Storytelling Festival

This year we encouraged our boys to participate in the Storytelling Festival. They are required to memorize a story and tell it to their class, then grade level, and finally the school--if they are chosen to move on by their peers and teachers.

This was quite a challenge for Mark who has a hard time making eye contact with people because he gets so nervous. Dax is more confident in front of a crowd, but he was very nervous, too (as you will see from the video). In order to sweeten the deal for the boys, we promised them Slurpees if they participated. Over time, the deal morphed a bit: If they told their class, they got a medium Slurpee. If they won that level and moved on to grade-level, they earned a large Slurpee. And if they advanced all the way to the school level and told their story in front of the whole school, they'd get the extra-large, gut-busting Slurpee.

Mark told a story that is famous in our house about losing his first tooth. Randy made it up and everyone loves to hear him tell it. Mark did a great job. He was the top teller in his class, and then he moved on to tell in 3rd grade. There were 3 really good tellers, but he was not chosen to move on to tell for the school. I wished I would have recorded him telling in front of his grade because he did so well and the students obviously loved it! But I only have a recording that we did at home to help him practice, so it will have to do! I was so proud of Mark. He really did an amazing telling.

Dax told a story about how Seth got his name (which is not true, even though I had a lot of people ask me if it really happened). He was the only one in his kindergarten class to tell, so he also told in front to the entire Kindergarten. Dax was also chosen to move on and tell to the entire school. He was excited, but very scared about telling in front of the school. It ended up being half the school, K-3. Dax was the first story teller, which was probably for the best so that he wouldn't have to sit on stage and be extra nervous. He started out very well, but by the end he was showing more nerves. I sat in the back and was so proud of him for being the youngest little teller up there! Dax was awesome. I did record him telling to the school.

They have already been talking about telling next year, so this adventure was a huge success for them.