QUALITY STORYTENTS
A resource for family, early childhood and community literacy workers
Windy days make the worst storytent days simply because the canopies are so vulnerable to gusts of wind. We often raise the tent to only two-thirds of its height, something doubly important on windy days. We also use pegs or weights attached directly to the tent legs to keep the tent in place.
Some storytent days will feel surprisingly cool, especially to workers who have been out all morning, and whose clothing may be damp. Cool days are skipping, chanting, singing, hand clapping days.
A combination of wind and rain can close a Storytent down. If rain blows in, books and blankets will quickly become too wet to use. In some situations, workers can wait out a squall, delaying set up until the rain slackens. In others, it may be necessary to cancel a morning's Storytent in order to have dry books for the afternoon.
Most importantly, whatever the weather, workers need to be personally prepared. This means having adequate clothing, headgear and footwear. Having a change of clothing near at hand is helpful. It also means being physically and mentally prepared to do the job.