Curriculums
Grades K-2 Curriculums Grades 3-5 Curriculums Middle School and Beyond
Cyndera "Ms. Q" Quackenbush
brings thoughtful,
joy-filled environmental education to your classroom!
Story Stone Play nurtures the development of the "Sustainable Self" for every child. Transforming despair and powerlessness in the face of the climate crisis, the Sustainable Self creates the stories and images necessary to transform thoughts, ways and actions for a sustainable future.
K-2

Sustainable Stories meets children where they are developmentally and emotionally. Students interact with billion year-old stones containing naturally-occuring imagery. They are then be invited to make up their own stories using the stone images to spark their imaginations.
In order to ignite the storytelling process, Ms. Q performs stories from her own books Rachel Raccoon and Radioactive Rabbit. Each original story is accompanied with a ukulele song interactive puppet show. Stories and songs ignite the love and wonder for nature!
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Grades 3-4
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Cyndera tells stories inspired by the billion year-old stones she inherited from her father. The naturally occurring imagery spurs stories in a folkloric style. Stories told with stone help to launch children's creativity as they write and tell their own "stone stories."
Students in grades 3-5 will learn about how ancient cultures saw the land around them, shared stories and became stewards of their natural homes. Students can then encounter their own stone imagery, creating art and stories from what they see. Extended curriculums can include dramatic performances of their stories and nature walks where students encounter the inspiration of the features around them. This combination of art, writing, storytelling, historical and cultural awareness forms the Sustainable Self of each child!
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Middle School and Above
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Sustainable Stories take off in Middle School and above curriculums! Get your students thinking critically about how and why our brains were formed to "see" faces and figures in nature. Learn the science of pareidolia that is behind this phenomenon and how it can be a useful tool in facing the mental mindset barriers that prevent humankind from being the sustainable stewards they can be.
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Middle School and Above students can take their perceptions and story writing to the next level with more complex story structures and collaborative group plays. They can learn how rock is formed over billions of years by handling and looking closely at the Death Valley Paint Stone in their classroom.
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"I've never heard of another Storyteller doing this."
I’m particularly drawn to her original tales that have the feel of folklore, stories that rise up from what she sees in ancient stones she inherited from her father. This is certainly unique. I’ve never heard of another storyteller doing this. While dreamlike, the images in these stories are strong and grounded, and therefore help the "teller" to feel that way too.
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~ Priscilla Howe, Professional Storyteller & Author