The Web of Life And Native American Tales! (Grade levels 4-5)

The Native Americans tell myths, tales, and legends which beautifully communicate their special relationship with the natural world.  I have selected traditional tales told by nations throughout the United States that express each group's keen insight into their environmental region. From New England I tell Gluscabi and the Magic Game Bag.  This story describes how a young leader learns to hunt responsibly and to respect the relationship between all living things.  This story is followed by a guided discussion of food webs and key life science terms such as nutrients, decomposers, and scavengers. After each tale, I refer back  to this information in order to develop the students understanding of this vital relationship.  The following descriptions include some of the stories I will tell that support this inquiry into life science.  How The Bat Came to Be - this tale from Wisconsin describes the unusual adaptations of the only flying mammal, and it's  important role as an insectivore.  Loon Outsmarts Winter - this folktale teaches that winter is unforgiving and harsh, to survive all living creatures most use natures adaptations. In Alaska carnivores and omnivores compete for food in very difficult conditions.  In the story, Fox Fools Eagle, the audience learns how intelligent creatures overcome adversity.

Activity Options:

The Web of Life And Native American Tales!

• Duration: 45 min.
• Fees: $125/ $200 for two/ $275 for three
• Requirements: Microphone and stand; 125 students max.

Young Bear and His Friends (Grades PreK-1)

This lively program features song, story and puppetry as a dynamic introduction to the changes that winter will bring for people, animals, insects and plants.  Young Bear, a fuzzy black bear puppet, shares his misadventures when attempting to find a warm dry place to hibernate.  The students will also hear the story of “The Ant and the Grasshopper” as they discover that many insects also make winter homes in order to adapt their winter habitat.  The students consider the changes that the trees experience in an old legend which describes why many trees loose their leaves.  Young children will love the "Snow is Falling" song, which welcomes them to float like snow flakes on a chilly day. This program is ideal for young children and their teachers who are studying natural science and the seasons.

 

Activity Options:

Young Bear and His Friends

• Duration: 45 min.
• Fees: $125/ $200 for two/ $275 for three
• Requirements: Microphone and stand; 125 students max.

Winter's Tales for the Holidays (Grades K-5)

This program combines folktales, myths and legends that celebrate the season.  It has been successfully performed for elementary school communities as a family holiday presentation.  The stories include: “Why the Evergreen Trees Keep Their Leaves," a Native American Myth  explaining how evergreen trees won a contest which allows them to stay green through the months of winter;  the "Snow Maid," a folktale from Russia of a childless couple that creates a remarkable girl out of snow;  a story about a boy from India who must struggle to obtain the gift he desires; and an old tale from Norway, in which the audience learns that a great white bear can be a welcome friend when trolls come to call on a bitter cold night!  This program celebrates the season with good humor and great cheer!  
 

Activity Options:

Winter's Tales

• Duration: 45 min.
• Fees: $125/ $200 for two/ $275 for three
• Requirements: Microphone and stand; 125 students max.

On the Tail of the Dragon: Chinese New Year History, Ritual, and Celebration (Grade levels K-12)

Available January - March.
This program is presented in tandem with Artists-in-Schools artist Yiling Tien.

These stories, from the Chinese oral tradition, will bring the celebration of Chinese New Year to life as a joyous, unifying, and deeply Chinese practice.  The stories are richly embellished with music, movement, and Chinese expressions.  The audience will be drawn into the stories by means of call-and-response (in Chinese), gesture, movement, and sound effects.

We discuss how the Chinese New Year celebration has unified the people of China, is tied into the cycle of seasons, and embodies reverence for family, ancestors, and authority.  We will also observe how the new year was and is a time for reflection on one's place in the universe, paying off old debts, and uplifting celebration and ritual.

The stories may include:  The Kitchen God and the Three Spirits, The Kitchen God Misbehaves, the Sa Qi-ma Cakes, The Divine Archer, and The Story of the Lion and Dragon Dances.

Curriculum connections:  explanation of lunar versus solar calendars, awareness and explanation of myth, cultural practices of China, geography of China, and introduction to Chinese language and writing.

Activity Options:

On the Tail of the Dragon: Chinese New Year History, Ritual, and Celebration

• Duration: 60 min.
• Fees: $250/ $325 for two back-to-back
• Requirements: 200 students max.

The Problem Solvers (Grades 3-6)

Folktales, myths, and legends are full of interesting characters who are often forced to solve difficult problems. Sometimes these difficulties are personal, while in other circumstances they can affect an entire community.  But in all cases the stories center on a strong character who attempts to overcome adversity.  The Problem Solvers was designed to introduce young readers and writers to folklore, and to character and plot analysis.  The short and clear folktale form gives young writers the opportunity to discover how the character's struggle to solve a problem creates a good plot.  In between each tale the students discuss the problem and the steps that the character takes to resolve it. 

Activity Options:

The Problem Solvers

• Duration: 45 min.
• Fees: $125/ $200 for two/ $275 for three
• Requirements: Microphone and stand; 125 students max.

The Problem Solvers Workshop (Grades 3-6)

Story writing for young writers can be challenging. Often they end their stories too soon without developing the plot.  In this workshop students use the folktale as a model to write stories of their own.  They will be guided to create a problem that their main character struggles to overcome. Through this practice children learn to write interesting and unusual stories.  Curriculum connections addressed in this workshop: parts of speech, basic components of a story, setting, characters and plot, character development, narrative voice and perspectives.

Activity Options:

The Problem Solvers Workshop

• Duration: 45 min.
• Fees: $60
• Requirements: Each workshop is designed for a single classroom (no more than 25 students). For bookings without an assembly, a minimum booking of three workshops is required. Artist requires microphone on a stand.

Harvest Tales: Tell, Sing, Remember! (Grades 2-5)

Step back in time with Ivy Taylor, a fictional costumed character from the Ohio River Valley!  Ivy came to the new state of Ohio in 1803, and worked alongside her family to homestead in a wilderness. She weaves together traditional folktales and songs with personal antidotes to recreate her life and times. As a farmer, Ivy shares how she traded or bartered her goods and services.  For second and third grade audiences she describes how everything from shoes to wagon wheels were hand made and how most people commonly learned these skills to provide for themselves. Fourth and fifth grade students hear a story which recounts a young girl's secret journey on the Underground Railroad.  In both versions this oral history and story program supports Social Studies standards while inviting young people to consider the past through the words of a good hearted and believable character. 

Activity Options:

Harvest Tales

• Duration: 45 min.
• Fees: $125/ $200 for two/ $275 for three
• Requirements: Microphone and stand; 125 students max.

Beauty Flies, Butterflies! (Grade levels K-3)

This lovely program blends folklore, song, poetry and movement with the study of nature science.  The life cycle of the butterfly is complex and wonderful. The students will review the four stages of metamorphosis and consider the butterflies' unusual adaptations. They will hear how butterflies came to be in the world while listening to an old Native American folktale.  Then they will meet two caterpillars, one who wants to become a butterfly and the other who is fearful of the change with good reason.  This original folktale is inspired by a West African Myth.  The audience then practices Spanish in order to help tell the story of "The Sad Princess."  In this tale they discover that monarch butterflies not only migrate, but they also hibernate at cool temperatures.  A young girl discovers this fact and uses it to win a treasure! The stories are told using puppets and butterfly props which add a theatrical dimension to this delightful presentation. 

Activity Options:

Beauty Flies, Butterflies!

• Duration: 45 min.
• Fees: $125/ $200 for two/ $275 for three
• Requirements: Microphone and stand; 125 students max.