Charlie And The Yoga Chocolate Factory

What to do with all the chocolate left from Easter?

Here is the perfect solution...

Below is a fantastic post-Easter class… 

Here is the class we did for Easter by the way

Have you read Charlie & The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl?

It’s a classic! … And you can also watch the movie now.

The most important meaning that I can deduce at the end of reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is that everything is mirrored and what you give out to the world is what you are going to get back.

In the book, the other children except Charlie had everything they wanted and thought they could buy everything with their money. 

Yet there were so many things that could not be bought with money like a great character and family love. Charlie already had both.

There is a common idiom: as people sow, so shall they reap later. Just like Charlie Bucket.

Charlie Bucket was a boy living in a hut, which only has two small rooms, with his two grandfathers, two grandmothers, and his parents. They were very poor. As a matter of fact, we are talking about a large family who only eats diluted cabbage soup and cannot ask for seconds, because there is none. 

But Charlie was a child after all; he loved chocolate like every other child. But he could only get one chocolate bar once a year on his birthdays because his family couldn't afford to buy more. So every time he got his chocolate, Charlie would eat it bit by bit for a month until it completely finished. 

Sometimes when we have too much, we simply take it for granted; we don’t appreciate it. Maybe we even barely enjoy it.

Every night Charlie would go to his grandparents' room and listen to their night stories, and one night he asked to hear the story of Mr. Willy Wonka, the owner of the Chocolate Factory that’s right in their neighborhood. It was a worldwide known factory because Mr. Willy Wonka was producing the world's most amazing and delicious vegan :-) chocolates. 

Apart from the great flavor of the chocolates, Mr. Wonka also had some extraordinary miracles about his products. For example, he built a whole palace made of Chocolate for Prince Pondicheri from India, and he made ice cream with hot chocolate which can be enjoyed even in cold winter days, and also ice cream that stays cold and never melts in the summer!

Charlie had not a special thing that the other kids didn't have, they even had more opportunities than he had, but (SPOILER ALERT) at the end, Mr. Willy Wonka chose to hand over the Chocolate Factory to Charlie and his family. Actually, Willy Wonka had nothing to do with this; Charlie had won the factory himself through his earnestness, consideration and kindness.

Maybe good things do come to good people after all.

To Bring: 

• Big Scarf
• Good Quality Vegan Chocolate :-) - Loads of it
• Dice
• Jar full of vegan chocolates (prepare ahead - read instructions below)
• Paper & Colors

Introduction

Have you eaten loads of vegan chocolate on Easter?

Have you heard about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

Today, we will retell the story, yoga to it and play some AWESOME chocolate yoga games in between. 

Are you ready?

This is also a good time to show them the Chocolate Jar (see the last game) that they may win from Mr. Willy Wonka at the end if they behave themselves and can guess how many chocolates are there!

2 Minutes

Charlie Bucket is a young boy living in a tiny wooden house at the edge of a big city with his parents and four grandparents: Mr. Bucket, Mrs. Bucket, Grandpa Joe, Grandma Josephine, Grandpa George, and Grandma Georgina. 

The family is very poor, living only on what Mr. Bucket makes screwing toothpaste caps on at a toothpaste factory. They are constantly hungry, which is especially hard for Charlie since they live down the street from an enormous chocolate factory and he loves chocolate more than anything else.

Working At The Toothpaste Factory - Children's Song with movement

Hello, my name is Joe,

And I work in a toothpaste factory,

I've got a wife, a dog and a family*.

One day my boss came up to me and said,

"Joe, are you busy?" I said, "No!"

"Then push this button with your right hand." 

(Start pushing button with your right hand.)

Hello, my name is Joe,

And I work in a toothpaste factory,

I've got a wife, a dog and a family.

One day my boss came up to me and said,

"Joe, are you busy?" I said, "No!"

"Then push this button with your left hand."

(Keep pushing the buttons with your right hand and your left hand)

Hello, my name is Joe,

And I work in a toothpaste factory,

I've got a wife, a dog and a family.

One day my boss came up to me and said,

"Joe, are you busy?" I said, "No!"

"Then push this button with your right foot."

(Keep pushing the buttons with your right hand, your left hand and your right foot.)

Hello, my name is Joe,

And I work in a toothpaste factory,

I've got a wife, a dog and a family.

One day my boss came up to me and said,

"Joe, are you busy?" I said, "No!"

"Then push this button with your left foot." 

(Keep pushing the buttons with your right hand, your left hand, your right foot and your left foot.)

Hello, my name is Joe,

And I work in a toothpaste factory,

I've got a wife, a dog and a family.

One day my boss came up to me and said,

"Joe, are you busy?" I said, "No!"

Then push this button with your head." 

(Keep pushing the buttons with your right hand, your left hand, your right foot, your left foot and your head.)

Hello, my name is Joe,

And I work in a toothpaste factory,

I've got a wife, a dog and a family.

One day my boss came up to me and said,

"Joe, are you busy?" I said, "No!"

"Then push this button with your butt."

(Keep pushing the buttons with your right hand, your left hand, your right foot, your left foot, your head and your butt.)

Hello, my name is Joe,

And I work in a toothpaste factory,

I've got a wife, a dog and a family.

One day my boss came up to me and said,

"Joe, are you busy?" I said, "Yes!"

(You can also be creative and add more body parts like tongue, belly button, shoulder, ear etc.)

This is a great example of how you do it: https://youtu.be/SdaA1PFyuR8

Fantastic and super fun warm-up!

5 Minutes

Every night, Charlie listens to Grandpa Joe tell stories about Mr. Willy Wonka, the owner of the chocolate factory and the greatest chocolate maker the world has ever seen. Nobody has ever seen the inside of this peculiar factory, and nobody knows what kind sort of people works there.

One day, the newspaper reveals that Mr. Wonka has decided to open up his factory to a lucky few. He has hidden five Golden Tickets inside his chocolate bars and shipped them all over the world, and the five children who find the Golden Tickets will be invited to tour his factory and will receive a lifetime supply of chocolate. Charlie wants to find a ticket so badly, but he only receives a Wonka bar once a year on his birthday, so he believes he does not stand a chance.

Making & Packing Chocolate & Shipping it All Over The World

Sit on your bottom with your legs apart; this is your cooking pot. 

Put all the different ingredients needed to make chocolate in the pot, You can always find ingredients in the sky, in your sleeve, under your armpit or in other places.

Hold onto your big toe (or if it’s not comfortable, hold your whole foot), with one hand and start mixing (your leg could be a big spoon or a mixer), making big circles with your held foot, opening up the hip. Do the same with the other spoon/mixer as well.

Blow on the chocolate mixture to cool it down; then it’s a little breathing exercise too.

And now stand up and pour the chocolate into the mould - Stand with your legs apart, one hand on your waist (this is the handle) and make your other hand into a spout. Lean to the side in order to pour the mixture into the mould. Practice bending to the other side as well.

Now lie down in the Savasana mould or relaxation pose… You are the chocolate… Be still and let the chocolate set.

The teacher now goes around and brushes the students from head to toes with a big scarf saying that we are placing the Golden Tickets in the chocolate bars and wrapping them up.

Now the chocolate bars are being packed into boxes and they leave the factory to get to all over the world:

Truck Pose - Sit with your legs straight in front of you and hold the imaginary 'wheel' with your hands. To go uphill, lean back, to go downhill, fold forward, and to make a turn, lean to the side.

Fun in this pose:

• Put your seatbelt on before you start driving (safety first!)
• Honk, honk, honk!
• Drive by shuffling forward on your bottom with straight legs
• Reverse by shuffling backward on your bottom with straight legs
• Stop at a red light
• Make truck noises
• Change gears

Truck in a tunnel -  Stretch your arms up, and then bend down low, bringing your forehead to your knees and holding your toes or ankles with your hands (keeping your legs straight), so that your head will not hit the ceiling of the tunnel! Count to ten or more to cross through the tunnel. 

Aeroplane - Stand tall and slowly lean your upper body forward with your arms straight ahead. Try to lift one leg high enough so that your body is parallel to the floor. Little children can hold on to the wall for support. Make aeroplane sounds and try not to crash!

Now the chocolate is arriving to…

New York - NY Taxis - Warrior 2 Pose with sticking the thumb out to call a taxi

Paris - Eiffel Tower - Wide Legged Mountain Pose on your tiptoes with arms stretched high up

London - London Tower - Mountain Pose + Tic Toc Clock Pose

Mexico - Pyramids - Downward Facing Dog

Egypt - Sphinx - Cobra Pose on your forearms

Holland - Windmills - Stand with wide legs, spread your arms to the sides and twist from side to side. Try also the same while bending forward

Italy - Venice Gondolas - Locust Pose, lie down on your belly and lift arms chest and legs as high as you can. You can also rock with the wave here keeping this shape

Where else did the chocolate arrive?

Invent a few more poses with the kids matching the locations they indicate.

10 Minutes

The First Four Golden Tickets Are Found By Four Naughty Children

Augustus Gloop - Is a large boy who is constantly eating - Goddess Pose, and blow out your cheeks

Veruca Salt - A spoiled girl constantly asking her parents to buy her things - Peaceful Warrior With an Attitude; flare your hand and make a face with an attitude

Violet Beauregarde a compulsive gum-chewer and an athlete - Runner Pose, and chew of course

and Mike Teavee a child who wastes his life away in front of the television - Chair Pose

5 Minutes

Their parents indulge them and do nothing to stop their terrible behaviour. Charlie reads about them in the newspaper and grows hopeless, wishing he were in their position.

Augustus Gloop Chocolate Chomp

This game gets everyone involved and active and definitely happy, especially since the students eat chocolate!

Have everyone sit in a circle on the floor. In the middle of the circle, place a plate with a large, wrapped bar of good vegan chocolate, a knife, a fork, and clothing – gloves, a scarf, and a hat.

Each student takes turns rolling a dice. If they throw a six, they run to the middle of the circle, put on the clothes, and eat as much chocolate as they can before another student rolls a six. The trick is that they can only use the knife and fork for eating the chocolate which is not very easy to do.

The game ends when all the chocolate is eaten.

If playing online, ask you students to quickly get 3 of those items from their home:

• Mum’s Dress
• A Hat
• Gloves
• Hand Bag
• A Scarf
• Oven Mitts

Each student should also have chocolate from Easter on a plate and a knife and fork.

The teacher can roll the die for each student; when someone gets a 6 they get dressed up, and eat the chocolate with king and fork. They have to stop when someone else gets a 6. 

It takes a bit longer because each child has their own chocolate, but it is so much fun! Make it go faster by rolling the die really fast.

5 Minutes or a bit more

Your Character Name & Pose

Ask each kid, and you must do it too, to close their eyes for a moment and think about how those 4 names (Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, Mike Teavee) fit the characters… And what name would they invent for themselves based on their own character traits.

It is a nice self-introspection exercise.

My name might be something like Gopala Gogo because I never stop.

Share yours and then ask each of the kids to share theirs and explain why they chose that name.

5 Minutes

Two weeks later, Charlie finds a dollar lying in the street and excitedly uses it to buy two Wonka Bars. He does it because he is hungry, since Mr. Bucket lost his job at the toothpaste factory and has not been bringing much money home for food, not because he wants to find a Golden Ticket—however, he unwraps the second bar to reveal the telltale shimmer of gold. He has found the fifth Golden Ticket!

Exited Yoga Freeze Dance

Yay! We are so excited for Charlie - Let’s Dance!

Everytime you pause the music, call out a yoga pose for everyone to freeze in. Also call on the kids to choose poses to freeze in.

For a Charlie & The Chocolate Factory Twist, dance like the characters in the story… Charlie Bucket, Grandpa Joe, Mrs or Mr Bucket, Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, Mike Teavee and of course Willy Wonka!

5 Minutes

The Factory Visit

The following day is the factory visit; Charlie chooses to bring Grandpa Joe with him, since it will mean the most to the old man out of everyone in the family. The other four children have all brought their parents. Mr. Wonka comes out of the factory to greet them, and Charlie is amazed at the sight of him. He takes them into the factory to begin the tour.

They start with the Chocolate Room, an enormous room containing a valley of edible grass and plants and a chocolate river. Churning up the river is a chocolate waterfall. In this room, the visitors see the factory workers for the first time. They are tiny people called Oompa-Loompas, who Wonka smuggled from their dangerous home Loompaland in order to work in the factory.

Chocolate River - Lean back on your forearms and wave your legs from side to side in half a circle shape like waves. Make wave sounds.

Chocolate Waterfall - Standing Forward Bend with arms waving down like water flowing down a waterfall. Make waterfall sounds.

Candy Trees - Tree pose of course!

Candy Flowers - Sit on your bum with knees bent and feet apart. Put both your hands under your knees on each side, and gently lean back while lifting your feet up until you are balanced here on your bum alone.

Candy Fruit - Child pose… Curl in and rest your head against your knees. Take a few deep breath and smell that candy fruit that you are. Imagine its wonderful colors and flavours and how it bursts in your mouth!

Candy Grass - Sprout Pose. Start kneeling, tuck your toes in, hold the floor to start with and shift your weight to your toes while lifting your knees until you can balance here.

5 Minutes

Augustus Gloop begins to grab fistfuls of chocolate from the river, and does not stop when Mr. Wonka asks him to. Suddenly he leans too far and falls in, getting sucked up one of the tubes that carries the chocolate away. A pair of Oompa-Loompas escort Mr. and Mrs. Gloop up to the Fudge Room to retrieve him, and then the Oompa-Loompas sing a song to teach a lesson about the dangers of being a glutton like Augustus.

“Augustus Gloop…” from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

“Augustus Gloop! Augustus Gloop!

The great big greedy nincompoop!

How long could we allow this beast

To gorge and guzzle, feed and feast

On everything he wanted to?

Great Scott! It simply wouldn’t do!

However long this pig might live,

We’re positive he’d never give

Even the smallest bit of fun

Or happiness to anyone.

So what we do in cases such

As this, we use the gentle touch,

And carefully we take the brat

And turn him into something that

Will give great pleasure to us all–

A doll, for instance, or a ball,

Or marbles or a rocking horse.

But this revolting boy, of course,

Was so unutterably vile,

So greedy, foul, and infantile

He left a most disgusting taste

Inside our mouths, and so in haste

We chose a thing that, come what may,

Would take the nasty taste away.

‘Come on!’ we cried, ‘The time is ripe

To send him shooting up the pipe!

He has to go! It has to be!’

And very soon, he’s going to see

Inside the room to which he’s gone

Some funny things are going on.

But don’t, dear children, be alarmed;

Augustus Gloop will not be harmed,

Although, of course, we must admit

He will be altered quite a bit.

He’ll be quite changed from what he’s been,

When he goes through the fudge machine:

Slowly, the wheels go round and round,

The cogs begin to grind and pound;

A hundred knives go slice, slice, slice;

We add some sugar, cream, and spice;

We boil him for a minute more,

Until we’re absolutely sure

That all the greed and all the gall

Is boiled away for once and all.

Then out he comes! And now! By grace!

A miracle has taken place!

This boy, who only just before

Was loathed by men from shore to shore,

This greedy brute, this louse’s ear,

Is loved by people everywhere!

For who could hate or bear a grudge

Against a luscious bit of fudge?”

5 Minutes

Pump Breath

Inhale through your mouth to slowly draw your hand closer to your lips until it is totally sucked in against your mouth. Stay here for a short moment and then forcefully blow it away from you.

Practice with other body parts such as your shoulders, knees or legs…

Or even suck in and blow away your friend’s body parts or their whole body from across the room!

Online it is fun to play where everyone besides the pump person (or the SUCKER) starts as far away from the screen. The sucker sucks everyone closer. Once everyone is glued to the screen they blow them away and another person takes on the sucker role. FUN!

5 Minutes

The group takes a pink candy Viking boat down the chocolate river to the Inventing Room, where Wonka shows them his new invention: chewing gum that tastes like a full, three-course meal. Because it is gum, Violet Beauregarde insists on trying it, despite Wonka's warning that he has not gotten it quite right yet. When she gets to the dessert, blueberry pie and ice cream, her skin begins to turn blue and she blows up like a blueberry. The Oompa-Loompas roll her away to be squeezed, and sing a song that speaks against chewing gum all day long.

Pink Viking Boat - Sit with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Put your hands behind your knees and lift your legs up one at a time. If you can, let go of your legs and use your hands to row; gradually getting faster and faster. Try to keep your legs as straight as possible without losing your balance. This exercise strengthens the abdominal muscles and the hip flexors.

 Turning Boat - Begin in Boat Pose, hands out in front of you in line with your shoulders, twisting open one hand to the side and, after a few breaths, change and twist to the other side. Now drop one leg to the matt and hold an opposite foot to hand twist here, reaching back and switching sides. This is great for your intercostal muscles!

2-3 Minutes

“Violet Beauregarde…” from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

“Dear friends, we surely all agree

There’s almost nothing worse to see

Than some repulsive little bum

Who’s always chewing chewing gum.

(It’s very near as bad as those

Who sit around and pick the nose).

So please believe us when we say

That chewing gum will never pay;

This sticky habit’s bound to send

The chewer to a sticky end.

Did any of you ever know

A person called Miss Bigelow?

This dreadful woman saw no wrong

In chewing, chewing all day long.

She chewed while bathing in the tub,

She chewed while dancing at her club,

She chewed in church and on the bus;

It really was quite ludicrous!

And when she couldn’t find her gum,

She’d chew up the linoleum,

Or anything that happened near–

A pair of boots, the postman’s ear,

Or other people’s underclothes,

And once she chewed her boy friend’s nose.

She went on chewing till, at last,

Her chewing muscles grew so vast

That from her face her giant chin

Stuck out just like a violin.

For years and years she chewed away,

Consuming fifty packs a day,

Until one summer’s eve, alas,

A horrid business came to pass.

Miss Bigelow went late to bed,

For half an hour she lay and read,

Chewing and chewing all the while

Like some great clockwork crocodile.

At last, she put her gum away

Upon a special little tray,

And settled back and went to sleep–

(She managed this by counting sheep).

But now, how strange! Although she slept,

Those massive jaws of hers still kept

On chewing, chewing through the night,

Even with nothing there to bite.

They were, you see, in such a groove

They positively had to move.

And very grim it was to hear

In pitchy darkness, loud and clear,

This sleeping woman’s great big trap

Opening and shutting, snap-snap-snap!

Faster and faster, chop-chop-chop,

The noise went on, it wouldn’t stop.

Until at last her jaws decide

To pause and open extra wide,

And with the most tremendous chew

They bit the lady’s tongue in two.

Thereafter, just from chewing gum,

Miss Bigelow was always dumb,

And spent her life shut up in some

Disgusting sanatorium.

And that is why we’ll try so hard

To save Miss Violet Beauregard

From suffering an equal fate.

She’s still quite young. It’s not too late,

Provided she survives the cure.

We hope she does. We can’t be sure.”

Blueberry - Bow Pose… Lie down on your tummy, bend your knees and reach back with your arms to hold your ankles. Pull your heels away from your bum, and voila! You are a big blueberry!

2 Minute

Chewing Gum, Everywhere!

Hve each child in turn answer this question: “Where is it not appropriate to chew gum?”

Together make a pose for each of those places.

5 Minutes

The Juicing Room

Siting, hug your knees to your chest. Squeeze everything like squeezing a lemon, scrunch up your face making it all sour… even scrunch up your nose! When you can’t squeeze it any tighter, let your lemon or blueberry or whatever fruit you are explode and lie down on the floor with your arms and legs apart.

Repeat for as long as it is fun!

2-3 Minutes

Yoga Candy Invention

"This is the most important room in the entire factory!” he said. “All my most secret new

inventions are cooking and simmering in here!”

Imagine if you were an extraordinary inventor like Mr Willy Wonka! What would you invent; hot ice-cream for cold days, Hair Toffee or even an Everlasting Gobstopper? 

Draw a picture and describe your new Creation!

What function will your sweet perform (e.g a sweet to make people more confident, a sweet to turn bullies’ tongues black, a sweet to make people listen when people are talking) or what surprise it will contain?

Once the children have decided upon their sweet’s function they need to give it a name and a description. Encourage the children to consider what might appeal to Willy Wonka and potential customers. Of course, this will depend on their sweet’s function! 

And of course now also make a yoga pose for it!

(5 Minutes or so)

Time to present your sweet to Mr Wonka! 

Make a convincing presentation about your sweet to persuade Willy Wonka (the teacher) to hire you as his new inventor and instruct everyone how to do the pose for your new sweet!

10 Minutes

Next is the Nut Room, where hundreds of real squirrels work to shell walnuts from their shells. Veruca decides she wants a trained squirrel like this, and goes to grab one—the squirrels retaliate before she can, pinning her down and tapping her on the head to see whether she is a bad nut. They find that she is, and carry her over to the garbage chute as they would any bad nut. They push her parents in as well, and the Oompa-Loompas' next song is about parents who spoil their children.

“Veruca Salt…” from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

“Veruca Salt, the little brute,

Has just gone down the garbage chute,

(And as we very rightly thought

That in a case like this we ought

To see the thing completely through,

We’ve polished off her parents, too.)

Down goes Veruca! Down the drain!

And here, perhaps, we should explain

That she will meet, as she descends,

A rather different set of friends

To those that she has left behind–

These won’t be nearly so refined.

A fish head, for example, cut

This morning from a halibut.

‘Hello! Good morning! How d’you do?

How nice to meet you! How are you?’

And then a little further down

A mass of others gather round:

A bacon rind, some rancid lard,

A loaf of bread gone stale and hard,

A steak that nobody could chew,

An oyster from an oyster stew,

Some liverwurst so old and gray

One smelled it from a mile away,

A rotten nut, a reeky pear,

A thing the cat left on the stair,

And lots of other things as well,

Each with a rather horrid smell.

These are Veruca’s new found friends

That she will meet as she descends,

And this is the price she has to pay

For going so very far astray.

But now, my dears, we think you might

Be wondering–is it really right

That every single bit of blame

And all the scolding and the shame

Should fall upon Veruca Salt?

Is she the only one at fault?

For though she’s spoiled, and dreadfully so,

A girl can’t spoil herself, you know.

Who spoiled her, then? Ah, who indeed?

Who pandered to her every need?

Who turned her into such a brat?

Who are the culprits? Who did that?

Alas! You needen’t look so far

To find out who these sinners are.

They are (and this is very sad)

Her loving parents, MUM and DAD.

And that is why we’re glad they fell

Into the garbage chute as well.”

Squirrel - Squatting, put your hands in front of your mouth like squirrel teeth.

Fun in this pose:

• Jump, or even be a flying squirrel!
• Run a bit on all fours, then stop and lift your head and paws again to look around just like a squirrel does
• Collect nuts, eat them, hide some… Throw away the bad ones!

2-3 Minutes

Charlie and Mike Teavee are the last ones left. Wonka takes them in a special glass elevator that can move sideways as well as up and down, and they head to the Television Chocolate room, where Wonka takes giant bars of chocolate and sends them by television so that they can be taken from the television screen on the other side. Mike decides that he will be the first person ever to be sent by television, and before Wonka can stop him he flips the switch to send himself, becoming tiny on the other side. The Oompa-Loompas take Mike and his parents to the taffy puller so Mike can be stretched out to normal size, and sing a song that recommends giving your children books instead of letting them watch television.

Elevator - Start standing up and slowly slowly lower yourself down all the way to a squat. You can call out the floors from 10 to 1 as you go down the elevator and count up as you go up.

This is especially fun when teaching online because people disappear from the screen as they go to the basement and reappear as the go up the elevator again :-)

You can also do Stairs by walking lower and lower with each step across the screen or even an Escalator by doing the same but lowering gradually and smoothly across the screen. And back up of course!

And since this is a Flying Elevator, at the end you can go in any direction appearing and disappearing from the screen.

5 Minutes

“Mike Teavee…” from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

“The most important thing we’ve learned,

So far as children are concerned,

Is never, NEVER, NEVER let

Them near your television set–

Or better still, just don’t install

The idiotic thing at all.

In almost every house we’ve been,

We’ve watched them gaping at the screen.

They loll and slop and lounge about,

And stare until their eyes pop out.

(Last week in someone’s place we saw

A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)

They sit and stare and stare and sit

Until they’re hypnotised by it,

Until they’re absolutely drunk

With all the shocking ghastly junk.

Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,

They don’t climb out the window sill,

They never fight or kick or punch,

They leave you free to cook the lunch

And wash the dishes in the sink–

But did you ever stop to think,

To wonder just exactly what

This does to your beloved tot?

IT ROTS THE SENSES IN THE HEAD!

IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!

IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!

IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND

HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND

A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!

HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!

HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!

HE CANNOT THINK–HE ONLY SEES!

‘All right!’ you’ll cry. ‘All right!’ you’ll say,

‘But if we take the set away,

What shall we do to entertain

Our darling children? Please explain!’

We’ll answer this by asking you,

‘What used the darling ones to do?

‘How used they keep themselves contented

Before this monster was invented?’

Have you forgotten? Don’t you know?

We’ll say it very loud and slow:

THEY…USED…TO…READ! They’d READ and READ,

AND READ and READ, and then proceed

To READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!

One half their lives was reading books!

The nursery shelves held books galore!

Books cluttered up the nursery floor!

And in the bedroom, by the bed,

More books were waiting to be read!

Such wondrous, fine, fantastic takes

Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales

And treasure isles, and distant shores

Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars,

And pirates wearing purple pants,

And sailing ships and elephants,

And cannibals crouching ’round the pot,

Stirring away at something hot.

(It smells so good, what can it be?

Good gracious, it’s Penelope.)

The younger ones had Beatrix Potter

With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter,

And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland,

And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and–

Just How The Camel Got His Hump,

And How The Monkey Lost His Rump,

And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,

There’s Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole–

Oh, books, what books they used to know,

Those children living long ago!

So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,

Go throw your TV set away,

And in its place you can install

A lovely bookshelf on the wall.

Then fill the shelves with lots of books,

Ignoring all the dirty looks,

The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,

And children hitting you with sticks–

Fear not, because we promise you

That, in about a week or two

Of having nothing else to do,

They’ll now begin to feel the need

Of having something good to read.

And once they start–oh boy, oh boy!

You watch the slowly growing joy

That fills their hears. They’ll grow so keen

They’ll wonder what they’d ever seen

In that ridiculous machine,

That nauseating, foul, unclean,

Repulsive television screen!

And later, each and every kid

Will love you more for what you did.

P.S. Regarding Mike Teavee,

We very much regret that we

Shall simply have to wait and see

If we can get him back his height.

But if we can’t–it serves him right.”

No TV!?

Ask the students if they agree with the song?

You probably won’t get a lot of yes…

Then ask, who agrees partially with the song?

Go around the class asking the children to come up, one at a time, with one suggestion each for an activity that doesn’t involve screen time. Can’t repeat the same one twice.

Of course, yoga it by making a pose for each!

Challenge them to see how many of these they can do over the coming week!

5 Minutes

Taffy Puller

In groups of 3, the receiver lies down. Then one partner goes to the top and holds the receiver's wrists, the other goes to the bottom to hold the ankles. Both givers bend their knees coming into a chair pose placing their elbows on their knees. Look into each other's eyes, and coordinating your movements lean away from the receiver making them longer and longer. Release slowly.

To finish, brush the receiver’s arms and legs a few times and switch roles.

If social distancing or teaching online, each student can simply lie down and stretch themselves in all directions. Stretch your arms, legs, toes, tongue… And finally lie down and relax.

5 Minutes

Now Charlie is the only one left, and Wonka says that means he has won the grand prize. Wonka originally started the Golden Ticket contest so that he could find an heir, since he has no family and he is getting old. His favorite child at the end of the day would inherit the factory, and that child is Charlie. Elated, Charlie goes with Mr. Wonka and Grandpa Joe to fetch the rest of his family to live in the factory full-time and help run it until Charlie is old enough to do it himself.

Chocolate Meditation

Close your eyes and don’t open them whatever happens.

Open your mouth just a bit - we are going to put some delicious vegan nut-free magic in your mouth; don’t chew it… just let it melt.

Experience all the things about it that you might have missed before because your mind was elsewhere… Feel the many flavours of it, the texture, the temperature, the softness and the hardness… smell it feel it… Don’t chew… breathe… let it melt… as it melts, let your mind melt into it.

After a minute or two – you can start to chew and let the flavours and sensations penetrate even deeper… swirl it around your mouth using your tongue and feel how different or the same it is all over your mouth…

Now you can swallow and become one with it… and stay in silence for another moment… enjoying the bliss… from within.

5 Minutes

Melting Chocolate Guided Imagery

Now make yourself comfortable lying down and continue to think about chocolate, good vegan chocolate… You are the chocolate… Breath deeply and smell and taste in your imagination the fantastic chocolate that you are.

Now as you are lying here being chocolate, the sun is slowly rising for Easter morning. Feel the sun first shining just on your toes and feel your chocolate toes slowly melting in the sun. It feels good! Your toes have never been so relaxed…

Guide the children slowly through this same process travelling with your attention all the way up the legs, the arms, the body and the head until your whole body is in one yummy chocolate puddle.

You can ‘wake up’ from the relaxation with bunny rabbits coming and licking the chocolate, it’s tickling, you are wiggling… Until you come back to your own human shape, stretch, yawn and sit up.

5 Minutes

Willy Wonka Chocolate Jar

Have you been a good person in this class like Charlie Bucket?

Then you may be deserving to inherit his Chocolate Factory!

Fill a glass jar with a large amount of small vegan chocolates. Count the chocolates as you fill the jar and secretly write down the final amount. Have players guess how many chocolates are in the jar. The player closest to the correct answer wins the jar of chocolate.

This is great to get rid of all the chocolate you don’t want your own kids to have!

If teaching online, mail the jar to the lucky winner (not so lucky parents) or promise to give it to them the next time you meet soon in an in-person class.

2 Minutes

Music To Go With Your Class