Each child finds a space and sits down. Each child or a group of children are assigned a specific word and a corresponding action. The narrator/teacher reads the story aloud, and when the children hear their word, they must jump up and do their actions. The words are in bold to assist the teacher.
Word: Movement:
Beans: Hold your hands close together, palms up, as if cradling something small and precious. Beanstalk: Start crouched low and slowly rise up on your toes, stretching your arms above your head, intertwining your fingers to mime the growing beanstalk.
Climb: Make alternating motions with your arms and legs as if pulling yourself up a ladder, showing the effort of climbing.
Giant: Stand on your toes, arms raised high and wide, stomping your feet to make heavy, thudding sounds, embodying the giant’s immense size.
Gold: Rub your hands together and then let them fall open as if watching gold spill out, reflecting the glitter and wealth.
Chicken: Tuck your elbows into your sides, flap your arms like wings, and take small, quick steps around, miming a chicken’s movements.
Harp: Pretend to play a large harp, fingers gracefully plucking at invisible strings, moving your hands up and down in front of you.
Chop: Hold one arm out straight, the other hand miming an axe chopping down on the extended arm’s forearm, showing the action of chopping the beanstalk.
In a village, there lived a young boy named Jack and his mother. Their cottage was cozy, but times were tough, and they struggled to make ends meet. One morning, Jack’s mother handed him their last possession of value, a cow, and asked him to take it to market. With a heavy heart, Jack led the cow down the winding path, hoping for a good trade.
Along the way, Jack encountered a mysterious old man who offered him magic beans in exchange for the cow. Delighted by the promise of magic, Jack agreed, and with the beans carefully tucked in his pocket, he rushed home. His mother, however, was furious at the seemingly foolish trade and tossed the beans out the window in despair.
Overnight, a giant beanstalk grew from the beans, reaching up into the sky. Jack awoke to the marvel and, with a mix of excitement and curiosity, began to climb the towering plant. Higher and higher he climbed, until he reached a land above the clouds, where a massive castle loomed.
Inside the castle, Jack discovered it was home to a fearsome giant. Quiet as a mouse, Jack sneaked around, finding treasures unimaginable. First, he laid eyes on bags of gold coins, sparkling and inviting. With his heart racing, he filled his pockets with the gold.
Next, Jack stumbled upon a magical chicken that laid golden eggs. He couldn’t believe his luck as he gently scooped up the chicken under his arm. But Jack’s adventure didn’t end there. He also found a beautiful harp with golden strings that played the most enchanting music. Mesmerized, Jack decided to take the harp as well.
However, as Jack attempted to leave with his treasures, the harp cried out, waking the giant. Jack ran as fast as he could, the giant’s thunderous steps close behind him. With the giant in pursuit, Jack climbed down the beanstalk with all his might.
Upon reaching the ground, Jack yelled to his mother for an axe. With no time to spare, he began to chop at the beanstalk. Thud! Thud! Thud! With a few mighty chops, the beanstalk came crashing down, bringing the giant to his doom.
Breathless and relieved, Jack and his mother gazed at the treasures before them. They were safe, and their lives would be forever changed. The magic beans had brought them adventure, but more importantly, they brought them a new beginning. From that day on, Jack and his mother lived a comfortable life, always remembering the incredible journey above the clouds.
And so, the story of Jack and the beanstalk reminds us that bravery, quick thinking, and a bit of magic can lead to extraordinary places.
Warm-up: Movement Exploration – ask the children to spread out in the space. Explain to them that you are going to call out different types of movements (e.g. walking, running, hopping, skipping, jumping, crawling, etc.) and they should move around the space using those movements. Encourage them to be creative and use their imaginations to make the movements bigger, smaller, faster, slower, etc. After a few minutes, stop the activity and bring the children back to the centre of the space.
Soundscape Creation – Transition into creating soundscapes. Divide the children into small groups and assign each group a scene from the story (e.g., the beanstalk growing, Jack climbing, inside the giant’s castle). Each group creates sounds that represent their scene using their voices, bodies, and available instruments.
Main Focus: Mantle of the Expert – Explain to the children that they are going to become a team of experts on “Jack and the Beanstalk”. Ask them to imagine that they are part of a team of explorers who have just discovered the giant’s castle at the top of the beanstalk. Ask the children to think about what they might see, hear, smell, and feel as they explore the castle. Ask them to work together to come up with a plan to defeat the giant and help Jack get his treasure back. Encourage them to use their imaginations and think creatively about how they could solve the problem. After a few minutes, bring the children back to the centre of the space.
Thought Tracking – the children are gathered into a circle by the teacher. A specific scene from the story is chosen, and a child is selected to stand in the centre as a character from that scene, such as Jack, the Giant, or the Beanstalk itself. The teacher leads a discussion on the range of emotions the character might experience during the scene, like excitement, fear, happiness, or surprise. One by one, children approach the central figure, each gently tapping their shoulder and whispering an emotion. Upon receiving each whispered emotion, the central child expresses it using only body movements, without speaking. The surrounding circle of peers watches attentively, ready to guess the emotion being portrayed. After several turns of acting and guessing, another child steps into the centre to become a new character in a different scene, allowing the cycle of exploration and empathy to continue.
Character suggestions:
Jack
The Giant
The Magic Beanstalk
Jack’s Mother
The Golden Goose
The Magic Harp
Suggested emotions:
Excited: The thrill of discovering the magic beans or the beanstalk reaching into the clouds.
Scared: The fear of meeting the Giant or hearing his thunderous voice.
Brave: The courage it takes for Jack to climb the beanstalk or to face the Giant.
Surprised: The astonishment of finding a castle in the sky or a goose that lays golden eggs.
Happy: The joy of Jack finding the golden treasures or reuniting with his mother.
Lonely: How Jack might feel being away from home or how the Giant feels in his castle in the sky.
Curious: The wonder of exploring a new, magical world above the clouds.
Relieved: The feeling when Jack safely returns home with the treasures.
Flashback/Flashforward – ask the children to think about a scene from “Jack and the Beanstalk” Ask them to imagine what might have happened before that scene (flashback) or what might happen after that scene (flashforward). Divide the children into groups and assign each group a different scene to work with. Ask them to create a short scene that shows the flashback or flashforward. Encourage them to be creative and use their imaginations to come up with interesting ideas. After a few minutes, ask each group to share their scene with the rest of the class. Here are some examples of scenes from Jack and the Beanstalk:
· Jack trading the cow for magic beans.
· Jack climbing up the beanstalk to reach the giant’s castle.
· Jack meeting the giant’s wife.
· Jack sneaking around the giant’s castle.
· Jack stealing the golden goose and the magical harp.
· The giant chasing Jack down the beanstalk.
· The beanstalk being cut down and the giant falling to his death.
Closure: Magic Beans Hunt – explain to the children that the magic beans from the story of Jack and the Beanstalk have been scattered throughout the room and it’s their job to find them. Allow the children to search for the beans, either individually or in small groups. Once all of the beans have been found, bring the group together and ask them to share what they remember about the story and the themes it explored, such as courage, greed, and consequences. Encourage the children to share how they can apply these themes to their own lives and challenges they may face. Conclude the workshop by reminding the children of the power of imagination and the importance of using their creativity to solve problems and make positive choices.
