Fables Camp - Monday

Here is the outline of our day:

Morning Verse

We are truthful and helpful and loving in trust
For our heart's inner sun glows brightly in us
We will open our hearts to the sunbeams so bright
And we'll fill all the world with our heart's inner light

Theatre Games from Drama Notebook

Name and Action Game

This is a classic theatre game used for name memorization! Have students stand in a circle. One at a time, each student states his name and makes an action that reflects his personality. In unison, the rest of the class repeats the student’s name & action. For a more challenging version, have one person say his name and do an accompanying action. The person to his right then repeats it, and says her name and makes her action. The third person repeats the first two and then adds her own. This continues around the circle. The last person will have to remember all of the names and actions of the entire group!

Change Three Things

In pairs, actors observe one another. Say, “Notice everything you can about your partner. Look at her clothes, her hair, her eyes, really observe the other person.” Next, ask all players to turn away from each other, back to back. Tell players that each person must change three things about him/herself. Players can remove jewelry, change their hair, take off shoes, etc. Next, have the players turn back toward each other and take turns noticing what has changed.

What are You Doing?

Group stands in a circle. One person goes into the center of the circle and starts an action (such as brushing her teeth). A person goes into the center, and asks, “What are you doing?” The person brushing her teeth answers by saying something other than what she is doing. “I’m dribbling a basketball.” The first person then leaves, and the new person starts “dribbling a basketball.” Then a new person goes in and asks, “What are you doing?” And so on… Encourage students to make new choices each time. (No repeats.)

Shrinking Box

Actors pantomime that they are in a very large box. Coach the actors to: Show audience all the sides. Then the box gets smaller. Show the audience how small it is getting. Then they must figure out a way to escape. The actor must do a good job of showing the escape method. Then, ask audience members how the actor escaped. Encourage students to be creative and original with their escape method. Make a rule that every escape must be unique (no repeats). Students will be surprised at how many new ideas they can come up with!

Pass the Clap

Have students form a standing circle. Tell students that they will be passing a clap around the circle, but that it will go around the circle two students at a time. Choose a starting point and have one person turn to the next person and have them both clap at the same time. The second student then turns to the next person and they clap at the same time. Key to success is eye contact, and watching each other’s hands in the beginning. If the game gets sloppy, ask students to slow down. Once the game is going smoothly, tell students that they may reverse the clap by remaining focused on the player who passed the clap, and clapping again. Another clap may also be introduced at another point in the circle so that there are two claps traveling around the circle.

Whole Group - Morning

"The Milkmaid"
we used the version from Borrowed Feathers and Other Fables

lesson on wool - looking at wool batting, dyed wool roving, and raw unwashed wool straight off the sheep - the twist is what makes yarn strong - grating soap on a cheese grater and dividing it between six mixing bowls, adding hot water, choosing colors of wool - wet felting around a raw egg - snipping a small zigzag line with sharp scissors and removing the egg - students taking turns one at a time narrating and acting out the story while putting all the eggs in a basket and trying to balance it on their head

Read Aloud Story

chapter one of The Fox that Wanted Nine Golden Tails by Mary Knight

Younger Group - Afternoon

"The Fox and the Stork"
we used the version from Aesop's Fables by Ann McGovern

drawing the shape of a stork beforehand to be sure students can picture the two animals - acting out the story with two shallow plates and two tall vases and a pair of chopsticks in a chopstick holder - students taking turns working in pairs - sorting out the apology and resolution which they felt the story needed - ending by the stork getting out a plate for the fox to enjoy his soup

making two batches of Mango Peach and Strawberry Smoothies and sharing it with the other group (1 banana sliced, 1 1/2 c. frozen strawberries, 1 cup canned peach slices, 1 1/2 c. frozen mango chunks, 2 cups pineapple juice)

Older Group - Afternoon

"Foolish Words: A Jataka Tale"
from the Animal Legends book by Donna Simmons (Christopherus)

discussing what other stories this reminded us of (one said The Little Red Hen, one said Chicken Little, one said The Boy Who Cried Wolf) - using Drawing Simple Animal Forms book (Live Education! second grade) to draw a mural of the jungle scene and all the animals running

rabbit - page 5
monkey - page 15
antelope - page 10
bush pig - page 13
parrot - page 5
elephant - page 15
lion - page 16

each child had a large piece of drawing paper and there was a large pile of scrap paper on which to practice - using stick beeswax crayons for the darwing - using cutting boards and paring knives - carving letter stamps for E A R T H Q U A K E ! out of russet potatoes - using a black ink pad and stamping EARTHQUAKE in a jagged fashion across the top of the page

also..
lunch, snacks, outside play in the snow, indoor play with musical instruments... sensory bins (especially the 10 lbs of cornmeal + sieve + 55 hidden buttons)... dress up silks, educational board games (Labyrinth, Wildcraft, Battleship), crochet lessons, weaving stalactites and stalagmites and pools of water on our cave tapestry, visiting with the rabbit, visiting with Archie the new 7 month old puppy

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