Graceful white swans

Graceful white swans

stories from a river's running, part 2 

salmon

Today’s river adventures grew in Coates Lane Primary School where Class 3 dived into a river of pictures nad words, playing with colours and patterns and descriptions. We created animals as we went, making small puppets to give us a rive rof creatures. There were swans and snakes; eels, otters and newts. Further afield, as our river met the sea, we met dolphins and flying fish, a turtle, a sea dragon and gliding out of the dark and dangerous depths, a fire squid. Lacing it all together from the sea’s deeps to the streams shallow gravel beds were the salmon, carrying stories between mountain top and ocean floor



Working with the Ribble Rivers Trust, this is a week of workshops building up to a celebration next week, a gathering of River Tales that capture the excitement, drama and biodiversity of a river

 The salmon speaks:

 The water runs
From mossy mountains and
Over rugged rocks,
Round rocks, where
Red rubies and
Excellent emeralds and
Pink pearls, pure pearls
Lie in the gravel of the river bed.

Magical moss wraps the rocks,
But super, slippery, smooth stones
and big brilliant boulders
Fill the river bank.
There is sand, smooth sand, slippery silver sand
Under the water
Where perfect pink and purple pebbles and
Glistening green emeralds gleam.

You can rest by this river where the kingfishers perch on branches
And graceful white swans swim,
Sliding over silent, glimmering waters
Reflecting lights,
Glittering like glistening jewels
Jagged gems and golden stones
Shining under the river’s mirror,
As the river races on
Towards the exciting, flowing waterfalls

Sleek otters play in the waves
Chasing swift salmon
While a slippery salamander sits on a stone
And watches
As a tough turtle trundles
Over the sand and down to the waves,
Where he flaps his flippers
And suddenly slips away, swiftly into the
Welcoming waves.

flying fish

many thanks to the staff and pupils of Coates Lane Primary School for their hospitality and to the artists and storytellers of Class 3 

for their hard work and wonderful ideas!