Following 8 weeks of Story and Play sessions for under 5s at the Old School in Warrington, we have created a Parenting Playbook to support Parents and Carers with establishing play at home.
Thanks to funding from Cheshire Community Foundation, you can download your own copy to support play with the little ones in your life.
Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well
Add the food colouring to the water and then add the vegetable oil and water and food colouring to a large pan and mix together.
Add the dry ingredients and mix well
Cook over a low to medium heat until the dough starts to form and becomes dry.
Once all the dough has formed a ball, remove from heat and let cool.
Once cooled, knead the dough for 5 minutes to soften. If the dough is still sticky, put back in pan and heat for a few more minutes.
Wrap in clingfilm and store in air tight container and keep in fridge for 1 week.
Dilute the White Vinegar – 2 parts water to 1 part White Vinegar
In a Zip lock freezer bag, add a cup of rice, a tablespoon of diluted white vinegar and a few drops of food colouring.
Seal the bag shut, ensuring all air is out of the bag and spread the food colouring across the rice
Once throuroughly mixed, empty the bag onto a baking tray and leave to dry for a couple of hours.
Store in an air tight container for up to a year.
Want to download a free copy of our Parenting Playbook – A guide to support play at home? Follow this link
For Families who speak English as a Second Language who have been driven to Warrington by circumstance
At our Story Makers group we aim to support families who have arrived in Warrington through diverse circumstances by offering accessible, arts-based activities that encourage expression, community connection and celebrate our cultures, with support for ESOL learners.
Children, parents and grandparents are all welcome to come together to share stories, play and learn English.
Everyone’s story matters. Everyone is welcome.
Day & Time: Tuesdays 4.00-5.30, from 13th January 2026
Location: The Old School, Warrington, WA1 3AJ
Email: hello@storystitchers.co.uk to book your place or find out more
We have secured funding to run this group until June 2026. At the end of the project we may produce some kind of creative outcome like an exhibition or a book. This will be decided by the group in a process of co production.
No. You can join even if you only speak a little English. We help each other. We use pictures, words, and art to communicate.
Your family. All art materials are provided
It is free. These sessions are funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.
Tuesdays, 4 – 5.30pm, upstairs at The Old School, Warrington, WA1 3AJ
Flick Barry is a CELTA qualified ESOL teacher and has been a community artist for 20 years. She is experienced at storytelling work with all ages, including working with ESOL students and refugee families. She is British born and throughout her life is lucky to have worked and travelled around the world. Flick is supported by friendly staff and volunteers to ensure that your experience is a positive one.
Please send an email to hello@storystitchers.co.uk to sign up or find out more.
Please feel free to download and share our poster with anyone who you think might be interested in coming.
We are thrilled to share news that we have received funding from Cheshire Community Foundation to pilot an 8 week project for families with children under five that puts imaginative play at its heart. Families will be invited to come along to our friendly sessions where we share stories, craft, sing and play. These sessions will take place at The Old School in Fairfield and Howley in Warrington.
The sessions will combine a more structured storytime session with a softer stay and play format and will be delivered by artists with experience as parents and working with Early Years families and settings. Every session will include open-ended play that sparks creativity, and storytelling that builds confidence and curiosity. We will provide a safe, welcoming space for all families.
There will be the opportunity for parents to play and craft themselves in a bite-sized way to give space for creative reflection. A no pressure activity that can be completed with a child on your knee.
At the end of the 8 week sessions we will take all that we have learnt and create a Parenting Playbook, this would be designed to embed play into the home. We will have digital copies and a limited number of printed copies that we will distribute locally through food banks and pantries.
If you would like to bring your family along or learn more about the sessions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Wild Wonder is a podcast for families brought to you by Stitch. We explore the outdoors and share stories about what we discover. We curate the podcast involving our children as we believe that if children hear others speaking, it makes them feel powerful with their own voice.
Each episode includes a walk about with our children, followed by a story inspired by what we discovered on our walk. This current series of podcast is being made at a time when the UK is under lock down due to the Corona Virus. The conversations happen within walking distance of our house and were part of our daily outing. We found these conversations with our children allowed us to hit the reset button. We felt more connected to each other and the habitat that surrounds us (which maybe at a better time, we would have taken for granted.)
You can find the most recent activities posted on Facebook or Instagram.
We have also created some activity sheets to accompany each story. These will be added below when a new episode drops.
We also have an account for Wild Wonder on Instagram where you can enjoy the photos of things we have found.
Nook and Cranny are looking for brave space explorers to go on a mission to go across the Universe. They are looking for spectacular space stories that can take us out of this world.
Nook and Cranny’s Intergalactic Space Mission is designed as a fourteen day challenge to help you shape your stories. The activities could last as long as you like them to, but we think you can do them in 15 minutes.
You can write, draw, move, make or tell to explore. You can look up what is actually out there in the stars or you can let your imagination roam through space capturing strange creatures, secret stars or unknown planets.
While these activities are designed for children, we think that they are a great intergenerational activity too.
You can download the full challenge below, including some extra resources to support this challenge.
Help Nook and Cranny complete their mission by sharing your creations:
Facebook: @storystitchers
Instagram: @story_stitchers
Twitter: @story_stitchers
Story Stitchers 