Kick off the New Year with a story adventure. The Once Upon An Island Trust joins forces with Zebez Creative and Waiheke Creative Family Resource to bring you a week of dragons, drama, dance, story and music to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Monday 23^rd Jan. 2-4pm

The Race for the Chinese Zodiac.

Long ago in Ancient China, Jade Emperor proclaimed a mighty race.

Come and listen to the story and create your own zodiac characters.Age 6 years plus +$20

Tuesday 24^th Jan.10-12.

Red Packet Day.

Discover the wonders inside the red packet. You will be taken on a creative quest around china discovering and making the traditions associated with Chinese New Year.Age 6 years +$20

3-4pm

The Race for the Chinese Zodiac.Join Kirsten and animals to cross the river and win a place on the Chinese Zodiac! A special art & music adventure for children and caregivers.3-5yrs.$10

Wednesday 25^th Jan.10-12:

Light up your life!

Prepare for the lantern festival and be dazzled by the weird and wonderful ways we can make our lights shine! Create a lantern and a Fu paper cut.6 years +$20

2 -3pm

New Years’ Rituals
Exploring our senses and family rituals with Debra. Come and share
your happiest memories and dreams for the New Year. Workshop includes
introduction to mediation through story and commemorative Chinese fan
making.Ages 5 plus.Cost $10

Thursday 26^th Jan.

The Tale of Chester Choi. 10am-2pm.

Set on the coast of the South China Sea we meet Chester Choi – one bad Chinese Dragon. What is his secret?Workshop includes building a dragon & making it dance. Sampling Chinese Cuisine and Chinese music.6 years +Cost: $30

Friday 27^th Jan 9-11pm

The Pet Dragon.

A story about adventure, friendship and reading/writing Chinese characters.Make your own dragon and make him sing and dance!6 years +$20

Guo Nian – Chinese New Year Celebration!

11-12pm

Countdown time…Experience the colours and magic of Chinese New Year.

Come celebrate the stories, art and music from the year of the dragon!All Ages.$5

The Story Centre is open to the public Wednesdays 12 – 3pm and Thursdays 9.30 – 12.30 with Debra Wallace of the Waiheke Creative Family Resource.

Bookings essential. Workshop places limited to 10 in each session.Phone 0212963149 or email storycentre@gmail.com

 

Come and share the sack of stories storyteller, Tanya Batt has collected on her recent adventure around the world. From spicy Indian tales through to shadowy stories from the forests of Russia – the only passport you’ll need is your imagination.

Monday 17^th 10 – 12

Burmese Puppet Workshop

Come and listen a traditional Burmese puppet story and make your own simple marionette puppet.

^Ages 6+ *Cost $20

Tuesday 18^th 10 – 12

Indian Sculpture Workshop

Join us and share the stories and traditions associated with India’s favourite god, the elephant headed Ganesha.

^Ages 6+ *Cost $20

Tuesday 18th & Thursday 19th   2- 3pm

The Story Train

A special story adventure from the East to the West using movement, song and craft for three and four year olds and their caregivers.

Ages 3 – 5 Cost $10

Wednesday 19^th 10 – 12

Stories from the Chinese Opera

Come and explore the fabulous colourful and dramatic world of Chinese Opera and create your own opera mask.

^Ages 6+ *Cost $20

Thursday 20^th 10 – 12

Nomadic Tales of Mongolia

Come and discover the world of the nomadic Mongol through story and games. Make your own felt creation.

^Ages 6+ *Cost $20

Friday 21^st 10 – 12

Russian Doll making workshop

Venture into the forest to meet ‘Old Bony Legs’. Make your very own set of story Matroshka dolls.

^Ages 6+*Cost $20

 

*Workshop charges include a simple morning tea and all materials.

^ 4 & 5 five year olds are welcome  if accompanied by an adult.

Workshops are limited and bookings are essential.

 

 

Be part of the great storytelling and cycling adventure from Waiheke to Wellington.

Waiheke’s Wheely grand send off.

Monday 31st  January 12.15pm

Artworks Courtyard

Bring bikes, trikes, skateboards, roller-skates and wheel your way down to Matiatia to farewell Tanya

10 – 12 Bike Stories Workshop with Tanya Batt.

Suitable for those 5 years plus. Attendance by koha.

Bookings essential 0212963149 or storycentre@gmail.com

For full tour schedule see link above.

Storytelling for growing understanding

17^th – 21st January 2011

The ‘Once Upon An Island Trust’ in conjunction with the Auckland Council invite you to join us under the spreading branches of an ancient Pohutukawa tree for a week of  storytelling and making in the beautiful Whakanewha Regional Park.

Monday 17^th

Bush Princesses & Native Flower Faeries

10 – 12noon

Come and recreate yourself as a bush princess or native flower faery and learn about the flowers and plants that grow in the bush.

Best suited for those 5 years plus

Cost: $10

Tuesday 18^th

Tales of Tane Mahuta

10 – 12 noon

Come and share stories about trees. Learn to identify native trees and about their special gifts. Involves storytelling, bush walking and workshop.

Best suited for those 5 years plus

Cost: $10

Wednesday 19^th

Special Workshop with guest clay worker and storyteller Michael O’Donnell

10 – 12 noon

Best Suited for those 5 years plus

Cost $10

Tales from the Story Tree

6 – 8pm

Bring a picnic and join Tanya Batt and Michael O’Donnell for stories under the giant Pohutukawa Tree.

Suitable for all ages

Cost $5 per person or $20 per family

Thursday 20^th

Birds of the Bush

10 – 10.45 & 11.15 – 12 noon

A special workshop for children ages 3 – 5 and their caregivers.

Come and meet the birds of the NZ and bush and embark on an interactive storytelling drama.

For those aged 3 – 5 years

Cost: $5

Friday 21^st

From Sea to Shore

10 – 12 noon

Come and explore the beach and wetlands and discover the stories and treasures hidden away.

Best Suited for those 5 years plus

Cost $10

Directions: Upon entering the park drive approximately 1.5km to the first car park on your right that has the sculpture and notice board. Go through the bollards on your left and walk a few hundred metres to the tall, very large pohutukawa tree.

Monday 31^st January

Spoke ‘N Word – From Waiheke to Wellington

10 – 12noon workshop

Cycle send off 12.30pm – riding from Artworks to Matiatia Wharf

Join us for the send off of the great storytelling and cycling adventure from Waiheke to Wellington. Pedal into the Story Centre for a storytelling and making workshop all about bikes. Using the traditional Japanese kamishibai children will share and create stories all about cycling.

Workshop suitable for children 5 – 10 years

Ride to Matiatia all ages

Sunday 31st October 2 – 4pm, The Story Centre

On all Hallows Eve, Peter-Peter Pumpkin eater can’t find his wife, Purerehua. He suspects the worse when all he finds is her old, crumpled coat outside the entry to the underworld. Peter enlists a group of brave champions to venture into the underworld to find Purerehua. Sending them of with his blessings and ‘a guiding star’, the brave heroes and heroines enter the underworld (of Alison Park) meeting witches, skeletons and all manner of ghouls who challenge the children to complete tasks associated with death and the afterlife in exchange for their assistance.

Will our champions find Purerehua? And what will they learn about our strange upside down Halloween. This is truly a quest of life and death!

Bookings essential. $5 per person

Out of the Book – Take a Look!

School Holiday Fun 4th – 8th October

Help us celebrate New Zealand flavoured tales with a weeks worth of story-book festivties.

A children’s Readers and Writers Festival to tie in with the adult literature Festival ‘Words on a Small Island’. This event aims to encourage reading and writing and a love of stories in the children/families of Waiheke through a series of performances, readings and workshops with local and top NZ children’s writers and illustrators. The programme will take place at the Story Centre, Library and Theatre at Artworks.

Secret Seals Workshop

with Julia Forbes & Tanya Batt

Tuesday 5^th October 10 – 1pm

(Participants need to bring their lunch)

Based on the storybook ‘The Secret Seals’ written by local author Julia Meeks, this interactive workshop will explore the stories of Waiheke and their connections to other mythologies. Participants will have the opportunity to make their own ‘secret seal’ using clay and the sawdust firing method.

5 years plus Cost: $25

A Twisted Fairy Tale

With Stu Duval

Wednesday 6^th October 10.30 – 11.30

A spontaneous retelling of favourite fairy tales….but with a hilarious twist. Highly interactive Join the fabulous storyteller, author and artist Stu Duval for an hour of world class storytelling entertainment. NZ’s answer to Rolf Harris!

Artworks Theatre.

Cost $30 family or $10 per person

Cartooning Workshop

With Stu Duval

Come and learn skills around how to create your own cartoon illustrations.

Stu Duval artist and writer of several  cartoon instruction manuals will lead you through the process and make you a ‘cartooning’ star.

6^th October 1.30 – 3pm

Cost $10

Where the ‘Waiheke’ Wild Things Are

An early childhood story programme with Tanya Batt

Thursday 7^th October 10am and 11.15am

Come and share this much love tale by Maurice Sendak, performed using the beautiful story blanket created at Upcycle during the Festival of Story and given a unique Waiheke twist by storyteller Tanya batt.

An interactive session of story, music, craft and movement.

Ages 3 – 5 years Cost $10

Celebrating NZ Children’s Writing

With Gavin Bishop, Tessa Duder

Friday 8^th October 10.30am – 3pm

10.30 Meet the Author Session -  Artworks Theatre – Koha

Come and meet two of NZ’s top story book creators. Here them talk about their work and where their stories come from.

1 – 2.30pm Workshops

A chance for you to work alongside a top NZ writer and illustrator.

‘Where do ideas come from?’ A workshop in writing with Tessa Duder

‘Picture This!’   An illustrating workshop with Gavin Bishop

Ages 7 plus Cost $10

Workshops $10 per child

Spring into Halloween

31st October 2010 2pm Alison Park

A special interactive seasonal celebration that embraces our history and hemisphere.

Stories in parks, in the bush and on beaches

January School Holidays 2011

There’s no better place to be in summer than outside. Join us for stories up trees, in the sand, by the sea and over hills.

Line up includes storywalks, stories on bikes and due to popular demand the return of the interactive storytelling adventure created for this years Once Upon an Island Festival of Story, The Korimako’s Quest.

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Mythological Waiheke

October 2010 – March 2011

A series of creative writing workshops kindly funded by Creative Communities devised to inspire and create works for the ‘Mythological Waiheke Story Trail’.

Twelve stories will be selected to form a beautifully illustrated book of stories grounded in the Waiheke landscape.

The book will form the basis of a self guiding story trail to be launched at the 2012 Waiheke Festival of Story.

Bookings and queries phone 0212963149 or email storycentre@gmail.com