I have been on twitter now for a wee while @jojognome and I love having a look at what folk are up to. I am always interested in what’s going on in schools and there is some very exciting stuff happening out there. A couple of the accounts I follow are @BanDevPS and @LeafyTrailsFS this is where I encountered the Primary 1’s at Banchory-Devenick Primary school doing their fantastic forest school lessons. The pupils get up to all kinds of amazing things.

This year they took some of my JoJo Gnome characters and gave them a make over from their ‘autumn collection’.Have a look at their blog post.  My contribution was to make the characters dance for joy in a wee film. Have a look at the film here. Great stuff guys!

JoJo Gnome looked like his sound machine was made of pretty solid wood …I would quite like one of those myself!

Look out for JoJo Gnome and the Sound Machine book which will be on sale from the website in the next couple of weeks. In the mean time…happy dancing!

I am delighted to be able to say that in October an actual physical version of ‘JoJo Gnome and the Sound Machine’ will be available to buy from the website. Very excited!  To celebrate there will be a mini schools tour around Scotland. So look out for us on the road! Lots of fun things planned which I’ll share on the blog.

Two days of kite making and JoJo is go go! Not a perfect kite but it does fly.

I love kites! I don’t know what it is about them but I love the feeling of freedom that flying a kite brings. That pleasure can only be added to by flying a kite on a beach. This year I did exactly that on Tiree … with my JoJo Gnome kite.

I had such a great time that I’ve been inspired to make my own kite from scratch, so watch this space.

I was delighted to be asked to do a storytelling session for the launch of  Let Glasgow’s Children Flourish campaign to give seeds to all Primary 1-3 pupils in Glasgow Schools. I had a great time with JoJo and Grandpa Gnome puppets at Benview Campus in Glasgow where both Highpark & St Cuthbert’s Primary schools joined in the fun.

I was delighted it made the Scotsman and the evening Times newspapers.

It may be still a bit frosty outside but JoJo Gnome’s growing season is well underway.

I had a fantastic couple of days at Wee Write in Parkhead Library in Glasgow. JoJo Gnome and I worked with 11 nursery schools who came from locations  all over the city to join us. The children listened to Sow & Grow with JoJo Gnome and joined in enthusiastically the telling of JoJo Gnome and the Magic Beans. During the 2 days I climbed no fewer than 6 beanstalks! The children and I worked together to make some lovely flower animations. Check out their brilliant wee films here.

Enthusiastic Elmvale

I was delighted to revisit Elmvale Primary in Springburn this week. I wasn’t able to join them for World Book Day but better late than never! The pupils gave my Grandpa Gnome puppet an enthusiastic welcome. They joined in his storytelling game and I am waiting for them to send me the stories they invented. The Primary 1 children amazed me with their active imaginations. I will share stories and pictures when I get them.

It’s brilliant to see teachers open up children’s minds and imaginations to the possibilities that stories have to offer. The school had authors visiting the school but more importantly also the wider community reading and sharing tales. Through books and stories everyone benefits.

Spring has sprung in the nurture room.

Wee Write 2016

I’m so pleased to be part of Wee Write, the Glasgow Children’s Book Festival, again. I will be in Parkhead Library on 3rd and 4th of March doing storytelling sessions with Glasgow nursery schools. We will be ‘Sowing and Growing with JoJo Gnome’ and discovering what happens when JoJo Gnome plants his magic beans! Look out for the animations we make at the sessions.

“So what are your plans over Christmas” … asked more than one person. Without taking a breath I replied “I’m going to be writing.”  So over this holiday season I have promptly …done anything and everything but write. My ingenuity knows no bounds. There’s the Christmas baking which just had to be done with my pal Jen and was great fun. Of course there was the trial baking which preceeded that. Then I had to print some Christmas paper (who wouldn’t need to do that!)….and of course JoJo Gnome’s Christmas Countdown complete with animations, great fun …but not really writing!

Earlier this year I went to Moniac Mhor on a writing course to get the creative juices flowing and do some writing on a piece of work for a slightly older age group 6-8’s. It was a week filled with writing, talking about writing and enjoying the company of others who were of a similar mind set. One of our tutors, the lovely Joan Lennon, suggested I focus on the bits of the story I was inspired to write and work from there. So I did that and filled in most of the rest of the story later, a new way of working for me. So where am I now?

Well I have imposed a Feb deadline to have it finished. My good friend Mary is poised to have a look over the copy and sort out my punctuation when she gets back from holiday in January. So what I am I doing just now …well that would start with losing 2000 words and doing a bit of tidying and no doubt rejigging things again. Am I the only one who doesn’t love rewriting …don’t think so. But this is where the real work gets done … this part is not joyful (but necessary).

My main strategy now is ‘turning up’. I have turned up, I am sitting at my desk and I am writing. OK it’s not what I am meant to be writing but …… after the next cup of coffee I will be good to go.

PS: The 2000 words are cut now … more rewriting tomorrow. Meanwhile enjoy the swan photo I took on the wee walk I had when I finished my coffee!!!!!!

It’s the 24th of December and today’s JoJo Gnome teaser is … Who is watching the snow fall with JoJo Gnome?

Think you have the right answer …. check it out here.

JoJo Gnome Christmas cards and badges can be found on JoJo’s Etsy site …pop along and visit. Card numbers are limited and when there gone …there gone so order soon.

Don’t forget to read JoJo Gnome & the Smell of Christmas!

You can also follow JoJo Gnome on twitter @jojognome.  Very Happy Christmas to you all.

It’s the 23rd of December and today’s JoJo Gnome teaser is … What are the elves wearing on their feet?

You might find a clue watching JoJo Gnome’s Christmas tree animation.

Think you have the right answer …. check it out here.

JoJo Gnome Christmas cards and badges can be found on JoJo’s Etsy site …pop along and visit. Card numbers are limited and when there gone …there gone so order soon.

Remember to curl up with JoJo Gnome and the Smell of Christmas as an e-book.

You can also follow JoJo Gnome on twitter @jojognome.  Come back tomorrow for day 24 of JoJo’s Christmas fun.