Some Guys, A Bridge and Some More Guys

Posted on by forstm

Do you know the story of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff?”  We do. We know it and tell it a lot. I mean A LOT, a lot.  Young children plus a bridge on the playground equals goats and trolls, right?  Reenacting this tale is quite popular at the beginning of the year. Now, with our current look at “good guys and bad guys” in classic tales, the story has resurfaced.

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The children have been making masks and puppets over the last few weeks.  Each chose their own character(s).  Some characters are familiar such as a goat, a wolf and a pig.  Others are characters from as yet untold tales.  The children decided that they wanted to test their masks out on “The Bridge Game.”  Each child’s character bloomed and evolved on the spot.  There is not a script and no one practiced. Without further ado…

[wpvideo JrzEsiCa]

Costume Ideas

Posted on by forstm
My Costume List(Created by a student to make sure we didn't forget anything!)
My Costume List
(Created by a student to make sure we didn’t forget anything!)

Last week we asked the children to imagine the costume needs of their character. We discovered that a few of the visions might be a bit difficult to fulfill, from high-heels to satin dresses. We are encouraging them to find ways that we can create their costumes using supplies that are readily available in our school.

We did end up changing one set of characters even though we thought we were done with editing. Our bridge guards were taking on the visage of Mean Mulans. However, after a succession of votes last week, a final title was agreed upon. Ready for it???

Birds

Yes, that is the title of our student created play inspired by The Three Billy Goats Gruff.  Never mind the fact that there is not a single bird in the play….

So, upon reflection, the three Mean Mulans decided that there really should be birds in the play.  They magnanimously agreed that they should represent our feathered friends. Feathers, here we come!

May 17 Save the Date!

Posted on by forstm

20130314_8431Save the Date!

May 17, 2013

10:00 a.m.

The Pre-K Performance

Working Title: Children’s Literature Unbound

The Pre-K Performance this year is going native. We are putting the script writing*, prop collection, costume design, and set construction in the children’s hands.  Following many years of successful teacher created, directed, and designed plays, we began to reflect on the purpose of putting on a show.  We decided that there were certain lessons that we wanted our students to get from such a project.  Some of these included performing for a group, taking pride in a performance, problem solving as issues arise, and persistence in complicated tasks.  We also wanted them to have an opportunity to express themselves, take responsibility for their own performance, and practice editing a story.  We decided that they could get all of these opportunities by making their very own play.

The children are currently working on a recreation of the popular children’s story, “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.”    We are working on a few ideas regarding the sharing of this story with our families.  We’ll let you know the plan as soon as we have all arranged.  However, please know that you are invited to arrive at WTN  at 9:45 on May 17th to see our thespians perform at 10:00.  The show will be followed by a reception in the library.  Afterwards, your child may either go home with you or stay for the rest of the day.

*Curious about the script? We’ll be posting some of the previous drafts soon!