It also remains a fundamental part of a child’s upbringing providing both fun and education both in and out of school.
National Storytelling Week this year takes place from January 30 to February 6, with the aim of supporting the teaching of Storytelling to children at all key stages.
And Wolves Foundation are getting themselves involved!
As part of their Healthy Goals project, promoting healthy growth for children under four years old through education and activity sessions, the Foundation are going on a virtual bear hunt.
And this will include an online call for participants and a story from none other than Wolves Foundation ambassador and popular TV presenter and singer Mark Rhodes.
In the build-up to the ‘We are going on a Bear Hunt’ story read by Mark, from 6pm-7pm on February 5th,, there will be a week of online challenges including arts and crafts across the Foundation’s social platforms to keep younger children entertained.
“Healthy Goals is going from strength to strength and I’m so proud to be a part of it,” says Jade Sutton, Wolves Foundation Health Officer who is overseeing the project.
“Obviously, we have had a lot of lockdown restrictions to contend with, but we have adapted our approach by providing online activities and competitions as well as outdoor sessions where we were able to.
“Our session for National Storytelling Week is another example of how we have adapted to working online.
“We decided to choose “We’re going on a Bear Hunt” by Michael Rosen as our focus story, because it’s such a well-loved classic!
“It also lends itself so well to a whole host of fun and creative activities for families to try at home.
“We’re all really looking forward it, I have my binoculars at the ready!”
Mark, who hails from Wolverhampton and is also a passionate Wolves fan having started watching the team in the late 1980s, is also looking forward to telling the story.
He said: “I am honoured to be reading the much loved book ‘We’re going on a Bear Hunt’.
“it’s a classic and I hope I do it justice. It’s so nice to be involved and I’m very much looking forward to seeing everyone.”
Although Healthy Goals has had to remain largely online since being launched last year, the ultimate plan when possible will be to deliver sessions for young children and their parents or guardians at a variety of venues, including local community centres, strengthening families hubs and nurseries, in addition to Molineux.
The £300,000 project has been made possible thanks to funding from the Premier League and Professional Footballers’ Association with support from the City of Wolverhampton Council.
As well as family education and physical activity sessions, and interactive stay and play sessions, Healthy Goals will also include parent education workshops on topics such as tackling fussy eating, screen time, healthy eating cooking classes and oral health.
The scheme further extends the range of initiatives for all ages run by Wolves Foundation, offering activities from cradle to grave as part of their programme to support the people of Wolverhampton.
Whilst targeting children under four, older siblings will be more than welcome to get involved in the bear hunt.
For more details or to sign up please email jadesutton@wolves.co.uk
