Goodnight, Opus by The Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia

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CONNECTIONS
Very Eric Carle
FOR TEACHERS
Featuring Eric
Carles Little Cloud - The Mixed-Up
Chameleon - The Very Busy Spider
Welcome to CONNECTIONS, a performance guide
brought to you by the Kennedy Center Imagination
Celebration (KCIC) in Colorado Springs. This
CONNECTIONS issue is to help teachers prepare
their students to see the production of Very Eric
Carle. These symbols
mark activities you may want to do with your
students. For Your
Information comments provide background
information for teachers .
Performed by Mermaid Theatre of Nova
Scotia
When you come to the theatre you will see a
black light puppet show performed by Mermaid
Theatre of Nova Scotia which includes three
different stories by Eric Carle Little Cloud,
The Mixed Up Chameleon and The Very Busy Spider.
FYI
FYI
What Happens in the Stories?
Little Cloud is a story about a small cloud that
changes first into a sheep, then an airplane, a
shark, a tree, a rabbit, a hat and then a clown.
Eventually the little cloud is called back by the
other clouds. They change form and join together
causing it to rain. In The Mixed-Up Chameleon, a
small chameleon who lives a very normal chameleon
life sees the zoo. The chameleon couldnt
believe his eyes, he had never seen so many
animals. The chameleon makes a wish that he can
become like each animal and his wish is granted.
The chameleon begins to change. Parts of each
animal join to his body until he becomes so
mixed-up he cant even catch a fly. The
chameleon makes another wish to be changed back.
His wish is granted and he becomes just a
chameleon.
Colorado Springs Mary Mashburn, Executive
Director Beth Fox-Kret, KCIC
Events/Public Relations Coordinator Jane
Bennett, Schools Dream-Makers
Coordinator Deborah Thornton, Resource
Development Outreach Coordinator 1515 N.
Academy Suite 200 Colorado
Springs, 80909 Ph 597-3344 Fax
597-3343 Website. imaginationcelebration.org
The Very Busy Spider is a story about a spider
that becomes very busy spinning a web. So busy
that she doesnt notice all the animals that try
to get her attention.  
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Little Cloud

• RESOURCES
• You may want to
• Go online
• For information about puppetry
• cln.org/themes/ puppetry.html
• sagecraft.com/ puppetry
• itdc.sbcss.k12.ca.us/ curriculum/puppetry.html
• For puppet patterns
• Family.go.com/crafts
• (do a search on the word puppets)
• For information about Mermaid Theatre of Nova
  Scotia
• mermaidtheatre.ns. Ca
• For more information on Eric Carle visit his
  website
• www.eric-carle.com
• Read to your students
• More books by
• Eric Carle

Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia
Their Puppets Mermaids productions draw upon
various styles of puppetry, including rod, hand
and giant body puppets. Unlike traditional puppet
theatres in which manipulators are often hidden,
Mermaid frequently uses its puppeteers as
character actors who play independent roles.
This mix of puppets and performers is unique to
Mermaid Theatre.
Puppet Vocabulary marot - a head on a stick, like
the Fools Stick carried by jesters in medieval
times rod - operated by a wooden or wire rod
either from below, behind, or occasionally from
the top shadow - a flat cut-out figure held
against an illuminated screen by a wire or
rod stuffed - constructed like a stuffed animal,
with a glove-like hole for the puppeteers
hand giant body - usually requires more than one
person to operate, usually from within the
oversized puppets body
FYI
SCIENCE Why do clouds change
shape? The shape of a cloud changes depending on
wind and air currents. If the wind changes, so
will the shape of the cloud. What are Clouds made
of? Clouds are made of water vapor that changes
as warm air meets cold air and combines with
other molecules of water vapor to form the clouds
we see everyday.
FYI
Art Connection Puppet

Clouds
What youll Need Cotton balls, paper plates,
popsicle sticks, tape, glue and scissors How it
works Make sure each student has a handfull of
cotton balls, a paper plate and popsicle stick.
Have your students glue the cotton balls to the
plate. When they are done, cut out the design and
attach the popsicle stick to the back.

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The Mixed-Up Chameleon
Why do the Puppets Glow? The puppets in
this show are painted with fluorescent paint.
Fluorescent paint glows in the dark when a
special light called black light shines on it.
Black light uses ultra-violet light, which is
special because the human eye does not detect it.
Some materials react to the light, such as
fluorescent paint, and it appears to our eyes
that it is glowing. Certain colors stand out more
when black light is used. Watch carefully to see
which puppets glow and what colors stand out the
most.
Science Connections
FYI
FYI
Why does a Chameleon Change Colors? A chameleons
changes color when its body senses danger or
because of the temperature. Though it is rumored
they change because of their surroundings, they
will only change to match the background if they
sense danger.

• Activity Art Connection
• Chameleon Color Wheel
  
  
  
• What youll need paper plate, markers, paper
  and clasps
• How it works The wheel you are creating will
  allow you to show your color emotions just like
  a chameleon would.
• First, give each student a paper plate, paper and
  a clasp.
• Next, draw a line diagonally across the plate to
  create 2 halves, then draw another line
  horizontally creating quarters.
• Then, color each quarter a different color. Each
  color will represent a mood. For instance, purple
  could show you were happy.
• Finally, cut an arrow out of some paper. Connect
  the arrow to the center of the plate using the
  clasp.
• Students can place the wheel on their desk with
  the arrow pointing to the color they are
  feeling.

Activity Language Arts
Connection Read The Mixed-Up Chameleon to your
class. In the story The Mixed Up Chameleon,
the small chameleon visits the zoo and sees
animals hes never seen before. He wishes he can
be like each one. If you could add any
animals characteristics to your body what would
they be and why? Write and/or draw a picture
that describes which animal parts you would add
and what those parts would allow you to do.
Activity Discovering Fluorescence in
Objects If you have access to an ultra-violet
light, collect the following fluorescent
materials a variety of white papers, white
clothing, and tonic water. Working with the
students, place each material near the light. If
the material emits a glow, record the color and
intensity of the glow. Try the experiment again
with other materials from around your
classroom. You can go online for more
information about ultra-violet light at
imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/uv.html
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The Very Busy Spider
Activity
Spinning a Web What youll need Ball of yarn,
tape How it works Have your class sit in a
circle with you. Unravel a little bit of the
yarn and tape it to the floor. This will be your
starting point. The goal is to pass the ball of
yarn across the circle to create a web. Some key
things make sure the students hold on to their
part of the yarn tightly. If they let go, thats
okay. Just have them pick up their portion
again. Begin by passing the yarn to a student
across the circle. Once that student catches the
ball of yarn have them hold onto the string and
pass the yarn to another student across from
them. Continue until every student has a piece of
the yarn. Once the web is complete have the
students, all at the same time, place their
portion of the string on the floor. You will
have created a spider web.
Science What are spider webs
made of? Spider webs are made of silk, which is
very soft and sticky. How are spider webs
made? Spiders have a place on their stomachs that
creates the liquid silk. The silk flows through
spinning tubes and is let out, like a string. As
the liquid silk is formed into a web it hardens.
Spiders have a special saliva that they use to
keep their feet from sticking to their web. Why
do spiders have webs? Spider webs are used by
spiders to catch food. Spiders usually eat
insects. In fact, spiders are very helpful
creatures they eat flies and mosquitoes that
could be carrying disease. How many types of
spiders are there? There are over 35,000 known
species of spiders.
FYI

About Eric Carle Eric Carle was born in
Syracuse, New York in 1929. When he was six he
and his family moved to Germany, where he
attended school. In 1952 he returned to New
York. He got a job as a graphic designer for The
New York Times. A few years later, he met Bill
Martin Jr. who asked him to illustrate his first
book. The two collaborated and Eric Carles
career in Childrens Literature was born.
FYI
Discussion After The Performance 1)
What was your favorite story? 2) Which puppet
was your favorite? Why? 3) Why didnt the spider
notice the animals that tried to get her
attention? Have you ever been so busy doing
something that the rest of the world disappeared?
What were you doing and how did it feel?