When Carol Arnott wrote her first yeti story she had no plans to turn it into a full-time business.
She worked in family learning for Dundee City Council when she developed a rhyming story for a course for P1 families.
The story about a yeti who couldn’t roar yet was written to teach the families about a growth mindset.
Carol’s colleague thought the story was so good, he encouraged her to create her own growth mindset teaching programme in her own time.
Carol says: “Lockdown could be a waste of time or it could be productive, so I worked the hardest I ever have to develop Get Set Yeti.
“I was really fortunate to have a year to digitise and develop what I had and to receive funding from Dundee City Council.”
Get Set Yeti stories
Get Set Yeti uses storytelling and character-based learning to provide teaching programmes, books and face-to-face workshops.
It has an online learning portal with lessons, videos and resources for teachers and educators.
So far, Carol has written 24 yeti stories and made three teaching programmes for the online platform.
“I’ve spent a lot of time working in the community. I’ve seen people not believing in themselves, their potential and their possibilities,” she says.
“So I’ve seen the power of what a growth mindset can do.
“It’s really important for children to be given that tool at the very beginning of their education.
“It levels the playing field in the classroom and helps them understand everyone has different skills and talents.”
Yetis going international
Ahead of Christmas, Carol has written a story about a yeti who helps Santa deliver presents.
Get Set Yeti has also had its very first delivery of yeti toys.
They now take up every spare bit of room in the author’s Broughty Ferry house.
“They look exactly like my characters and they are just perfect.
“We didn’t realise when we ordered them that they’re made by the same manufacturer that does Disney toys.”
Carol is now working on a digital magazine and a Yeti Songs album to be launched around Easter time.
Carol says: “The magazine will make our growth mindset material more accessible to families through comic strips, stories and puzzles.
“Most excitingly, they’re complimented by an album of funky yeti songs written in partnership with my very talented web developer.”
With help from Business Gateway, Get Set Yeti is looking at giving its programmes a global reach.
Carol says: “We’re working to get ready for investment to take on ‘Yeti Associates’ across the UK. We have an international strategy under construction too.
“I’ve seen many times over the impact of our yeti programmes in schools on children’s educational resilience and emotional wellbeing.”
