All suggested activities can be found via the link at the bottom of the page.  Have a read through of the story to see our suggestions for additional items you could gather to help bring the story to life.

 

Once upon a time, there lived a kind but lonely fisherman called Thady.

Activity - Make your own Thady sensory board

Explore the textures

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He lived in a cottage by Lissadell Beach

Create sea breeze effect by wafting fan, or paper.

You could also spray a little water, if you'd like to have some sea spray.

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One evening he sat by the sea.

Activity - Make an Ocean Drum

Gently rocks to make sea sounds​​

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He heard beautiful singing.

Listen to the song and pass around some shells

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He watched as a Selkie stepped from the sea and took off her magical cloak.

Activity - Make your own Selkie sensory board

or lay shiny  material in lap of each person in turn and help them remove it.

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She sang her sad Selkie Seal Song.

Listen to the song and pass around some shells

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The fisherman fell in love with the Selkie and he took her magical cloak so she couldn't return to the sea.

Remove t​he cloak from the Selkie

or hide the shiny material used as a Selkie cloak.

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She was sad without her cloak but loved the kind fisherman.

Make gentle crying sounds, use a Tear Dropper to drop 'tears' onto a cheek or the back of a hand.

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​Then Thady hid her magical cloak in a sea chest.

If you are not fortunate enough to possess a sea chest or treasure chest, a fun activity might be to decorate a cardboard box with shells or netting.  Just large enough to hide the cloak in and 'slam' the lid shut.

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Thady and the Selkie lived happily together in the cottage with their children.

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At night she listened to the sea and sang her sad lullabies to her children.

Listen to the song and pass around some shells

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One night, her youngest son saw the magical Selkie cloak.  It shone in the moonlight.

Take cloak from box and shine torch on it.

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He took it and gave it to his mother, who took him by the hand

If the participants are comfortable with touch, take each person by the hand

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and walked down to the sea where she put on her magical cloak

Reattach Selkie cloak to Selkie Sensory Board, or lay shiny material over lap of each person.

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She waved goodbye​ and swam into the sea

Gently rock the ocean drum to make sea sounds.

Perhaps run a blue scarf or piece of fabric over arms or legs, or if tolerated, over the heads of participants.

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The Selkie never forgot her family and often left fish for their tea on the seashore.

Activity - Make your own fish

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It is said that one evening as the sun kissed the land goodnight, old Thady heard the calling of an old seal

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He went down to the shore and stepped into the ebb and flow of the salty ocean.

Gently rock the ocean drum to make sea sounds.

Perhaps run a blue scarf or piece of fabric over arms or legs, or if tolerated, over the heads of participants.

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It is told that in the bay there swim two old seals together forever.

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Play the Connemara Cradle Song to close.

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