Oliver really wants to play a princess in Ariana’s story. He stops, confused, when some of the other boys laugh. But when Noah, the new boy, refuses to take any notice of the laughter, Oliver discovers that there is another way...This beautifully illustrated story book explores a common situation that arises for children and teachers taking part in Helicopter Stories and allows the children to explore their feelings in a sensitive and supportive environment. The story is accompanie...

Storytelling and fantasy play are central to how young children make sense of their world, build relationships, and express themselves. Developed and championed by MakeBelieve Arts, Helicopter Stories is a simple yet powerful way to harness these natural impulses. Rooted in the storytelling and story acting work of Vivian Gussin Paley, and adapted for UK classrooms by theatre director Trisha Lee, this inclusive approach is now used in thousands of early years settings across the country, a...

Children are born with an ability to make sense of the world through play and storytelling. By creating narratives during fantasy play, children act out concepts and ideas that confuse them or that they find fascinating. Dramatic Mathematics consists of five stories and accompanying exercises to support teachers in Key Stage 1 to take a playful, story-based approach to introduce early mathematical concepts that children often struggle with.The stories are all set in the Ki...

This sequel to the bestselling Princesses, Dragons and Helicopter Stories reveals the positive impact the storytelling and story acting curriculum of Vivian Gussin Paley has on young children’s literacy, communication and confidence. Telling the story of three years of classroom-based research with children aged two to seven, it shows the Helicopter Stories approach in action, capturing the children’s development as storytellers and their delight at having their stories listened t...

Ella O’Connor desperately wants to tell a story, but every time she opens her mouth, her words disappear. Will she ever discover the joy of becoming a storyteller and unlock the secret that ideas and stories can be found everywhere?This beautifully illustrated story book explores a common situation that arises for children and teachers taking part in Helicopter Stories, and allows the children to explore their feelings in a sensitive and supportive environment. The story is accompa...

Marta doesn’t want Noah in her story. She wants her friend Shamika. Ms Fable says they have to take it in turns, but Marta doesn’t think that’s fair. When Noah becomes upset because of how Marta is behaving, she begins to realise that playing with other children can open up a whole load of fun she had never imagined possible...This beautifully illustrated story book explores a common situation that arises for children and teachers taking part in Helicopter Stories and allows the ch...

This revised and updated third edition offers a range of strategies, activities and ideas to bring mathematics to life in the primary classroom. Taking an innovative and playful approach to maths teaching, this book promotes creativity as a key element of practice and offers ideas to help your students develop knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of the subject.In the creative classroom, mathematics becomes a tool to build confidence, develop problem solving skills and motivate c...