Activity 3: Animal Altruism Stories and Dramatic Role Plays
Activity time: 25 minutes
Materials for Activity
- Leader Resource 1, Animal Altruism Stories
- Optional: Computer with Internet access and a large monitor or a digital projector other medium for showing video clips of animal altruism listed in Alternate Activity 1
Preparation for Activity
- Familiarize yourself with the stories in Leader Resource 1, Animal Altruism Stories.
- Optional: If you plan to show video, preview the clips. On YouTube, find an animated rendering of Dolphin Heroes 1: Shark Rescue and see footage of Dolphin Heroes 3: Saving Whales.
Description of Activity
Children hear real-life examples of animals acting altruistically and consider whether this might be motivated by kindness. Recognizing emotions, empathy, and kindness are all fostered as participants role play and discuss the stories.
Read a story from Leader Resource 2, Animal Altruism Story. Show any relevant video clips. When you have finished ask for volunteers to act the story out. You may wish to read the story again as the children act it out.
Before each role play, ask each volunteer to name what they think their character (human or animal) might have been feeling.
After each role play, process with questions such as:
- I wonder, if you were the animal in this story, what would you feel?
- I wonder how the person or animal in danger was feeling.
- I wondered why they decided to help.
- I wonder if animals feel kindness.
- I wonder if any of these stories surprised you or made you feel a big "wow" of awe and amazement.
- I wonder how kindness is important in the web of life.