“Stories can contribute vitally to young children’s lives and to what they need for growing up healthy – food for the imagination, nourishment for the emotions and a chance to make sense of the world where we live.”
Storytelling...
Rogan is happy to tell stories wherever he can but the bulk of his term time is spent in primary schools and nurseries. He can spend as little as one hour with a single class but he finds it more rewarding to spend a full day in a school, sharing the joy with each year group as well as with whole school assemblies. During the school holidays (and also sometimes in term time), he enjoys performing in museums, galleries and libraries.
Oral storytelling
This is an ancient and intimate tradition which can provide a much more personal experience for children than sharing a book. Rogan draws upon a rich history of folk tales, myths, legends and fables as well as using his own creative juices to develop tales of his own. He’s also quite good at magpieing ideas from other storytellers!
His aim is always to draw his audience into a story so that they become fully immersed in a world of fantasy, often contributing to the direction a tale might take.
Rogan also loves to celebrate books that are examples of good quality children’s literature. Whether it’s a picture book or junior fiction, Rogan know just what to look for to bring a story to life. The best authors and illustrators provide plenty of opportunity for that and Rogan is experienced and talented at discovering the clues in order to deliver a high quality and absorbing session.
For a special treat, why not book Bedtime Stories with Wee Willie Winkie. The children are invited back to school in the evening and come dressed in their pyjamas and clutching their favourite cuddly. Rogan (aka Wee Willie Winkie), dressed in full costume, delivers around 40 minutes of entertainment and the school then provide some bedtime snacks before the children are collected by their grown-up. (This is a favourite with PTFA’s.)
Storytelling Festivals
They are a tremendous way to make a real impact. They can work for an individual school or for a cluster of schools over one or two weeks. For these events, Rogan works as a coordinator for this celebration of storytelling. Activities can include a launch party, storyteller visits to schools, training and workshops for staff and parents and a grand finale. Just let Rogan know your needs and your budget and he will do the rest.
Services for the Early Years...
Story and Rhyme sessions help children to develop early speech and language skills as well as a love of books, stories and reading. These are always fast paced and interactive. See Storytelling for further details.
Bounce and Rhyme sessions are most suitable for babies 0 to 18 months. Babies are gently bounced on a grown-up knee, these sessions are a great way of sharing nursery rhymes, action songs and simple percussion music and provide lots of opportunities for social interaction. These sessions can also include the use of bubbles and a parachute.
Wriggle and Jiggle sessions are similar to Bounce and Rhyme but are suitable for children aged between 18 months and pre-school.
Sing and Sign sessions use makaton (just like Mr Tumble!) to marry well-known songs and rhymes to sign language. Rogan taught one of his children some basic sign language right from birth and the results were amazing. This is a great introduction to the benefits of using sign language and it can also incorporate some useful first signs to teach your baby.
“Rogan is an experienced professional who not only captivates children with his storytelling performances but also supports librarians with approaches to embedding high quality storytelling techniques into their practice. Rogan has provided consultancy services on a range of projects from storytelling festivals to supporting the early implementation of our new Story Bus Service in Leeds. He is skilled at project management, reliable and always delivers on time with outstanding results"
Chief Librarian, Leeds Libraries
Training and Consultation
Rogan has a wealth of professional experience, working both in schools and in and with the library service. He has spoken, trained and held workshops at conferences, in educational settings, at festivals and for library services.
His style is relaxed, fun and informal but he is passionate about his subject area and tends to inspire through his obvious love and enthusiasm for what he does. He is equally as comfortable addressing chief librarians and head teachers as he is with parents and carers.
For Professionals – how to prepare for, structure and deliver: -
- Oral storytelling
- Professionals as Storytellers
- Library story time sessions
- Bounce and Rhyme
- Sing and Sign
- Parachute games
- Class Visits
For Parents and Carers
- Oral storytelling
- Parents as Storytellers (the importance of sharing stories and how to get the most out of picture books to make story time fun, interactive and stimulating)
- Signing to your baby, an introduction
Consultation
Rogan has consulted with library authorities, early years settings and schools in most of the areas outlined above. Most recently he worked closely with Leeds Libraries in the development of their two fabulous Story Buses, Nelly and Sam. He also reviewed and help to develop their under 5’s provision across the city.
Costs
Travel expenses @45p/mile will be added to all of Rogan’s fees (he’s based in Chorley at PR6 7QJ)
Storytelling & Music
- Up to one hour: £80.00
- Bedtime Stories Session: £100.00
- Half Day: £200.00
- Full Day: £300.00
Training
For parents/carers
- 2 hours: £130.00
For professionals
- 2 hours: £200.00
- Half Day: £300.00
- Full Day: £500.00
Consultation
Costs can be agreed on an individual basis