Beauty and the Beast

This week I wanted to read Beauty and the Beast, one of my favorite fairy tales. I was initially at a loss for what to pair with it, until I decided to focus on the theme of transformation. 

Outline:

Opening Song

Opening Rhyme

Story: Beauty and the Beast adapted by J. Elizabeth Mills

Game: Memory Match

Story: Beauty and the Beast retold by H. Chuku Lee

Activity:  Magic Changing Juice

Final Story: No Lie, I Acted Like a Beast by Nancy Loewen

Craft: Stained Glass CD cases

Goodbye song

How it actually went: 

We wound up reading the books slightly out of order. I usually prefer to read a traditional version first, but one of my regulars thought he would have to leave early, and he really wanted to hear No Lie, I Acted Like a Beast, so I changed things up a bit. Most of these versions had the Beast near death without Beauty, and this seemed to confuse the children. I'm guessing this is because they are used to the Disney version where the villain is responsible for the Beast's condition. 

The Magic Changing Juice was a fun experiment. It takes some time, so I started it after the first story and we checked on it periodically throughout storytime. I explained to the children that grape juice acts as an indicator about whether something is an acid or a base. We started with two jars full of grape juice. I added lemon juice to one, and baking soda to the other. An acid will make the juice turn red, while a base will make it turn green. It doesn't happen immediately, and it's not always easy to see, so from time to time we would spoon out a bit of juice and drip it on a paper towel to check the color change. One unexpected reaction to this experiment: one of the children asked, "Who dares me to drink it?" I had to quickly jump in and inform them that no one would be drinking anything. 

Experiment with grape juice as an indicator. Acid makes it turn red, a base will make it turn green.

The stained glass cd cases went over pretty well too. I was a little nervous about letting the kids use permanent markers, but thankfully there were no issues. I printed out some stained glass designs that the kids could trace if they didn't want to freehand something. 

My biggest issue with trying to plan this one, was looking for ideas that did not directly tie in with the new Disney live-action film. I have nothing against it, but I wanted to go beyond that and look more at the original story. 

What about you? Have you used Beauty and the Beast with your kids? How did it go?

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