks of the main characters
the story book
a cuddly gingerbread man and fox
a gingerbread man pastry cutter

and I can't remember what else! I'm going to add some information about foxes when I get some too - now I've been reminded I may have a quick look online! I really enjoyed getting it all together.

[angeldelight]

I have got some activity ideas - pdf files about the gingerbread man Lorri

You could laminate them and stick them in

If you want anything just let me know

Angel xx

[Spangles]

Oh yes please Angel! That would be fab!

I just checked and I've got

small cards with the characters on and their names underneath,
I've got cards with different numbers of gingerbread men on for counting,
A4 size character pictures,
masks,
recipe,
book obviously,
cuddly fox,
cuddly gingerbread man,
pastry cutter,
another cute, hard little gingerbread man from MacDonalds that talks but I've got absolutely no idea what it is he's saying!

I also just found a picture of a yawning fox frome the RSPCA pics we ordered ages ago!

If you have anything else though that would be brilliant!

Now I've got it all out I don't want to put it away! Ha ha!

[angeldelight]

Unsure what I have got I will just send it over you can always delete if you already have it

xxx

[Spangles]

Thank you Angel!

[miffy]

Some great ideas - thank you

This site has some great ideas too

www.kizclub.com - click on stories and props


Miffy xx

[nannan]

I have a nursery rhyme sack also a mini beast sack which the children love,

[JPMX]

Hi.

It can be difficult to get going!

I would advise starting by selecting a book from those you have. Choose one that you think will be really fun to put together, ideally getting children to help.

Then perhaps you could continue in this order:

- Find toys to represent the main characters (once you have some of these, you can try it out - you don't need huge amounts before the sack is useful)

- Search the internet for some easy to construct games and activities and include these

- Find a non-fiction book to include that covers some of the same themes.

- Lend it to other people to use and ask them what to include next.

Hope this helps.

Have fun,

Jill

<a title="Storysackcorner.com" href="http://storysackcorner.com" target="_blank">www.storysackcorner.com</a>

[Pedagog]

Thanks for that

[Chatterbox Childcare]

I think that these are a great idea. Where do you store it all?

Hubby would go mad if I introduced anymore!

[angeldelight]

I think that these are a great idea. Where do you store it all?

Hubby would go mad if I introduced anymore!

Ahhhhh now thats another story Debbie

Angel xx

[Pedagog]

I have them all over the house, , but then we have books all over the house as well.

[Deb]

I have a couple of story sacks. Our current favorite is Little Red Riding Hood - I have puppets and some dressing up clothes in it too - a useful one for teaching about stranger danger for module 305 of the NVQ3 CCLD.

[brillminder]

i store my bags on small & large coat stands , I have made lots so if any one wants and resources pm me and i will share if i have that topic story / or if you want ideas for activities. :)

[miffy]

i store my bags on small & large coat stands , I have made lots so if any one wants and resources pm me and i will share if i have that topic story / or if you want ideas for activities. :)

They look great!

Miffy xx

[lindylou]

Great ideas so far ive only got the dinasaurs one which i have harry and the bucketful of dinasaurs, a jigsaw ,pictures of dinasaurs laminated and some wall charts.
I am going to do goldilocks
Thanks for all the ideas
Linxx

[Toothfairy]

My project for the summer hols is to make up sensory bottles, treasure baskets and story sacks, so I am watching all these threads with interest. :thumbsup:

[Monkey1]

i store my bags on small & large coat stands , I have made lots so if any one wants and resources pm me and i will share if i have that topic story / or if you want ideas for activities. :)

They look fantastic! Well done!

[lottieslittlelambs]

Really wanted to bump this thread as it is full of AMAZING ideas. Found it in the google search for 'making story sacks'!

I am currently making 5 story sacks as a trial to see if my minded children like them and if it encourages language development on the whole and trying to get one of the boys more into reading too so need some ideas for older boys books!

I am currently working on Julia Donaldson's 'Sharing a shell' so far my ideas are:

- Shells of various sizes
- Feelings pictures (smiley face, sad face etc)
- Picture of Hermit crab
- Plastic sea creatures
- Factual book about sea life
- Soft toy/ puppet crab, anenome, bristleworm! lol
- Game
-Activity ideas on cards laminated
- CD rom/ dvd

Lottie :)

[butterfly]

I have a few story sacks on ebay at the moment if any one is interested.

Minibeasts - Peppa Pig 'Tiny Creatures' http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Peppa-Pig-Tiny-Creatures-minibeasts-Story-Sack-/320865829264?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4ab5180190

Tiger who came to tea http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tiger-Came-Tea-Story-Sack-EYFS-KS1-/320865829571?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4ab51802c3

Hippos http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hippo-Story-Sack-EYFS-Key-Stage-1-Childminder-/320865830011?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4ab518047b

[Jods]

silly question as am pants at sewing but what do you source as the sack ? :idea:

[Roseolivia]

I'm in the process of making 2, the gruffalo and the hungry caterpillar. Have got all the stuff for the gruffalo so just need to collect some things for hungry caterpillar.

[jumping j]

I've got 2 that the lo's love and I'm hoping to start a few more.

Hungry caterpillar, bag made out of some butterfly material.
-big furry hungry caterpillar with a 'mouth'
-plastic food to match the story - the children take turns to feed the caterpillar
-laminated pictures of food and days of the week
-hungry caterpillar dominoes
-butterfly life cycle book
-flashing butterfly wand (brought at the panto 2 years ago!!!)
-firefly book by the same author
-black and white book that should be to colour in but I photocopied it so the children could colour their own story
-hungry caterpillar game
-CD story
-hungry caterpillar cudly toy

Elmer, bag made from some multicoloured fabric
-Elmer book and CD
-Other Elmer stories - weather, colours, freinds etc.
-Cuddly Elmer toy
-Colour your own Elmer toy with felt tips (TKMax special reduced to £4.99)
-Grey elephant
-information about elephants

I'm hoping to make a few more over the coming months from some other favourites. top of the list is the Gruffalo and maybe the rainbow fish. But I really enjoyed putting them together and finding extra things to go in them. I want a nursery ryhme one and 'classic' fairy tails too!!
I hang them on a clothes rail, it's just waiting to get filled up!!!

[JulieA]

silly question as am pants at sewing but what do you source as the sack ? :idea:

You could try using a pillow case, or see if any of the pound shops have some drawstring bags at a reasonable cost and you could draw a picture/write the book title on the outside. Doesn't have to be fantastic as it is the inside that counts! Or maybe you could use a box instead and cover it with wrapping paper or images downloaded from the internet.

[Jods]

fankooo just came up blank on this cheers :blush:


You could try using a pillow case, or see if any of the pound shops have some drawstring bags at a reasonable cost and you could draw a picture/write the book title on the outside. Doesn't have to be fantastic as it is the inside that counts! Or maybe you could use a box instead and cover it with wrapping paper or images downloaded from the internet.

[JulieA]

You're welcome! :thumbsup: