Rewilding Children's Imaginations is a practical and creative resource designed to engage children in the natural world through folktales, storytelling, and artmaking.

The guide introduces 21 folklore stories from across the world alongside 99 creative activities, spanning nature and the four seasons of the year. Using the lens of folktales and myths of the land, children are encouraged to explore a variety of activities and exercises across different arts media, from visual art making to storytelling, drama, and movement.

This resource:

• Helps teachers and group facilitators to build confidence in offering a range of creative learning experiences, inspired by nature.

• Provides a collection of easy-to-use, cross-curricular and storytelling activities.

• Allows children to connect with nature, their imagination, and folktales from around the world.

• Builds new skills in oracy, artmaking, collaboration, wellbeing, care of the environment, diversity, respect, and tolerance, and more.

• Inspires children to tell stories and make art both individually and collaboratively, helping them build confidence as active creators in their community.

• Shares creative tools and positive learning experiences to inspire children, teachers, and parents across the school year.

Rewilding Children's Imaginations brings together nature, art, and oral storytelling in easy and accessible ways to help children connect with the world around them, as well as with their own emotional landscapes. It is essential and enjoyable reading for primary teachers and early years professionals, outdoors practitioners, therapists, art educators, community and youth workers, home schoolers, parents, carers, and families.

About the Author

Pia Jones is an author, creative workshop facilitator and integrative arts psychotherapist, having trained at The Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education. Pia has worked with children and adults in a variety of school, health, and community settings. A love for myth, art, and nature underpins her practice.

Sarah Pimenta is an artist, educator, creative workshop facilitator, illustrator, and lecturer in creativity. She has delivered art and print-making workshops in over 250 schools, diverse communities, and public venues internationally. Nature and social change are huge inspirations in her art and creative workshops.

Tamsin Cooke is an internationally published and award-winning children's author, workshop facilitator, and former primary school teacher. She designs and runs innovative creative writing and drama workshops in schools across the UK and globally online.

Reviews

"Rewilding Children's Imaginations does a magical job of combining cross-curricular skills with creative activities inspired by the natural world and multi-cultural folktales. The detailed yet easy-to-follow plans offer a range of playful and stimulating ideas for children to develop their confidence in oracy and storytelling. Learning should always look like this: child-centred and discussion-led with rich and diverse material to ignite the imagination." Marina Lewis-King, Programme Manager, A New Direction

"Rewilding Children's Imaginations is a must-read for all practitioners of primary-aged children. This easy-to-follow guide connects the magic of the outside world with the children they teach. Rich with stories from around the globe, it offers an escape from the digital world and 'bottom in seats' educating, into the depths of exploration and creativity that all children deserve. It promotes exciting storytelling, brimming with language, oracy and drama which can be used to support in all established curriculums. Connecting with nature can help the children to see that they are part of something much bigger, freeing children's imaginations." Zoe Bagheri, Assistant Headteacher and Senior Mental Health Lead

"One of the greatest tragedies of modern civilization has to be the divide we created in our imagination between nature and humans. This book provides a brilliantly written and researched account of just why that divide is a fantasy. It is an inspirational and practical guide for those who want to show our children the pathway back." Dr Eugene Hughes, Psychotherapist, Co-Founder of Lead Like a River: The Times Top 20 Life Changing Experiences

Book Information
ISBN 9781032014517
Author Pia Jones
Format Paperback
Page Count 220
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 760g