February 19th: The Lion and the Mouse

 

This week we read The Lion and the Mouse, a popular Aesop fable rewritten by Bernadette Watts. This lesson was meant to teach the kids about stereotyping and the importance of kind deeds. This well-known Aesop fable was perfect in showing how even the smallest creatures can help the big and powerful leaders. I asked the kids if they've ever had to help their parents or older siblings with something. I gave an example of how sometimes, when I was little, I would have to reach behind or climb under things to get stuff for my parents because they were too big. Some of the kids told stories of when they had to help others and were able to because they were smaller.

I began the meeting by reading the book. After, we went over it and answered some discussion questions. We talked about how the lion was the selfish king of the jungle and laughed at the mouse's offer for help. But later on, he realized the mouse could in fact help him and freed him from the trap. After we had discussion time, I gave each kid a sheet of paper and asked them to draw their own interpretation of the story. They each drew their own lion and mouse in a different way and colored it. When everyone finished, we gathered into a circle and each kid showed their picture to everyone. It was great to see what each kid took away from the story through their picture.

 

The craft for the Lion and the Mouse was to make lion and mouse masks. We used paper plates to make the faces. I let each kid pick if they wanted to be a lion or a mouse and then they colored the faces using markers. For the mice, we cut the plates in half and used the top half for the little face and the bottom half to make two ears. For the lions, we cut slits around the edges to make a 3D mane. The kids really liked making their own masks and it was fun to help them. Even though they were the same animals, every mask was different! When we finished the craft, we all sat down and I told them they now had to use the masks to make a skit! They picked a partner, rehearsed for a couple minutes, and then perfomed the skit in front of everyone. I think they did a fantastic job of retelling the story for their friends.

 

 

 

After we watched the skits, I gave them each a pack of Animal Crackers which they were very excited about. I told them to see if they could find a lion and a mouse!