The Story of Molly Whuppie with Marion Leeper

How do you transfer the magic of interactive storytelling from the classroom/playgroup setting to the online world of Zoom and YouTube?

Marion answered our Inkling & Connect call-out last year with a problem she wanted to try and solve.

The problem? How could Marion take the interactive fun and learning from a playgroup setting and transfer it to the flat screen of Zoom and YouTube?

It was certainly a challenge and we were keen to support Marion. Take a look at the first part of her Molly Whuppie story.

As she says about her first video story:

“The Bridge of One Hair that I’ve had to cross, was the big move to telling stories online. Live storytelling in the early years is a conversation.  Young children respond to stories with their whole bodies: not just joining in with actions and rhymes, but pointing, laughing, moving the props around, deciding how the characters are feeling and what they had for breakfast.  

I had to take a leaf out of Mollie Whuppie’s book, and make a virtue of a small screen.“

Marion persevered, tried out techniques and collaborated to bring in film skills.

“I struggled to learn so many things – lighting, set-building, framing. Then my film-buddy and mentor, Inés Alvarez Villa, came on the scene. Working remotely, she patiently taught me how to focus a shot, film close-up sequences of props and many other skills.”

You can read about Marion’s experience in her recent blog here.

If you are interested in finding out more about the use of storytelling in Early Years learning contact Marion via her website.

Here are the rest of the Molly Whuppie adventure series.

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