REPOTTING
STORIES
Description of Activity
If plants could tell stories, what would they say? In this activity, we will ask participants to choose a fairytale or folktale and rewrite the story with a plant as the main character. For example, what if the story of Snow White was told from the poisonous apple’s point of view? Or what if the tale of Hansel and Gretel was told with the forest as the main character? In the end, we will have rewritten, imaginative stories that will facilitate re-imaginations of our worlds and the roles of plants (and nature) in them.
How does this explore the civic imagination?
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Initiate shared and cross-cultural understanding through an accessible storyline (a fairytale or folktale) and a change of perspective (humans to plants’ point-of-view).
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Practice imagining skills and enhancing appreciation of nature through rewriting a familiar story and centralizing the plant’s perspective.
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Build shared meanings and imaginative solutions to our real-world problems (related to nature, climate change, etc.) through a fun group activity.
Participants: group
Duration: 30-60 minutes
Recommended Age Range: 7 and up
Materials Needed and Space Requirements:
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In Person: draft paper, pen, devices to type out the stories (laptops, smartphones, etc.)
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Asynchronous Option
Step-by-step Instructions
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THINK & DISCUSS: As a group, choose a Fairytale, a Brothers Grimm story or a short version of other classic stories. [8 minutes]
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THINK & DISCUSS: Choose a plant that is the main character of the story. Think about what the character of this plant is like. [7 minutes]
Here are a few questions to think about:
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What is the plant’s name?
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What are the plant’s strengths and weaknesses?
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What does the plant like or dislike?
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What does the plant feel about the other characters in the story?
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What would a happy ending look like for the plant?
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REWRITE: As a group, rewrite the story with this plant as the main character. You can change the story as much as you want! You can also draw pictures for the different scenes in your story if you wish. [5 minutes]
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[For longer session] PERFORM: Read and/or perform your rewritten story out loud. After your showcase, reflect on how a shift in perspective has allowed you to see the world differently. Have your or your group’s views about plants in your everyday life changed? [up to 30 minutes]
Optional
Want to be in conversation? Share your insights and creations with us here!
Originally conceived by: Isaac Blacksin, Becky Pham, Essence Wilson, Becky Pham, Paulina Lanz, and Maximilian Brichta