I, Caliban: Activities
The Storm
The Tempest begins with a storm at sea. Great fun can be had from recreating the sounds and physical effects of the storm, and the shipwreck it produces.
Find activities that one would expect to find on a ship from olden times – climbing rigging, swabbing the deck, steering the ship, lookout, etc.
Get each child to develop a physical action for their own activity.
Have some children outside the ship, providing sound effects of the storm.
As the ‘storm’ gets stronger, encourage the ‘sailors’ to feel the effects of the rough sea. Then, when the storm is at its height, give a pre-agreed cue for the ship to start to split – a cymbal or a drum.
Here are some lines from The Tempest that you can have given to the sailors to shout as the ship starts to go down:
- “All lost, to prayers, to prayers! All lost”
- “We split! We split!”
- “Mercy on us! Farewell my wife and children.”
- “Farewell, brother! We split, we split!”
As the ship splits and starts to sink, let the children explore their journey through the rough seas and onto the island – remember, no one gets hurt in this Tempest...