Playing ‘Make Believe’: How to Roar like a Bear
“Roar, went the cranky bear. Roar, Roar, Roar!! He gnashed his teeth and stomped his feet and chased them out the door!”
This line is from Nick Bland’s book “The Very Cranky Bear”, and it has been the inspiration for some of Monday’s most terrifying theatrics!
Monday’s Scripts and Stages class is all about drama and storytelling, and the kids have been having a blast dressing up like different animals and bringing “The Very Cranky Bear’s” jungle world to life. Thanks to some generous donations of costume supplies from Mt. Pleasant community members, and some ideas for theatre games from one of Budding’s actor dads, we’re well equipped to expand our skills and to take playing make believe to a whole new level.
Speaking of make believe… what Monday’s drama class has helped remind me of, is how real ‘make believe’ is to a child. Even if they know on some level that they’re not really a bear, a child gives herself fully to the experience of the moment. A child isn’t thinking “okay, now I’m going to pretend to be a bear…what does a pretend bear do?”. In taking on the role of ‘bear’, a child is actually fully committed to the reality of being a bear. They put on a bear mask or start to roar, and they’re not pretending to be a bear, they ARE a bear. What’s more fun than that? And it sure makes for a fantastic drama class when the actors are really committed to their roles. Gosh adults, we sure have a lot to learn from our children.
Lights, camera, action!
The stage is set (check out our big jungle trees!), and I get to play at being director (notice the beret and megaphone), while the suitcase on the stage acts as our dress-up treasure chest. Here’s how it goes…
Step 1: Say hello to everyone! Usually in song…
Step 2: Practice playing make believe! While the drum plays, the kids get to move around like an animal, when the drum stops, the kids have to freeze. This encourages them to think about how animals move differently than people. Does this animal have a heavy or light body? Does this animal move quickly or slowly? What sound does this animal make? Is it a loud or a quiet sound?
Step 3: Read the story in a dramatic way! The kids help me fill in certain parts, especially the rhyming words.
Step 4: Dress up and act it out! Everyone gets to play a different role and help act out the story. Sometimes the story stays the same as it is in the book, often it morphs and changes into a whole new story…
Okay parents, here’s your take home assignment!
Repeat steps 1-4 at home!
Or at least practice playing make believe (trust me, this is more for you than it is for your kids…they will help you remember how to play).
Pick a favourite story, read it with your child and then act it out! You don’t even need costumes, although no doubt you’ve got plenty of things lying around the house that could double as a prop or costume. Mostly, you just need an open mind and a willingness to be silly.
ROOOOOOOAR!
Oops, did I scare you…?
Happy playing everyone!
