Epic Learning Podcast

In this classic European folk tale, a handsome young man gets engaged to a beautiful young woman. But that's only the start—and it all goes horribly wrong when the handsome man discovers that his fiancée and her parents aren't very sensible...

Adapted from the traditional folk tale by Chip Colquhoun; read by Matt Heald.

After you've listened to this podcast, please leave us a review—we'd love to know what you think!

Illustration by Heather Zeta Rose.

For easy and fun ways to link this story to a wide variety of learning outcomes including science and numeracy, make sure you also listen to our Epic Learning podcast. Further storytelling and learning resources—including storytelling videos and creative challenges for your children—can be found at epictales.co.uk

This recording copyright © Epic Tales 2021. Story copyright © Chip Colquhoun 2021. Illustration copyright © Heather Zeta Rose 2021.

Epic Learning has had one mahoosive facelift! Search your podcast player for "Happily Ever Teaching", where you can now hear subject-specific off-the-shelf lesson plans 4 days a week every week! Get there before the Epic Learning Podcast disappears... Search for "Happily Ever Teaching" or visit epictales.co.uk/teachhappily

Join Epic storytellers and creative teachers as they discuss how to draw out learning outcomes from this week's Epic Storytime podcast with easy, fun, and engaging activities.This week we're joined by expert puppeteer Andy Lawrence from Theatre of Widdershins, who shared his original story set in the Stone Age. The learning outcomes in his tale are found and discussed by Epic storyteller Chip; Helen, a teacher from Milton Keynes specialising in children aged 4 to 7; and Laura, an international teacher specialising in children aged 7 to 11. Discover how to help your children conquer non-fiction reports, logic puzzles, differences in materials... and much more!

Introductions
1:40

"Ug, Bug, and Dug" excerpt
2:55

All-age PSHCE | 5:21
• witty underdogs (5:21)
• sibling rivalry/pressure; individuality in equality (8:30)
• learning potential (10:57)
• understanding the role of past societies, judging progress (51:26)

Learning outcomes for ages 4 to 7 | 12:51
• History – comparing then & now (4-7yrs, 12:51, 15:01, 17:06); chronology (4-7yrs, 18:28); landscape changes (4-7yrs, 19:09); historical sources (5-7yrs, 21:33); Stone Age survival (4-7yrs, 27:36)
• Science – materials (4-7yrs, 12:51, 24:40 | 5-7yrs, 16:03); evolution from Stone Age to now (5-7yrs, 17:06); habitats (4-7yrs, 21:38); survival, fire (4-7yrs, 27:37)
• Literacy – use of pictures/props in storytelling (4-6yrs, 14:15); non-fiction reports (6-7yrs, 17:06); persuasive writing (5-7yrs, 21:38); symbols (5-7yrs, 22:14); early reading, looking for clues (6-7yrs, 23:32)
• DT – design an outfit (4-7yrs, 16:03); build a mammoth (4-7yrs, 19:36); living in a cave (4-7yrs, 20:27)
• Numeracy – measurement (4-7yrs, 17:06)
• Geography – natural/man-made features on maps, landscape changes (4-7yrs, 19:50)
• Art – cave paintings (4-7rs, 22:14); painting with nature, different tools/methods (4-7yrs, 24:40)

Learning outcomes for ages 7 to 11 | 29:58
• Science – light & dark, light travelling in straight lines, shadow puppetry, materials, opaque/transparent (7-9yrs, 31:42); evolution & adaptation, endangered animals (7-11yrs, 42:51)
• Literacy – primitive development of storytelling (7-9yrs, 32:31, 39:47); extract & reorganise information, family trees, describing character (9-11yrs, 38:02); rules for talk, modelling (7-11yrs, 45:18)
• Numeracy – logic puzzles, ordering, time, thinking from different perspectives, enrich.maths.org (7-9yrs, 34:36); link between literacy & numeracy (7-11yrs, 39:47)
• Art – portraits (9-11yrs, 38:02)
• Geography – tribes, caves (9-11yrs, 47:07)

All-age learning outcomes | 47:51
• Core – social distancing (29:58); archaeology (47:51)
• The importance of studying history (50:10, 52:32)
• Mantle of the expert (50:00)

We'd love to hear how you get on with these ideas! Please leave us a review with your favourite podcast app, find us on social media @EpicTalesST, or email [email protected]

Have a learning outcome you'd like us to cover in a future episode? Email [email protected]

Stained glass illustration: Dave Hingley.

This recording copyright © Epic Tales 2021. Story copyright © Andy Lawrence 2021. Illustration copyright © Dave Hingley 2021.

Epic Learning has had one mahoosive facelift! Search your podcast player for "Happily Ever Teaching", where you can now hear subject-specific off-the-shelf lesson plans 4 days a week every week! Get there before the Epic Learning Podcast disappears... Search for "Happily Ever Teaching" or visit epictales.co.uk/teachhappily

Special guest storyteller and puppeteer Andy Lawrence from Theatre of Widdershins provides this week's brand new tale. For the cave people of the Oogadugga Oogadugga Oogadugga clan, Stone Age life is comfortable—while the fire keeps going. The fire going out would be a disaster, as none of them know how to make it. But when it's Dug's turn to stay up overnight, he's a little more interested in painting than feeding the fire...

The story was conceived and written by Andy Lawrence, and is read here by Matt Heald.

Illustrated by Grace Nolgrove.

After you've listened to this podcast, please leave us a review—we'd love to know what you think!

For easy and fun ways to link this story to a wide variety of learning outcomes including science and numeracy, make sure you also listen to our Epic Learning podcast. Further storytelling and learning resources—including storytelling videos and creative challenges for your children—can be found at epictales.co.uk

This recording copyright © Epic Tales 2021. Story copyright © Andy Lawrence 2021. Illustration copyright © Grace Nolgrove 2021.

Epic Learning has had one mahoosive facelift! Search your podcast player for "Happily Ever Teaching", where you can now hear subject-specific off-the-shelf lesson plans 4 days a week every week! Get there before the Epic Learning Podcast disappears... Search for "Happily Ever Teaching" or visit epictales.co.uk/teachhappily

 It's our Covid-19 Special: as children return to schools with new social distancing rules, we discuss how to help them explore the complex issues at play—both practical and emotional—using two African folk tales: "The Distant Fire" and "The Twins and the Ogre".

Epic storyteller Chip is joined by Helen, a teacher from Milton Keynes working with ages 4 to 7; Bex, a Deputy Head and English Lead from Cambridgeshire who teaches ages 4 to 8; and Laura, an international teacher working with ages 7 to 11.

Introductions | 0:59

"The Distant Fire" excerpt | 2:08

All-age PSHCE | 4:12
• friendship, hope, young carers (4:12)
• social distancing (7:11, 18:49)
• talking about difficult issues, perseverance (14:47)
• empathy (16:53)
• different strengths, kindness, friendship (17:23, 52:31, 55:47)
• strategising (18:49)
• preparing for issues before they arise, active listening (19:51)
• peer pressure (21:23)
• it's OK to get things wrong (30:02)

Learning outcomes for ages 4 to 7 | 22:11
• Numeracy – fractions (6-7yrs, 22:11, 47:54 | 4-5yrs, 23:48); doubling (4-6yrs, 22:47); estimation (5-7yrs, 22:58); how much? (4-5yrs, 23:20); steps of 10, role-play shops (5-7yrs, 25:09)
• Core – fine motor skills (4-5yrs, 23:20)
• Geography – other cultures (4-7yrs, 25:50); seas and continents, contrasting landscapes (4-7yrs, 26:46, 45:00); maps (4-7yrs, 47:54)
• DT – design/make a cake, evaluating (4-7yrs, 33:05); magical vehicles (4-7yrs, 41:21); "from plant to table" (4-7yrs, 43:28)
• DT, Music, Art – design/make a drum (4-7yrs, 26:12)
• Literacy – adjectives to describe people (4-7yrs, 28:53); emotion tracking (4-7yrs, 29:38); invitations, persuasive writing (4-7yrs, 29:57, 33:05); story structure, predicting outcomes, engagement in storytelling, thought tracking, alternative endings (4-7yrs, 30:02); magical vehicles (4-7yrs, 41:21); diary "from plant to table" (4-7yrs, 45:00)
• RE – prayer, supporting others whilst apart, heartfulness (4-7yrs, 34:07)
• Science – plant lifecycles (4-7yrs, 43:28)

Learning outcomes for ages 7 to 11 | 36:11
• Numeracy – scaling (7-8yrs, 23:20 | 9-11yrs, 47:28); steps of 10, role-play shops (7-9yrs, 25:09); fractions/dividing (7-8yrs, 37:04, 47:54); rounding (8-9yrs, 37:18); area and perimeter (9-11yrs, 47:28); percentages, compound interest, investigating (9-11yrs, 49:11); ratios (49:49)
• Geography – seas and continents, contrasting landscapes (7-8yrs, 36:11 | 9-11yrs, 45:52); maps (7-11yrs, 47:54)
• Literacy – altering settings (7-9yrs, 36:46, 37:34); rewriting endings, continuing the story (7-9yrs, 38:06); story stones, retelling the story, story-making (7-9yrs, 38:21); diary entries, 1st person (7-11yrs, 38:47); magical vehicles (7-11yrs, 41:21); prepositions (7-11yrs, 42:40); public speaking/debating (9-11yrs, 50:14)
• Art – story stones (7-9yrs, 38:21)
• PSHCE – empathy (7-11yrs, 38:47); "a day in the life", international mind (9-11yrs, 45:52); equality (9-11yrs, 50:49)
• Core Skills – researching, safe searching online (7-11yrs, 39:53)
• Science – plant lifecycles (7-11yrs, 43:28); fire (7-11yrs, 45:29)
• DT – "from plant to table" (7-11yrs, 43:28)
• History – fire (7-11yrs, 45:29); equality (9-11yrs, 50:49)

All-age learning outcomes | 52:31
• DT – communication methods (54:15)
• Science – materials (54:15)
• Literacy – communicating at a distance, sign language (54:15)
• Coding – (54:15)

We'd love to hear how you get on with

Epic Learning has had one mahoosive facelift! Search your podcast player for "Happily Ever Teaching", where you can now hear subject-specific off-the-shelf lesson plans 4 days a week every week! Get there before the Epic Learning Podcast disappears... Search for "Happily Ever Teaching" or visit epictales.co.uk/teachhappily

To pay a doctor to care for his sick mother, 6-year-old Abel accepts a challenge to spend a night atop a mountain with no shirt or fire to keep him warm. Will the distant support of his friend Hakim help him win the prize?

In this "Back to School Special: Covid-19 Edition", let your young learners experience just how valuable collaboration can be—even at a time of social distancing. The story is based on an Ethiopian folk tale adapted by Chip Colquhoun, and read by David Ault (davidault.co.uk).

After you've listened to this podcast, please leave us a review—we'd love to know what you think!

Illustration by Heather Zeta Rose.

For easy and fun ways to link this story to a wide variety of learning outcomes including science and numeracy, make sure you also listen to our Epic Learning podcast. Further storytelling and learning resources—including storytelling videos and creative challenges for your children—can be found at epictales.co.uk

This recording copyright © Epic Tales 2021. Story copyright © Chip Colquhoun 2021. Illustration copyright © Heather Zeta Rose 2021.

Epic Learning has had one mahoosive facelift! Search your podcast player for "Happily Ever Teaching", where you can now hear subject-specific off-the-shelf lesson plans 4 days a week every week! Get there before the Epic Learning Podcast disappears... Search for "Happily Ever Teaching" or visit epictales.co.uk/teachhappily

Join Epic storytellers and creative teachers as they discuss how to draw out curriculum links from this week's Epic Storytime podcast with easy, fun, and engaging activities.

This week, Epic storytellers Chip and Pauline (also an Epic mum!) are joined by Helen, a teacher from Milton Keynes specialising in children aged 4 to 7; Bex, a Deputy Head and English Lead from Cambridgeshire and Laura with experience of teaching children aged 4 to 7; and Laura, an international teacher specialising in children aged 7 to 11. Together they discuss the curriculum links within Chip and Tony Cooper's adaptation of the folk tale "Brave Mary". Discover how to help your children conquer fear, poetry, entrepreneurialism... and much more!

00:48 | Introductions

02:10 | "Brave Mary" excerpt

04:19 | Morals, story origins, and Literacy — adapting story settings (all ages)

12:16 | PSHCE — overcoming fear (ages 7 to 11)

19:06 | Curriculum links for ages 4 to 7
• PSHCE — overcoming fear (19:06)
• Science — properties of materials, investigation skills (22:10)
• Core Skills, Entrepreneurial Skills, Literacy, DT, Teamwork, Roleplay, PSHCE — "Mantle of the Expert", setting up a ghostbusting business, perseverance and resilience, posters, instruction writing (23:38); setting up a play estate agents (yes, you read that right — you're never too young to learn the art of home selling...!), persuasive writing, summarising, purposeful writing (29:19)
• Numeracy — counting in steps of 2, 5, and 10 (26:20); card games, number recognition, adding up, greater than or less than, number sizes, sequences (27:02)
• Geography and DT — maps, plans, rooms of a house (28:10)
• Literacy, PSHCE, Art — story structure and predicting outcomes, being unique, alternative endings, making decisions with a conscience alley, drawing from a written description (30:29)
• Literacy & History — jobs across time, linguistic clues to time and place, comparing then and now, diaries (32:57); "unlikely" heroes, significant individuals/women in history (36:29)
• Core Skills, Literacy, PSHCE — playing with imagination, knowing it's OK to question/make mistakes/try, different kinds of "smart" (34:07)
• Literacy — poetry, "fast poems" (37:51); sounds into words (38:45); active listening (39:35)

40:05 | Curriculum links for ages 7 to 11
• Numeracy, History, Science, PSHCE — money and budgeting, responsibility of money, changes in time of household budgets, food groups, basic economics, "home currencies", scales of poverty (40:05)
• Numeracy — practical maths with playing cards (46:13)
• PSHCE, History — bravery, strengths and weaknesses, rights of a child through history (46:50); other forms of fear, e.g. risk, designing "real" monsters (48:45)
• Science — why some people enjoy feeling scared (49:34); science of the brain, different kinds of "smart" (50:17)
• Literacy, History — non-fiction, significant individuals/women in history, definitions of success (51:04)
• Literacy, Numeracy — creating stories with playing cards (54:21)

55:04 | All Age curriculum links
• Literacy, History, Core Skills, Art, DT — "Happy Families" card game and exploring jobs across history, creating characters, the dynamics of family (55:04)
• PSHCE — discussing death and other "difficult" subjects (56:33)

We'd love to hear how you get on with these ideas! Please leave us a review with your favourite podcast app, find us on social media @EpicTalesST, or email [email protected]

Epic Learning has had one mahoosive facelift! Search your podcast player for "Happily Ever Teaching", where you can now hear subject-specific off-the-shelf lesson plans 4 days a week every week! Get there before the Epic Learning Podcast disappears... Search for "Happily Ever Teaching" or visit epictales.co.uk/teachhappily

A farmer is willing to bet his last penny that his daughter Mary is braver than anyone. A challenge is set to explore the graveyard at night — but even the farmer has no idea where this quest will take his daughter...

Let your children enjoy this week's playfully eerie Epic, based on a folk tale adapted by Chip Colquhoun and Tony Cooper. The story is read by Chip Colquhoun.

Illustrated by Dave Hingley.

For easy and fun ways to link this story to the UK National Curriculum, make sure you also listen to our Epic Learning podcast. Further storytelling and learning resources – including videos and creative challenges for your children – can be found at epictales.co.uk

After you've listened to this podcast, please leave us a review – we'd love to know what you think!

This audio is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 Licence. 

Join Epic storytellers and creative teachers as they discuss how to draw out curriculum links from this week's Epic Storytime podcast with easy, fun, and engaging activities.

This week, Epic storytellers Chip and Pauline (also an Epic mum!) are joined by Helen, a teacher from Milton Keynes specialising in children aged 4 to 7; Bex, a Deputy Head and English Lead from Cambridgeshire and Laura with experience of teaching children aged 4 to 7; and Laura, an international teacher specialising in children aged 7 to 11. Together they discuss the curriculum links within Chip and Tony Cooper's adaptation of the folk tale "Brave Mary". Discover how to help your children conquer fear, poetry, entrepreneurialism... and much more!

00:48 | Introductions

02:10 | "Brave Mary" excerpt

04:19 | Morals, story origins, and Literacy — adapting story settings (all ages)

12:16 | PSHCE — overcoming fear (ages 7 to 11)

19:06 | Curriculum links for ages 4 to 7
• PSHCE — overcoming fear (19:06)
• Science — properties of materials, investigation skills (22:10)
• Core Skills, Entrepreneurial Skills, Literacy, DT, Teamwork, Roleplay, PSHCE — "Mantle of the Expert", setting up a ghostbusting business, perseverance and resilience, posters, instruction writing (23:38); setting up a play estate agents (yes, you read that right — you're never too young to learn the art of home selling...!), persuasive writing, summarising, purposeful writing (29:19)
• Numeracy — counting in steps of 2, 5, and 10 (26:20); card games, number recognition, adding up, greater than or less than, number sizes, sequences (27:02)
• Geography and DT — maps, plans, rooms of a house (28:10)
• Literacy, PSHCE, Art — story structure and predicting outcomes, being unique, alternative endings, making decisions with a conscience alley, drawing from a written description (30:29)
• Literacy & History — jobs across time, linguistic clues to time and place, comparing then and now, diaries (32:57); "unlikely" heroes, significant individuals/women in history (36:29)
• Core Skills, Literacy, PSHCE — playing with imagination, knowing it's OK to question/make mistakes/try, different kinds of "smart" (34:07)
• Literacy — poetry, "fast poems" (37:51); sounds into words (38:45); active listening (39:35)

40:05 | Curriculum links for ages 7 to 11
• Numeracy, History, Science, PSHCE — money and budgeting, responsibility of money, changes in time of household budgets, food groups, basic economics, "home currencies", scales of poverty (40:05)
• Numeracy — practical maths with playing cards (46:13)
• PSHCE, History — bravery, strengths and weaknesses, rights of a child through history (46:50); other forms of fear, e.g. risk, designing "real" monsters (48:45)
• Science — why some people enjoy feeling scared (49:34); science of the brain, different kinds of "smart" (50:17)
• Literacy, History — non-fiction, significant individuals/women in history, definitions of success (51:04)
• Literacy, Numeracy — creating stories with playing cards (54:21)

55:04 | All Age curriculum links
• Literacy, History, Core Skills, Art, DT — "Happy Families" card game and exploring jobs across history, creating characters, the dynamics of family (55:04)
• PSHCE — discussing death and other "difficult" subjects (56:33)

57:42 | Is there anything we missed?
• Here's how you can let us know...!

If you enjoy this podcast, please do leave us a review – we'd love to know your thoughts!

Find more storytelling resources at epictales.co.uk, including videos and Creative Challenges for your children.

This audio is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 Licence.  

A farmer is willing to bet his last penny that his daughter Mary is braver than anyone. A challenge is set to explore the graveyard at night — but even the farmer has no idea where this quest will take his daughter...

Let your children enjoy this week's playfully eerie Epic, based on a folk tale adapted by Chip Colquhoun and Tony Cooper. The story is read by Chip Colquhoun.

After you've listened to this podcast, please leave us a review—we'd love to know what you think!

Illustration by Dave Hingley.

For easy and fun ways to link this story to a wide variety of learning outcomes including science and numeracy, make sure you also listen to our Epic Learning podcast. Further storytelling and learning resources—including storytelling videos and creative challenges for your children—can be found at epictales.co.uk

This recording copyright © Epic Tales 2021. Story copyright © Chip Colquhoun 2021. Illustration copyright © Dave Hingley 2021.

Epic Learning has had one mahoosive facelift! Search your podcast player for "Happily Ever Teaching", where you can now hear subject-specific off-the-shelf lesson plans 4 days a week every week! Get there before the Epic Learning Podcast disappears... Search for "Happily Ever Teaching" or visit epictales.co.uk/teachhappily

Join Epic storytellers and creative teachers as they discuss how to draw out curriculum links from this week's Epic Storytime podcast with easy, fun, and engaging activities.

This week, Epic storytellers Chip and Amy (also an Epic mum!) are joined by Helen, a teacher from Milton Keynes specialising in children aged 4 to 7, and Laura, an international teacher specialising in children aged 7 to 11. Together they discuss the curriculum links within Chip and Amy's adaptation of the Norse myth "The Potion of Poetry". Discover how to help your children conquer poetry, recipes, scientific enquiry... and much more!

00:48 | Introductions

01:59 | "The Potion of Poetry" excerpt

04:29 | PSHCE, History, Literacy, and morals (all ages)

17:57 | Curriculum links for ages 4 to 7
• History, Art — Viking gods (17:57)
• Core Skills, Art — conceptualising, designing, crafting (19:07)
• History — beliefs of different people, research skills (19:47); key historical figures of Viking times relevant to British history (20:06)
• Science — consistency of different liquids, following instructions, developing scientific enquiry skills (21:45)
• DT, Art — creating trolls, e.g. as costumes (23:35)
• Literacy — writing about your own activities (24:45); rhyme and rhyming games (25:15)
• Core Skills, Literacy — planning, writing instructions, evaluating (29:06); lost/stolen posters, purposeful writing, fine motor skills (31:57)
• Geography, History — following maps, features of the Viking world (31:10)
• Science, DT — origami, designing experiments (33:02)
• Numeracy — capacity (33:31)

34:44 | Curriculum links for ages 7 to 11
• Literacy — poetry, rhyme (34:44); expanded noun phrases, similes and metaphors (37:14); alliteration (39:27)
• Literacy, Numeracy, Coding and Computing — riddles, secret codes (40:30)
• Numeracy — mathematical investigations (46:34)
• DT, History, Geography — cooking, recipes, changes in diets across time and place, bread-making, measuring skills (47:20)
• Art, DT, RE — designing a hall and staircase among the clouds, levers and pullies (51:02)
• Science, DT — designing and making habitats, research (52:49)

54:03 | All Age curriculum links
• Literacy, DT — "reading corners", story boxes (54:03)
• Literacy — cataloguing (55:28); poetry (56:24); comparing stories (56:59)
• DT, Art, Literacy, Science — creating trolls and their habitats (57:51)

We'd love to hear how you get on with these ideas! Please leave us a review with your favourite podcast app, find us on social media @EpicTalesST, or email [email protected]

Have a learning outcome you'd like us to cover in a future episode? Email [email protected]

Stained glass illustration: Dave Hingley.

This recording copyright © Epic Tales 2021. Story copyright © Chip Colquhoun and Amy Robinson 2021. Illustration copyright © Dave Hingley 2021.

Epic Learning has had one mahoosive facelift! Search your podcast player for "Happily Ever Teaching", where you can now hear subject-specific off-the-shelf lesson plans 4 days a week every week! Get there before the Epic Learning Podcast disappears... Search for "Happily Ever Teaching" or visit epictales.co.uk/teachhappily