Stories We Step Inside (ages 10-12)
30 May 2026
The aim is to platform this year’s National Year of Reading Theme: ‘Go all in’ and create literacy rich events that encourage people to connect further with their passions through the medium of storytelling, reading and creating. The timeline and theme also align with ‘Share A Story Month.’
The Adventure Compass – The Compass Emporium for 10-12-year-olds - a centre of mystery with stories going in every direction.
The compass emporium is home to two costumed characters – The Compass Keepers. The cosy tent is filled with maps and mysterious objects and a rose compass rug that children can stand in the centre and turn while blindfolded to seek story objects. The experience runs as a continuous loop throughout the hour, welcoming children as they arrive and letting them stay as long as the adventure holds them.
There are two activities at the heart of this experience:
The Story Spin: children help the keepers solve the mystery of objects that have arrived from four compass points – shouting ideas and escalating the story
The Lost Story box: Children rummage freely through a collection of strange found objects, each tagged with a one-line mystery and decide what happened next. Every child leaves with a small compass card connecting what they love to a real book.
Alongside the bell tent activities, there will be a gazebo for helping to steward families to the events and having books on show for reading and some to take home.
The Adventure Compass – The Compass Emporium for 10-12-year-olds - a centre of mystery with stories going in every direction.
The compass emporium is home to two costumed characters – The Compass Keepers. The cosy tent is filled with maps and mysterious objects and a rose compass rug that children can stand in the centre and turn while blindfolded to seek story objects. The experience runs as a continuous loop throughout the hour, welcoming children as they arrive and letting them stay as long as the adventure holds them.
There are two activities at the heart of this experience:
The Story Spin: children help the keepers solve the mystery of objects that have arrived from four compass points – shouting ideas and escalating the story
The Lost Story box: Children rummage freely through a collection of strange found objects, each tagged with a one-line mystery and decide what happened next. Every child leaves with a small compass card connecting what they love to a real book.
Alongside the bell tent activities, there will be a gazebo for helping to steward families to the events and having books on show for reading and some to take home.
