Kids discover the music of poetry through a rollicking multi-cultural tour of raps and traditional verse. Bobby turns traditional tales, such as “Little Red Riding Hood” or “The Three Billy’s Goat’s Gruff,” into finger-snapping, toe-tapping verse. He transforms...
Art Form: Storytelling
Our Programs
Dancing the Story
Note: This program can only be delivered virtually. Dancing the Story is a 3-5 day virtual creative dance residency that explores a work of literature through movement and dance making. Directed by dance educator and choreographer Sarah Council, students will consider...
Shadowball: The Negro Baseball Leagues
Bobby Norfolk’s latest living history performance takes us on a fascinating journey through the heyday of the Negro Baseball Leagues, a time when this country was segregated by Jim Crow laws, and America’s “National Pastime” wore two faces, the whites-only Major...
Tales of the Underground Railroad: The Story of Henry “Box” Brown
Journey back to the historical era of the Underground Railroad in this theatrical reenactment of one man’s struggle for emancipation. Henry “Box” Brown was born into slavery in Virginia in 1816. After his wife and children were taken from him and sold, he had himself...
Dreams Deferred: The Poetry and Prose of the Harlem Renaissance
All aboard! Jump on the "A" train to celebrate the African-American art, music, and poetry exploding out of Harlem in the early 20th century. During this artistic journey, we will make stops for poetry, prose, vignettes and toe-tapping music! Bobby uses musical...
Becoming Visible through Our Stories: Exploring Cultural Identity and Pride
Folktales reflect the intrinsic values, traditions, and cultures from which they come, so they are the perfect vehicle for students to explore and share pride in their cultural identities. In this virtual or in-person residency, students will research their cultural...
Heroes Are Everywhere: Write Your Own Journey Myth
Note: This program can only be delivered virtually. Stories are doorways to help us understand the world, and myths are some of the greatest stories ever told. Some of the most famous myths are journey myths, in which a character must go on a quest and face many...
Three Little What-zits and the Big Bad Who-zit
In this residency, Sherry Norfolk will perform a fractured version of “The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf,” then explore the pattern of fracturing stories with students. Students will research a particular state, continent, habitat or region to choose their...
Harriet Tubman: An American Hero
By now, many Americans have learned that Harriet Tubman was the most infamous leader of the Underground Railroad, but what does that mean? What exactly was the Underground Railroad and how was it run? What were the roads that were taken into Freedom? How many miles in...
Scott Joplin: The Ragtime King
The music of Scott Joplin influenced a whole generation! Explore the life and music of an American original. This exciting and engaging program combines storytelling, live music and audience participation and traces Joplin’s path from an inauspicious beginning in...
Through the Eyes of York: The Lewis & Clark Story
York, William Clark's slave, was the only African-American member of the "Corps of Discovery" — the official name of the band of courageous explorers whose epic journey across our continent became immortalized as the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The Plains Indians...
Women Get the Vote: America’s Suffrage Story
What if you were told that you couldn’t vote? That’s what half of the American adult population—the female half—was told until 1920. Using historical records and dramatic reenactment, Karen portrays a cantankerous suffragette and her modern day...
Milky Way, Moons, and Meteorites
Join educator, author, and songwriter Dinosaur O’Dell for an interactive assembly about outer space science. The students learn about the planets in our solar system, gravity, the greenhouse effect, friction, and the difference between meteors, meteorites, and...
Professor I Drop, The Juggling Scientist
Jay Cady of Laughing Matters illustrates the concepts of kinetic and potential energy using bean bags, spinning plates, and other juggling equipment in this interactive classroom workshop. He also shares original poems about famous scientists and challenges students...
“TREE”mendous
Storyteller and naturalist Kim Madden will introduce stories about our friends, the TREES. Students will discover the many facets of these living members of our world – and our own backyards. They will listen, participate, imagine, and predict, as Ms. Kim weaves...
Natural Wonders… Earth Protectors Who Led the Way
Former St. Louis Zoo Naturalist and Great Ape Keeper Dianne Moran leads students on a journey into environmental history as she portrays either Mountain Gorilla Researcher and Defender Dian Fossey, or Mother of Environmentalism Rachel Carson. Stepping from character,...
Tales With a Point: Fables and Fairytales
The Cady duo not only bring fables and fairy tales to life in this energetic performance, they help children analyze the stories by identifying characters, settings, plots, and morals. Jay and Leslie use theatricality, humor, circus skills, and audience participation...
Turn Off The Lights
With shadow puppets, a completely different type of performance is available. Shadow Puppets resemble silhouettes more than traditional puppets and can move in very life-like and dramatic ways. When the house lights go down and the stage light casts the first shadow,...
Peter Rabbit Grows a Garden
This performance features Peter Rabbit growing his own garden after receiving seeds and instruction from a disgruntled farmer named Jill. Problems arise when a gopher steals some of Peter’s carrots. Peter has to resolve the issue by sharing his knowledge of gardening...
Amazing Animals!
Join veteran Zoo naturalist and living history performer Dianne Moran as she presents a fun-filled learning experience. Live animals (spiders, insects, snakes, lizards and small animals), bio facts of skins, skulls, etc. along with lots of audience participation...
Moral of the Story
Research tells us that the BEST way for young children to learn how to treat others is through stories that help them develop empathy and understanding. These fun-filled stories do just that without a single moment of preaching or didactic-ism! Also available for...
Spiders ’n’ Bugs ’n’ Butterflies
Creeping, crawling, fuzzy, flying insects fill these interactive stories with wiggles and giggles! Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance Curriculum Connections: English/Language Arts Teaching Artist: Sherry Norfolk Request...
Rain, Rain, Go Away!
Sherry Norfolk performs tales of storms, rain, drought, clouds and weather! Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance Curriculum Connections: Science, English/Language Arts Teaching Artist: Sherry Norfolk Request Info / Book...
North to Alaska!
Folktales from Alaska introduce children to the animals and customs of our northernmost state in a way they will never forget! Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance Curriculum Connections: Social Studies/Culture,...
Music! Music! Music!
Melody, rhythm and dance provide the motif for these stories! Kids will be dancing, singing, clapping and tapping along! Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance Curriculum Connections: English/Language Arts Teaching Artist:...
Leapin’ Lizards!
Geckos, chameleons, horned lizards, gators and crocodiles slither and slide through these multicultural tales! Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance Curriculum Connections: Science, English/Language Arts, Social...
It’s For the Birds!
Crows, owls, ravens, hawks and buzzards are among the many winged creatures that inhabit these folktales! Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance Curriculum Connections: Social Studies/Culture, English/Language Arts Teaching...
In, On and Around the Pond
In, On and Around the Pond: Animals that live in or near the pond provide a lively theme for this active program featuring frogs, ducks, geese, beavers and maybe a water snake or two! Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance...
I Read It in a Book
Each of these stories brings a favorite picture book to life, helping children make the important connection between stories and the printed word. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance Curriculum Connections: English/Language Arts Teaching Artist: Sherry Norfolk...
I Can’t Sleep
When we have trouble going to sleep or staying asleep, it’s comforting to know that others share the same problems! Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance Curriculum Connections: English/Language Arts Teaching Artist: Sherry...
Frolicking Frogs
Happy, hoppy stories of frogs from around the globe. Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance Curriculum Connections: English/Language Arts, Science Teaching Artist: Sherry Norfolk Request Info / Book Program [salesforce...
Down on the Farm
Old MacDonald is joined by a host of critters and characters who make the barnyard the happening place to be! Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance Curriculum Connections: English/Language Arts Teaching Artist: Sherry...
Around the World and Back Again
Folktales from around the world teach children about neighbors near and far, and how much alike we really are. This program can easily be tailored to specific continents or regions. Also available for virtual performances. Audience: Grades PK-K Format: Performance...
Storytelling Express: A Musical Journey Around the World!
Conductor Bobby Norfolk and Engineer Dave Farver will magically transport you on their express train across vast continents where you will meet mysterious characters whose adventures will entertain and enlighten you. You’ll be amazed as Bobby brings to life diverse...
Voices of the Past: Famous People of Missouri
Experience the drama, humor and excitement of the fascinating people and historical events of early St. Louis & Missouri. This program will highlight the Great Fire and Cholera Epidemic of the 1800’s, myths and facts of slavery in St. Louis and the various ethnic...
Tales Worth Telling: Stories of Character Education
Bobby puts a new spin on the age-old practice of using stories to impart universal values, such as cooperation, self-esteem, honesty, responsibility and respect in this series of tales that focus on enhancing Character Education. Available for after school and virtual...
Stories to Celebrate Special Themes!
Throughout the school year, there are many thematic events for students to learn timely lessons. Bobby has an array of stories to help celebrate these special events in your classroom. For the first semester, he has scary and not too scary stories for Halloween....
Living History Programs
Bring a historical character into your classroom. Through first person narrative, Bobby will bring to life one of the following: Through The Eyes of York: The Lewis & Clark Story (Grades 3-12) Dreams Deferred: The Poetry and Prose of Harlem (Grades 6-12) Scott...
Back to the Books: Stories that Encourage Reading
Excite your students with the joy of reading! Using high energy animation and dynamic sound effects, three-time Emmy Award winner Bobby Norfolk brings to life myths, folktales and legends! By highlighting popular library books, Bobby illustrates the power of...
Folktales From Around the World: Stories of Cultural Diversity
Dynamic sound effects and Bobby’s lively, animated style highlight this presentation of tales from the Far East, Africa, Europe and America. As Bobby compares and contrasts different cultures students learn that people from around the globe are more alike than...
Secret Agents of the Underground Railroad
These exciting, true stories of amazing danger and adventure bring to life the real heroes of the Underground Railroad, an informal network of safe houses and trails used by 19th century black slaves to bring people to freedom. Through this program, important parts of...
Words from the Drum
Kunama drums, sings, dances and tells stories with a vibrant energy, bringing together students of all ages. The tales, rich in African-American folklore, come to life through audience participation in music and dance from the United States, Africa, Brazil and the...
Motivation, Interaction and Space Aliens: How to Trick Earthlings into Learning
Professional Development for K-2 classroom teachers and Elementary School Music Teachers Earthlings learn best when they are engaged. And they are engaged best when they are interactive. Dino O'Dell's workshops focus on engaging intrinsic motivators in three areas:...
Using Storytelling to Motivate Student Research
Storytelling evokes curiosity; curiosity provokes learning. Teaching students to do research is often hampered by the fact that students don’t WANT to do research. It simply doesn’t seem relevant or interesting to them. BUT…these Pre K-high school storytelling...
Storytelling Classroom: Applications Across the Curriculum
This workshops provides a hands-on introduction to the art and its magical ability to engage students in learning. By its nature, storytelling is experiential, engaging, and involving. More classroom teachers are discovering what storytellers have always known: that...
Teaching Kids to Tell Stories
Teachers will learn effective methods for teaching students of all ages how to learn-and-re-tell or create-and-tell stories, thus improving both written and oral communication skills as well as impacting critical thinking skills, increasing poise and enhancing...
Storytelling: A Powerful Tool for Brain-Based Education
Through demonstrations, interactive instructional models and lively discussion, this training seminar will explore the ways in which storytelling and folktales can provide a meaningful matrix for learning which positively affects test scores and competencies....
Storytelling in the ESL Classroom
Storytelling offers many ways for an English language student to improve speaking and listening skills. When students listen to stories, they become more proficient in understanding the spoken words, improving vocabulary and fluency. When students tell stories, they...
Making Meaning: Turning Pictures Into Words
Visual literacy and visual literacy skills (looking, seeing, questioning, speculating, analyzing, fact-finding, and categorizing) are necessary for reading. In teaching reading, we must aim to develop not only decoding skills, but more significantly mental pictures...
Exploring the Common Core
Storytelling is a powerful vehicle for integrating the reading, writing, listening, speaking and research standards of the Common Core Curriculum. Participants will take part in hands-on grade-level-appropriate lessons that address Language Arts, Social Studies and...
Creating a Storytelling Classroom
Through demonstrations, interactive instructional models and lively discussion, this training seminar will explore the ways in which storytelling and folktales can enliven and inform the character education classroom, thus awakening the “moral imagination.”...
Building Blocks to Literacy
Recent research provides new insights and perspectives on the ways storytelling helps lay the best possible foundation for learning in the early childhood classroom. Participants will explore relevant research and its practical applications, engaging in demonstrations...
Earth Tracks
Nature within the realm of science is a logical and beautiful metaphor to the arts. A casual nature walk can fill our senses with infinite shapes, sounds and esthetic beauty. Many of our greatest artists have been influenced by the natural world, whether they are...
Twice Upon A Time
Students join this storyteller and jazz musician for a blend of trickster, pourquoi, and heroic tales. Students become more engaged and analytical listeners as they are actively engaged in stories rich in humor, wise lessons, and memorable patterns. As they retell the...
Dramatic Play Through Puppetry
Guided by puppeteer Paul Vandivort, students in this program learn to use puppets to enter imaginary worlds and to act out stories. In small groups, students practice cooperation while playing games that teach math, phonics and public speaking skills. Creating their...
Heart of the Story
Students learn the many ways a story can be told in this innovative program taught by storyteller and puppeteer Daniel Romano. Each week they will be engaged in a folktale through storytelling, read-alouds, role plays, and/or puppet shows, comparing and contrasting...
I am a Storyteller
Bring out the natural storyteller in your students in this performance/literacy program! Students are immersed in folktales, written and oral, from Anansi trickster tales to tall tales of John Henry and Paul Bunyan. They then select, adapt, and learn a story to...
Mission Improvable
Discover the creative world of improvisational dramatics. While constructing a short play based on a classroom theme, children experience the improvisation arts of pantomime, storytelling and spontaneous character. Ed Reggi chooses from more than 50 improvisation...
Young Voices
Students experiment with visualization, drama skills and storytelling techniques to act and “tell” their way through the process of writing a story. The classroom teacher selects a theme; Sherry then tells a story based on that theme and dissects its structure for...
Tellin’ Tales
This fast-paced, participatory workshop involves verbal and physical response, singing, dancing and problem solving. Children learn and re-tell a folktale in their own words, enhancing oral language, sequencing and conceptualization skills. Also available for virtual...
Re-Tell Me a Story
In each thirty minute residency session, children will hear and actively participate in a variety of curriculum-themed stories that strengthen their listening skills and stretch their attention spans – AND within each session, children will dramatize and re-tell...
Hear It! Tell It! Learn It!
Listening, speaking, reading and writing are the cornerstones of literacy and all four are combined in this action-packed residency. Students will hear stories and then become storytellers themselves…repeating the stories in large groups, small groups and...
Be an Instant Storyteller!
In this workshop, the dynamic Sherry Norfolk will immerse students in the artistic process of storytelling. They hear stories, create their own tales and then immediately tell the new story to a classmate. This is an excellent way to kick off a creative writing unit...
Dance to the Drum, Drum to the Dance
Join Kunama Mtendaji on an exciting journey exploring the rhythmic textures of African percussion through music and dance. This program will focus on either the folklore of the United States, or areas in West Africa, Haiti, and Cuba, and will emphasize the languages,...
Voices of the American Dream: The Ellis Island Story
What would cause thousands of people to give up a way of life, leaving their homelands and, sometimes, their family members behind to come to foreign shores? Students will find out with Dianne Moran by dressing in turn of the century clothing, showing personal...
Revolutionary War, An American View
The battlegrounds of Valley Forge, Trenton, and others stand witness to the Revolutionary War. However little is known of the battle of Ft. San Carlos, fought on May26, 1780 at Fourth and Walnut streets, right here in St. Louis. Students learn why the colonists...
Missouri, Eyes to the West
The realities of the wagon train migrations to the west were exciting but filled with struggles of people searching for a better life. Lewis and Clark opened the West, but it would be another 40 years after the expedition ended before great numbers of pioneers would...
Lewis and Clark’s Sacagawea
Learn about the life of Sacagawea, the Shoshone woman who became immortalized because of her journey accompanying the Corps of Discovery in 1804-1806. Sacagawea recounts the story of her amazing life and adventures. In Shoshone dress, with articles for her survival,...
Earth Woman Stories
Join Living History presenter Dianne Moran as she leads your students back to a time when hundreds of Native Americans lived as one with nature. In the Residency, students will learn the importance of tribal storytelling, the lessons they taught and dress in Native...
Colonial Peasant Woman
Colonial life in the Midwestern woodlands is resurrected as Dianne appears in period dress to tell true stories of the wilderness and village life. She answers questions including — Who were they? Why did they move here? What did they do at home? What games did the...
Civil War Diary
Explore the life of a woman during the Civil War with storyteller and historian Dianne Moran. What was life like during the war? Did women participate in any of the fighting? Dianne plays her mountain dulcimer, spins a few tales and shows relics from the battles. She...
Amazing Creatures!
Join veteran zoo naturalist Dianne Moran as she engages students to join her on a journey into the wild realm of animals! Live animals, animal bio facts (skins, skulls and uniquely preserved specimens) along with lots of student participation highlight this fun and...
Discovering the World Around Us
Students will hear tales of discovery — woods and streams, creatures large and small, changing seasons, and the mysteries emerging from a variety of ecosystems. Supported by a Missouri Master Naturalist, they will have the opportunity to experience nature in their...
Care-full Stories
Young children learn to care for the people in their daily lives with children’s librarian Marilyn Lane. From Goldilocks who returns to apologize to the Three Bears, to the forest animals who snuggle with the bear to stay warm, students’ visualization skills are...
Stories of Cooperation and Connection
Ms. Madonna weaves together storytelling, music, and role play as students travel around the world through story. Students hear and act out stories that broaden their understanding of themselves and foster peaceful relationships with one another and the larger...
Alphabet Adventures: Phonics Fun
Pre-writing and pre-reading skills are introduced to young learners through the excitement of music, movement, story and visual art. Each session, with children’s book author and illustrator Sandra Griffin, focuses on a vowel or one of the common consonants. Hearing,...
Picture Bookmaking
This program introduces children to the joy of writing, illustrating and reading aloud their own original stories. A published author/illustrator of children's books, Sandra Griffin shares with students the process and rewards of creating illustrated books. Students...
St. Louis and the Great Fire of 1849
The City of St. Louis nearly disappeared from the map the night of May 17, 1849. While docked on the Mighty Mississippi, a small fire started on the steamboat White Cloud. The flames quickly spread to the loading docks and soon destroyed 15 blocks of the city. Through...
Life and Times of Absalom Grimes, Civil War Spy
Students will relive the experiences of Absalom Grimes, one of Gratiot Street Prison's former inmates, as the hardships of prison life and the absurdities of Civil War era justice as related by actor, Barnes Bradshaw. Twice sentenced to death by the federal...
We Are the World
Students travel each week to a different country with storyteller Linda Kram. Students learn the differences and similarities between cultures as they greet each other and learn to count in another country’s language, explore its artifacts, and participate in music...