“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” ― Philip Pullman
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PLEASE NOTE – PopUp StoryCave is on Pause until furter notice – apologies!
I have been lucky enough to be a storyteller for young people and adults alike for a long time now. Around campfires or in a classroom, stories are a powerful tool that can inspire creativity, thinking and empathy in everyone.
You don’t have to take my word for it – a short blog with some recent feedback.
Stories are also a perfect way to kick start your curriculum topic, to deepen and strengthen the writing and learning. Please get in touch to find out more.
Click Here – To see the PopUp in action at a Children’s Literature Festival
In the astounding PopUp Immersive Space, I can come to you, open it out in a space for up to two classes at a time, or close the space for a single class. Time Travel, exploration and imagination. Anything and anywhere is possible.
And I can come to you and tell you a story. Perhaps in your classroom or assembly hall. Perhaps in your 4D Immersive space if you have one.
Some brief examples of stories to be told:
- Arthurian Legends – Including Gawain & The Green Knight; Merlin and the Dragon…
- Traditional Tales With a Twist – Including
- From the Other Side: Fairytales from a different perspective. Including: The Wolf, the asthma and the pigs;
- Daddy Bear & his terrible day;
- The Giant’s heartbreaking dilemma;
- Those Left Behind – a Sleeping Beauty that leads to an abandoned family tragedy.
- Tale from other Cultures:
- African Bush & Waterhole Tales;
- Diwali Stories:
- Native American stories;
- Roma Culture Traditional Tales;
- Theseus & The Minotaur & Greek Myths, Monsters and Dragons…
- Historical Settings –
- The story of the Great War & the Pals Regiments of WWI
- From SOS to LOL, how technology saved some of the Titanic passengers;
- The Forgotten Blitz, one cities story of WW2;
- ‘Don’t Call me a Pirate…’ Meet 18th Century Tavern Owner and ex-Privateer Edward Roberts. Where did his gold come from? Tales from the ‘Golden Age’ of Piracy…
- Professor Stumble’s PopUp Adventures!
- Visit the Stone Age and hear how Stonehenge was built
- Row across the fjords with a Viking longship, raiding or trading?
- Travel Out of Orbit and visit the International Space Station and look down on the Earth.
Exciting stories. Dynamic stories. Fantasy stories. Traditional stories. Scary stories. Real stories. Your stories.
Also stories can be adapted to suit KS1 or KS2 and can last between 50 minutes and 2 hours. Digital Stories can be augmented with creative and drama activities to develop experiences, connections and ideas.
What stories should I be telling? Deliver and kickstart your curriculum with a uniquely 21st Century interpretation of an ancient approach.
Costs: Please get in contact for prices. The whole of KS1 & 2 can be seen in one day. With careful timetabling. With a 2 form entry school this could work out as little as £1 per young person….
Do get in contact.
You can see some recent project examples on my Blog HERE.
Join my Mailing List HERE
“If you want to stimulate your children into thinking and writing, I really recommend the work of Gav Cross. “
Hywel Roberts – Creative Educational Consultant
“All the children thoroughly enjoyed their sessions. The stories were age appropriate and engaging. They were expertly delivered. Children have been captivated by storytelling. They are asking for storytelling sessions in their English lessons and across other areas of the curriculum, particularly history.”
Stuart Hetherington Deputy Headteacher – Woolton Primary School
Gav has been conducting story telling activities within the school for the past four years. He has become our story teller in residence. His work is inspirational. He has children and adults alike, mesmerised by his story telling techniques and skills. Gav has motivated all our children to talk and write and this has resulted in even the most reluctant writers producing high quality, imaginative pieces of writing. Gav has worked with us on cross curricular themes and has excellent relationships with all staff to ensure all learning needs are met and all statutory expectations are covered. His work with us ranges from African story telling, World War One and Roald Dahl. He is sensitive to all subjects and learner backgrounds and is thought provoking. I would whole heartedly recommend Gav for any story telling theme, he is creative, imaginative and makes learning fun!”
Andrea Connearn, Headteacher
St Hugh’s Primary, Liverpool
“Gavin is nothing short of inspirational and his storytelling in our new 4d room had our children on the edge of their seats! EAL pupils who had not spoken since joining the school suddenly found their voice during his session and even the shyest of pupils were keen to take to the limelight. What is more, during our follow up training, members of staff who I can only describe as ‘allergic’ to technology suddenly became keen to have a go with their new ‘kit’ and Gav’s infectious enthusiasm for technology enhanced learning has resulted in us having to set up a booking system for our 4d room as everyone wants to have a go! I cannot recommend him highly enough.”
Jo Bland, Principal
Pioneers Boston
“We would like to say a huge THANK YOU for delivering two “bantersaurus” brilliant workshops at the Teaching and Learning Carnival. You pitched them perfectly and I heard some lovely comments not only on the day but from some of the staff at Worsbrough Common, who were all fired up yesterday ready for the term ahead!”
Julie Tallant – Barnsley Teaching School Alliance
“Gav does so much more than tell stories he actually weaves magic and leads children into higher levels of understanding whilst being fully immersed in their learning. The magic can be seen in the faces of children – Gav really does create the awe and wonder factor within a classroom.”
Jane Hewitt
Photographer, Teacher, Author, Independent Thinking Associate
“Gav’s storytelling workshop inside 4D Creative’s pop-up space was a captivating experience for our students from across our network of partner schools. Gav clearly understands the power that stories can have to unlock the imaginations of his listeners, developing in them an emotional and vivid connection with historical or fictional events. During our particular sessions exploring the Blitz in Liverpool and the sinking of the Titanic, he expertly wove together role-play, real life testimonial accounts, projected imagery and sound. This created a fully immersive and enthralling experience for our students, generating deep and sometimes profound questions from them in response to the stories he told.”
Annika Munro – Teacher of Drama Fallibroome Academy
“I worked with Gav over a six month period on a creative project at Fazakerley Hospital and Norris Green Day Centre in Liverpool. We worked together to explore how immersive experiences could be used to engage people with dementia. It was a great pleasure to collaborate with Gav in both of these contexts. He brought expertise and vision to the project as a manager and facilitator, whilst also showing huge sensitivity and generosity in relation to the older people that we were working with. He also showed humour, creativity and imagination, and was always ready to share, as well as being keen to learn.”
Liz Postlethwaite
Director: Small Things: Creativity, Community, Participation
“Whilst I cannot comment on your story telling or Comedy, I can comment on your wonderful personality and Joie De vivre. We here at Sedgemoor enjoyed our interaction with you and all the other staff from 4D and found you to be really helpful and caring. We have utilised our 4D room for a Christmas Grotto, a Harvest Festival, a Pub sing a long amongst others. Our Service Users and Staff are finding the 4D to be a very useful tool for relaxing and calming, for dancing and singing and everything in between. We look forward to working with you again in the future.”
Mary Plumpton
Area Manager
Sedgemoor Day Centre