How do you choose a storytelling chair for a whole school? The parent council at a village primary school in East Lothian had a lovely answer: they asked the children.
They showed the pupils our storytelling chairs and held a vote. The children wanted “the one with the hands — a throne!”
The one with the hands
It's easy to see why. The arms of this throne end in two big carved wooden hands, fingers curled over the front, so whoever sits in it looks as if the chair is holding on to them. Behind, the back rises into a pointed centre panel between two tall spires, each wrapped in a carved rope band. Everything else is plain, solid oak, so the hands are the first thing every child reaches for.
A throne for the orchard
The chair was going to live in the school orchard, so the school chose to have it varnished with three coats of Epifanes yacht varnish to keep its honey colour outdoors. They added two of our red mushroom stools so the younger children have their own seats in the story circle.
The throne was carved in our Mid Wales workshop over the autumn and sent up to Scotland in October, ready for the orchard.
Let your pupils choose
We love it when children get a say. If your school is thinking about a storytelling chair, show your pupils our storytelling chairs and thrones and let them vote. If they pick this one, you'll find it as the Storytelling Throne with Carved Hands. We take purchase orders and cheques, and we're happy to carve your school's name or badge into it. Get in touch.
