By Dongyun Kwon
A family fun event will be held in Healesville next month.
Ode to Story organised by Wild Ridge Community aims to build a connection between local children and nature as well as giving an opportunity for homeschool, community school and unschooled kids to showcase their talents.
Wild Ridge Community is made up of a few different enterprises.
Valley Wildlings, which offers local nature-based programs for children, is one of the groups involved in Wild Ridge Community.
The event will be divided into mainly two parts, natureplay and bushcraft workshops from 3.30pm to 4.30pm and storytellers and performers on stage from 5pm to 6.30pm.
Valley Wildlings founder Samantha Levy said the Ode to Story was originally started in Northern Rivers by Luminous Youth.
“We’re collaborating with them [Luminous Youth] to bring the events down south and one of the values that Luminous Youth upholds is to honour the youngest gifts and their need to have a safe nurturing space,” she said.
“That’s why we’ve wanted to create a storytelling performance and permaculture puppet show for the whole family and it also gives the children a chance, especially for the homeschool and community-skilled school children who don’t usually have the chance to perform for a group.
“We still actually have spaces available for children to perform if anyone wants to do that and they’ll receive a $50 gift for their efforts as we really like to have the children up there.”
Valley Wildlings is going to lead the natureplay workshop.
Ms Levy said the natureplay workshop would have a storytelling element.
“We’re going to be using clays and materials to make characters that the children can get into the storytelling spirit and then we’re going to weave the stage and gather materials from the land to create little shelters for our characters to play on,” she said.
“So they start to make a story themselves and then they can take that with them into the second part, their actual performance.”
A bushcraft workshop will run simultaneously, facilitated by Leafy from Leafy Adventures.
The workshop will focus on primitive skills and a tour of the bushcraft site.
The actual performances will start at 5pm emceed by Chris James from The Dreaming Space.
Mr James will bring his magical presence to the event and present a Permaculture Puppet Show.
Local children aged 18 or younger are welcome to perform singing, playing music, dancing, magic tricks, storytelling and secret talent shows.
Performers can invite up to three of their immediate family members to come along for free.
Children under 16 years old must be accompanied by at least one adult.
Anyone wishing to perform at the event or having questions could contact the event organiser at kate_cole@outlook.com.
Tickets are purchasable at the website, events.humanitix.com/ode-to-story-or-family-performance-night.
