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The Man Who Saw a Crocodile

as adapted by Mike Lockett, The Normal Storyteller

Call and response story - the leader or storyteller reads the script or tells it out loud and demonstrates the actions in parenthesis.  The participants follow along.  The story is excellent to use in classrooms or at camps.  Young students love being silly in "controlled" situations.  The activity is outstanding for teaching children to follow directions.

Story:                                         Actions:

One morning, a man woke up.  ( big yawn and stretch)

He kissed his wife goodbye. (kiss)

He opened the gate.  (big arm movement of gate opening with a creak)

He walked along the path. (slap thighs in walk rhythm)

He walked through the long grass. ( rub hands together for grass sound)

He walked over the bridge. (thump chest)

Then he went up a hill. (slap thighs slowly)

until he got to the top. (pant pant)

He could just see his wife way down there below. (hand to brow,  peer down)

So he called out to her. (cup hands and "Cooee")

Then he went down the other side of the hill. (slap thighs more quickly)

Until he came to a river

He swam across the river. (Australian crawl swim)

Then he saw A CROCODILE! (big arm movements like jaws opening and shutting)

Snap! Snap!

So- do you know what he did?

He was so frightened that he swam back across the river. (swim quickly)

Ran up the hill. (slap thighs quickly)

called out to his wife (quick "Cooee" )

Ran down the other side of the hill. (slap thighs very quickly)

Over the bridge. (thump chest quickly)

Through the long grass. (rub hands quickly)

Along the track. (slap thighs quickly)

Through the gate (open gate quickly and "creak")

Kissed his wife. (Kiss quickly)

And he jumped back into bed. (pull blankets up quickly)

And that's the end of the story.