This play was adapted from a book, The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry. The students were each a rain forest animal whose persuasive reasons convinced a man to not cut down the kapok tree.
Not only was this a fun activity, but it also illustrated that all living things affect and depend on one another and that the rain forest is a valuable gift that is worth saving.
Students practiced their lines for a couple weeks and made costumes from things they already had at home. They demonstrated great creativity and enthusiasm for this project. To name a few examples…one student decorated the room with stuffed rain forest animals, one had dad set up a blank screen so she could project a rain forest as her background on Zoom, and one painted jaguar spots on his face as part of his costume.
Watch the play here.