Role Play - I Dont Know What Im Doing!

[Guest]

I wonder if anyone can help me. Next week we are doing we're going on a bear hunt. I am wanting to cover the obj use imagination in role play I am intending for children to act out the story. However i really struggle with role play as i am not sure what to do in order to support the children to get them to act out the story. Any ideas would we very gratefuly recieved. I nbeed to do four inputs on the story and acting it out.

 

Many thanks

 

Lola

[Upsy Daisy]

Hi Lola,

 

What age group and numbers are you working with?

 

Alison

[Guest]

Hi,

Depending on the age can you get the children to create puppets, masks to be the characters in the story and then create scenery to act out each bit. Also how about linking it to some music/ sound investigation and get them to find objects or materials that would make each sound from the story. they could then take it in turns to retell the story and different children could make the appropriate sounds.

Sorry can't think of much more at the moment but will keep thinking

 

Nicky Sussex

[Guest]

they are 4 and 5 yrs old

[Guest]

We used the outside area and props. They walked on the grass, trhough tyres (stumble trip in the forest), through the sandpit (mud), waved white cloth about (swrling snowstorm), on blue cloth / blue chalked water (splish splash). We had a tent/den area set up which was a cave with a bear. We ahve a small playhouse outside, so used that as the house.

 

I modelled it with groups of children. We have done the story as storytelling a few times. Basically, we told the story together while the children (and me) moved all around. I got some great pictures which then went on the wall in our writing/ story telling area. I put the bear / den material, white cloth, etc. into a box outside and the children role played it a number of times over the following few weeks.

[Guest]

We have done impromptu bear hunts and acted out the story in the nursery, staff and children together.

 

You can also get the story online to watch/ use as prompt for the children later when they want to revisit on their own terms!

Edited May 1, 2009 by Scarlettangel

[JacquieL]

Well I woke up in the night thinking about this one. Sad aren't I!

I think you need to decide what aspects of your learning objective you are looking at. I think role is the key word in your objective as it stands now. Do you wish them to take part in the story simulating the actions in the role of the hunters, or do you wish them to take on a role themselves as if they are within the story, and use their imaginations to develop it? As these are Reception children in the summer term they will need challenging to use their own imaginations in role play, extending the kind of activities that younger children might take part in. Stories are wonderful to use as a stimulus, but they can be self limiting for the children because they have their own ideas and structure.

There are aspects of this wonderful book which you could explore with the children. Why are they hunting a bear? Where might they find one? What would they need to take on a hunt? (list) What will they do when they find it? You could set up a cave as your starter and ask them what they might find inside? If you take them through their hunt perhaps you could have a member of staff dressed up as the bear, and that person could interact with the children. A cloth, black nose, and some ears should be enough. If you do that I would have the bear looking sad for some reason, exaggerated body language, so that the children empathise and you don't have them rushing around as per the story. Why is the bear sad etc. etc. If it is interactive then the children will use their own imaginations rather than have these directed for them.

On the other hand you could begin with a stimulus such as finding a cave inside/outside and talking about who lives in it. They may not choose a bear but does it matter?. There is a parallel book 'We're all going on a Lion Hunt,' so they could make up their own book along similar lines depending on what they choose. That would fit into CLL on story structures and language. Or you could have a letter from a zoo saying that they have a bear who hasn't got a friend, and could they find one. That could be quite challenging as having a discussion about Zoos and living in the wild would come up. Where will they find a bear? What should they do with it? How could they solve the dilemma? You could make a collective map of the journey, perhaps label the map involving your CLL skills. Here the children will use their imaginations for the planning and geographical elements. Go with the children.

Whatever you do, providing the children with role-play props for them to use freely afterwards, means that they can develop their role-play in their own way, using the stimulus of the more structured activities. Props need only be simple, a blanket over a frame, tubes for explorers glasses, which of course the children can make themselves and probably will if they are in your workshop area. These are also where the child is using imagination letting one object stand for another. Musical instruments they can use for the sounds etc. This is when you can really observe their own ideas and development and assess their learning.

 

I hope this helps you with your thinking about this. I wish I was doing this one myself.

[Guest]

some fantastic ideas thank you soooo much

Sorry i kept you awake Jacquie but your ideas are excellent thank you!!!

[Lorna]

Another idea- rather than a role play to encourage children to retell and act out stories is the use of a story basket- you gather the props and put them in the basket so a copy of the book, masks, music- anything relevant. We also have a sparkly piece of fabric that can be thrown over a chair or beanbag etc- for the tory teller to sit on.... encourages the chilren to access and organise themselves to retell stories.

We have used them quiet well in Reception classes.

 

L

[Guest loubylou]

We acted it out in the hall during a P.E. slot. The children followed the practitioners lead repeating the words and copied her actions to the story. Later we discussed which instruments cound represent the water, the mud, the grass etc and half the class used instruments while other half acted it out. Later they drew a picture oftheir favourite part of the story and attempted to write a caption. Sparklebox have some pictures that could be used for story sequencing.

[Susan]

Hi and welcome Loobyloo.