BILBY STORY TELLING AT SPRINGWOOD KINDY!

Today I went to Springwood Kindy to tell sing some Bilby songs and tell a story about a special bilby called Hunwick.  Sue Southey is the teacher at Springwood Kindy and is a special friend.  Last year I did a story telling session for the children and enjoyed it so I offered to come and share some Bilby rhymes, songs and a story just before the Easter holidays.

The children participated really well and were such a delightful group laughing, asking questions and offering some interesting answers to my questions.  I don't think they had heard of a bilby before so the bilby toy I took helped them to picture what a bilby looks like.  We talked about the bilby's ears, his paws, his long tail and his strong back legs!


Wilby the Bilby with his long pink ears, his long tail and his strong back legs so he can hop, hop, hop.

This Bilby toy had a name - Wilby - and we sang two songs about Wilby including Wilby the Bilby had a fly upon his nose (same tune as Little Peter Rabbit!)  I shared a finger rhyme called "Five little bilbies" - similar to "This little piggy".  First each child did it on their own hands touching each finger from bottom to top.  Then they shared the finger rhyme with a friend and there was lots of giggling as the Bilby went Hoppetty Hoppetty ..... all the way home as children tickled each other.  They all had to ask permission to touch each other's hands and to say thank you to each other at the end demonstrating some basic manners as well!!

Hunwick's Egg written by Mem Fox.  I retold the story from this book using some Hunwick, his friends - cockatoo, emu and echidna - and selected a special Egg Stone from my garden.

I then told the story of "HUNWICK'S EGG" written by Mem Fox.  I had some notes from the story as I was not very familiar with it.  At the beginning of the story there was a huge storm.  There was a huge storm in Logan the night before and lots of fun was had re-enacting the storm with rain pattering, thunder crashing and lightening flashing!! I had a Bilby puppet and also some Aussie animal toys - a cockatoo, an emu and an echidna - who were Hunwick's friends. 

Hunwick and his special egg which became a very good friend!!

Children listened to the story carefully and even asked why the egg didn't hatch!!  The egg was really a stone but became a special friend to Hunwick and Hunwick shared all his stories, his worries and his happy times with his "egg"  At the end of the presentation each child was given a "egg stone" to become their friend.



Some of the Egg Stones given to the Springwood Kindy children to be their special friend!

I only mentioned briefly the concept of having an Easter Bilby instead of a Easter Bunny as I was not sure of the audience.  I have been doing a Bilby Easter for over 20 years now and is much more appropriate for Australia - rabbits are a pest here!

I was presented with a beautifully decorated paper bag with a thank you note and box of Favourites chocolates.  I don't know who had the biggest smile - me or the children!  It is so much fun sharing a rhyme, song and story session with the children.

I am looking forward to providing another Bilby Easter song, rhyme and story session at one of my grandson's prep classes tomorrow.