"Take your jewels there and write them in the sky."
~How the Stars Fell Into the Sky: A Navajo Legend
One of the most common questions parents, teachers, or anyone near and dear get from young ones is why? Why does the sun go to bed when the moon comes out to play? Why do zebras have stripes? Why do stars fall? Folktales have a long and rich history of explaining how and why natural phenomena occur. People across all cultures have been telling stories around campfires to explain and entertain for hundreds of years. Passed down from generation to generation, we are lucky to be able to experience the wonder.
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Reader's Theater​
Write Your Own!
Storytelling
Engage children and let their minds take on the characters with tales of how and why. Add some character props (ie masks or tails), practice different voices, or develop a stage for performances. How and Why Stories for Readers Theater offers scripts about animals, insects, plants and trees, and sea and sky that you could add to any science unit.
Writing your own Pourquoi is an activity that can be adapted for all ages. From graphic organizers, sentence starters, or pre-made decks of cards for storylines, children can find a way to describe the how and why on a topic of their own choosing. Take a walk to get children thinking about what curiosities there are in nature and let their creativity flow! Folktale: Themes and Activites for Children Volume 1 is a terrific resource and includes a plethora of Pourquoi stories organized by theme and topic.
As is tradition, Pourquoi folktales have been shared orally from generation to generation. Children can take part in the time old tradition too. Download the PDF or visit the Mensa Education and Research Foundation for an excellent unit on the Art of Story Telling. Five lessons teach children the history, preparation, story mapping, and how to present orally. This group of lessons targets 2nd grade but could be easily adapted for additional ages and grade levels.
