Enrichment Guide for Grades Pre-K and upWritten by Shaun Branigan and Jerome Schoolar

About the performanceErnie and Ruby have finally finished building a display for the Big Holiday Show using symbols from different holidays they found in a box of props. It is the best display ever, until disaster strikes and there are only 30 minutes until people arrive! Will they have time to get the display back together? Watch closely as they race against the clock to get the Holidays started!

Theatre TEKS 117.4, 117.7, 117.10, 117.13, 117.14, 117.15

About the characters in the playErnie: The Repair Guy in charge of fixing things. He will entertain and dazzle you with song and dance as he works to complete the holiday display.

Ruby: The Vice Executive Director of Inter-Divisional Human Resource Services. She doesn’t even know what that means. She has a big heart and tries to help Ernie in every way, which can sometimes be a problem!Theatre TEKS 117.4, 117.7, 117.10, 117.13, 117.14, 117.15

Have a conversationIf you could invent a new holiday,

what would it be called? What kind of traditions would you

make up to celebrate?What symbol would represent

your new holiday?

About the holiday traditions in the playHanukkah: an eight-day Jewish holiday (also known as Chanukah and the Festival of Lights) that usually occurs between late November and late December. Traditions include lighting the menorah which holds 9 candles, exchanging gifts and enjoying treats cooked in oil like Latkes (potato pancakes).

Kwanzaa: a week-long celebration honoring African heritage and culture, from December 26-January 1 in the U.S. Each day observes one of the Nguzo Saba (En-goo’-zoe Sah’-ba), the seven guiding principles, like unity, creativity and faith. Traditionally, a Kinara (candle holder) with seven candles is used during the celebration.

Christmas: an annual Christian holiday on December 25 celebrating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Observed across the world in different ways, customs include gift-giving, singing Christmas carols, and decorating Christmas trees with ornaments and lights.

In the United States, a fun symbol of the holiday is Santa Claus. He brings gifts to children on Christmas Eve with his sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. Some children leave milk and cookies for Santa to eat.

In Holland, children put out wooden shoes to await the arrival of St. Nicholas, who comes by ship on December 6. After

leaving the ship, St. Nicholas rides a white horse to children’s homes. The children fill their

wooden shoes with straw for St. Nicholas’ horse. The horse eats the straw and St.

Nicholas fills the shoes with treats for the children!

Social Studies TEKS 113.1, 113.2, 113,3, 113.4

Book CornerA Christmas Carol by Charles DickensHanukkah Lights by David Martin How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. SeussMy First Kwanzaa by Karen KatzOwl Moon by Jane YolenThe Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg The Twelve Days of Christmas in Texas by Janie Bynum

Watch & ListenWatch with your eyes, listen with your ears, and answer the questions after the show:

According to Ernie, what is Rule Number 1?

__________________________________________How do you say “Merry Christmas” in Spanish?

__________________________________________What are Christmas trees called in Germany?

__________________________________________What was your favorite song from the show?

__________________________________________

Theatre TEKS 117.4, 117.7, 117.10, 117.13, 117.14, 117.15 Reading/Sequencing TEKS 110.10, 110.11, 110.12, 110.13

Halloween

Thanksgiving

Baloney Day

Hanukkah

Kwanzaa

Christmas

Holiday Match-up: Draw a line to the symbol that represents each holidaySocial Studies TEKS 113.1, 113.2, 113,3, 113.4

Holiday Sing-AlongIn the play, Rosie mixes up the lyrics for Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. With your class or family, sing along with the lyrics below. You can even mix them up if you want to have some fun!

Frosty the SnowmanFrosty the Snowman, was a jolly happy soul,With a corn cob pipe and a button nose, and two eyes made of coal.Frosty the Snowman, is a fairytale, they say.He was made of snow, but the children know he came to life one day.

There must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found,For when they placed it on his head, he began to dance around!Oh, Frosty, the Snowman, was alive as he could be;

and the children say he could laugh and play, just the same as you and me.

Thumpety thump, thump, thumpety thump, thump, look at Frosty go.Thumpety thump, thump, thumpety thump, thump, over the hills of snow.Frosty the Snowman, knew the sun was hot that day,so he said, “Let’s run, and we’ll have some fun now, before I melt away.”

Down to the village, with a broomstick in his hand,Running here and there, all around the square, sayin’, “Catch me if you can.”

He led them down the streets of town, right to the traffic cop;and only paused a moment, when he heard him holler, “Stop!”For Frosty, the Snowman, had to hurry on his way,But he waved goodbye, sayin’ “Don’t cry, I’ll be back again some day.”Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Which one of the days listed above is not a real holiday? __________________________________________________________________

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed ReindeerYou know Dasher, and Dancer, and Prancer, and Vixen,Comet, and Cupid, and Donder and BlitzenBut do you recall...The most famous reindeer of all?

Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeerhad a very shiny noseand if you ever saw ityou would even say it glows.

All of the other reindeerused to laugh and call him namesThey never let poor Rudolphplay in any reindeer games.

Then one foggy Christmas eveSanta came to say:“Rudolph with your nose so bright,won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”

Then all the reindeer loved himas they shouted out with glee,Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer,you’ll go down in history!

Color By NumbersMake your own dreidel and learn to playThe dreidel is one of the best known symbols of Hanukkah. A four-sided top with a Hebrew letter on each side, the dreidel is used to play a fun Hanukkah game of chance. The word dreidel comes from a Yiddish word meaning “to turn.” The letters on each side, Nun, Gimmel, Hey and Shin, stand for the Nes Gadol Haya Sham, which means “A great miracle happened there.”

Rules of the Game: To play the game of dreidel, two to four players each get a handful of coins or chocolate money called gelt. The remainder of the “pot” or coins or chocolate is left in a pile. The youngest player spins the dreidel and depending on what letter the top lands on, he or she will:

NUN - Lose a turn, the dreidel passes to the next player

GIMMEL - Win all the coins

HEY - Win half the coins

SHIN (or PEH) - Lose all the coins

The dreidel continues to be passed around the circle until one player has won everyone’s coins or gelt.

Print and make your own dreidel from the pattern at: holidays.net/chanukah/dreidel.html

The Holiday Heroes TeamErnie ........................................................................................................ Shaun BraniganRuby .............................................................................................................. Amber Quick Stage Manager .......................................................................................... Jessica Borda Sound Board Operator ......................................................................... Kellie BaldwinEducation Director ..........................................................................................Nat MillerPerforming Art School Manager .............................................................. Chad DikeEducation Associate .................................................................................... Kate ShawPre-Professional Manager ................................................................. Jennifer Young

1-Brown 2-Red 3-Green 4-Yellow

Dear ZACH;We love to hear from you.Write a letter or draw a picture to describe your favorite part of the play and mail it to:

ZACH TheatreAttn: Education Department1510 Toomey RoadAustin, Texas 78704

1510 Toomey Road, Austin, Texas 78704 | 512-476-0594 x236 | zachtheatre.org | education@zachtheatre.org

This project is funded and supported in part by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts and by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

. .

zachtheatre.org/education512- 476-0594 x236

Axel B. Photography

Winter Break Camps9 a.m. - 4.p.m. • $225Hogwarts: Triwizard TournamentDecember 21 - 23 • K-Grade 5

Broadway Kids: AladdinDecember 28 - 30 • K-Grade 5

HOLIDAY CAMPS