Story telling

Aims:

1.      To convey information/message – the purpose of the story is to give over a particular message or information. A random story doesn’t serve the purpose of the peula.

2.      To trigger a discussion – A story doesn’t have to close a discussion, it can trigger one.

3.      Conclusion – You can conclude a peula with a story (true or fiction) that demonstrates the message you’re trying to give over in the peula.

4.      Experience – A story can allow the chanichim to experience the message of the peula by identifying with a character from the story.

5.      Making it real – A story can make the message more real by giving a real story of how the character(s) embody the message.

Directions:

1.      Set the right atmosphere – For a sad story you can sit on the floor, you can light a candle in a dark room.

2.      Props – Costumes, set, lights, music. These all help bring the story to life.

3.      KATYMBAH – Kol, Tnua, Yadayim, Mabat, Bitachon atzmi, Hakshava

4.      Read the story before hand and tell it off by heart during the peula – allows us to bring the story more to life and allows for more eye contact with the chanichim

5.      Simplicity – Make sure it’s a story that all the chanichim can understand

6.      Making it appropriate – The story has to be appropriate for the age of the chanichim and for their mentality.

7.      Modify – you can shorten or lengthen the story based on the audience and how much time you have.

Different ways of telling a story:

Madrich telling the story

1.      With pictures – can have a few pictures to accompany the story OR can have a puzzle of a picture and throughout the story can put the pieces together

2.      Puppet show – Put pictures of each character on an icy-pole stick and tell the story like a puppet show

3.      Hat story – Wear a hat that has different characters written on different sides of the hat. When changing characters, twist the hat to that character

4.      Television – prepare the frame of a TV screen with boxes and tell the story as if you were on TV

Chanichim getting involved

1.      Get the chanichim  to act out different characters of the story

2.      Repeat a sentence – divide the chanichim into a few groups and give each group a sentence. Each time the madrich points to them, they have to say their sentence

3.      Bold sentences – Hand out copies of the story to the chanichim, each one receiving a copy with different sentences in bold. That way, each chanich must read out the sentences that they have in bold.

4.      Pass the parcel – divide the story into different parts and place a different part of the story in layers of a parcel that is passed around. Each time it stops, the chanich holding the parcel must open the next layer and read the next part of the story.

5.      Toilet paper – Write the story on a roll of toilet paper, leaving some blank squares in between. The roll gets passed around and each chanich has to tear off a piece. If they tear a piece with writing, they must read out that next part of the story.

6.      Props – Hand out props that are relevant to the story to the chanichim. Each time one of them is mentioned, the chanich must hold up their prop.

7.      Leave the ending – Don’t finish telling the story and get the chanichim to write down what they think the ending should be. That way they get to use their imagination.