The
Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Aurora
Children's Theatre Study Guide
Ichabod's
Life Lessons: Sleepy Hollow's flawed characters
and what they can teach us. The characters in The
Legend of Sleepy Hollow all contribute to the unfortunate end.
From each of these characters we can learn how selfish acts, and
working against each other, rather than with one another can lead to
unfortunate incidents.
Sleepy Boy:
The Sleepy Boy from the beginning of our tale immediately doesn't
like Ichabod Crane because Mr. Crane is different than the Sleepy
boy. This kind of thinking is closed minded and unfair to the person
being judged. Thinking to yourself that you do not like someone just
because they are different could be holding you back from meeting
someone you would actually like and become friends with.
The Lessons of
Sleepy Hollow
Jonesborough Repertory Theatre, TN
Brom Bones:
Brom is a character who revels in making others feel small to make
himself feel better. He finds the weakness that Ichabod has, and
continually uses this against him. This tactic eventually works in
Brom's favor, but at the cost of hurting someone. On top of hurting
Ichabod, the satisfaction Brom obtains will never last. He is ahead
of the game for only a short while, as Katrina already has a new beau
in mind.
Ichabod Crane:
Ichabod is a man distracted by fear and greed. Ichabod allows himself
to get distracted by his greed, which leads to his fighting with
Brom, and eventually his own downfall. Ichabod letting his fears get
the best of him is how Brom eventually "wins" the game he
and Ichabod are playing.
Katrina Van Tassel:
Katrina uses both Brom and Ichabod to get what she wants. This is
another catalyst to Ichabod's downfall. Establishing relationships
with others will eventually render reward, sometimes in the form
favors, but what is important is the bond you establish with the
other person.
A
Christmas Peter Pan Classroom Ideas
Lesson Ideas – A Christmas
Peter Pan
The classic tale of Peter Pan explores the
world of fantasy and imagination. The popular story, also captured on
film and written by James Matthew Barrie in 1904, has captivated
audiences for decades. Take your students on a journey of exploration
with Peter Pan and the gang through the world of Neverland. Adapt a
lesson plan for K-12 students from math to physical education with
Peter Pan classroom activities.
Walk the Plank Vocabulary
The menace of the story of Peter Pan is the
pirate, Captain Hook. Gather your students and invite them to test
their vocabulary knowledge aboard Hook's plank. You can create a
plank out of cardboard or wood or alternatively use tape or other
items to identify the tip of the plank. Using words from the book
like "engrossed," "spinster" and
"subtle," ask the students either how to spell or define
terms. Every mistake means one step closer to the edge of the plank.
After hitting the edge students are eliminated from the game until
there is one player left.
Neverland Math
Create mystical math questions for your
students to solve using the Peter Pan theme. For younger grades stick
to simpler equations using addition and subtraction. For example, if
Peter Pan has three wishes and he uses one, how many does he have
left? For higher level students you can create tougher questions
using multiplication, division and word problems. For example, if
Captain Hook has a treasure chest with 100 pieces of gold and Peter
Pan takes half but drops half while getting away, how much gold does
Peter bring back to Wendy?
Hook's Treasure Hunt
Take your students on a hunt around the world
to locate Hook's treasure. All you need is a map or globe of the
world and a few stickers to mark the spot. You can perform this
activity one of two ways. One requires you to mark the map prior to
the game and have the children identify the city and/or country of
each mark. You may also present the clean map or globe to the class
and name cities or countries that the students must locate and mark
on the map.
Peter Pan
Keep your students active with physical
activities based on Peter Pan. For younger students, play a variation
of Duck, Duck, Goose entitled Peter, Peter, Pan. Seat the kids in a
circle with one child, known as Captain Hook, walking around lightly
tapping the heads of his peers exclaiming "Peter" until he
lands on the one he wishes to race. He must exclaim "Pan"
when tapping the head to initiate the race. The two students, Peter
and Hook, must run around the circle. If Peter manages to tag Hook
before he sits in Peter’s spot in the circle, the student
playing Peter now plays Hook and gets to tap heads around the circle.
"Explore
the world of fantasy and imagination."
ArtReach's A
Christmas Peter Pan, North Shore Children's Theatre, Salem, MA
DISCUSSING THE PLAY, CHARACTERS,
IDEAS, ETC.
SNOW FAIRIES: Ask
the class to pretend that they are snow fairies. What is your
name and what do you look like? Where do you live and why?
Do you have a magic wand, or could your special powers be in your
shoe or your hat? What are your magical powers? If the
sun was shining brightly on you, what would you do? Show how
you would do it.
CHRISTMAS CAROLS:
Which are your favorite Christmas Carols and why? Have everyone
sing a Christmas Carol. Now pretend you are a pirate singing
the song. What words would you change to make it sound more
like a pirate?
CAPTAIN HOOK TREASURE MAP:
Choose Christmas tree ornaments to be treasures. Hide them on
the around the school or on the playground and let the children find
them like an Easter egg hunt. Have them draw a map from their
desk to the place where they found the treasure. Look at places
on a map or a globe where pirates once sailed such as the Caribbean
and Spain. Find your home on the map and trace the way to the
nearest port and then to the place of the pirates’ origin.
SANTA ELVES: If you
were an elf what would your name be and what kind of toy would you
make? What kind of materials would you use? Paper, wood,
plastic, glue? What tools would you use? Are these
in your garage at home or would you need to invent special magical
tool? How long do you think it would take you to make such a
toy? Who would you give your toy to? Draw picture of the
toy you would like to give your best friend or family member.
CROCODILE: Have
everyone draw a picture of a crocodile. How wide is your
crocodiles mouth, how big are his teeth? What does he like to
eat the best? Discuss the difference between crocodiles and
alligators. Look up where they live and find them on a
map. Do you think a crocodile would rather live in a zoo or in
the sea?
PIRATE’S SHIP:
Draw a picture of a pirate ships and identify the various parts of
the ship: main deck, rigging, mast, sails, port, starboard,
bow, stern. Pretend that you are a pirate and you are being
attacked by another ship. What kind of treasure do you have on
board and what will you do to protect it? Pretend the Captain
is a villain like Captain Hook and stage a mutiny.
Classroom
Activities for Kid Frankenstein
Talk, Write and Perform Kid
Frankenstein
Mad Scientist:
The idea of the Mad Scientist is that the scientist loves his work
so much he takes it too far. Think of other professions,
especially those you aspire to be. Talk about what can go wrong
when someone takes their ambitions a little too far.
Suggestions: Astronaut, Baker, Football Player, Librarian, School Bus Driver.
Create Your Own Silly Monster:
Think of all things you think are funny. Tutus, chickens, top
hats, tricycles, wigs, even things from your freezer or
refrigerator. After you have named these things, draw your own
monster incorporating these objects as part of the monster. For
instance, your monster may have a beak like a chicken and wear a tutu
and a top hat. What magical powers does your silly monster have?
Create Your Own Laboratory:
Have each student bring in or draw a picture of something in their
own home that could become a part of a magical laboratory where
anything can happen. Look for objects with electric cords,
knobs, wheels, dials, buttons, etc. Pretend the object has a
magic power. Demonstrate that power to the class.
Now have students put their magic objects together to make a
laboratory. Demonstrate your laboratory’s process and what
is the outcome of the function? Frankie chose to
make a Frankenstein monster in his laboratory. What would you
like to make?
"What is
your favorite monster?"
"Crazy am I? We'll see if
I'm crazy or not!" - Mad Scientist Frankie Stein in ArtReach's
play 'Kid Frankenstein'!
Youth Summer Theatre Program, Grand Rapids, MN
Dress as Monsters:
What monsters are your favorites? Have kids come to school
dressed as their favorite monster. This can be especially fun
on the day of the performance of Kid Frankenstein – especially
if it’s around Halloween!
Real Life Monsters:
Monsters are just a figment of our imaginations. Monsters come
from people looking at real creatures and assigning them super
powers. Think about real life animals and natural objects
like gnarly trees and clouds in the sky. Imagine that you see
monsters in these objects that come to life. What do they look
like? What powers do they have?
Frankenstein at the Movies!
Show classic movies such as Frankenstein (1931), Bride of
Frankenstein and Young Frankenstein. If you are short on time
or wish to cut out certain scenes, just show excerpts.
Pop some popcorn! Throw blankets on the floor and let
kids sit on the floor. Tell them if they get too scared
to grab each other and scream their heads off! That’s part
of the fun. And remind them that nothing in the movie is
real. Afterwards talk about scary movies and how to keep from
getting too scared by them.
"Logic
will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.”
-- Albert Einstein
Creative
Dramatics and More Fun Ideas for Jack
and the Beanstalk!
Have Classroom Fun with this
Famous Mountain Jack Tale
Appalachia: Has anyone
visited the Smoky Mountains? Do they know of anyone who hiked the
Appalachian Trail? Tell the class about your experiences. What did
you like best about the area? Have everyone imagine a favorite
mountain or valley spot and draw a picture. Draw children in the
picture. How do they spend their days? Imagine yourself in the deep
dark woods. Is it peaceful? Describe the things that live in the forest.
Cows: If you were going
to dress up as a cow for Halloween, how would you look? What kind of
costume pieces would you need to be a cow? If there's a cowbell
around, ring it for the class and talk about its uses for farmers.
Ask kids, do you like the sound? Do you think cows do?
Magic
Beans, Crazy Creatures & Giants in the Sky!
Jack
in the Beanstalk is one of ArtReach's most popular musicals!
Folksongs: Folk music is
fun because it's music that anyone can join in with! And it's
interesting because every single culture has their own folk music!
There's English folk music, Scottish folk music, Welsh folk music,
Irish folk music, American folk music, South American folk music,
Polish folk music, Hungarian folk music, Russian folk music,
Australian Aboriginal folk music and on and on. Can you name a song
that you have learned in your class that is a folk song? Find out
what country or region it is from. Locate it on the map and look up
other songs from that area. You may be surprised how many you know!
Ask the music teacher to devote a session to old folk songs and new
songs that sound like folk songs.
Crazy Creatures: Jack was
afraid of purple-eyed monsters, horny-toed dragons and warty-faced
giants. What kind of scary beings do you imagine? Make a mask out of
construction paper or foam. Show the class how your scary creature
walks and talks. What does he eat? Are they afraid of him too?
For a fun creative dramatics exercise, have
each student choose a characteristic from the first column and a type
of creature in the second. Combine the two, become the crazy creature
and sing Polly Wolly Doodle as your creature would.
IItchy-eared
Elephant
Lizard-tongued Spider
Baggy-kneed
Astronaut
Sticky-fingered Orangutan
Three-horned
Kitty cat
Think of ways to defeat the monster and stage
the battle for the class. Do you feel like a hero? Divide the class
into two sides and have a battle of imaginary beasts.
Magic Beans: Do you
believe in magic beans, like Jack did? Plant some sunflower seeds in
a cup and grow it on a windowsill in the classroom. Talk about the
very large plant that comes from a tiny seed. Can you see why that
growth would cause people to be inspired by its "magic"?
Consider the trees you can see from your school. They grow much
slower than Jack's beanstalk but they certainly grow magically tall,
don't they?
Dreams of Magic: Magic
Polly tells Jack the magic beans will do all his chores and grow
candy canes. If you had magic beans what powers would you like them
to have?
Castle in the Sky: What
kind of castle do the giants live in? Is it beautiful and ornate? Or
run down and falling apart? What kind of furniture do you think you
would find there? Jack hid in a potato bin. What kind of hiding
places would you look for in a castle in the sky? Roll out some paper
on the floor and draw a picture of your classes' castle.
The
Little Mermaid
is Full of Fun Activities
Have an Underwater Sea Party!
Invitations: The
wording of your under the sea birthday party invitations can say
"Calling all Jellyfish, Sharks, Squid and Seals, too...There's
going to be an adventure, and we'd love to share it with you! You're
O-Fish-ally invited to come under the sea. It's (your child's name)
Under the Sea Birthday Party!". Then include day, time, address.
Here is a slightly different idea for your
under the sea party invitations. Make your under the sea birthday
party invitations as "messages-in-bottles." Simply fill
clear plastic bottles with sand, mini sea shells, glitter, etc. Write
your invitations on parchment paper, then roll them into scrolls, and
insert invitations into bottles.
"Let them
create a mural of sea life."
George J. Mitchell School, Egg Harbor NJ
Decorations: Decorate
your under the sea birthday party room with green and blue balloons.
Hang green "seaweed" streamers from the ceiling, chairs, or
from the top of a windowsill. Cut out starfish, seahorses, and other
sea animals from construction paper. Tape cutouts to some of the
streamers. Cover the lights in the room with blue cellophane paper,
which will give the party "under water" feeling.
Spread out any stuffed sea animals that you might have around the
room. Have Mylar fish and dolphin balloons free-floating in the area,
and have lots of blue latex balloons on the floor to create
"ocean atmosphere." Hang a fish net in the corner of
the under the sea birthday party room. Put a blue or turquoise
tablecloth on your under the sea party table, and then spread
multi-colored confetti around it. Put plastic fish in a clear bowl
for table centerpiece. Hang a personalized theme "Happy
Birthday!" banner in the area.
Guest Arrival and Introductory Activities:
Seascape Gel Bags: Here
are some directions for your under the sea birthday party guests to
follow for this activity. Cut small fish from foam paper. Fill a
Ziploc bag with blue hair gel so when the bag is closed it's about
1/4" thick. Place the fish shapes, colored beads, and some
glitter in the bag. Squeeze out excess air from the bag before
sealing it Place the bag, sealed end first, inside another bag. Seal
the second bag and cover the zipped end with clear tape. Have
children make the fish move by running their hands over the surface
of the bag.
Sea Life Mural: Tape a
wide sheet of butcher paper on the wall at kids' eye level. Spread
posters and pictures of tropical fish, dolphins, sharks, and other
sea animals for ideas. Provide the kids with paints and markers, and
let them create a mural of sea life.
Party Favors: Since kids
are fascinated with sea life, any theme related items as keepsakes
will do the trick! For your under the sea party favors, you can have
such items as beach balls, fish squirts, straws, sticker sheets, toy
dolphins, and starfishes.
Under the Sea Birthday Party Games:
Pin-the-Tail on the Whale: This
classic game is easy to design and set up. Just draw a large whale
on paper, leaving out the tail. Then cut out "whale tails"
for all your guests. Put children's initials and a double-sided tape
on each tail. At game time, blindfold the kids one by one, spin them
around, and get them to pin their tail shapes where they belong.
Shark Chase: Get the kids
to spread out on one side of the party area - they are fish. Scatter
five or more hula hoops around the opposite side of the area (the
hoops are the fish's "homes"). Select one child to be
a shark, and have that player stand between the "fish" and
their "homes." When the "shark" calls Shark!, he
or she runs after the "fish" and tags as many as possible.
The fish must reach home - step inside the hula hoop - to be safe
from the shark. Any player who is tagged becomes a shark for
the next round, and tags remaining fish. For each round, take away
one hula hoop until only one hoop is left. The game continues until
all the fish are caught.
Play "Shark
Chase" and "Octopus Alert" with your students!
Lindsey Elementary, Chesterland OH - Old
Rochester Regional Jr High VT
Beanbag Fish Toss: Place
candies or small prizes in three or four pails. Place the pails
against the walls. Have a couple of beanbags for children to throw.
(It's ideal that you make a beanbag that looks like fish, but it's
not crucial!) Have the kids take turns throwing beanbags into a pail.
Allow children to choose a prize from whatever bucket the beanbag
lands in. Be sure every under the sea birthday party guest receives a prize.
Octopus Alert: Here is a
great outdoor game for under the sea birthday party, and it will
require water balloons. Choose one person to be an octopus. Arrange
everyone else in a big circle around the octopus. Have the kids in
the circle toss a water balloon back and forth, trying to keep it
away from the octopus. If the octopus pops the water balloon by
batting it out of the circle, the person who threw it is out. Last
child left in the circle wins.
Musical Sea Animal: Have
your party guests sit in a circle. Play lively music in the
background, and let the kids pass around a sea animal toy. Whenever
the music stops the person holding the toy - goes out of the game,
and receives a prize (e.g., favor bag). Play until everyone has won a prize.
Guide
to the Obon Festival in Japan
Background Info for "A
Thousand Cranes" School Play
The Obon festival (also known as Bon festival)
is an annual Japanese holiday which commemorates and remembers
deceased ancestors. It is believed that their spirits return at this
time to visit their relatives.
Chochin (paper) lanterns are hung to guide the
spirits and Obon dances (bon odori) are performed. Families have
reunions and visit the graves of their relatives and make food
offerings at altars and temples.
"The
Buddhist festival has been celebrated for more than 500 years."
ArtReach's A
Thousand Cranes - Bland County High School, Rocky Gap VA
It is observed from the 13th to the 15th day of
the 7th month. However, according to the solar calendar the 7th month
is July but according to the lunar calendar, the 7th month is August.
Obon is therefore celebrated at different times in different regions
depending on which calendar is observed.
The official 2019 dates are August 13-15 though
it will be celebrated between July 13-15 in some places. The Obon
week in mid-August is one of Japan's three major holiday seasons
making it one of the busiest times of the year for traveling. Many
Japanese people will leave their cities around August 10 and come
back on August 17-18.
Obon
traditions and celebrations
On the first day of Obon, people take the
chochin lanterns to the graves of their families. They call their
ancestors' spirits back home in a ritual called mukae-bon. In some
regions, huge fires are lit at the entrances of houses to guide the
spirits to enter.
At the end of the Obon festival, families help
their ancestors' spirits return back to the grave by guiding them
with their chochin lanterns. The ritual is called okuri-bon. Again,
the ritual varies slightly between different regions of Japan.
In recent years, floating lanterns (toro
nagashi) have gained in popularity. The beautiful lanterns float down
a river that runs to the sea to symbolically send their ancestors'
spirits into the sky.
The style of the traditional Bon Odori dance
varies from region to region but it is normally based around the
rhythms of Japanese taiko drums. Dancers perform on a yagura stage
and participants wear light cotton kimonos. Anyone can join in the
dances which are held in parks, temples, and other public places
around Japan.
"Joy is
the origin of the Obon dance."
ArtReach's A
Thousand Cranes - Bland County High School, Rocky Gap VA
Obon
festivals in Japan
There are a number of special Obon festivals
which tourists can visit using their JR Pass. The Daimonji Festival
in Kyoto is probably the most famous. A series of spectacular,
200m-long, character-shaped bonfires are built on mountainsides which
are visible throughout the city. Each one is then individually set on fire.
For those who love to dance, the Gujo Odori
Festival In Gujo, (Gifu prefecture) is a week-long party where
dancers perform each night from 8 pm until 5 in the morning. Over 1.3
million tourists go there each year.
At the other end of the spectrum, if you're
looking for a small festival which has preserved ancient traditions,
there is the Hokkai Bon Odori. It is also the birthplace of one of
the most famous Japanese traditional songs.
The origins
of Obon
The Buddhist festival has been celebrated for
more than 500 years. It originates from the story of Maha
Maudgalyayana (Mokuren). He was a disciple of Buddha who used his
powers to see the spirit of his deceased mother. He discovered she
had fallen into the Realm of Hungry Ghosts and was suffering.
Buddha advised Mokuren to make offerings to
Buddhist monks. On the 15th day of the 7th month, he followed
Buddha's advice and his mother was released from her suffering.
Mokuren danced with joy which is the origin of the Obon dance.
The Japan Rail Pass
Let's
Talk about Amelia Earhart!
Discussions
for
ArtReach's Amelia Earhart
Play for Young Audiences
From Study Guide: The Little
Company, Morehead State University, 106 Baird Music Hall, Morehead,
KY 40351
What Happened?
Many intriguing and often entertaining conspiracy theories and
speculations were made about Amelia Earhart's famous disappearance.
Not only were the factors regarding the actual cause of the failed
flight in question, but also the reason why her remains were never
found. People have guessed at everything from her creating the whole
expedition as a ruse to escape her marriage to Putnam, to the idea
that she and Noonan crashed on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean
and enormous coconut crabs hid her remains in their dwell-ings. For
this activity, write your own conclusion about what really happened
when she disappeared with her navigator Fred Noonan on their iconic
voyage around the world.
"People
have guessed:
What happened, Amelia?"
Amelia
Earhart - Barter Theatre, Abington VA
Where Is Amelia?
Amelia Earhart's life could be described as one long and tireless
journey. For this activity, design a destination for Amelia Earhart.
Feel free to interpret this as creatively as you wish; is she in
Ireland amongst the cows, or perhaps on a lonely island with the
coconut crabs? Keep in mind the adventures Earhart encountered in her
lifetime as well as the important people she met along the way.
Sensationalism:
In the play, the author uses the Great Depression and the suffering
of the American people to convey a theme of desperation. She then
displays how the media honed in on Amelia's activities to distract
citizens from the issues the country was facing. In today's society
we have similar scenarios of media distractions. Name as many
instances as you can in which a great tragedy or period of suffering
has been dulled by the media with a flush of superficial news-worthy
events in pop culture. As a few examples, marriages between popular
celebrities, issues within foreign countries, political events,
controversies, and anything in the media that catches the attention
of the public audience.
