How to make a farting dragon

For the second year in a row, I was invited to attend Telling Tales in Balingup as a storyteller. This wonderful literacy and storytelling festival for children has been running since 2010 and offers a diverse array of workshops from authors and illustrators, from kite-making to writing ghost stories.

Balingup is a vibrant and arty little village on the South Western Highway, and I always enjoy a mini-break down that way. Not only did I have the chance to introduce Fergus the Farting Dragon to the world, but I also caught up with a bunch of writing and illustrating friends in a lovely country location. We wear our name badges with pride although they don’t always work:

[bctt tweet=”Woman to me: Are you the farting dragon? Me: Err, yes.” username=”writenote1″]

So what did I do? Well, my four sessions over two days were a combination of storytelling and craft. After reading Fergus the Farting Dragon (amid lots of laughter and fart sounds) the children made their own farting dragons (thank you to illustrator Veronica Rooke for the Fergus template). [bctt tweet=”I had this idea to use straws and party blowers to create a hidden ‘fart’” username=”writenote1″] and it worked a treat.

Here’s how you can make them (download your template here):

We also played with fart putty and a popping dragon, which kept the kids well entertained. It was lovely to see some familiar faces, with three children from last year’s sessions coming back to say hello.

On the subject of entertainment, the children entertain me as much as I do them. Kids love to share secrets when they take part in sessions like this. Here’s the best one I heard:

Child to me: My mum farts every morning when she gets up.
Child’s mother: *facepalm*

Followed by:

Child to me: My mum isn’t really very smart.
Child’s mother: *splutter*

I’m pleased to say that we nearly sold out of copies and I have been asked to bring back Fergus for the Balingup Medieval Carnivale. Watch this space for more news on that. To order your copy, click on the button below.

[maxbutton id=”1″ url=”http://bit.ly/2tnV4bt” text=”BUY NOW!” ]

I’d like to thank all the organisers, volunteers and the Balingup community for making us feel so welcome once again. Extra thanks go to Willows Rest for great accommodation, and Taste of Balingup for good food and coffee, as always.