Fortunately/Unfortunately
Once Upon a Time
One person begins with the time-honored, “Once upon a time…” and proceeds to begin a story about whatever they want. At whatever point they feel inspired, they say a distinctive, “…and then…”
…which turns the story to the next person in the circle. The next person then picks up where the story left off and begins to spin their own next part of the tale.
Again, at whatever point they feel ready to hand it off, they say, “…and then…” and turn to the next person to continue the story.
This continues until everyone has had a turn to tell a portion of the story. The last person will no doubt create a magnificent climax-to-denouement and pronounce, “THE END!”
Bird Skits
Have the children act out the 5 types of bird language both as birds and then as people.
alarm calls – companion calling – juvenile begging – territorial aggression – song
Here are a few scenarios to inspire some fun family acting moments:
- A mother bird tries to feed several babies, but she is keenly aware of a predator bird, like a sharp-shinned hawk, nearby. (The mother bird may stay very close to the nest, taking a lot of moments to stop and look around nervously, while making a short call.)
- A pair of birds are feeding and companion calling (to let each other know they are okay where they are). Two more birds fly into their territory. How does everyone respond?
- A group of chickadees is feeding when a human enters their territory. As the human walks through, a weasel sneaks off into the bushes.