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Rumplestiltskin

Language: English | Español

This classic fairy tale is about a strange little man who helps the miller’s daughter spin straw into gold for the king. The only condition she must make is that she will give him her firstborn child. LeVar finds this era coming to life when he visits a Renaissance festival in California. Viewers, too, will experience what it was like to live in the days of lords, kings, and queens, and knights in shining armor. LeVar explores the festival where daily life—such as spinning and weaving—is reenacted, and traveling performers –such as minstrels and jesters—all take part in the fanfare.

Here are activities to do after watching this episode:

Castles

You will need:

  • brown grocery bags (lunch–size bags are ideal.)
  • scissors
  • markers or crayons
  • construction paper
  • toothpicks

Directions:
Draw and then cut out turrets and towers along the top of a brown paper bag to create a castle. Use markers or crayons to add special features such as windows. Attach a construction paper drawbridge. Use toothpicks and construction paper to make flags.

You can make several castles and place them around the play area so that you can travel from one to another as you play.

Options:
Make construction paper figures or use small plastic figures as your props as you are playing.

  

Name Game

Write your name on a piece of paper. How many letters does your name have?

Think of all the people you can. Who do you know with the longest name? Write it down. How many letters does it have? How much longer than your name is it?

Who do you know with the shortest name? Write it down. How much shorter is it than yours is? How much shorter is it than the longest name?

What’s In A Name?

Your first, or given name, was chosen for a reason. Do a bit of family research to discover how and why every family member received the name they did.

Other activities:
Find out what your name means. Check in a book of baby names or check out websites that give the meanings of given names. For example: the name Linda means “pretty” in Spanish. Charles means “man” in old German, and Sarah is Hebrew for “princess.”
Once you find out what your name means, illustrate your given name. Draw a picture that represents your name. Write your name below using colorful letters or glitter glue. Mount your drawing on cardboard and attach a yarn loop for hanging on your bedroom door.

Check out some of these books on your
next trip to the library:

  • A Medieval Feast by Aliki
  • The Story Of A Castle by John S. Goodall
  • The Sleeping Beauty, retold by Mercer Mayer

READING RAINBOW has a resource library that includes teacher guide materials as well as reading programs for use in the public libraries. You can download these resources from GPN at:
www.gpnresources.com

If you would like more information about READING RAINBOW or if you would like to learn more about other educational products please visit the GPN web site.

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