Activities
for The Jungle Book
From
classroom to jungle with The
Jungle Book
Create Your Own Jungle:
Push back the desks and draw a magic circle on the floor. You
may do this by putting objects from the classroom in a circle on the
floor. Leave room for action inside the circle.
Things you might find in the jungle:
tigers, wolves, bugs, birds, rocks, logs, flowers, snakes etc.
Have each student choose a "jungle thing” in their
minds. Have them keep it a secret! Now have two or three
students step inside the circle and become their "jungle
thing”. Others may enter the circle one by one to
encounter these objects. Have them guess what things they have
met. Now switch roles: The "jungle things” now
are just people and the people are the "jungle
things”. How do they react to one another? If one
encounters a flower he might sniff it; another might encounter a
snake and jump over it. You can also do this activity
without the guessing game. Have students enter the
"jungle” and simply enjoy it.
"Now
This is the Law of the Jungle..."
"...As
Old and As True As the Sky!"
-- Rudyard Kipling
Raised by Wolves:
What do you think it was like for Mowgli to have brother and sister
who are wolves? What if you were raised as an animal in the
wild? Consider if your family was made up of porcupines, lions,
elephants or squirrels. What would you wear? What would
you eat? What sound would you make when you are hungry or
frightened? Have children perform the animal they might have
been raised by and have the others guess what it is. Tell the
class what your childhood was like living in the jungle.
Fun
Activities & Ideas for A Christmas Wizard of Oz
Taking a Step Closer to A
Christmas Wizard of Oz
Science
Study cyclones, tornadoes,
blizzards etc. You may want to make your own - When the cyclone hits,
Dorothy and her house travel in the storm. You can make your own
version of a cyclone with two soda bottles, some water, a little
glitter and some duct tape. Fill one of the bottles with water and a
small amount of glitter. Tape the two bottles securely together at
the openings. Flip the full bottle to the top position and swirl them
so that the water forms a whirlpool or cyclone as it flows into the
other bottle. You may also want to get out the encyclopedia (or
library books) to learn about cyclones and weather in general. Learn
about rust. What causes rust? What can be done to prevent it?
Is That
Santa's Reindeer in the Sky?
Stuffed Lion and Toy Friends,
The Rhodes School, Houston TX
Geography
Get out an encyclopedia about
Kansas (or library books). Learn about the climate, the weather and
the people of Kansas. You may also wish to make a map of Kansas. Talk
with your child about the words North, South, West and East. Label
four walls of a room with these words. This would be a great time to
teach your child how to use a compass. As you drive around town, talk
about the directions that you are traveling.
Health
Learn about the heart and the
brain. Talk about the importance of each organ. Can we live without
either of them?
Creative Writing
Have your child write a story
with themselves as the main character. In the story, have them go to
a strange land through a strange mode of travel and describe all of
the unusual people and the weird things they do while
there. Write a biographical sketch of at least three of
the characters in the book, "Wizard of Oz." Compare
and contrast two or more characters in the book. You may take this a
little further and do the compare/contrast exercise with the same
character, comparing the character as they appear in the book and as
they appear in the movie. Compare/contrast the book and the
Warner Brothers movie staring Judy Garland. My preference would be to
watch the movie AFTER reading the book, but this is up to you.
Math
Figure out how long after the
story was written that the movie was released. How many numbers you
can find while reading the book?
Drama
Have your child create a play
based on the book. Create costumes for characters in the story,
by drawing or sewing. Recite portions of the book, using correct
pronunciation, diction, voice inflection, etc. Create scenery
for your play.
BEAUTY AND
THE BEAST: Fun Activities and Exercises
Before the Play
Talk about theatre and what a
play is. What other plays have you seen? Describe them to
the class. Why do you think certain parts of those plays are
memorable to you? What do you expect this play will be
like? What is the difference between seeing a play on
television or movies and seeing actors perform it live?
Discuss you students the proper
etiquette for audience members during a live performance.
Impress upon them that the actors they see are live people who care
very much how you respond to the work they are doing. Young
audience members should learn the meaning of applause and laughter
and that they should be polite to the people who are performing for them.
Read the original story and the
synopsis of the play that appear in this Teachers Guide. How
are the stories alike? How are they different? Talk about
the practical consideration of putting on a play and why the actors
might need to adjust the story in order to present it on stage.
The play takes place in France
where they used to tell fairy tales. Look up France on the Internet
and in books, locate it on the globe. Talk about what we know
about the country, history, music and the people. What kinds of
clothes do they wear and what did the wear in years past?
Remember your answers when you see the actors in their costumes.
Or if you are performing in the play use the pictures you find to
help create your costume.
During the play, children will
be asked to participate by helping make sounds, wind, music, wolves,
etc.. Describe a storm, scary forest, angry mob or ferocious
wolves and talk about how they sound and move. Point out the
actual events or other plays or movies you may have seen. How
does your play relate to events in "real life” or other "fantasies”?
Talk about clothes and what they
say about your personality. Name some of your favorite movie
stars or musicians and how the clothes they wear shape the image we
have of them. What makes some clothes come into fashion why
others go out of style. Describe your favorite shoes, hat and
coat. What makes you like them? How do you feel when you
wear them?
After the Play
Discuss in more detail the play
you have just seen. Who is your favorite character and
why? Talk about how the actors created the illusion of many
things such as the castle, the forest, the marketplace and the
invisible painting that Marcel sets up. Talk about how you were
asked to sue you imagination as opposed to movies and cartoons that
show you a picture of everything.
Talk about some of the
characters you saw in the play such as the Villagers and Household
Servants. What did they do with their voices and bodies to
convey their character to you? Would you like to try your hand
at acting? Write down the names of characters such as Beast and
Wolves. Come up with crazy names as Huey Kazooie and show the
class how Huey would act and talk. Choose other characters,
perform them and ask your classmates to guess who you are.
Charles Perrault wrote many play
besides Beauty and the Beast. What titles are you familiar
with? Can you recount these stories? Which do you like
best and why?
What do you think a magical
Prince-turned-Beast would actually look like? Draw a picture of
the Beast showing how he thought he looked once like a Prince.
Draw a picture of the Prince before he turned into a Beast.
What is the meaning of this
famous story? When people say "his bark is worst than his
bite” what do you think they mean? The Prince embarrassed
when he realized he had been tricked and turned into the
Beast. What might he have done to prevent this embarrassment?
Classroom Activities
CLASS STORY:
Read a version of the story as a class. View an animated
version and compare the two. After seeing the show, compare all
three genres.
BEING A HERO:
Ask the class what it means to be a hero. Brainstorm a list of
qualities that make a person seem like a hero. In groups, pick
the most important qualities and identify heroes today. Share
as a class. Discuss whether or not there is a hero in Beauty and the Beast.
JOURNAL ACTIVITY:
Have students imagine that they are in Beauty’s shoes. In
order to save their fathers, the students have to live with a
terrifying beast. What would it feel like? Would the students have
the courage to do it?
"YOU ARE A HERO!”:
Ask students to write about a time in their lives when they had to
overcome something or helped someone.
FROM THE OUTSIDE IN:
Have students imagine that they could only show people their worst
qualities. No one would ever know the good qualities they had
deep down inside. What would that look like? What would
it feel like? Have students draw what that person would look
like, and write a story to go along with it.
FRACTURED AND FUNNY:
Have students write a fractured version of Beauty and the Beast.
Explain that a fractured fairy tale is made to be humorous by
changing the story in a surprising way; like changing a character or
adding today’s language and events to the story. Encourage
the students to take creative risks.
NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON’T:
The element of magic is common in fairytales. In Beauty and
the Beast, things aren’t always what they seem. Explore
optical illusions. Look at examples as a class. View
optical illusions as a class using the internet and books.
AROUND THE WORLD ONCE UPON A TIME:
Research different fairy tales from around the world and different times.
HANDING INFORMATION DOWN GENERATIONS:
Gather students on the rug and have them sit in a circle.
Explain that fairytales were handed down through word of mouth.
Pretend that each student sitting in that circle is another
generation. Play a game of "telephone” (one person
thinks of a sentence and whispers it in the person sitting next to
him/her’s ear, and that person passes, and so on) to demonstrate
how stories change.
RE-WRITE HISTORY:
Ask students to rewrite the ending of Beauty and the Beast.
What would the play version of this look like? After rewriting
the way the story turns out, have students design a scene from their
versions (the castle, forest, etc&ldots;) using only their
imaginations to guide them.
FINISH THE PICTURE:
Have students design what the costumes would look like. Remind
them that the story can take place anywhere and in any time period.
BEAUTY IS&ldots;:
Ask students to define beauty. This can be done through words
or pictures
A
Christmas Carol Classroom Activities
Classroom Discussions for
ArtReach's A
Christmas Carol
Read the original story ‘A
Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens or the ArtReach School Play,
adapted from the Dickens Classic. What do you think is the
"main theme” of the story? Consider other stories that the
students are familiar with such as Cinderella,
Snow White
and the Wizard
of Oz. What aspects of these stories are
the same? Which are different?
1. What mistakes do you think
Scrooge made in the story? When is he selfish? When
is he kind and generous? What are his consequences and rewards for
his actions?
2. Can students think of times
when they’ve felt or acted like Scrooge?
3. How does Scrooge change
throughout the story? What is his "character development”?
(Scrooge develops from a grumpy
old miser to a happy, generous person. He is shown that life is
short, and that it is a person's responsibility to look after others.
He comes to realize that it is possible to be happy, and happiness
has nothing to do with money.)
4. What specific things does
Scrooge do to show he is a bad person? To show he is a good person?
(Bad: mean to Cratchit; refuses
to give to charity; doesn’t like Christmas; etc. Good: gives
Cratchit a raise; gives money away; sends turkey to Cratchits;
cheerful about Christmas; etc..)
5. What would be a good essay or
discussion topic for the story (something about why so many people,
especially children, love the story).
(For one thing, the story is
simple – the lesson is to be good to people, because that is the
only way to be happy. Children can relate to the metaphorical
characters: the grumpy old man, the poor clerk, the joyful nephew,
the saint-like little boy. The story is stark and vivid. It is easy
to understand but hard to forget.)
Study
Animals in Preparation for The Jungle Book
Look closely - There are
pictures of animals all around us
Animal Awareness:
Look around your classroom for depictions of animals
everywhere. Look on each others’ clothing, on the
illustrations on your shoes and backpacks. Outside of the
classroom look for illustrations of animals on wallpaper, carpet,
jewelry, sculptures and designs on architectural buildings.
Humans have always used animals for design, art, function and
pleasure! Keep your eyes open and always look for the animals
that are all around us!
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
mule, man |
bird (eagle) |
bird (chicken) |
bird (penguin) |
The Best Activity Ever!
Go to the Zoo! Early on in the rehearsal process, see if you
can arrange to have the whole cast to take a trip to the nearest
zoo. Have all performers go to each of the animals that will be
represented in play. While there, in front of the animal,
discuss the looks, walk and sounds that the animal makes. Let
everyone play around with imitations. These tiny performances
may be funny and silly. Back at the rehearsal site, recreate
these imitations and see how they effect the mood and personality of
the character they will play. Use what you have learned
at the zoo to play your Jungle-Person!
Create Your Own Jungle:
Discuss the various things you might find in a jungle such as plants
and nature: flowers, trees, vines, moss, rocks, creek. What kind of
animals would you find there? Snakes, frogs, vultures, lions,
elephants, butterflies, mosquitoes. Have students choose a jungle
"thing”. Don’t tell each other what you have chosen.
Now draw a circle on the floor and have a few students go into the
circle and become their "thing”. Have others enter the
jungle and try to guess what the "things” are. You can also
do this activity without the guessing game. Have students enter the
"jungle” and simply enjoy it.
Moral of the Story:
Think of aphorisms such as "a bird in the hand is worth two in
the bush”. What aphorisms would you use to describe the message
of The Jungle Book? A moral is: A lesson that is learned from a story
or an experience. Think of stories that have morals at the end like
Aesop’s Fables. What do you believe is the moral of The Jungle Book?
Magic Near Your Home:
Have you ever encountered a wild animal where you least expected it?
A deer in your backyard, a turtle crossing the road, an opossum in an
alley, a snake slithering in your garden? Tell the class about your
experience. Why is it so exciting to encounter wild animals in a
human setting? Should we continue to have these encounters or should
we work to have animals and humans live apart?
Raised by Wolves:
What do you think it was like for Mowgli to have brother and sister
who are wolves? What if you were raised as an animal in the wild?
Consider if your family was made up of porcupines, lions, elephants
or squirrels. What would you wear? What would you eat? What sound
would you make when you are hungry or frightened?
Water Awareness: Study
the effects of water on human civilization and on the plants and
animals of the world. Too much water can cause floods and drowning
while too little water can cause drought with thirst and hunger as a
result. Think about your day as a human and look back on your
activities to remember how many times a day you needed water. How
would you brush your teeth without water? How would you take your
vitamin pills without water? What if you had to go for weeks or
longer without a bath? Write a paragraph on what water means to you.
Pets as Wild Creatures:
If you have a pet at home, it’s likely to be a cat or dog. Your
cat may be a descendant of panthers like Bagheera. Your dog may be a
descendant of a wolf like Akela. Imagine your pet in the forest
alone. How would your pet handle an encounter with Shere Khan? How
would you train your pet to live in the jungle?
Animal Awareness:
Look around your classroom for depictions of animals everywhere. Look
on each others’ clothing, on the illustrations on your shoes and
backpacks. Outside of the classroom look for illustrations of animals
on wallpaper, carpet, jewelry, sculptures and designs on
architectural buildings. Humans have always used animals for design,
art, function and pleasure. Keep your eyes open and always look for
the animals that are all around us!
The
Pinocchio Game: Kids Become Puppets
A Fun Idea for Creative Dramatics
This is a really great way to
start a rehearsal on a physical high. It is a warm-up, stretching
exercise with dramatic content to keep it focused. It is named after
the wooden puppet (if you do it at Christmas, you can call it The
Nutcracker Game). The game consists basically of a narrative
pantomime of the wooden puppet SLOWLY coming to life. Here are some
things you can say to play the game:
Right now you're made completely
of wood. Your arms and legs are carved from a single piece of wood.
You can't move any part of yourself at all.
Now a magic spell has begun. It
begins at the top of your head. The spell moves down slowly until
your head down to your eyebrows is flesh and blood. Try and move your eyebrows.
ArtReach’s Pinocchio!
Kids Become Puppets!
Kenwood School, Minneapolis --
3rd, 4th and 5th Graders.
The spell keeps moving down. Now
you can move your eyes! All your life you've been staring straight
ahead, and now you can look to the sides. The spell gets to
your ears and your nose. See if you can wiggle them. The spell
gets to your mouth. You can smile. It feels strange at first, and
probably looks pretty strange too, but you grow more comfortable with
it. Try some other facial expressions as well.
Slowly you discover that you can
turn your head. Careful! You can look up and down carefully as well.
Look! You have feet! This is the first time you were ever sure.
The spell reaches your
shoulders. But remember, your arms and hands are still attached to
your body, since you are carved from a single piece of wood, so you
can move ONLY your shoulders. Try some circles. Do you feel a tingle
up and down your spine? That's the magic working.
The spell reaches your chest.
You can puff it out like a soldier. Your elbows can move now, but
still not your hands. As the spell goes lower, see if you can pull
your left hand away from your body. Ooofff! You did it.
Bring your hand up to your face
and study it. See if you can move the fingers. Wow! You've never seen
anything so beautiful! See if you can get your right hand free as
well. Does it move too?
The spell has reached your
waist. Carefully bend forward, to the side. See if you bend
backwards. See if you can make a circle. The spell reaches your hips,
but your knees are still locked together and your feet are still
attached to your pedestal. The spell gets to your knees. See if they bend!
Reach down and see if you can
pull your left foot free. Ooofff! Point the toe. Flex the foot. Make
little circles. Now see if you can get your right foot free. You're
all real now! See how you can move. Careful at first – these are
your first steps! Let's find all the ways our new bodies move!
And so on&ldots;
Aladdin
Drama Fun and Activities
Performing Aladdin?
Try these in your classroom first.
MAGIC CARPET:
Have children draw a place on the floor around their desk. Pretend it
is a magic carpet. Tell them to close their eyes and wait until you
count: one, two, three! Imagine that you are flying on a magic
carpet. What do you see below you? What do you see above you?
Where do you want the carpet to take you?
LAMPS: Discuss
the lamp that the Genie lives in. Is it like any lamp you have seen
before? Discuss the difference between it and what you have seen.
Discuss the history of oil lamps. Why are lamps such an important
part of our lives?
GENIE:
Pretend you are a Genie in an oil lamp. How do you like it in there?
Do you have furniture? Do you want to get out? How would you dress if
you were a Genie? Can you think of other magical creatures like
Genies? Are there similar characters in the stories you watch on TV
or in the movies?
THREE WISHES:
Teacher, pretend you are Genie and you have the power to grant each
child three wishes. Have them write down their three wishes. What do
you want more than anything in the world? Sometimes you can wish for
a thing like a new car. And sometimes you can wish for something that
is not tangible, the way the Genie wishes for his freedom. What kind
of things like that do you wish for? Happiness? Love? Now think of
others such as friends and family. What do you wish for them?
THE CAVE OF WONDERS:
Have some of the children create the cave doors. Others may ask to be
let in the cave by calling out: Open Sesame! The cave may refuse to
admit them but they must explain their reasons. If the children are
admitted what do they find there? Have them pretend they are in a
cave that is dark and echoic. What kind of treasure might they find
there? If you find a statue made of gold have someone show how that
statue would look.
IMAGINARY FRIENDS:
Have the children think about what kind of side kick they would like
to have with them all the time, the way Aladdin has his cat Persia.
What kind of animal would you have? If they could talk what would be
their language? Would they help you in times of trouble? If they got
in trouble what would you do for them?
PALACES:
Have the children compare their house to a palace? What would a
palace have that you don’t have at home? What would the palace
be made of? Sugar, chocolate, ice, glass? What would your room
in the palace look like? Would you let other people live there too?
MAGIC STAFF:
Omar the Magician has a magic staff where he keeps all his magic
power. If you had magic power where would you keep it? In your
backpack, in your hat, in your desk? Name two things that your power
lets you do that you cannot do without it. Would you want to be
invisible, to fly, to have new toys? If you could give one of your
powers away who would you give it to?
PRINCES AND PRINCESSES:
Pretend you are a prince or princess. What clothes would you wear and
where would you live? Would you go to school? Would you have to do
homework? If you were a princess what would be different from the way
you are now?
MUSIC:
Listen to Scheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Discuss the
origins of the piece and talk about which parts you liked best. Read
the story of Scheherazade and talk about how the music fits the parts
of the story.
DIFFERENT STORIES:
The original story in this Guide is quite different from the story in
the play. Can you identify the different parts? Why do you think the
story is different? If you could change the story what would you put in?
CREATIVE WRITING:
Aladdin is just one of many stories from The Arabian Nights.
Have the children write a story that is all their own using the same
characters: Boy, girl, magician, sultan, genie – maybe even give
them different names. Discuss what their new story is about. Love,
power, freedom, good over evil? What can the characters do to
prove they have these things?
Creative
Ideas for Beauty and the Beast Activities
Beauty and the Beast: Exercises
& Activities
Discussion: Before the Play
Talk about theatre and what a
play is. What other plays have you seen? Describe them to
the class. Why do you think certain parts of those plays are
memorable to you? What do you expect this play will be
like? What is the difference between seeing a play on
television or movies and seeing actors perform it live?
Discuss you students the proper
etiquette for audience members during a live performance.
Impress upon them that the actors they see are live people who care
very much how you respond to the work they are doing. Young
audience members should learn the meaning of applause and laughter
and that they should be polite to the people who are performing for them.
Read the original story and the
synopsis of the play that appear in this Teachers Guide. How
are the stories alike? How are they different? Talk about
the practical consideration of putting on a play and why the actors
might need to adjust the story in order to present it on stage.
The play takes place in France
where they used to tell fairy tales. Look up France on the Internet
and in books, locate it on the globe. Talk about what we know
about the country, history, music and the people. What kinds of
clothes do they wear and what did the wear in years past?
Remember your answers when you see the actors in their costumes.
Or if you are performing in the play use the pictures you find to
help create your costume.
During the play, children will
be asked to participate by helping make sounds, wind, music, wolves,
etc.. Describe a storm, scary forest, angry mob or ferocias
wolves and talk about how they sound and move. Point out the
actual events or other plays or movies you may have seen. How
does your play relate to events in "real life” or other "fantasies”?
Talk about clothes and what they
say about your personality. Name some of your favorite movie
stars or musicians and how the clothes they wear shape the image we
have of them. What makes some clothes come into fashion why
others go out of style. Describe your favorite shoes, hat and
coat. What makes you like them? How do you feel when you
wear them?
Discussion: After the Play
Discuss in more detail the play
you have just seen. Who is your favorite character and
why? Talk about how the actors created the illusion of many
things such as the castle, the forest, the marketplace and the
invisible painting that Marcel sets up. Talk about how you were
asked to sue you imagination as opposed to movies and cartoons that
show you a picture of everything.
Talk about some of the
characters you saw in the play such as the Villagers and Household
Servants. What did they do with their voices and bodies to
convey their character to you? Would you like to try your hand
at acting? Write down the names of characters such as Beast and
Wolves. Come up with crazy names as Huey Kazooie and show the
class how Huey would act and talk. Choose other characters,
perform them and ask your classmates to guess who you are.
Charles Perrault wrote
many play besides Beauty and the Beast. What titles are you
familiar with? Can you recount these stories? Which do
you like best and why?
What do you think a magical
Prince-turned-Beast would actually look like? Draw a picture of
the Beast showing how he thought he looked once like a Prince.
Draw a picture of the Prince before he turned into a Beast.
What is the meaning of this
famous story? When people say "his bark is worst than his
bite” what do you think they mean? The Prince embarrassed
when he realized he had been tricked and turned into the
Beast. What might he have done to prevent this embarrassment?
Classroom Activities
CLASS STORY:
Read a version of the story as a class. View an animated
version and compare the two. After seeing the show, compare all
three genres.
BEING A HERO:
Ask the class what it means to be a hero. Brainstorm a list of
qualities that make a person seem like a hero. In groups, pick
the most important qualities and identify heroes today. Share
as a class. Discuss whether or not there is a hero in Beauty and the Beast.
JOURNAL ACTIVITY:
Have students imagine that they are in Beauty’s shoes. In
order to save their fathers, the students have to live with a
terrifying beast. What would it feel like? Would the students have
the courage to do it?
"YOU ARE A HERO!”:
Ask students to write about a time in their lives when they had to
overcome something or helped someone.
FROM THE OUTSIDE IN:
Have students imagine that they could only show people their worst
qualities. No one would ever know the good qualities they had
deep down inside. What would that look like? What would
it feel like? Have students draw what that person would look
like, and write a story to go along with it.
FRACTURED AND FUNNY:
Have students write a fractured version of Beauty and the Beast.
Explain that a fractured fairy tale is made to be humorous by
changing the story in a surprising way; like changing a character or
adding today’s language and events to the story. Encourage
the students to take creative risks.
NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON’T:
The element of magic is common in fairytales. In Beauty and
the Beast, things aren’t always what they seem. Explore
optical illusions. Look at examples as a class. View
optical illusions as a class using the internet and books.
AROUND THE WORLD ONCE UPON A TIME:
Research different fairy tales from around the world and different times.
HANDING INFORMATION DOWN GENERATIONS:
Gather students on the rug and have them sit in a circle.
Explain that fairytales were handed down through word of mouth.
Pretend that each student sitting in that circle is another
generation. Play a game of "telephone” (one person
thinks of a sentence and whispers it in the person sitting next to
him/her’s ear, and that person passes, and so on) to demonstrate
how stories change.
RE-WRITE HISTORY:
Ask students to rewrite the ending of Beauty and the Beast.
What would the play version of this look like? After rewriting
the way the story turns out, have students design a scene from their
versions (the castle, forest, etc&ldots;) using only their
imaginations to guide them.
FINISH THE PICTURE:
Have students design what the costumes would look like. Remind
them that the story can take place anywhere and in any time period.
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.
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 SHIP:
Draw a picture of a pirate ship 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.
Is Your
School Performing The Little Mermaid?
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.
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.
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.
Creature Magnets:
Draw various sea creatures (e.g., seahorses, tropical fish,
octopuses, etc.) on crafting foam, and cut out creature shapes. At
game time, have the kids glue craft eyes onto the creature's head.
Next, get them to draw a mouth with a marker. They can decorate the
creature with sequins, beads, rickrack, and other craft materials.
Fish Story:
Here is an activity where the kids can create their own story.
Invite all your under the sea birthday party guests to write a
beginning sentence on a slip of paper about sea life. (e.g.,
"Once upon a time, deep under the water surface an octopus was
born.") Put all the slips of paper into a bowl.
Have the kids sit in a circle.
Choose one player to pick one slip from a bowl, read it out loud, and
then add a sentence related to the original one (but even more
exaggerated than the last). The round continues until everyone has
had a chance to add a sentence. Then a new slip can be drawn from a bowl.
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?
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
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