By Rachel Hulsart, Marketing Intern

In the Brothers Grimm version of The Brave Little Tailor, after being spoken down to by people in his town, the little tailor continues working on a jacket when a swarm of flies approaches his sandwich that he has prepared for lunch. After trying to shoo the flies away, he swats at them with his own hand and ends up killing seven flies in one blow. As he realizes what he did to the pesky flies, he could not resist admiring his own bravery and desire to announce his accomplishments to the town. While he is preparing to leave to spread his news, he creates a sash that says “Seven in one blow.” Even though the town, along with some of his foes, assumed that he killed knights rather than flies, it didn’t stop the little tailor from celebrating his might and wit.

The tailor can show children that even though they may be “smaller” than other people around them, they should not shy away from their accomplishments, both inside and outside the classroom. Granted, there is that fine line between being proud and bragging, but children should be reminded that their size does not mean anything negative about them. One kid may not be the star goalie on the soccer team, but he still does well in academically. Another child may be working on improving math skills but is great at spelling. Even if it’s something as simple as applauding them for showing good manners, children should not feel left out just because of things they may not be able to do yet. Celebrating even the most mundane, everyday accomplishments of finishing homework or making it to the next grade level in school can make a child’s day a bit brighter.

Of course, as great parents and teachers, you cannot avoid the things in a child’s life that may need some improvement. You want the very best for your children and students, so it is inevitable that you may need to talk to your students or kids about things that could lead to a bigger problem. For me personally, I always struggled in math throughout elementary school. It was my weakest subject, and I wouldn’t always get the best grades possible. However, my parents and my 8th grade math teacher helped me improve my math skills, and I ended up making it to Pre-Calculus my senior year. Did I like being talked to about math when I was younger? Absolutely not. But as someone who is about to graduate college, I always wonder what could have happened if my parents and teachers did not help me celebrate my accomplishments and help me improve in my weaker areas.

Pre-Show Activity!

At Enchantment, we always encourage our audience of children, parents, teachers (or children at heart) to feel connected to the shows we produce, from booking the tickets to the day they see the show. One of these ways is by thinking of pre-show activities to do as a family or class. We call on all kids and kids at heart to think of something that you have done recently that made you happy, excited or proud. It can be anything from finishing chores, winning a sporting event, being in a play, or getting an A on a test. Create your own sash and show us what you did that made you happy. We can’t wait to see them when we come to your school or neighborhood! (Remember, we have public performances coming up soon)

Here is a link to help you make your sashes. Make sure you have help from your parents or teachers, especially with scissors! The design for these sashes is based off of the Fire Side Girls from the Disney Channel Series Phineas and Ferb. You can easily create the sash from a paper bag, create badges, and let imagination take flight by painting your accomplishment in the colors of your choice.