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Chocolate Town |
Did you know that Chicago has its own chocolate factory? Blommer Chocolate Company has been a part of Chicago since 1939, and continues to churn out cocoa delicacies to this day. Sometimes when you're in the Loop in the morning or early evening, you can smell chocolate wafting through our city. On his Chicago Public Radio show This American Life, Ira Glass lists this deliciously hidden Chicago feature as one of the best things about the city. You can listen to that episode, titled "In the Shadow of the City," on the This American Life website.
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Questions for Your Kids |
Here are some suggestions of ideas to talk about with the children in your life surrounding the themes and events found in Willy Wonka.
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What is imagination? How did you use your imagination during the play? (A perfect time to share when you used your imagination too!)
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Is someone always good or always bad? Why do you think so? In Roald Dahl's book, Charlie doesn't do anything wrong, but in the play he does. Do you remember what Charlie does? Why do you think the people who adapted Mr. Dahl's book into this play (and the movie) chose to add this to the story?
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Who is your favorite character? Compared to the movie or the book, what was different about that character?
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Yes It Is! |
This is a great way to awaken your child's—and your own!—imagination any time. Choose a simple household object (a telephone cord, a scarf, a pillow, a wooden spoon-any object!) and "transform" it into anything you can think of. Take turns deciding all the things this object can be: listen to your instincts, no matter how silly, because there are no wrong answers. Show how that object can transform into something new. For example, if a phone cord becomes your spaghetti dinner, show the cord as your dinner as you say, "This is my spaghetti dinner!" The rest of your group will say as enthusiastically as they can, "Yes It Is!" Now switch and let the next person show what the object can become.
– Contributed by the CST Education Department
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