A Preston woman has written the next chapter in her children’s homemade story making business.

Beth De Nobrega is Chief Story Maker and founder of Magical Story Jars.

Beth launched the business in 2017 while on maternity leave, and has recently created a new set of story jars, in Christmas, fairytale and adventure themes.

The idea behind Magical Story Jars is for children and adults to pick colour coded cards from a jar to form the basis of their homemade tales.

Beth, from Farington Moss, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled with the new jars. We’ve spent a long time listening to what parents and kids want from the jars and this has really helped us in developing the latest version. The University of Central Lancashire’s innovation centre staff have also helped to support the project.  

“Parents said they’d like characters that emphasise important values, so we’ve introduced characters with different personality traits such as such as Gertrude the adventurous slug and Hilary the helpful hippo.

“Kids wanted story ideas that were not just exciting but also funny, so we now have plot cards that involve visiting slime factoriess and discovering a boy with the stickiest bogies in the world!”

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As well as developing the new jars, the past year has seen Beth developing ties with the local community. She has been working with various local organisations to create bespoke story making experiences, including a campaign with South Ribble Council to educate children on the importance of recycling and healthy eating.  

Beth said: “We’ve really enjoyed the work we’ve been doing in the local community and already have a packed diary for next year.

“It’s great to be able to create stories that help educate kids on important messages such as recycling and healthy eating, but also to be able to use the opportunity to gain feedback on our Magical Story Jars for future development.”

Magical Story Jars are available online at www.magicalstoryjars.com.

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What do you think of Magical Story Jars? Have you tried them with your children? Let us know in the comments.