Folk Tales & Fables: Openshaw Park Online Learning Series

Five live online story and creative learning sessions inspired by Openshaw Park, designed to support English, PSHE and Outdoor Learning.

These live online sessions are perfect for Key Stage 2 pupils and provide a calm, reflective opportunity to explore creativity, wellbeing and the natural world from the classroom.

Over five weeks, I’ll be sharing original stories, taken from the new story trail in Openshaw Park and inspired by the park’s wildlife, landscapes and hidden corners. Through story, discussion and creative activities, children will be encouraged to slow down, notice more, and discover the stories waiting to be found in the everyday places around them.

What schools receive:

✔ Five live online sessions

✔ Five classroom activity packs

✔ Access to session recordings

✔ Original stories and music

✔ Curriculum links for KS2

✔ Opportunities for creative writing, discussion and art

Sessions will take place live on Zoom at 2:00pm (BST) on:

• Monday 14th September
• Monday 21st September
• Monday 28th September
• Monday 5th October
• Monday 12th October

Each live session lasts approximately 20–30 minutes, depending on discussion, and is followed by an accompanying classroom activity lasting around 20–30 minutes.

Throughout the series we’ll explore four simple themes:

• Noticing
• Listening
• Reflecting
• Creating

Together we’ll explore how paying closer attention to ourselves, each other and the places we share can inspire creativity, build confidence and encourage a lifelong curiosity about the world around us.

The sessions naturally support learning across English, PSHE, Art, Geography, Speaking & Listening and Outdoor Learning, while also encouraging discussion around active travel, wellbeing and connection with local green spaces.

Stories featured in this series

The Blackbird & The Cherry Tree
A gentle tale celebrating friendship, growth and the changing seasons.

The Bull
Three brothers encounter a mysterious bull in the woodland and each discover their own unique way of responding to the unknown.

The Squirrel’s Lost Treasure
A woodland adventure exploring curiosity, resilience and the joy of unexpected discoveries.

Gaol’s Theatre Debut
Join the Woodland Folk as Gaol discovers that courage often begins with taking the very first step.

The Lion Who Learned to Cry
A moving story about emotions, kindness and discovering that vulnerability can be a strength.

Each session will be recorded and made available for a short period afterwards, allowing schools to catch up should they be unable to attend live.

Please ensure you provide the correct email address for Zoom access when booking. Access will only be granted to the registered email address. If you need to change this, please email contact@robdart.co.uk at least 24 hours before the relevant session.

All stories, music and accompanying resources have been written and created by Rob Dart and remain the intellectual property of the author. Please do not reproduce or redistribute any materials without prior permission.