Nameless Heroes
by Steve Bennett
Kids 6 - 10
Required:
Storybook
Just about anybody can recount the story of Cinderella. But can your kids do so without mentioning the princess's name?
Sit down with your child and read Cinderella or any favorite storybook. Then compile a list of words (characters' names, places, and the like) that are frequently used in the story. Challenge your child to retell the story, leaving out the forbidden words and substituting others (his or her choice of synonyms, antonyms, or completely different terms) in their place.
As an alternative, you can read the story and leave out the forbidden words. You pause after each omission, and your child guesses what the missing word should be or fills in a zany word. Your task is to continue the story, altering the plot to fit your child's contributed words. So perhaps the brilliant Cinderella worked as a professor in her stepmother's university , until the handsome grant came along and transformed her into a research scientist!
