Daily Dose — Nelson Couple Launches Storytelling App for Children
By Ari Lord
Local couple, Taseyah Davies and Alexander Lamm have launched a storytelling digital program for children, StoryNest.
“StoryNest is a sanctuary for young children ages three to nine and it’s filled with audio stories and songs that teach virtues like honesty, compassion, empathy,” says Davies.
What makes the program stand apart is that the stories are carefully curated.
The couple is excited about the high caliber storytellers they have enlisted for the app.
“We collaborate with storytellers from across the world. There are ten storytellers currently and they are all acclaimed, amazing storytellers that we’ve picked because the content they create is beautiful and filled with good values. They are culturally diverse as well,” says Davies.
StoryNest is a subscription-based program, offering a month, six month or year membership.
“We also have gift subscriptions which have proven to be quite a hit with grandparents, aunts and uncles looking to give something that’s not another plastic toy,” says Davies.
The inspiration behind creating the program was a challenge they faced with their young son.
“Our son is a very early riser and has been since he was a baby. He always wakes up before five am, and that was very challenging for us,” Davies explains.
“So, at age six, we realized we didn’t have to be getting up with him. Someone recommended audio stories to us and so we started looking for good stories to give him to listen to in the morning and it was challenging to find a source.”
It was hard to find a story source that was ad free, age appropriate, and not going to autoplay on to unapproved content.
The other inspiration for StoryNest was how audio stories can positively impact kids.
“We saw the positive side of audio stories and how they can help children learn about themselves and the world,” says Davies.
She and Lamm were also ready for a new challenge.
“My husband and I had been looking at our life skills and experience and asking what is our path of service, what can we do to make a difference. My husband is a developer and I have a background in marketing and app UX research. We thought we could make something awesome if we combined our skills.”
As they started sharing their idea, they got positive feedback from local parents.
“For six months both of us have been [working on the app] fulltime, we let go of our other work and have been focussing on StoryNest. It launched in September. It’s a big leap of faith for us. It’s a big dream,” says Davies.
‘StoryNestlings’ is what the couple call kids who use the program.
“We have our first group of really happy families who are using it and loving the stories. They’re using StoryNest on car trips, while waiting for an appointment, after school, if they come home from a big outing and a child needs some rest time. A story is regulating to the nervous system as opposed to screen time,” says Davies.
Davies was born in Kitchener, Ontario but has lived in Nelson since age nine. Lamm is from Toronto but has lived out West for 30 years.
“We’re really into nature. The beauty of the environment we live in is something that we love. We take our kids and small dog out to explore different areas of the Kootenays. Whether it’s finding swimming spots, cross country skiing, sledding. Simple things,” says Davies.
Their children have been supportive with getting StoryNest going, she says.
“The kids have been helpful because often when we’re considering bringing a storyteller onboard, they will listen to the stories with us and then they’ll give us their thumbs up or down.”
The reaction to the new program has been positive locally. Many kids at the Waldorf school where the couple’s kids go are subscribers. The couple might expand the age range of the app at some point soon to include older kids.
“We have some free sample stories on our website. We have one from every one of our storytellers and there’s also colouring pages that go along with some of the stories. We have unique, original stories. They honour the tradition of storytelling where the teller is very engaging and speaking from a performance place. They are really beautiful creations,” says Davies.
For the next 100 subscribers, StoryNest is offering 70% off for a three month membership.
For free sample stories, click here.
For gift subscriptions, click here.
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