Coco Solo: How the Frog and the Caiman was Created

Coco Solo audiobook team

Remember ‘The Frog and the Caiman’, the beautifully illustrated audiobook by the children of Coco Solo from earlier this year? http://panamajama.com/2013/03/21/the-frog-and-the-caiman-illustrated-audiobook-from-the-kids-of-coco-solo/ Here is the story of how the project came to fruition.

The audio book workshop was led by Lorena Endara and Eduardo Arenas, the idea fitting perfectly with this year’s goal of increasing literacy at Coco Solo. In Lorena’s own words:

“Eduardo noticed that a lot of the kids who don’t know how to read also don’t have someone who will read to them. He also believes that hearing the sounds while seeing the letters is integral to learning how to read. This was a great way to empower the kids into creating their own learning tools. The audio book exemplifies Cambio Creativo’s mission at its best!”

Recording the Frog and the Caiman

“The young participants (8-14 year olds) were so excited to realize that their story would be “published”. The Cambio Creativo team developed the story together, each child adding to the story line one by one. Then Winnie Natero narrated it while another group recorded the sounds effects. Afterwards, several of them made illustrations. Eduardo mixed the audio, and I edited the video.”

Coco Solo illustrators hard at work

“We believe this audiobook is a great resource for the youth of Coco Solo, as well as for the public at large. It is amazing to see the enthusiasm and confidence that comes about creating something so purposeful and that kids everywhere are keen on multimedia pieces, you tube videos, apps, etc. This is a way to take that medium and use it towards educational endeavors. We are all so proud of collaborating to develop these projects!”