ELEMENTARY AGES 6 – 12

Parents' Course 5: “Presents from Heaven”(the ASEAN play)

Help and encourage your child to succeed in life by learning English the easy and enjoyable way.

Have fun with them.

Help them to learn English the way they learnt their mothertongue.

Children love stories.

Learn some English yourself.

Cooperate with your child's teacher.

Help your child to develop many skills useful in later life: acting,writing, drawing painting, singing, performing music, costumedesigning and most important team building.

All the family: Mum and Dad, Grandma and and Grandpa, brothers and sisters and friends of the family can help, encourage and learn.

Go to the end for alphabet revision.

Before enjoying the drama.

Sing the shape song with your children.

Teacher "I'm a square, I have 4 sides "(twice)Children: "We are squares, we have 4 sides,1,2,3,4, we are squares"Teacher: "I'm a circle, I go round and round" (twice) Shape Song Shape Song Children: "We are circles, we go round and round, round and round, round and round we are circles."Teacher: "I'm a triangle, I have three sides" (twice}Children: "We are triangles, we have 3 sides, 1,2,3, we are triangles"Teacher: "We are shapes, you see us everywhere (twice)Children: "We are shapes, just look around, just look around we areeverywhere" - and repeat as desired.

See a yellow triangle, a red square and a blue circle

Sing Jingle Bells

“Jingle Bells, Jingle BellsJingle all the wayOh, what fun it is to ride Jingle Bells

In a one horse open sleigh”

Memorize

Help your children to memorize the flags of the ten ASEAN countries.

Brunei Cambodia Indonesia Laos Malaysia

Myanmar Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam

Also help them to memorize words beginning with U or with u in the words.

Which is which – upside-down, run, umbrella, United States, bun, umbrella?

Before having fun with the play help your child do some more Alphabet Revision

Introduce /V/ /v/ /W/ /w/ /X/ /x/ /Y/ /y/ and /Z/ /z/.

Clarify word meaning: Vet, vine, village, violin, volcano.

Clarify word meaning: Waterfall, wasp, windmill, waist, watch.

Clarify word meaning: xray, xylophone, fox, six.

Clarify word meaning: Yoyo, yarn, yogurt, yacht, yak.

Clarify word meaning: Zebra, zoo, zombie, zip, zero.

Help your child to describe their feelings:

Happy Laughing Sad Crying Angry Surprised Hungry

Ask your child to make faces and gestures to express these feeling, and at the same time make up sentences with family and friends like: “I am happy”, “she is laughing”, “ you are sad”, “we are crying”, “they are angry”, etc.

Ask your child to say what Food he/she likes

Apple Cake Egg Ice cream Honey

Orange Juice Jelly Nuts Rice Cheese

Have a conversation with sentences like :“Are you hungry?” “Yes” “What do you like to eat?” “I like ice cream” “I like cheese” “Are you thirsty?” “No ““What do you like to drink?” “I like juice” , etc.

Get them to name as many foods and drinks as they can.

Age

Have a conversation about Age

“How old are you?” “What is your age?” “I'm eight”, “I'm seven years old”, etc.

THE PLAY – PRESENTS FROM HEAVEN

Ask your child what she/he would like to prepare for the production of 'Presents from Heaven'.

What part in would your child like to play?Or what part has your child been asked to play?

Or practice other team members' parts so that your child can help their friendsEncourage your child to prepare for their part/s.

Practice dialogue between the Thai boy and girl:“I bet you don't know all the Asean Countries do you? There are ten of them.”“Let me try. They are Thailand. . . .”“That's easy.”(SHE COUNTING ON FINGERS) . . . “and Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, Singapore and Indonesia.”

Pretend to be Chi coming down by parachute. Try miming coming down, bumping into each other, landing on the ground. Or dolphins swimming up river pulling a boat. Or anything else your child will act

Help with Props1. Flags of the different Asean countries to wave2. help to build a trolley looking like Santa's sleigh on one side and a boat for dolphins to pull

on the other.3. Two umbrellas to look like parachutes.4. Lots of balloons and a cut out large basket to simulate one big hot air balloon.5. The picture below from an English through drama workshop in Thailand may give some

ideas: The children acted in “Presents from Heaven” and “The Jungle Book”.

Help with flashcards. Encourage your child to paint flashcards. If you like we can upload the best to this website; and also if you like we shall credit your name, child's name and country.

Help with costumes. Ask your children's teacher which costume it would be helpful to design and make. You do not have to have costumes exactly as in the pictures. Let you and your child use your imaginations:

1. Mr. Santa's costume.2. Mrs. Santa's costume.3. A reindeer's horns or head4. 3 Dolphins5. A boy or a girl's costume for each of the Asean countries. Research this online and look at

the pictures below.

Here are some adult national costumes to inspire you, but research and create your own:

Bruneians wear traditional Malay costumes.

The sampot is the Cambodian woman's long skirt. The men wearcotton or silk shirts.

A Kebaya is a blouse-dress worn by women in Indonesia. Men wear batik shirts with trousers.

Lao women wear silk skirts, blouses and scarves. Lao men wear salong, big pants.

Baju Melayu is a man's traditional Malay outfit. The female version is thebaju kurung.

In Myanmar the longyi is worn by men and women

The barong is a man's formal garment in the the . Philippines

Singapore does not really have a national dress, as it has four races: Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian.

The Thai woman's national dress is the chakri and the man's is the sue phraratchatan.

Vietnam: The Ao yai is still popular especially for women

Practice again singing the Jingle Bell music. If you or your child can play a musical instrument tryaccompanying it.

Or help your child be a good team member and help their friends with the above.

Here is the script. You can try and rehearse it with your child.

At Home you can read the speeches and do some of the actions. You can pretend there is a stage in your home.

For the youngest read it to your child and do all the actions and get your child to imitate you.

Or listen to the play reading and do the actions and help your child Play reading

to do them too.

ACTORS (19)

BOYS GIRLS BOYS OR GIRLS

Somchai (Thai) Ying (Thai) Narrator 1

Sovann (Cambodian) Mrs Santa Narrator 2

Mr Santa Angel (Filipino) Reindeer

Rio (Indonesian) Chi (Vietnamese) Dolphin 1

Tin Tut (Myanmar) Dewi (Brunei) Dolphin 2

Amir (Malaysian) Fann Wong (Singapore) Dolphin 3

Anani (Lao)

A SMALL GIRL AND A SMALL BOY, WEARING THAI NATIONALDRESS, ARE IN A PRETTY GARDEN WITH TREES AND FLOWERS.THEY ARE WAVING THAI FLAGS THAT THEY THEN PUT IN A TREE.AT THE SIDE OF THE STAGE STAND TWO NARRATORS WHO READ(OR PRETEND TO READ) FROM STORY BOOKS.

NARRATOR 1: Somchai and Ying are in the same class and they want to have friends from all the Asean countries.

SOMCHAI:

YING:

SOMCHAI:

I bet you don't know all the Asean Countries do you? There are ten of them.

Let me try. They are Thailand. . . .

That's easy.

YING: (SHE COUNTS ON HER FINGERS) . . . and Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, Singapore and Indonesia.

SOMCHAI:

YING:

SOMCHAI:

YING:

Wow! Well done! How can we get to know children from each of them?

Perhaps one day you and I will marry one of them.

Don't be silly. We're too young to talk about that.

Anyway how can we meet them?

SOMCHAI:

NARRATOR 2:

YING:

I know. Let's ask Mr and Mrs Santa to help us.

They arrive through the sky in the Santas' sleigh pulled by a red nosed reindeer.

Look here they come!

WE HEAR THE JINGLE BELL MUSIC. AND THEN SANTA AND MRSSANTA AND THE RED NOSED REINDEER ARRIVE WITH A CUT

Mr and MRS SANTA andTHE REINDEER:

SOMCHAI and YING

MRS SANTA

MR SANTA

SOMCHAI

YING

SOMCHAI

MR SANTA

MRS SANTA

SOVANN

YING:

SOVANN;

MR SANTA

MRS SANTA

SANTA

MRS SANTA

REINDEER

SANTA

MRS SANTA, SANTA AND THE REINDEER

YING

OUT SLEIGH. SANTA GIVES A MERRY WAVE.

Hello children

Hello. Where have you come from.

We've been around the world five times.

Giving presents

Wow!

But we don't want presents.

We want friends.

(LAUGHS) Very Good! We've got one for you already.

(CALLS) Sovann!

(SOVANN A BOY FROM CAMBODIA WAVING A CAMBODIAN FLAG APPEARS OUT OF THE SLEIGH)

Sue-saw-day.

What does that mean?

It's the Khmer for hello.

He didn't want a present.

Instead he wanted to travel.

Well we must be on our way again

Would you like us to send you more friends?

I shall very tired going round the world again.

Never mind. We' ll find other ways to send them to you.

Good bye (AND OFF THEY FLY)

(TO SOVANN) What does you name, Sovann, mean?

SOVANN: It means like gold.

SOMCHAI: Can you give me some?

SOVANN: No . I am very poor. But we can be friends.

SOVANN PUTS HIS FLAG IN A TREE. THEN TWO GIRLS: CHI (WEARING VIETNAMESENATIONAL DRESS) AND ANGEL (WEARINGPHILIPPINES NATIONAL DRESS) APPEAR WITHPARACHUTES. THEY TOO ARE WAVING THEIRFLAGS. THEY KEEP BUMPING INTO EACH OTHER.

NARRATOR 1:

NARRATOR 2:

NARRATOR 1:

While this was happening Mrs Santa sent two girls down by parachute.

They were Chi from Vietnam and Angel from the Philippines.

They were quarrelling; because they kept bumping into each other.

CHI BUMPS INTO ANGEL

ANGEL:

CHI:

ANGEL:

NARRATOR 2:

Stop that!

I can't help it. It's the wind.

(BUMPING INTO CHI) I don't believe you.

THEY NARROWLY MISS YING

They nearly landed on Ying's head. But Ying said

YING: Sawatdee kha. Hey, let's hold hands and be friends.

ANGEL: Kumusta.

CHI:

NARRATOR 1:

Chao.

THEY JOIN HANDS AND DANCE TO MUSIC: "JINGLE BELLS" OR "THE ASEAN WAY". DURING THE DANCE THEY PUT THEIR FLAGS IN TREES. SOVANN AND SOMCHAI JOIN IN THE DANCE.

WHILE THIS IS HAPPENING THREE CHILDRENDRESSED AS DOLPHINS PULL A CUT-OUTBOAT WITH RIO IN IT. RIO ALSO WEARSNATIONAL DRESS AND WAVES HIS FLAG.

Then a boy called Rio arrived from Indonesia.

NARRATOR 2:

NARRATOR 1:

He sailed across sea then up the Chao Praya River intoBangkok (or to another place - or up the Mekong toanother place - up to you)

He came in a boat pulled by Dolphins that the Santas hadgiven him.

SOMCHAI, VERY EXCITED, RUNS TO GREET HIM. RIO HAS THE INDONESIAN FLAG.

SOMCHAI: Sawatdee khrap.

RIO: Apa kabar. Would you like to play with the dolphins?

SOMCHAI: Wowee! Yes please.

ANGEL :

DOLPHIN 1:

Can I play too? I love fish.

And I love humans

CHI:

DOLPHIN 2:

I've always wanted to ride a dolphin.

Come on then.

SOVANN:

DOLPHIN 3:

Me too. Dolphins are very clever.

Jump on our backs

(THE CHILDREN JUMP ON THE DOLPHINS' BACKS AND RIDE 'PIGGY BACK ROUND THE STAGE)

YING: Yippee!

THEY ALL SING AND DANCE WITH THE DOLPHINS. AND RIO PUTSHIS FLAG IN A TREE.

WHILE THIS IS HAPPENING THE BIGGEST OF THE CUT-OUTS APPEARS.IT IS A HOT AIR BALLON WITH FIVE CHILDREN IN IT.

THEY WAVE THE FLAGS OF THEIR COUNTRIES:

THEY ARE TIN TUT FROM MYANMAR,

DEWI FROM BRUNEI, FANN WONG FROM SINGAPORE, ANANI FROM LAOS AND AMIR FROM MALAYSIA.

NARRATOR 2: Then the last five children all arrived together.

NARRATOR 1:

NARRATOR 2:

NARRATOR 1:

TIN TUT:

They landed in a hot air balloon.

They each said hello in their own language.

They were a boy from Myanmar called Tin Tut.

Min-ga-la-ba.

YING:

NARRATOR 2:

DEWI:

NARRATOR 1

Sawatdee kha

A girl from Brunei called Dewi

Hai.

A girl from Singapore called Fann Wong, who spoke Chinese.

FANN WONG:

NARRATOR 2:

ANANI:

NARRATOR 1:

Ni hao.

A girl from Laos called Anani - which means orange tree.

Sabaidi

And a boy from Malaysia called Amir.

AMIR:

SOVANN:

ANGEL:

CHI:

Hello.

Isn't that funny? We've all dropped down from heaven.

But Rio arrived by boat pulled by dolphins.

So? Dolphins are heavenly creatures.

ALL THE CHILDREN AND THE DOLPHINS CRY: "YES" AND LAUGH. ANGEL JOINS IN AND SHOUTS "YES" LOUDEST OF ALL.

DEWI:

ANANI:

AMIR:

What about Ying and Somchai? They were already here.

They came from heaven too.

Yes. We all came from heaven before we were born.

FANN WONG:

SOVANN:

REINDEER:

Yes even the grown ups.

MR AND MRS SANTA AND THE REINDEER RE-APPEAR

Including Mr and Mrs Santa

Don't forget me

TIN TUT:

REINDEER:

AMIR:

ANANI:

ANGEL:

Are you a grown up?

Of course I am

Okay. You too

And all our families and friends

They came from heaven too.

SHE GESTURES TO THE AUDIENCE AND SO DO THE REST OF THE CHILDREN AND THEY CRY: "YES"

THEN THE CHILDREN SING AND DANCE TOGETHER AND PUT MORE FLAGS IN THE TREES. THIS CAN BE IMPROVISED. THEN THEY TURN TO THE AUDIENCE AND SAY TOGETHER:

ALL THE CHILDREN:

When - we - grow - up - all - the - peoples - of - ASEAN - will - be - happy - together.

THEN THEY CLAP THE AUDIENCE AND - HOPEFULLY - THE AUDIENCE CLAPS BACK.

THE CURTAIN DROPS

If you and your child have enjoyed this exercise, ask the school to put on a full production. Also suggest they put on a production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

You can submit your child's pictures to the English through Drama website.

If you wish the best pictures will go on the website.

If you wish we shall add his or her name and / or country.

(but your privacy will be guaranteed if you wish)

You can submit your child's sentences about the ASEAN countries to the English through Drama website.

If you wish the most inspiring sentences will go on the website.

If you and your child wish we shall add your child's name and / or country.

(but your privacy will be guaranteed if you wish)

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