Basseterre, St. Kitts (March 29, 2004): Early Childhood Coordinator in the Federation Mrs. Vanta Walters told SKNIS that the Early Childhood Development Unit is continuing its efforts at ensuring that workers are properly trained and kept abreast of trends in the delivery of early childcare services as well as the implementation of programmes.
To this end, a two-day workshop on puppetry and storytelling was recently held at the Industrial Site Day Care Centre.
Participants were given a brief history of puppetry and taught to produce different types of puppets. A demonstration on puppet stage creation and the use of puppets in teaching concepts were also carried out.
The Basic rules and proper techniques for puppetry were reviewed.
An entire day was designated to learning the art of storytelling. Participants were exposed to strategies for choosing a story, the secrets of storytelling, storytelling methods and practices.
Participants were given an opportunity to use the puppets they created previously to tell some of their stories.
An early childhood resource teacher Mrs Jacqueline Morris has expressed satisfaction at the high level of enthusiasm and participation by teachers. This she feels resulted from the equally high quality of the workshop conducted by facilitators Mrs Tina Guishard and Mr. Nigel Caines.
The Unit’s Staff has also expressed the hope that the information gained would improve their interaction with the children under their care.
