Tanya and Pete, along with children on Waiheke, have just been celebrating the arrival of Migratory birds on our shores. These include the Bar-Tailed Godwit/Kuaka which has made the loooong journey from western Alaska to New Zealand for a summer holiday and the Shining Cuckoo called the Pīpīwharauroa, which has flown from Indonesia/Bismarck Archipelago to have it's young. Like all cuckoos the Pīpīwharauroa lays it's egg in another birds nest (Grey Warbler/Riroriro).So to celebrate the cuckoo ...

Tanya and Pete have been celebrating Mad Hatters Day at a friends Birthday party, and decided to tell the Popular Indian story about a hat seller and his meeting with a group of very mischievous monkeys.They brought along a selection of colourful hats ... and a song to go with the story too.You can find our audios and books to purchase at https://imagined-worlds.net/story-shopOr join the live monthly Batt Cave storytelling club at https://ko-fi.com/tanyabatt0027/tiers Or if you are an educato...

Here it is.. the second and final part of the Firebird story: a Wonder tale from Russia ....Enjoy!!You can find our audios and books to purchase at https://imagined-worlds.net/story-shopOr join the live monthly Batt Cave storytelling club at https://ko-fi.com/tanyabatt0027/tiers Or if you are an educator for children 0 - 8 years subscribe to 'Batt on the Mat' - a monthly online, professional development storytelling and arts programme https://imagined-worlds.net/batt-on-the-matAnd finall...

This week in the Bat Cave Tanya , Pete and Bat lamb present part 1 of a Russian story about an Old man who discovers a magical feather. He has a great friend in his horse and together they face many challenges the Tsar (who is not a very nice bloke!) puts to them.Be sure to tune in next week for the exciting conclusion to this Wonder Tale!!You can find our audios and books to purchase at https://imagined-worlds.net/story-shopOr join the live monthly Batt Cave storytelling club at h...

Tanya bought some felt butterflies in Australia and got inspired to sing this butterfly song and tell the story of the magical transformation butterflies undergo.You can find our audios and books to purchase at https://imagined-worlds.net/story-shopOr join the live monthly Batt Cave storytelling club at https://ko-fi.com/tanyabatt0027/tiers Or if you are an educator for children 0 - 8 years subscribe to 'Batt on the Mat' - a monthly online, professional development storytelling and arts progr...

On the teams epic recent trip to Australia Tanya and Pete were invited to Mintara in South Australia to tell stories for a grown up audience on the theme of community and the links we all share with those around us. This was one of the stories told... a well known traditional story called Soup from a stone, about a traveller who comes to a town and proceeds to cook soup with a stone... the locals are very intrigued!You can find our audios and books to purchase at https://imagined-worlds.net/s...

Tanya, Pete and Batt lamb have just got back from a month touring and performing in Australia. They start off with a spring song to celebrate spring arriving here in New Zealand, and then tell an old English story about a girl Beth who stays up one night and meets a Faery.You can find our audios and books to purchase at https://imagined-worlds.net/story-shopOr join the live monthly Batt Cave storytelling club at https://ko-fi.com/tanyabatt0027/tiers Or if you are an educator for children...

It's the middle of winter in New Zealand and it's the best time to plants trees... Tanya and Pete have just planted thirty plus trees and wanted to celebrate the wonder of trees in the Batt Cave this week. They start off with a song about trees in the garden, then they sing a traditional English tune used to Wassail (Celebrate) the apple trees that comes from the West Country in England where Peter grew up..Finally they tell a story from Estonia about a man Called Mikku who sets out to c...

Tanya and Pete share more Matariki songs about some of the stars in the Matariki Cluster and then tell a very poignant story from the Māori tradition about Tāwhirimātea, the God of te hau/ the wind and how Matariki came to be in the sky.You can find our audios and books to purchase at https://imagined-worlds.net/story-shopOr join the live monthly Batt Cave storytelling club at https://ko-fi.com/tanyabatt0027/tiers Or if you are an educator for children 0 - 8 years subscribe to 'Batt on the Ma...

Mānawatia a Matariki. In the Batt cave today we are celebrating Matariki, the Māori new year. We start by sharing a fantastic Matariki waiata by our friends Loopy Tunes in Ōtautahi/Christchurch. The star cluster, Matariki is important to many different cultures all over the world and has many names. In English it's called the Pleiades, in Japan Subaru and in China Mao. We share a story from the Wurundjeri people of south eastern Australia, who call the cluster, Karatgurk, after seven si...

For the third in our trio of fox stories ... this story comes from the Inuit and is about a woman who longs for and digs deep to find herself a child. A fox helps realise her dream.You can find our audios and books to purchase at https://imagined-worlds.net/story-shopOr join the live monthly Batt Cave storytelling club at https://ko-fi.com/tanyabatt0027/tiers Or if you are an educator for children 0 - 8 years subscribe to 'Batt on the Mat' - a monthly online, professional development st...

Tanya tells an energetic and fun version of this popular tale, about Chicken Licken who gets hit on the head by a falling acorn and thinks the sky is falling... then sets off to tell the KingYou can find our audios and books to purchase at https://imagined-worlds.net/story-shopOr join the live monthly Batt Cave storytelling club at https://ko-fi.com/tanyabatt0027/tiers Or if you are an educator for children 0 - 8 years subscribe to 'Batt on the Mat' - a monthly online, professional developmen...

Tanya and Pete have dressed up to go to a party, and as Tanya is dressed as a fox , they have decided to tell a traditional English story about a certain Mr Fox and his sack.... I wonder what is in the sack??You can find our audios and books to purchase at https://imagined-worlds.net/story-shopOr join the live monthly Batt Cave storytelling club at https://ko-fi.com/tanyabatt0027/tiers Or if you are an educator for children 0 - 8 years subscribe to 'Batt on the Mat' - a monthly online, profes...

This story (and catchy song) from the Batt Cave is from West Africa and is all about Anansi....the trickster spider man. Anansi was a very smart but troublesome god who was changed into a spider by his father Nyame for not giving up his mischievous ways, and there are many traditional stories about Anansi - this is one of them.You can find our audios and books to purchase at https://imagined-worlds.net/story-shopOr join the live monthly Batt Cave storytelling club at https://ko-fi....

The Batt Cave kicks off tonight with a song about air and then Tanya and Pete share a Gluscabi story that comes from the Abenaki first nations of America people. In this story Gluscabi's curiosity and frustration with the wind lead him to meet Wouchowsen, the mighty wind eagle where he learns that what often frustrates us, can also make us strong.You can find our audios and books to purchase at https://imagined-worlds.net/story-shopOr join the live monthly Batt Cave storytelling club at...

Another of the Batt Caves's harvest stories: Tanya tells a story from Russia about a farmer and his struggles to harvest a Giant Turnip from his land.  You can find our audios and books to purchase at https://imagined-worlds.net/story-shop Or join the live monthly Batt Cave storytelling club at https://ko-fi.com/tanyabatt0027/tiers Or if you are an educator for children 0 - 8 years subscribe to 'Batt on the Mat' - a monthly online, professional development storytelling and arts programme...

Still on the theme of Harvest time: Tanya tells an English story about a Farmer and his dealings with the boggart... an old mischievous spirit set on causing trouble. Then they follow up with another old harvest song... Oats, peas, beans and barley grow... except Tanya substitutes produce thats ready to harvest in our garden... Apples, Feijoas and Kumara. You can find our audios and books to purchase at https://imagined-worlds.net/story-shop Or join the live monthly Batt Cave storytelling...

Its Easter in the Batt Cave and in New Zealand that means Harvest time in the garden. Tanya, Batt Lamb and Pete have fun with the Batt cave participants identifying produce fresh from the garden and singing a Harvest song... Hip Hip Hip the harvest home!! You can find our audios and books to purchase at https://imagined-worlds.net/story-shop Or join the live monthly Batt Cave storytelling club at https://ko-fi.com/tanyabatt0027/tiers Or if you are an educator for children 0 - 8 years...

Tanya tells this story from Andalusia in Spain to the Batt Cave about a young girl who looses her necklace. Be warned that it is a bit of a scary story with a mean Ogre with a bad attitude in it!! You can find our audios and books to purchase at https://imagined-worlds.net/story-shop Or join the live monthly Batt Cave storytelling club at https://ko-fi.com/tanyabatt0027/tiers Or if you are an educator for children 0 - 8 years subscribe to 'Batt on the Mat' - a monthly online, professional...

Aesop is credited with several hundred fables: hot from the Batt Cave comes this tale of the ant who is industrious and hard working, and the grasshopper who takes a more laid back approach. In a first for Pete he not only plays the music but also plays the part of the grasshopper! Tanya takes on the role of the ant with her usual mastery of unusual voices. A twist to the story is introduced by asking the Batt Cave audience how they think the story should end....Enjoy!! You can find our...

Its still hot and summery here in NewZealand and the Cicadas are in full song. Here is a story from the Andaman Islands about the Cicada who loves to play his drum; and how this affects the whole balance of nature! You can find our audios and books to purchase at https://imagined-worlds.net/story-shop Or join the live monthly Batt Cave storytelling club at https://ko-fi.com/tanyabatt0027/tiers Or if you are an educator for children 0 - 8 years subscribe to 'Batt on the Mat' - a monthly...

Another story from the Batt Cave celebrating the Chinese New Year. This is the story of a boy called Chi Yu and how he uses a magic bead he finds to help out his village during a drought. His kindness is punished by a greedy farmer and Chi Yu finds himself transformed. You can find our audios and books to purchase at https://imagined-worlds.net/story-shop Or join the live monthly Batt Cave storytelling club at https://ko-fi.com/tanyabatt0027/tiers Or if you are an educator for children 0 -...