About the program
Moving Tales of Emotions
The program consists of 10 drama workshops on emotions, ranging from primary emotions to complex, secondary (social) emotions. It is planned for a period of one school year (ten months).
The classes last from 45 to 60 minutes for each preschool group (consisting of 13 to 25 children). Each time they are conducted by two trainers/teachers based on original fairy tales and developed lesson plans. Teachers/trainers receive a package of educational materials coinciding with the themes of the fairy tales, which allow them to continue the work started at the workshops. A similar package of materials is given to
parents. Through this publication, they learn about the assumptions that foster a secure attachment style with their children. There are 2-hour meetings for parents and children’s teachers/teachers to discuss topics related to emotion regulation.
You can read more about the program on the official website of the National Center for Addiction Prevention
Fable 1. About a blue-haired girl who did not know what emotions are
During our first workshop, we invite children to move to the village of Kokoriko, where happy residents live. They love their work and take great pride in what they do. They are shoemakers, blacksmiths, master confectioners, and fire-starters. However, when it rains and they have to sit at home, they get very sad because they can’t visit each other. There is also a girl with blue hair living in the village. Her name is Kalimba. She looks at the people of Kokoriko when they feel different emotions, but she herself does not know what to call them. Will the villagers of Kokoriko help Kalimba name her feelings? Will the girl finally learn what emotions are?
Fable 2. About Dyziu the miner, who had a hard time waiting for his turn
During our workshop we invite children to move to the mine. Together with his colleagues, Dyzio works there. He digs tunnels, looking for valuable ores – stones, salt, coal. The work is not easy and requires the miners to follow the rules. To go to the surface, they use a narrow elevator, which can be entered by only one person. Therefore, they all line up in a row and calmly wait their turn. In doing so, they have to take care of order and sequence, because no one wants to stay underground for the night. Nevertheless, Dyzio can’t stand it and tries to enter the elevator before the others.
Fairy Tale 3. About the Apple Pie Queen her anger and lost apples
During our workshop, we invite children to wander through different lands. Together with the children, we become travelers. And a traveler is someone who does not stay longer in one place and is constantly on the move. He needs maps, compasses, telescopes, hats and rusks in order to set off safely into the unknown. Together with others, he travels through many interesting lands: ice, desert, full of grasses, as well as the land of unicorns and digits. At one point with his companions he reaches an island, where the inhabitants are sad. Their ruler – Princess Charlotte – gets angry in such a way that everyone is sorry. She gets so angry because there is no fruit on the I-beach.
Fable 4. About the wolf Martha and the animals of the Purring Forest
During our workshop we invite children to move to the Purring Forest, or more precisely to the Forest Kindergarten. Mrs. Owl Wise Head comes up with interesting games for the animals every day, but
always at the beginning of classes checks the attendance list. Today, Martha the Wolf is missing. Will the animals find their friend? Will they discover why she didn’t want to come to the Forest Kindergarten? Will they guess what her tears mean and why she quietly cries in the corner?
Fable 5. About the hare who did not want to say his name
Do you remember the tale of Sorrow and the Wolf whose friend moved out to the Oak Forest? During our workshop, we invite children to move right there. Our next story will be about Wilczka’s friend the Hare, who changed his place of residence. It turned out that there is also a kindergarten in the Oak Forest, and there is Mrs. Owl Wise Head, who takes care of the animals when their parents are working. One day they were joined by a new friend – Hare. The animals were very eager to meet him, as they had heard that he had just moved to the Oak Forest, leaving his friends far away.
How great was their surprise when it turned out that the Hare didn’t say anything. He wouldn’t say his name or play their curious instruments with them. What did the Hare feel when he found himself in a new place? Did the animals help him overcome his embarrassment? How did they accomplish this?
Fable 6. About the silent grass that hid in the darkness
During our workshop, we invite children to move into the world of Shiny Arrows. Every day, the Shiny Arrows leave the settlement to observe nature. They then walk quietly through the forest so as not to frighten animals or to hide from dangerous bears. The Shining Arrows are an unusual tribe because they can summon the
rain. However, not a drop of water has fallen in the village for several weeks and everyone is thirsty. Every evening, the entire tribe asks for rain with their unusual instruments. However, something that usually worked – stopped working! It turned out that the Silent Grass does not appear at the evening requests. Will the tribe members find out what Silent Grass is afraid of? Will they be able to tame the fear? Or will they learn when fear is needed?
Fable 7. About Mitka and the gift she got from the elves
During our workshop, we invite children to move to Santa’s factory. At the end of the year, work is in full swing there. Elves and dwarves bravely produce gifts for children and adults: long-haired dolls, airplanes, cars, blocks, teddy bears and much more. Santa convenes a meeting and announces to his charges that he has received a very peculiar letter. Mitka, a girl from the South, complains that the gift Santa and the elves made for her was too small and she doesn’t want to know them or even celebrate Christmas anymore. What will Santa and the elves do with such a letter? Will they discover what feeling lies beneath Mitka’s behavior? Will they help her deal with it? What will they do so that the girl can enjoy Christmas again, even if the gift she received did not meet her expectations?
Fable 8. About the green prince, toys and the desert sands
During our workshop, we invite children to move to a hot desert. There is no water or greenery, only cacti grow in places. Sometimes a desert jumper will sneak between the dunes or a snake will crawl through. Sometimes in this great immensity of sand, one can encounter green oases with small palm trees. They are a coveted destination for animals and people. Merchants traversing the desert carry with them various things for sale: furniture, ceramics and toys. The merchants meet a boy, the Green Prince.
Fable 9. About schoolgirls practicing the art of living well
During our meeting, we will tell the children about a land where extraordinary buildings are built on the tops of mountains. It houses a school where students learn many skills in order to know how to live well with themselves and others. To help others, they practice self-discipline, perseverance, patience, attentiveness to others, courage and focus. Will they rise to the tasks set before them? Male and female students will have a rushing river to cross. A feather dance awaits them, as well as crossing a forest of wild animals. Will they persevere in completing the tasks and overcoming the difficulties? Will they overcome discouragement when the tasks prove difficult and require many retries?
Fable 10: On the search for joy
This is our last trip together. Together with the children, we will return to the lands and places they explored during our adventure together. The guide will be Kalimba. A girl with blue hair from the village of Kokoriko. Ever since she learned that emotions are an important clue to people’s needs and desires, she has been passionately traversing the lands and examining how dealing with emotions affects people’s lives. Today she is interested in joy. Together with Kalimba, the children will see how Dyzio’s life has changed since he is able to wait for his turn, what’s going on with Princess Edelweiss, and what her life has been like since she met the travelers. Children will also visit the residents of Purring and Oak Forest. There they will meet old friends – the Wolf and the Hare and check, How do they express their joy? At the end we will create joyful stories together. This could be the beginning of our adventure together!
