Kim Neville

Yesterday was a sick day for my daughter. THAT sick day. You know, the one where she’s still too sick for preschool but is feeling just well enough to be bored and cranky. I’m sick and grumpy too so together we were pretty much intolerable. By lunchtime I knew we were going to need some kind of intervention or it was going to be a looong afternoon.

I was really tempted to wrap up in blankets, put on a princess movie and zone out. Then I remembered Storyworld. It was a day-saving moment.

Each Storyworld card shows a character, an item or a place. The more you look at the pictures, the more there is to see. They’re all beautiful.

You can play with the cards in infinite ways. Sometimes we pick out cards for each other to tell stories about. Sometimes we search for hidden clues in the cards and try to connect threads between them.

This time, after we’d spread them out on the carpet and examined them all, we collected them in a big pool and fished out three at a time, eyes closed. Three cards became a story.

We spent most of the afternoon storytelling, with a break for toenail painting. Every time I pull out the Storyworld cards I wonder why I don’t do it more often. It’s a great writing exercise for me, making up stories on the spot without worrying about making each one perfect. It’s playful and fun. And for my daughter, it’s magical. I’ve yet to see her grow tired of it. We didn’t stop until it was time to get ready for dinner.

After that, the crankiness returned and didn’t let up until lights out. But those quiet hours in the middle of the day were the reprieve we both needed to make it to bedtime. I hope my daughter dreamt of wishing trees and magic keys.