Coffee Can Theatre.................................

Find a container like ean empty coffee can or brown paper bag. Create groups of 3-5 people each. Each group member goes to a different part of the classroom/house and each has three minutes to find an object that would fit in their hand. Bring that object back to the group. Put the object in the bag/coffee can without showing other group members the object and without looking in the container to see what is already there. When everyone has contributed, pour out all objects on table or pull them out one at a time.

Pass the story around the group so that one person starts the story and each member of the group adds the next part of the story. Be sure each member listens to what has happened in the story before adding new parts so the story makes sense from the beginning, through the middle and to the end.

Poetry Box

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Search for poems that you like and write them on a 5x7 index card.  If there is room on the card, illustrate the poem using colored pencils or crayons. At dinner, breakfast or bedtime take turns with your family reading or reciting the chosen poem.  Keep the poems together in a poetry box.  To make a poetry box decorate the outside of a shoe box or candy box using pictures you have cut out from magazines.

(National Geographics are my favorite for collaging.)

Specialty Poetry Boxes

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Feeling Poetry Box

Find picture of faces or bodies expressing different emotions.

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Sensible Poetry Box

Choose pictures that show one of the five senses:

(sight, sound, texture, smell, taste)

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Word Poetry Box

Cut out interesting words to cover the box

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Verb Poetry Box

Cut out words that are verbs and pictures that

show verbs being performed

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Blue Poetry Box

Everything in the pictures are blue

(or whatever color you choose to make the box)

On the Ning, Nang, Nong

All the cows go bong

And the monkeys all say boo.

On the Nong, Nang, Ning

All the trees go ping

And the teapots

jibber jabber joo.

On the Nong, Ning, Nang

All the mice go clang

And you just can't catch 'em

When they do.

So it's

Ning, Nang, Nong

Cows go bong

Nong, Nang, Ning

Trees go ping

Nong, Ning,Nang

Mice go clang

What a noisy place to belong

Is the

Ning, Nang, Ning, Nang, Nong.

—Spike Milligan

Dictionary Story

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Open the dictionary to any page, close your eyes and pick a word.  Tell a story with that word as your inspiration.

Keep a poem in your pocket

and a picture in your head

and you'll never feel lonely

at night when you're in bed.

The little poem will sing to you

the little picture bring to you

a dozen dreams to dance to you

at night when you're in bed.

So –

Keep a picture in your pocket

and a poem in your head

and you'll never feel lonely

at night when you're in bed.

—Beatrice Schenk de Regniers

You can look for more poems in:

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Noisy Poems —collected by Jill Bennett

Poetry By Heart —compiled by Liz Attenborough

The Random House Book of Poetry for Children —selected by Jack Prelutsky

Where the Sidewalk Ends —by Shel Silverstein

...Or in your favorite poetry collection...

Storytelling Cards

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Using twenty 3 1/2" x 5" index cards, draw characters on ten cards and settings on another ten cards.  Randomly pick one card from the character pile and one card from the setting pile and create a story about the character in the chosen setting.

Possible characters:

Pig

Witch

Dragon

Alien

Waitress

Clown

Baby

Teacher

Mad Scientist

Bear

Key Story

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Imagine you have a key.  What do the characters need that key for?  What will it open or lock?  And why is that important to the characters?  Where are they and what happens?

GREAT

FUN!

Possible Settings:

Dark Cave

Tree House

Castle

Desert

Beach

Deserted Island

Magic Shoe

Forest

Blizzard

Playground

STORYTELLING ACTIVITIES