Ghost-story telling: keeping it appropriate.Ghost-story telling is an age-old pastime. There's something mystical about the unknown, something fun about imagining encounters with the supernatural. To frightfully fright·ful adj. 1. Causing disgust or shock; horrifying. 2. Causing fright; terrifying. 3. Informal a. Excessive; extreme: a frightful liar. b. entertain campers and not overwhelm them takes an understanding of young people's fears and a consideration of the environment in which you tell your ghostly tales. Before you decide to tell a ghost story ghost story n. A story having supernatural or frightening elements, especially a story featuring ghosts or spirits of the dead. ghost story n → cuento de fantasmas , compare the story and situation with the following guidelines. If even one principle does not apply to your situation, consider changing the story's format or not telling the story at all. Know your audience's fears Children's fears change with age: 4-year-olds Fear parent separation, animals, dark, noises (including at night). 5-year-olds Fear animals, "bad" people, dark, separation from parent, bodily harm The medical idea of (grievous) bodily harm is more specific than legal ideas of assault or violence in general, and distinct from property damage. It refers to lasting harm done to the body, human or otherwise, although in its legal sense it is exclusively defined as lasting . 6-year-olds Fear supernatural beings (e.g., ghosts, witches, Darth Vadar), bodily injuries, thunder and lightening, dark, sleeping or staying alone, separation from parent. 7- to 8-year-olds Fear supernatural beings, dark, images resulting from media events, staying alone, bodily injury. 9- to 12-year-olds Fear examinations in school, school performance, bodily injury, physical appearance, thunder and lightning, death, dark (Garber, Gather, Spizman, 1993). Tell age-appropriate stories Younger than 10 years old Do not tell ghost stories to children younger than 10 years old. Six- to 9-year-old children enjoy pretending and fantasy (Berger, 1961). Appropriate stories include: * common folk tales * fairy tales This is a list of fairy tales, the dates of their earliest known printed version, the author and, if known, the collection of tales in which it was published. It should be noted, however, that not all stories listed below would be categorized as fairy tales by a strict definition ; fantasy tales * hero and adventure tales Adventure Tales is an irregularly published magazine reprinting classic stories from pulp magazines of the early 20th century. It is edited by John Gregory Betancourt and published by Wildside Press. Each issue has a theme or a featured author. * stories about animals * funny stories (Colwell, 1980). 10- to 12-year-olds Tell mild, tame ghost stories if you feel no one in the group will get upset. (If just one camper out of 20 will become upset, the story is not worth telling.) Possibilities include: * playful hoax Hoax Balloon Hoax, The news story in 1844, reporting the transatlantic crossing of a balloon with eight passengers. [Am. Lit.: The Balloon Hoax in Poe] Piltdown man missing link turned out to be orangutan. [Br. Hist. tales * jump tales * lighter ghost stories. Keep story endings lighthearted light·heart·ed adj. Not being burdened by trouble, worry, or care; happy and carefree. See Synonyms at glad1. light , so campers aren't frightened right before bedtime or after you leave the vicinity (Mitchell & Meier, 1983). Tell a variety of stories. Teenagers Tell scarier ghost stories. Follow the same rule of one as for younger campers: If just one camper gets upset, the story was not worth telling. Older campers tend to enjoy "ghost-story only" sessions. Acknowledge and dissipate dis·si·pate v. dis·si·pat·ed, dis·si·pat·ing, dis·si·pates v.tr. 1. To drive away; disperse. 2. mild fear (increased heart rate, increased breathing rate) at the end of a ghost-story session (Cundiff and Webb, 1957). Counteract scary endings by having campers cool-off before bed: stretch, sing a song, tell a joke, discuss storytelling techniques, or go over the next day's activities. Determine appropriate times Never tell a ghost story at the beginning of the camp session. Wait for a sense of trust and safety to develop, usually mid-session. Avoid telling too many ghost stories. Consider a worthy ghost story a nighttime treat, and leave room for other types of stories and storytellers. Rainy days Rainy Days itself isn't an official XYZ release, it's a collection of demo tapes from 1985 which has been released by guitarist Bobby Pieper, who recorded the said demos with the band. , unit disappointments, dishwashing or work chores, health center visits, and restless rest hours call for very different types of stories (Mitchell & Meier, 1983). Don't overwhelm campers Never intentionally try to overwhelm your campers with a ghost story. The main objective of telling a ghost story is frightful entertainment, or fun. Ghost stories should never be too gruesome. Although you should portray a ghost story as believable and credible by really telling the tale (becoming the story), never describe a fictional account as actually happening to you or someone you know. Also, never set the story in the camp or the surrounding area. Some children will constantly ask and need to know whether a fictional story is true, or whether you personally believe in ghosts. I usually respond with one of three answers: "No, it isn't true," "I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. if it's true," or "I take pleasure in the story itself, and I try not to explain the unexplainable." Minimize further fear If a child becomes excessively frightened by a ghost story, there are appropriate responses a storyteller can use to minimize further fear (Garber et al, 1993). * Never belittle be·lit·tle tr.v. be·lit·tled, be·lit·tling, be·lit·tles 1. To represent or speak of as contemptibly small or unimportant; disparage: a person who belittled our efforts to do the job right. a child's fear. Take the fear seriously; do not tease the child or say the fear is silly. * Don't force a child to confront a fear. A walk in the dark after a story to expose any lingering ghosts is not a good idea! * Don't overreact o·ver·re·act v. To react with unnecessary or inappropriate force, emotional display, or violence. . Even if a child begins to cry, take a deep breath and confidently relate that "everything is okay." * Be patient and help the child cope with the fear. Have the child breath slowly and deeply, and relax his or her muscles. Then, to counteract a child's negative, scary thoughts, create positive statements and images. Two examples: "Only shadows dance in the dark and they can't hurt me" and "ghosts are friendly, make-believe people." Leading children through an imaginary scene in which they successfully cope with their fears can also be beneficial. A worthy, gripping ghost story can entertain campers in a number of acceptable contexts. Pay attention to your listeners, and let their fears guide you to appropriate tale telling. References Berger, H.J. (1961). Program activities for camps. Minneapolis, MN: Burgess Publishing Company. Colwell, E. (1980). Storytelling. London: The Bodley Head. Cundiff, R.E. & Webb, B. (1957). Story-Telling for You: A handbook of help for story-tellers everywhere. Yellow Springs, OH: The Antioch Press. Dimock, H.S. & Statten, T. (1947). Talk to Counselors. New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of : Association Press. Ditter, B. (November/December 1989). In the Trenches. Camping Magazine, 62(2), 8. Garber, S.W. & Garber M.D. & Spizman, R.F. (1993). Monsters Under the Bed and Other Childhood Fears: Helping your child overcome anxieties, fears, and phobias Phobias Definition A phobia is an intense but unrealistic fear that can interfere with the ability to socialize, work, or go about everyday life, brought on by an object, event or situation. . New York: Villard Books. Griffin, B.B. (1989). Students as Storytellers: The long and the short of learning a story. Book one of The Storyteller Guidebook series. Medford, OR: Barbara Budge Griffin. Mitchell, V.A. & Meier, J.F. (1983). Camp Counseling. Philadelphia: Saunders College Publishing. Schmidt, E.F. (1980). Woodsmoke and Campfire. Martinsville, IN: American Camping Association. Schwartz, A. (1981). Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark is a series of three children's books written by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell. The scary stories of the title are pieces of folklore and urban legends collected and adapted by Schwartz. . New York: Harper Collins Children's Books. RELATED ARTICLE: The art & technique of ghost-story telling A ghost story's distinctiveness and strength stems from its being told at night, around a campfire, candle, or flashlight, to a small group of campers. The novice, confident storyteller will enjoy the slow-paced rhythm and intimate setting of a ghost story, which easily engenders enthusiasm, receptiveness, and wide-eyed anticipation. Nevertheless, artful art·ful adj. 1. Exhibiting art or skill: "The furniture is an artful blend of antiques and reproductions" Michael W. Robbins. 2. ghost-story telling develops through patience and the practice of three main storytelling skills: selection, preparation, and presentation. Selection * Select stories that you find enjoyable; find a story that begs you to tell it. * Select tellable ghost stories: two or three main characters, action-oriented, one event leading immediately to another without unnecessary description. (Griffin, 1989). Preparation * Do not memorize mem·o·rize tr.v. mem·o·rized, mem·o·riz·ing, mem·o·riz·es 1. To commit to memory; learn by heart. 2. Computer Science To store in memory: a ghost story; learn it by heart. * Visualize the story in a series of pictures, like the frames of a filmstrip film·strip n. A length of film containing a series of photographs, diagrams, or other graphic matter prepared for still projection. filmstrip n → tira de diapositivas . Presentation * Look directly at your listeners. * Speak naturally, and use a slower pace when telling a ghost story. Jeff Weintraub is the youth services program supervisor A Program Supervisor is the chief administrator of a school program, such as the high school, elementary school, middle school or pre-school. A Program Supervisor is comparable to a Principal (school), with the responsibility of enrolling students, hiring new teachers, placing and Camp Lakeland program director for the Jewish Community Center of Greater Buffalo, N.Y. |
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