A brand new story trail from the National Literacy Trust launched this Monday at Platt Fields Park in Manchester, working in partnership with Read Manchester, Manchester City Council, Manchester Adult Education, Manchester Parks and Platt Field Park.
The trail is based on a bespoke story about elves in the local park, written by children’s author Rebecca Lewis-Oakes and illustrated by Aaron Cushley. It leads families around the park as they follow the adventures of Uncle Josh, Mia, Kai and their dog Scruffy. This brand new immersive experience will aid children’s language and literacy development as they fill out their booklet while following the story around the park.
The story trails booklet are available for families to pick up from The Lakeside Centre. All parents and carers with little ones aged 2-5 are encouraged to pick up a booklet, enjoy the elf story trail and help develop the children’s literacy and learning skills along the way!
The launch in Manchester is one of 12 story trails launching across the country as part of the Hungry Little Minds campaign, funded by the Department for Education and delivered by the National Literacy Trust. The campaign provides families of children under five with lots of simple and fun activities to easily slot into their daily routines whilst building their child’s speech and language skills at home.
Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, Executive Member for Neighbourhoods, said:
“This story trail is yet another wonderful activity which brings learning to life in pre-school children in a fun and exciting way. There is also the added benefit of being in the great outdoors allowing children to be free as well as getting a daily dose of exercise in one of our stunning parks and is sure to be a winner with families across the city.”
Rebecca Lewis-Oakes, Children’s Author and Hungry Little Minds Story Trails writer, said:
“I am absolutely thrilled to be working with the National Literacy Trust and local partners in Manchester on this project. It has been a pleasure to discover so many beautiful parks across the country and view them through the exuberant imagination of pre-schoolers. I hope this Hungry Little Minds story trail encourages families to explore and enjoy Platt Fields Park, with a gentle underlying prompt toward those key Early Years learning concepts. I look forward to seeing the little one’s reactions as they make their way around the magical trail!”
Ella Burns, Hungry Little Minds Programme Manager, said:
“We are really looking forward to seeing families across Manchester in Platt Fields Park enjoying this wonderful story trail. Rebecca has created incredible stories which will bring the park to life with the help of Aaron Cushley’s wonderful illustrations. These story trails are perfect for families with young children to enjoy throughout the summer months, helping children develop their literacy skills whilst enjoying a fun and free outdoors adventure.”
For more information about Hungry Little Minds please visit Hungry Little Minds | National Literacy Trust and follow our Read Manchester Facebook Page