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TEACHER RESOURCE PACK
THE SNOW CHILDFOR TEACHERS WORKING WITH PUPILS IN RECEPTION – YEAR 2
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THE SNOW CHILDRUNNING FROM 18 NOV - 3 JAN | FOR RECEPTION - YEAR 2
A WINTRY TALE FULL OF WARMTH THIS CHRISTMAS.
Once upon a time there was a man and his wife who loved one another dearly, and although they were content and lived happily, there was just one thing they longed for: a child of their own.
So one cold, white winter’s day, they sculpt a daughter out of snow and something magical and extraordinary happens.
This beautiful and inventive show by award-winning company Dancing Brick will transport you into the wintry world of this gorgeous Russian folktale.
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THE SNOW CHILD SYNOPSISThe Snow Child - a traditional tale from Russia.
An old couple who love each other very much are grieving that they have no children. When the first winter snow falls, they watch the village children playing outside, building a snowman, and they decide to go outside and make themselves a snow child.
To their astonishment, the child, a little girl, comes to life. She brings joy, creativity and delight to the couple and all the children in the village, teaching them how to play and make magic in the snow. They make wonderful snow sculptures and create marvellous imaginary worlds together.
The old couple care for the Snow Child like any other daughter – and they try to keep her warm! But the Snow Child is different from other children. She makes herself a bed of snow and sleeps outside. The old couple allow her the freedom to take care of herself, and she is a happy, loving little girl who thrives and smiles all the time.
But when Spring comes, the Snow Child cannot survive – she begins to melt in the heat of the sun. The old couple are grief stricken when they discover that she must leave them for a snowy place far away.
For the rest of the year the couple are heartbroken at the loss of their beautiful little girl, believing she is lost to them forever. However the following winter, when the first snow falls again, the Snow Child returns, promising that she will always come back to them.
THE SNOW CHILD - TEACHER RESOURCES
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ABOUT THE STORY This is a story about love, loss and regeneration. Just as the seasons come and go, the Snow Child always returns to the old couple when the time is right. They learn to trust and rejoice in the cycles of loss, change and regrowth that govern their lives.
Children too, see the people they love come and go around them. Adults go out and come home. Older children move on to new schools. Friends and family visit and leave again. When children go to school, they must learn to feel safe in the knowledge that the adults who dropped them off will return for them at the end of the day. The little snow child is always happy, she understands that change happens around her, and that she will always return to her beloved parents when the time is right – and she teaches the old couple to trust and be patient with the changing seasons of the year.
The Snow Child is a beautiful cold-weather inversion of the Greek myth of Persephone, in which winter is the time of loss and grief, when the earth is barren and nothing can grow, because Demeter has lost her daughter. In our story, winter is the time of creativity and joy. The Snow Child teaches the village children how to make magic out of their surroundings. The snow is a marvellous playground, full of possibility, while indoors, the love of the old couple is reflected in the warmth of their home.
But it isn’t just children who learn. The old couple must learn from the Snow Child. They discover that she has to do things her own way, and that like all children she has a mind of her own! They learn to listen, and to respect her experience of a much wider world than their own little village. They learn to understand that there are other worlds, much bigger than their own experience, but that the Snow Child will always do what is best for her and for them.
THE SNOW CHILD - TEACHER RESOURCES
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ABOUT THE PRODUCTIONThe Snow Child will be created and performed by Valentina Ceschi and Thomas Eccleshare, who together form children’s theatre company Dancing Brick.
The story will be performed by the two actors, and a musician. At this stage, rehearsals have not yet started. Dancing Brick will begin the process of making the show by exploring the story freely, following their imagination and curiosity, in as many different ways as possible – just as children question and explore stories, act out scenes, build pictures for themselves, and stretch their imaginations.
Here are some of their thoughts and ideas about how to begin making the production:
The style should be like snow: soft and almost silent, but then once you go out and start playing with it, full of creativity and fun…
It is an atmosphere of cold and winter, but with the warm stoves and the thick scarves that make you pleased it’s so cold…
Thomas and Valentina describe the images they love from the story:
The whiteness of snow
Gloves, mittens, boots and ski suits
A couple who are centuries old
Warm evenings by the fire
The snow child appearing out of nothing
The man and woman in the warmth of the cottage with the snow outside
The sadness of Spring and colour and birds and warmth arriving
The melting of the child
Sleeping in a bed of snow
The happy ending as winter returns again…
THE SNOW CHILD - TEACHER RESOURCES
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIESThe full resource pack for teachers will include a range of session plans for practical and creative drama activities designed to complement the story, developed with our partner school. The activities will immerse children in the world of The Snow Child and explore and create responses to the story - just as the actors and musician will do in creating the show. The full pack will be available from July 2015.
Here are some examples of the activities you will find in the full pack:
SNOW STORIESExploring the characters and world of The Snow Child through role-play and drama games.
SNOW PUPPETRYCreating simple puppets out of objects – as a snowman is created from snow, a hat, a carrot and a scarf. How can we create beautiful and imaginative shapes and images as the snow child does with the village children in her story?
SNOW MUSICExploring the world of the story, children’s games and magical landscapes through music and sound.
SNOW SCIENCEWhat happens when we make snowballs and melt them? How long do they survive in the shade? In the sun?
What happens when the seasons change? Can we change our world by experimenting with different colours and lights? Can we make Spring and Winter?
What grows in Spring? What happens to our flowers and plants in Winter? Where do they go?
THE SNOW CHILD - TEACHER RESOURCES
ACCOMPANYING TEACHER CPD - MON 5 OCT 10AM - 4PM
CPD is FREE for teachers and will be an opportunity for teachers to find out more about the production and to gain practical experience of the classroom activities before working with them in the classroom.
To book your place on the CPD session, please email [email protected]
THE SNOW CHILDA Unicorn I Sheffield Theatres I Dancing Brick production
By Valentina Ceschi and Thomas Eccleshare
Resource pack written by Kate Beales
