StoryTime with Auntie Noma is one of Africa's leading wholly indigenously-produced children's edutainment programmes, providing educational and entertaining content, targeted at kids but enjoyed by the family as a whole. The television programme very innovatively fills the gap created by the lack of quality African programmes for children, especially preschoolers. StoryTime with Auntie Noma went on air in 2005 and has been broadcast in over 30 countries in Africa and Europe through DSTV- MNet's cable channel (Africa Magic), Magic Channel (daily), BEN TV Europe, Channels TV Nigeria, Africa Independent Television (AIT), Gateway Television (Ogun State), Desmims Independent Television (DITV), Kaduna State, EBS, Edo stateand TVC . Not only is Story Time with Auntie Noma educational and entertaining, it is unique in that its very vast content is recorded on location and in our studio by our crew. Most of the music featured is composed or re-arranged and recorded by Auntie Noma.
Story time with Auntie Noma takes learning outside the four walls of a classroom. It creates a vibrant and refreshing approach to life from a child's perspective.
The weekly half-hour programme, which encourages co-viewing, is an exciting combination of features, storytelling, songs, arts and crafts, did you know slots and periodic competitions. Every part has a story to tell.
A theme, randomly chosen for each week, through four characters- Talent Tom, Nose-it-all-Nelly, Busy Ben and Nature's Nancy helps the kids explore topics ranging from Talking Drums and Dragon Fruits to Doughnuts and Animals on Safari in Kenya.
The many opportunities to learn about our varied cultures, portraying their positive aspects in very attractive ways, as well as learn about ways of life outside Africa, means that this programme is stimulating to both Africans and non-Africans alike.
Meet Auntie Noma
Noma Sodipo, also known as Auntie Noma, has worked with kids for over two decades. Originally trained as an optometrist, she has been a fellow of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health for over 16 years and was a member of The Association for Research in vision and ophthalmology and the British Contact Lens Association fellow over 18 years. She extends her position for work with children to a wide variety of services within her organization, The Lighthouse Educational Services which comprises a fully equipped studio for children's TV programming, nursery education, musical productions, children's publication, educational DVDs, documentaries, travel, vision and educational research for children.
In May 2012, Ghana, Auntie Noma was given the Global Women's Inventors and Innovators Network (GWIIN) award for her children's TV programme Story Time With Auntie Noma. She has run storytelling events at various programmes with the British Council, Ikoyi Club 1938, the Committee for Relevant Arts (CORA), Lagos Book Arts Festival (LABAF) Centres in the UK as well as showing her experiences in film festivals, conferences, national newspapers, and various other media in topics ranging from Children's television in Nigeria to Caring for your Preschool child's eyes. She represents her country in Connected-Women.com, through a blog post set up to highlight contributions of 30 women from 30 different countries across the world.
Auntie Noma attended a course at The London Film Academy in 2004 and has been interned with the BBC, whilst sharing experiences with the producers, directors and executive producers of the children's programmes Tikkabilla, CBeebies and Blue Peter. She holds a post-graduate diploma in education.
Her hobbies include playing the piano, running and swimming. She is married to Bankole and they have three very innovative children.
