Sylvia is a trained and experienced preschool teacher, parent, and librarian who has always loved picture books.
She has seen how a seemingly simple story can support language development, deep learning, and meaningful connection. Sylvia sees picture books as more than just stories; they’re shared moments of laughter, curiosity, empathy, and wonder. They wrap storytelling in warmth, and invite us to slow down and experience the world together, one page at a time.
When those pages are shared along a path in a park - as a StoryWalk®, the magic of picture books extends beyond the classroom or library. In this less formal setting, children and families can discover stories in a way that feels spontaneous and joyful.
StoryWalks® are a movement and literacy boosting project that places an illustrated children’s book, displayed page by page, along a walking route in your community.
This transforms a children’s book into an outdoor journey - pages are displayed on stands along the path, and children can walk, run, hop, skip, jump, or wheel to each one, as you read together.
The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Storywalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.
Sylvia will give us an overview of StoryWalks®, their creation and benefits. She'll cover what led her to champion getting two StoryWalks® installed in public spaces in her region, and some of the practical considerations and solutions, if you would like to start the process of getting one.
She also has practical information to share with Teachers, about how you can get a StoryWalk® happening in your school, with a minimum of prep-time, while respecting copyright.
At the end of this workshop you will:
✔️ Know what StoryWalks® are
✔️ Know how you can use StoryWalks® to get the benefit of movement and reading combined to support your child's language and literacy development.
✔️ Have an idea of how to get a StoryWalk® set up in your region or school.
“We love Storywalks”
This workshop is from Aotearoa New Zealand, but the information covered is applicable globally. StoryWalks® can be installed in any location, with the consent of the land-owners and copyright permission gained.
In New Zealand, this tends to be on local council land, such as public greens, parks and near playgrounds. This is often in conjunction with local libraries, as the councils administrate both. This may be different across countries, but the principles of gaining consent, finding local people to make the stands, and gaining copyright permission is universal.
In schools, there is a copyright exception that Sylvia will talk us through, and this will be true for most countries. Sylvia will share ways that schools can temporarily install StoryWalks® that have very low prep and low time requirements.
The StoryWalk® Project was created Montpelier, Vermont, Washington, USA, so there will be a wealth of American specific information available.
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