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This page (Page #8) has creative activities for use in the classroom. Kids love to learn more about the play’s origin and subject. Check out these articles and activities related to ArtReach’s popular titles: Pinocchio, Sleepy Hollow, Christmas Peter Pan, Kid Frankenstein, Little Mermaid, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Jungle Book. Don’t forget, a Teachers Guide will come with your School Play Package and contains tons of creative new ideas for your teaching lessons!
Here is the story of ArtReach's Pinocchio from the Teachers Guide
How a Puppet Became a Real Boy: Pictures of Sutter Street Theatre's Production (CA)As the play begins we are transported to an Italian village where "Lorenzo Magnifico's Magnificent Carnival of Puppets!" is playing today. Lorenzo introduces his magnificent puppets and puppeteers who are given the task of telling today's story.
Not long into the storytelling the proceedings are interrupted by an audience member. But this is no ordinary audience member - indeed, it is a Talking Cricket named Hickory Cricket. Hickory has some curious news about a puppet who talks and walks like a live person. So begins Pinocchio, the story of a puppet who wants to become a real boy.
In his lonely workshop the old wood carver Geppetto delights in his creations - Ivana the Wooden Dancer, his Music Boxes and Cuckoo Clocks. It is all very well to have their company but Geppetto looks at his wooden puppet Pinocchio and wishes he were a real boy. His Lucky Star shines and as Geppetto falls asleep the Blue Fairy comes to Geppetto and grants his wish. She waves her wand and Pinocchio comes to life.
"Geppetto wishes Pinocchio was a real boy."
Sutter Street Theatre's Production of ArtReach's PinocchioBut the Blue Fairy tells him, he is not yet a real boy and cannot become one until he proves that he is good and honest. Pinocchio pledges to prove himself and the Blue Fairy appoints Hickory Cricket to look after him in his adventures. When Geppetto wakes his is overcome with joy.
Geppetto dresses Pinocchio and gives him school books and money and sets the puppet off to school. Along the way Pinocchio is sidetracked by Fibber the Fox and Lefty the Cat. They scheme to divert Pinocchio, sell him to Lorenzo and get their hands on Lorenzo's money. Pinocchio is completely duped by these tricksters and forgets all about school and Hickory, letting them lure him with promises of getting into show business.
But Lorenzo is not happy with his purchase, telling Pinocchio that people want to see a puppet who can dance. But Pinocchio cannot dance and Lorenzo locks him in cage until he learns how. Pinocchio calls for his friend and Hickory appears but, alas, the Cricket cannot free Pinocchio from his predicament.
The Blue Fairy appears and questions Pinocchio. Pinocchio lies about his actions and his nose begins to grow. She reminds him of his promise to become honest and good and sets him free to try again.
Pinocchio is duped by tricksters and forgets all about school.
Sutter Street Theatre's Production of ArtReach's PinocchioPinocchio and Hickory set off for home but Pinocchio is once again lured away from his goals when he meets up with Lampwick, a real boy who is running away from home. Lampwick is all bluster and swagger when he tells Pinocchio of Land of Toys where there are no schools and it's always vacation from New Year's Day to Christmas. Pinocchio is duped again and hops a ride on the coach that is carrying children away to the sinister Land of Toys.
Pinocchio and Lampwick have a great time being cool and having fun all day until a strange thing happens. Lampwick and the other children begin to grow ears and bray like donkeys. When he learns that the boys who have become donkeys are being loaded onto a ship Pinocchio calls for Hickory and once again the good Cricket flies to his side.
They set off for home only to find that Geppetto has gone away. The Blue Fairy tells them that Geppetto has gone to the sea to save Pinocchio from the Land of Toys. Worst of all - Geppetto is at the bottom of the sea, living in the belly of a Terrible Whale.
At last Pinocchio musters all his courage and goodness and swears to save his dear Papa. Hickory and Pinocchio dive into the ocean and are swallowed by the Terrible Whale. Inside they find Geppetto but it seems all is lost - how can they escape the whale before they starve to death?
The Blue Fairy appears and waves her wand.
Sutter Street Theatre's Production of ArtReach's PinocchioPinocchio becomes the hero when he builds a fire and causes the whale to sneeze! They are rushed on a wave to shore but Pinocchio is lifeless and does not open his eyes. The Blue Fairy appears and waves her wand. Pinocchio has proven himself and she tells him he is now a Real Boy.
When Pinocchio awakens Geppetto is overjoyed and the old man and his real son are together at last. Lorenzo reminds us once again that we are witnessing his magnificent puppets and asks for the audience applause. Puppets dance and sing and all players return to the stage for their bows.
But the ending is not complete until Hickory joins Pinocchio on stage and declares that wishes really do come true!
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Aurora Children's Theatre Study GuideIchabod'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, TNBrom 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 PanThe 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, MADISCUSSING 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 FrankensteinMad 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, MNDress 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 TaleAppalachia: 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.
“Today
is your day!
Your
mountain is waiting,
So get
on your way!”
-- Dr. Seuss
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 NJDecorations: 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 VTBeanbag 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.
“Life
itself is the most wonderful fairy tale.”
Hans Christian Andersen<tjb>
ArtReach's Rudyard Kipling Classic: THE JUNGLE BOOK
Preparing for the Play: GLOSSARYCreeper: A plant such as ivy that grows over a surface like the ground or tree truck. This appears in Kipling’s poem The Law of the Jungle. In the Mowgli stories, the boy uses the creepers as vines and ropes.
Girdle: This word’s most common meaning refers to an undergarment. But in Kipling’s poem it means something that encircles the body like a belt. So that in the poem the words “girdles the tree trunk” mean that the vine has grown around the tree, making a circle that runs “forward and back”, symbolizing life.
Pack: A group of wild animals, especially wolves, living and hunting together.
"For
the strength of the Pack is the Wolf."
ArtReach's The
Jungle Book, Ardtornish School, St Agnes AU
Red Flower: Kipling made this term up for this story. It is the word the Jungle-People use for fire. Only the humans or Man-People can make and use fire so it is the one thing that they feel is truly owned only by humans.
Cattle: The Jungle-People consider cattle or cows to be different from Jungle-Animals since they are domesticated and do not have the freedom to run wild like them. Therefore, the Jungle-Animals believe it is wrong to hunt cattle. Shere Khan goes against Jungle Law by hunting them.
Council Rock: The place where the Wolves go to make decisions together. Every important decision must be deliberated at the Council Rock.
Peace Rock: This is a rock in the river that is only visible during a drought when the water is low. So during the difficult time of drought the animals gather there to call a hunting Truce, meaning they will not hunt each other. All may drink freely and safely until the rains come and replenish the river.
Master-Words: In Kipling’s Jungle Books all animals have their own language, called the Master-Word. Bagheera teaches these languages to Mowgli. In the play we use a few words for each group of animals to symbolize their individual languages.
Stranger’s Hunting Call: This is how one type of animal requests the right to feed in another animal’s territory: “Give me leave to hunt here because I am hungry.” The polite answer is: “Hunt then for food but not for pleasure.” Kipling implies by this, that there is an ethical agreement among animals which allows killing but only enough necessary for the world’s creatures to survive.
"And
the strength of the Wolf is the Pack."
ArtReach's The
Jungle Book, Ardtornish School, St Agnes AU
Trumpet: The word commonly refers to a musical instrument. However, the loud sound that an elephant makes with his trunk is called a “trumpet”. It is also used as a verb in the play as in “The elephant trumpets.”
Vulture: Large bird of prey with a featherless head that feeds on carrion, or animal carcasses. Often maligned for this trait, Kipling presents Chil, a kite, as a necessary animal performing a service in the hierarchy of the food chain. In the play Chil circles the Jungle-People at Peace Rock, waiting for some of the animals to perish. Akela does not repel her, saying only that her time has not come. Since the vulture respects Akela’s authority she takes no offense and promises to return when her time has come.
Python: Any large non-venomous snake of the family Pythonidae of Africa, S Asia, and Australia. They can reach a length of more than 20 feet and kill their prey by constriction. The Python was represented in Greece mythology of having a demon spirit which may be why Kipling chose this animal and gave it hypnotizing powers.
Bandar-log: A term used in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book to describe monkeys - specifically, Langur monkeys. In Hindi, Bandar means 'monkey' (although specifically not Langur monkeys) log means 'people'.
“There
is none like to me, says the Cub in the pride of his earliest kill.
But
the jungle is large and the Cub he is small. Let him think and be still.”
-- Rudyard Kipling
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