About Dancing in Puddles
Who we are and why we do what we do
Amanda & Frank
I am a mum of two adult children, and of course Frank my beloved sausage dog.
I am a recently semi-retired, almost retired primary school teacher with more years in the classroom than I would like to admit to. I have always been passionate about reading and literature and used to make up stories for my own children. I loved transporting them to castles, deserts, under-the-sea and onto the moon. I loved watching their faces light up with excitement for another instalment of a faraway tale.
I started to share the stories to the children in my class at school and they adored them too. Since Frank joined the family, he has become the star of the show, and I have been telling stories about Frank and his adventures for years. Retirement has finally given me the time to put pen to paper and bring my Frank stories alive.
The language has been deliberately chosen from a teacher’s point of view, in order to promote a wider vocabulary. Your class will love discovering new “big “words!
As with all good picture books, this one can be accessed at different levels; meaning that the older children would be able to gain greater depth from the character and the situations which he finds himself him. Children could use the book as a springboard for discussions on many topics, from castles, space, dinosaurs, climate change, healthy eating, moral dilemmas and friendships.
The difficult skill of appreciating ideas from different points of view and the pros and cons of a situation is something that this book illustrates very well and has great learning potential for children of all ages.
The experience is interactive because we recognise that young children struggle to sit for too long. There is a big bag of props to help the story come alive. The children will help me to tell the story by joining in with repeated phrases, some drama and Makaton. If the children have participated well and listened carefully, which they will have, the real Frank will make a guest appearance at the end. We can provide our own risk assessment.
Why do we do it?
Our motivations and goals
We have supported children’s charities for the last decade. We have worked in Sri Lanka, delivering our own creative curriculum packages to a school, demonstrating how story books can bring learning alive. We have spent time in Uganda in an orphanage and a refugee camp in Greece. What has struck us in all of these places is that story connects us.
We all love a good story. Children thrive and learn so much from stories. We believe that it is their right to have access to books and education. For this reason, all of the profits from this book will be donated to the charities we support.
Who we support
Charities we love to help
We are passionate about supporting educational initiatives in rural parts of the world, particularly for girls in Africa, India and Sri Lanka. Play Action that support learning through play in Africa. Unicef who help to improve the health, nutrition, health care and education of children. Frank would like to send some of the donations to help his friends at The Dog’s Trust.
