8 Activity Guide

To earn this award

complete appropriate activities for each requirement: ❑ 1. Acting Games ___________________________❑ 2. Acting Practice __________________________❑ 3. Acting Out ______________________________

1. ACTING GAMES (choose 2 or 3)

❑ Simon Says

Play Simon Says but IT asks players to act like something or someone else (“Simon says, ‘Act like a robot,’” etc.). Ideas:

• robot• trees blowing in wind• kangaroo• fi sh swimming• fi sh swimming• cow• Pioneer Clubs leader• astronaut fl oating in space

❑ Noisy Circle

Club members sit in circle. One person makes a noise. Next player copies noise and makes new noise. Third person copies new noise and makes another. Keep going around circle. If that’s easy, have each player try to repeat all noises in order as new noises are added.

❑ Owner and Pet

Have each club member fi nd partner. Partners think of pet. It may be normal pet like dog or silly pet like hippo. One person pretends to be owner. Partner pretends to be pet. They act out these situations as you give directions:

• feeding pet• teaching pet a trick• giving pet exercise• another activity they think ofThen partners switch roles.

They may repeat same pet or choose another.

Acting Activity Award Acting Activity Award

❑ Animal Action

Supplies to share: • copies of animal actions• containerCopy and cut apart the animal actions. Add others you think

of. Let club members take turns choosing a card with eyes closed. Club members pretend to be the animal(s) they draw. They should show how they would move and what noises they would make.

cat being chased by dog

dog chasing squirrel

prairie dog too big for friend’s hole

bear with hurt paw

hungry dog asking for food

thirsty elephant smelling water

cat falls off shelf, gets embarrassed

lion stalking dinner

Ideas may be copied for use with Pioneer Clubs® materials.

❑ Upstage, Downstage Game

Explain that learning stage direction is important part of staging a play. Stage direction is usually written in script. This game is best played on stage or in large area.

Choose “director.” Let director look at this art. Director calls out a stage direction. Players must quickly move to that area

9Exploring God’s Word

Acting Activity Award Acting Activity Award

of stage. Then director calls out a new direction: “Cross to ________.” Players cross to that area of stage. After a few turns, let someone else be director. Option: Players who miss can sit out a few calls.

❑ Directing Game

Pick one person to be director. Assign a scene for everyone else to fl esh out, such as:

• SUV gets stuck in the mud on safari and there are wild animals approaching

• people evacuating burning building and fi refi ghters coming to rescue

• kids on a roller coaster• people swimming and then escaping

beach because of shark• football players making the

winning play and touchdown• bank robbers holding up a bankOnce scene has been thought

through, director calls, “Places!” Everyone gets in place to begin scene. Then director calls, “Action!” Actors act out scene. When scene is over, director calls, “Cut!”

Next, that director or another assigns new direction, such as “slow motion.” Director calls out, “Places!” and “Action!” again. Actors begin acting out same scene, but this time in slow motion, until director calls, “Cut!” Director may assign: slow motion, fast forward, on one foot, backward, underwater, overly dramatic, and so on.

Change directors and do another scene.

❑ Attention Game

Supplies to share:• watch that shows secondsThree players stand in a line. A fourth player keeps track

of time. Person in middle is “listener.” Other two are “talkers.”

On count of three, talkers have 30 seconds to talk to listener, at same time. They compete for listener’s attention by talking about interesting things or making funny noises. They may not move feet, and they may not touch listener. At end of 30 seconds, listener decides which actor captured more of his or her attention.

❑ Your Choice

2. ACTING PRACTICE (choose 1)

❑ Create a skit.

Assign a skit idea to each group, which they will perform for the others. Be sure each person gets a part. Ideas:

• Retell a Bible story from different point of view: man being lowered through roof for Jesus to heal, animal being loaded onto ark, child seeing the Red Sea part, child sharing fi sh and bread with Jesus to feed thousands.

• Tell what happened after familiar fairy tale ends: What do dwarfs do after Snow White marries Prince Charming? Does Red Riding Hood’s grandma let her walk back home by herself?

• Provide a story starter, such as: Friends fi nd buried treasure while hiking; family goes to toy store to buy birthday present for friend; dog gets loose on fi eld while kids are playing a sport; family is packing for vacation and kids keep trying to smuggle cat along.

• Your choice.

A U D I E N C EA U D I E N C E

10 Activity Guide

The Laughing Frog

Cast: Frog, horse, cow, fi eld mouse; optional: goat, lamb, bull

A frog sat on a lily pad at the farm one day, laughing and giggling. A horse came over to see what was going on. “What’s up, Froggy?” whinnied the horse. “I’m so happy!” said the frog and laughed even harder. A cow came over to join the fun. “What’s up, Froggy?” mooed the cow. “I’m so happy!” said the frog and laughed even harder. The same thing happened with a goat and a lamb and a bull. Finally a tiny fi eld mouse said, “I’ll get to the bottom of this. If you don’t tell us why you’re so happy, Froggy, I’ll…I’ll swim over and tickle you with my tail.” “Okay, okay,” the frog said. “I’m so happy because…I eat whatever bugs me!”

Penguins at the Zoo

Cast: man, police offi cer; optional: penguins A man walks down the street leading a group of

penguins. A police offi cer stops him and says, “You really need to take those penguins to the zoo. We have laws about this.” “Okay,” says the man, and he walks away. The next day the police offi cer sees the same man walking the same penguins. “I thought I told you to take those penguins to the zoo,” the offi cer says. “I’m going to have to give you a ticket.” “Wait!” says the man. “I did take them to the zoo. They liked it so much that today I’m taking them to the carnival.”

The Chicken and the Librarian

Cast: chicken, librarian, frog ; optional: horse(s), cow(s) A chicken comes into the library. It walks up to the

librarian and clucks, “Book, book, book, BOOK!” The librarian chooses four books and gives them to the chicken. The chicken grabs them and runs out the front door. A half an hour later the chicken is back. “Book, book, book, BOOK!” The librarian thinks this is weird but gives the chicken four more books. This happens two more times. Each time the librarian gets more and more curious. Finally the librarian decides to follow the chicken to see what it’s doing with the books. Down the street they go and into the woods. They pass a horse and a few cows. “Shhh,” says the librarian. “Don’t give me away.” The librarian fi nally sees the chicken stop by a pond. A frog pops up. The chicken shows each book to the frog. The frog looks at each cover and says, “Read it, read it, read it, read it.”

Jokes may be copied for use with Pioneer Clubs® materials.

❑ Three-Word Skit

Supplies to share:• copies of words• containerCopy and cut apart the following words. Add others you

think of. Put slips in container. Each small group draws three words. Next, each group quickly makes up and rehearses scene that uses all three words, but they may not say these words in skit. When groups are ready, they perform for each other. Groups try to guess each other’s three words.

❑ Joke

Supplies to share:• copies of jokesCopy and cut apart the jokes to the right. Add others you

know. Assign jokes to groups. Let groups decide who will play each character. Rehearse and perform.

Acting Activity Award Acting Activity Award

frog

basketball

cell phone

pizza

elephant

giraffe

birthday cake

bike

grass

poison ivy

pop can

cat

boat

trampoline

trombone

mountain

Ideas may be copied for use with Pioneer Clubs® materials.

11Exploring God’s Word

❑ Short Pantomimes

Explain that pantomime consists of telling a story using only actions and facial expressions (no speech). Club members should keep movements simple and large. Whisper a pantomime idea to each club member (or small group). After it’s acted out, others guess the action. Ideas:

• kicking fi eld goal• shooting basket• using cell phone• changing fl at tire• directing traffi c• caring for baby• painting room• playing video game• building sand castle

❑ Your Choice

3. ACTING OUT (do both)

❑ Imitate God.

Read Ephesians 5:1-2a. Explain that when we put on skit, we imitate—or act like—someone else. Discuss:

• What does imitating God look like? How do we act? What do we do?

❑ Act out a Bible story.

Supplies to share: • Bibles• copies of story ideas• paper bags• markers• optional: costume boxCopy and cut apart the story ideas to the right. Write the

method ideas on the board or easel pad, Let club members choose story and method for acting it out. Help them perform. (Several teams could do same story.)

Methods:• pantomime while someone reads story• skit with characters ad-libbing lines• paper-bag puppets• your choice

Acting Activity Award Acting Activity Award

Genesis 2:19-20 Adam Names the Animals

Genesis 13:5-12 Abram and Lot’s Solution

Luke 7:1-10 The Sick Servant

John 6:16-21 Jesus Walks on Water

Mark 2:13-17 Jesus and Levi

Luke 10:30-35 Good Samaritan

Luke 14:16-24 Great Banquet

Luke 15:4-6 Lost Sheep

Story ideas may be copied for use with Pioneer Clubs® materials.