Hi Everyone!
This is my first ever blog video that I had made for a class so I am quite nervous to post it! I teach a Sunday school class and I told this story last Sunday to my kiddos. I feel like it was an interesting way to get King’s message off to the 4 and 5 year olds. Throughout telling this story to the kids, as well as telling and creating within my own mind, I discovered a few things. I discovered that creativity can come in any shape, way or form, and that even when I am struggling to be creative a little idea can go a long way. More importantly, I discovered that not all stories need to be verbally expressed to be effective and to have longevity and fecundity. For example, in the story I am about to tell you, actions speak louder than words. Although the story is told orally, the actions posed by the two children determine how evil came about. To convey my message, I told the story orally but to create the story, I focused on the actions of the two boys. I discovered that not all important messages are told orally, some are represented by our actions. Here’s an awareness video and a little spoiler alert for my take on King’s story. Happy Sunday!
Also, here is a really interesting TED Talk about the way we tell stories and how they can influence us! Check it out if you have time, it is really worth it!
Jessica R
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Works Cited
“Chimamanda: The Danger of a Simple Story”. Youtube. 2010. Web. 11 Feb 2015.
Kids Health. Nut and Peanut Allergy. 2015. Web. 2 Feb 2015. http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/nutrition/nut_allergy.html
Youtube. Peanut Allergy Awareness. Web. 2 Feb 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjK7EJwLm80
Hi Jessica,
Cool idea for a story! I also teach Sunday School, and I didn’t even think to tell the kids my story (but my story is much darker than yours haha). The peanut allergy reaction was an interesting way to show how it’s not only your actions but also your words that can be evil. Do you think that it could still be “evil” just based on the action, or do you think that the words were also necessary to classify the “evil”?
Hey Caitlin!
Awesome that you teach Sunday School! This is my first year and it’s been such a blast so far! I told my kiddos my story because we just had a peanut incident and I figured there would be a ton of darker stories so I would lighten the mood!
I do think evil can be based on actions without the justification from the words. In my story, the boys create the evil by their actions, therefor the story being told here about the evil is based on their actions. I think the lack of words in this story too created evil in itself. Without Johnny and Ben telling someone about their peanut snaking in the classroom, they themselves created an evil environment where evil was spread to other people.
I hope that made sense to you! I do feel that words are important within a story to spread content but I feel like actions, in most cases speak louder than words as the saying goes!
I’m headed over to read your story now! Thanks for checking out my blog!
-Jessica
Hey Jessica 🙂
I thought your story was really cute and had a really good twist at the end. I didn’t know where the story was going to go when you said you told it to your sunday school kids, as I figured it would be too dark for them, but instead, I was pleasantly surprised by a cute story!
I was wondering if you ever thought of having your protagonists not fess up to bringing in peanuts and what the implication of that kind of ending would have been? SO… i suppose I am wondering what made you decide to have the kids be honest, is it because it was a children’s story so you also wanted to have the moral tale of honesty as well as be careful what you say?
thanks for a great story and i look forward to your response!
HI Susie! Thanks so much for checking out my story:)
You are absolutely right! I wrote the ending because I knew I would be telling it to my students in class and at ages 4 and 5 I felt honesty was the best policy! Who knows what they would go and tell their parents if I didn’t!
I also decided to tell the story from an honest point of view to hopefully get the kids to think before they take action, regardless of whether it’s eating peanuts or getting into an argument with their friends. Also, to be honest, I knew a lot of the stories would be dark and twisted, so I thought I would lighten the mood!
Thanks for checking out my blog! 🙂
Jessica
Hi Jessica,
I really liked your take on the story! I especially like that you were able to take the message from the original story and make it appropriate and relatable for a completely different age group.
I found with my story that because my audience had a relationship with me, it had a totally different level of meaning and understanding than if I had not known my audience. It’s amazing how an audience has such an effect on a story, as well how we are able to change it depending on that audience to make it appropriate.
– Jennifer
Hi Jennifer!
Thanks for checking out my story! I didn’t tell anyone who knew me very well the story, but I do have a relationship with the kids I teach so they were kind of laughing along with me as I told the story!
Jessica
Thank you Jessica ! 🙂