the perfect resource for exploring feelings, body language and emotions
We’ve bundled together all our iconic stones products into one must-have resource!
It’s not just a great way to initiate conversations about feelings and emotions with people of all ages, BUT it’s now the only way you can purchase our much-loved Pocket of Stones. These precious stone faces have been hand-crafted by central-Victorian artist, Yvonne Cahill, for more than 20 years and continue to resonate with people of all ages.
The bundle also includes the picture book, The Wrong Stone. Written by Russell Deal and illustrated by Ray Bowler, this quirky, soulful story has helped a generation of young people talk about diversity and inclusion.
And, of course, the heart and soul of The Stones bundle is the card set Stones … have feelings too! — a collection of stone characters with personalities and feelings, specially created for building a feelings vocabulary.
The accompanying Stones … have feelings too! Stickers (260 in total) are a great take-home gift, or classroom surprise to communicate how we respect and value one another.
Together, these resources form an easy-to-use and accessible tool for exploring feelings, emotions, body language, and building emotional intelligence and a feelings vocabulary.
Suitable for:
- Counsellors
- Parents and carers
- Educators/Schools
- Health services
- Family and Community services
- Social work
- Youth services
- Justice settings
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Stories and Reviews
Stone Therapy for Special Siblings
One September our collection of ‘stony’ resources inspired lots of fun and creativity at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide. Art therapist, Belinda Ryan, selected our picture book, The Wrong Stone, as her starting point for some ingenious workshop activities for siblings of children in the hospital’s Paediatric Palliative Care Unit. Children identify with the stony characters immediately, and there are so many ways you can play with stones!
Siblings of children who have a life-limiting illness can often feel isolated and alone. So we developed a pilot program for 8-12 year olds to help them connect with one another, have some fun and feel special. The Wrong Stone was the perfect story to use for a series of art-based activities. Children identify with the stony characters immediately, and there are so many ways you can play with stones!
After reading the picture book, each child chose their own special stone to carry with them. Then the stones were used to frame a beautiful mandala created from colourful sand and pebbles. At the end of the two-day workshop, children collected some of the mandala to take home with them. They also painted a symbol on their ‘perfect stone’ as a reminder of their own gifts and special place in the world.
For another activity, we created a spectacular stone wall (based on the one in the book) and used it as a setting for a puppet show. The children used the puppets to express what it’s like to have a brother or sister who has (or had) a life-limiting illness. Surrounded by all the stones celebrating difference and uniqueness, the puppets were able to ‘speak’ freely from their places along wall.
Innovative Resources’ Stones …have feelings too! and Pocket of Stones provided us with a brilliant barometer of how the children were feeling over the two days. Each child was also presented with a copy of The Wrong Stone and some of the Stones…have feelings too! stickers. The book presentation was a real highlight of the workshop, and we followed it by re-reading the story together (with gusto!) to reiterate its messages. It was satisfying to give the children these permanent mementos, to remind them of their special place in the world and all that they learned during the program.
Thank you to Russell for his clever, insightful story and for the other stony resources. I have used The Wrong Stone with various client groups because it communicates an important message and is easily accessible to readers. The stones theme worked tremendously well and had a real impact on the children. They won’t forget that they all have unique qualities, and there is a perfect ‘spot’ for each of them, no matter what else goes on in their lives.
– Belinda Ryan, Art Therapist, Paediatric Palliative Care Unit, Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide
