Interactive Storytelling For Schools, Families, & Arts & Culture
Kids & audiences don’t just watch a show. They become a part of the story.
photo credit: E. Abreu Visuals
A Rachael Harrington storytelling performance…
…turns any room into a living, breathing folktale adventure full of call-and-response, movement, and audience participation. Every person leans in and is part of the story, from the young ones in the front to the grown ups in the back trying to keep a straight face.
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Who Is This For? What Can You Book?
Schools
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High energy interactive storytelling visits that transform your school into a hub of engaged learning that bubbles with literacy, vocabulary growth, creative thinking, a love of stories, and confident communication.
School Services Include:
Assembly Programs
Classroom Visits
Assembly & Class Visits Bundle
Artist-In-Residence Programs
Professional Learning Workshops
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Rachael’s interactive storytelling assembly programs are 45 minutes of pure story magic!
In her energetic storytelling assemblies, Rachael brings world folk and fairy tales to life through call-and-response, rhythm, and audience participation. Performances are designed to promote learning, literacy, and social emotional goals that your school wants to highlight, and are the perfect way to celebrate special occasions such as Read Across America, Women’s History Month, Earth Day and more!
Contact Rachael to book your literacy-and-imagination-filled storytelling assembly today.
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Every classroom becomes a launch pad of student engagement and creativity when Rachael comes to visit!
Bring Rachael in for a day of up-close classroom visits that give students a front row seat to the power of storytelling and the traditional art of folktale storytelling.
Each classroom visit is 45 minutes long, and Rachael’s visit days start at three classroom periods/day. You can add more class periods, package a series of days, and combine class visits with assembly programs and professional learning.
Contact Rachael today to build your classroom storytelling visits.
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What if the transformative power of storytelling reached every child in every classroom of your school?
With Rachael’s most popular school offering, you can skyrocket your student engagement and support literacy and SEL through a high impact assembly programs day that then leads into Rachael visiting every classroom for up-close storytelling in the subsequent days.
By the end of The Storied School Bundle, your students will be empowered to know that, “I’m a storyteller, your’re a storyteller, we are aaalllll storytellers!”
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If you are looking for an in-depth experience with the learning gains and student engagement that storytelling brings, Rachael’s half or full school year residency programs are your answer!
Rachael’s Residency Programs:
Story Box: Rachael visits early learner classrooms once a week, presenting world folktales with tons of participatory energy, story props and puppets, simple rhythm, rhyme, and music, and oodles of call-and-response.
World Stories Alive: Over a series of 12-14 weeks, Rachael works with upper elementary students to teach them the art of telling a story. At the end of the residency, each student has learned a folktale and can tell it out loud in front of a group of listeners! This residency is rich in literacy, social emotional learning, and public speaking skills building.
Contact Rachael today to book your half or full year residency.
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Storytelling gives your teachers the tools to help make their hard work land in the minds and hearts of their students… and it works across all subject areas, not just ELA! When lessons are wrapped in story, students pay attention, remember what they learned, and actually care.
Bringing in a professional storyteller to teach your teachers means your staff learns storytelling the way it was meant to be experienced: out loud, in the room, with real technique behind it.
This isn’t a sit-and-watch workshop. Rachael guides k-5 teachers through the hands on skills of how to hold a room, build a story that serves the lesson, and use their own voice as a teaching tool. Teachers leave with techniques they can use the very next day.
Rachael’s Professional Learning Workshops:
Off The Page: Storytelling For Early Learners
Off The Page: Storytelling For K-5 Classrooms
Pumped Up Story Times: Create Dynamic Read Alouds With Storytelling Technique
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Every program type comes with the following free bonuses:
Pre Visit Welcome packet, including key vocabulary slides, and Rachael’s Beginner’s Guide To Storytelling video and resources.
Post Visit extensions, including easy to use story retelling games and priontable storytelling classroom resources
Rachael’s School Partner Library, including story videos of Rachael telling MORE folktales! No YouTube required!
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Click below to see a list of Rachael’s popular assembly & classroom visit themes for schools.
Arts & Culture: Festivals, Museums, Theaters & Libraries
Your next “Can’t miss this!”event awaits your audiences.
Dynamic, participatory storytelling that transforms museums, festivals, libraries, and community spaces into unforgettable experiences (oodles of imagination included).
Your themes become interactive, joy-filled storytelling. Your space becomes the place people talk about long after they leave.
Learn More
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Rachaels’ storytelling performances tie into your exhibit themes and slows families down so that they have a deeper, more meaningful experience in your space.
Interactive, theme-based storytelling sparks the inquisitive, imaginative engagement your exhibits deserve.
Performances are between 45-60 minutes and are perfect for a variety of age ranges.
Professional Learning for Museum Education staff is available. Contact Rachael for more information.
Contact Rachael today to start the conversation.
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Rachael’s storytelling performances are magnetic, high-energy events that audiences circle on their calendars and then giddily show up for.
Rachael performs at festivals as a solo performer, or works with musicians to create a rich experience full of musical accompaniment.
Reach out today to book a memorable festival experience for your audiences.
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Rachael’s library storytelling performances bridge generations and ignite a love of story and language that stays with every child and caregiver long after they leave the room.
Popular Library Performances:
Summer Reading
Winter Lights: Folktales About Light & Warmth Coming Into Cold, Hard Places
Story Box Performances: Interactive Folktales & Puppets for early leaners
Professional Learning workshops available. Contact Rachael for more information.
Available on Apple, Spotify, & Wherever You Listen
Screen-free creativity for your kids at home or on the go.
An interactive folk & fairy tales podcast where your kids become the illustrator of the stories they listen to!
The Fairy Tale Art Cart is a draw along podcast for kids ages 4–9. Every episode brings a folk or fairy tale to life through warm, participatory storytelling that features music and drawing breaks so that kids pick up their favorite coloring materials and create as they listen.
Imagination on tap any time you need it, from a GoodPods Top 100 show.
LISTEN ANYTIME
Episodes every Saturday, running in two seasons per year. Kids draw along as Rachael tells folk and fairy tales from around the world. No screen needed, and you can use simple art materials you already have on hand.
SEE IT LIVE
A live performance series with musicians and community art-making. Kids & grown ups participate, create, and create memories that feel a bit magical. The Fairy Tale Art Cart LIVE has a performance home in Upper Manhattan, but travels to schools, theaters, festivals, and coorporate family day events!
UPCOMING PUBLIC EVENTS
UPCOMING PUBLIC EVENTS
Join Rachael for an event that fills your cup, not just space on your calendar.
Storytelling with Rachael grows the hearts and imaginations of everyone in the room. Kids are on the edge of their seats, calling back story ideas and answers, singing and clapping along with the silly characters, and maybe even making it up on stage. Grown ups get the joy of connecting with both their children and their own inner child!
In the middle of a performance you might just look up and remember this simple joy: real, old-fashioned, screen-free, everyone together in the same room happiness
Oct.
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3-4pm.
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2:30 at Inwood Hill Park, NYC
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Rachael performs from 12-pm.
Nov.
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1-2pm. In the social hall theater space at Hebrew Tabernacle, NYC. Free!
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3-4pm at Buunni Coffee Inwood
Dec.
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3-4pm at Buunni Coffee Inwood
What People Say…
“Children and adults are memorized and engaged through Rachael's ability to story tell with voices, action, and heart.”
-- Dr. Victoria Hunt, Principal at Dos Puentes Elementary“…the audience really loved the experience! One memorable moment was when a shy boy hesitated to participate [in the story] at first, but after seeing his friends join in, he gained the confidence to come up. Rachael made him feel welcomed and seen, and it was amazing to watch him blossom in that moment!”
-- Prayatmi Shakya, Program Director at Riverside Park Conservancy“It was like the Taylor Swift concert of story times!”
-- Mary Alexander, Children's Librarian at San Mateo Public Library
Let’s Tell Stories Together!
Book Rachael today for memorable performances and events that engage your students and audiences with imagination and human connection.
Send a message here, and she’ll be in touch shortly!
Don’t forget to sign up for her newsletter so that you never miss an update!