Swans Activities

Puppets

Your students may like to make puppets just like Hans Christian Anderson did when he was their age.  A few pieces of felt and a ping-pong ball is all you really need to make a great little hand puppet – and your students can choose to decorate their characters however they want.  You can use The Wild Swans character or others from Anderson's famous tales?  A full list of his stories and transcripts can be found here:
http://hca.gilead.org.il/

Mapping the fun

After seeing the play, your students may like to use their imagination to draw maps, similar to pirates treasure maps, to plot out the course that Elise took. This artistic activity can help younger children recount what they have seen by outlining the trials and obstacles Princess Elise faced on her journey. They can include anything they thought was important in the story, including characters, places and special things. 

Actions speak louder

One of the great parts of The Wild Swans, which your students will love, is the music.  You might like to make up some actions to the main theme song with your class. Here are the lyrics:

Crushed like the waves
My hope feels cold inside
Dreams in my mind
There's so much left to find

Time goes by without you
Loneliness the cost
The oceans seem so restless here
My innocence is lost

Chorus:
Roll on, Roll on
Tell me what I missed?
Roll on, Roll on
There's more to life than this.

Time goes on
Life goes by
Where are my brothers
Did they live or die

Strong like the waves
The power always known
I'll conquer all my dreams
The strength within the stones

I may be alone, but now I know
The boundless sea
Presents to me
Eternal possibility

Repear Chorus

Roll on, Roll on, there's more to life than this.
Witches
Hokus, pokus,
She's a witch.
A witchy, witchy, witchy, snitch.
Hokus, pokus,
She's a witch.
A witchy, witchy, witchy, SNITCH.