AUDIENCE PARTICIPATIONS

The Spark Watcher

Timucua District, North Florida Council

Divide audience into 6 groups.  Assign each group a response to said when their word is read in the story.  Practice as you assign the parts.  Encourage VOLUME

Little Fire Engine: “Ding ding”

Big Fire Engine: “Clang clang”

Pumper: “Pump pump”

Fire Chief: (Siren sound)

Fire: “Crackle crackle”

Toys: “Ha-ha, ho-ho”

Once there was a LITTLE RED FIRE ENGINE who lived in a toyshop. “I’d like to go to a real FIRE just once,” said the LITTLE RED FIRE ENGINE to the other TOYS. “ I could watch the FIRE CHIEF, the BIG FIRE ENGINES and the PUMPERS shoot streams of water all over, and maybe then they would let me help put out the FIRE.”

“Pooh,” said the TOYS. “You’re only a LITTLE TOY FIRE ENGINE, you wouldn’t be any help at a big FIRE.” All the TOYS laughed at him. “You’ve never even seen a FIRE,” said the TOYS. “How would you know what to do? You’d only be in the way.”

The LITTLE FIRE ENGINE rumbled off to a corner by himself. He thought that he might be in the way, but he might be good at fighting FIRES. “I’ll never know until I try.  I’ll have to go to a FIRE and see.” So, the LITTLE FIRE ENGINE decided to go to a FIRE.

That very afternoon, he heard the siren blow. Out the open toyshop door he dashed, and stood at the curb panting. The BIG RED FIRE ENGINE, the PUMPER, and the FIRE

CHIEF went tearing by. “Wow!” said the LITTLE FIRE ENGINE, “I didn’t know real fire engines were so very, very big!” But, he hurried down the street anyway. He did his best to keep up, but the BIG FIRE ENGINE got to the FIRE first. When the LITTLE FIRE ENGINE got there, the BIG FIRE ENGINES were already at work. The long hoses were twisting and winding all around. The LITTLE FIRE ENGINE could hardly get through. He puffed and panted over one hose and then another. At last, he was close to the FIRE, and he looked around for a job to do.

“I’ll shoot water,” thought the LITTLE FIRE ENGINE, but his hose was too short. In spite of all he did, the FIRE burned brighter. “I wish someone would tell me what to do,” the LITTLE FIRE ENGINE said.

The PUMPER was busy shooting water and the BIG FIRE ENGINE was running up ladders for the fire fighters, while the FIRE CHIEF ran around giving orders. They had plenty to do, and they didn’t even notice the LITTLE FIRE ENGINE was there. They pushed him to one side, out of the way. He had to be very careful that he wasn’t run over.

“I guess I don’t belong here,” the LITTLE FIRE ENGINE thought sadly. “I’m too little for such a big FIRE. I better go back with the rest of the TOYS.” But, just as he started to leave, he saw a spark fly from the burning building. It landed right beside him, and started to burn.

“Here,” said the LITTLE FIRE ENGINE, “This will never do.” He turned his hose on the little FIRE; his hose was just the right size. In an instant, the FIRE was out. He had an idea. He’d be a spark watcher. So he raced around looking for flying sparks. Whenever the LITTLE FIRE ENGINE saw  one, he hurried to put it out.

He got all hot and smoky, just like the BIG FIRE ENGINE. He was so successful that the FIRE CHIEF’S car, the PUMPER and the BIG FIRE ENGINE called to him, “Why don’t you stay with us in the fire house, LITTLE FIRE ENGINE? We could use you.” He was delighted. And so, the LITTLE FIRE ENGINE lived from then on with the BIG FIRE ENGINES and became the best spark watcher in town!

Clancy To The Rescue

San Gabriel, Long Beach Area, Verdugo Hills Councils

Divide audience up into six groups.  Assign each group a response to do whenever their word is spoken in the story.  Practice as you assign parts.  If your group is small, have everyone react to the last two items.  If group is larger, divide into seven groups and assign STEAM.  ASLEEP only occurs once at the very end.

CLANCY:             Feel your muscles, like a strong man

HORSES:                                              Slap Thighs

YELL:                         Use your hand over your mouth

FIRE ENGINE:                     High-pitched siren sound

BELL:                       Swing arm like a clapper saying,
                                                “Clang, clang, clang!”

HOSE:              Shh-sh-sh sound like water from a hose

STEAM:        Everyone makes high pitched Sssss sound

ASLEEP:                                         Everyone snores

If you like HORSES, you would have enjoyed living back in the 1800's when they had old-fashioned STEAM type FIRE ENGINES pulled by HORSES. One of the FIRE ENGINES was driven by the greatest hero ever, CLANCY! Yes, Sir! CLANCY was a real hero. Every day when there was no fire, he would take the HORSES out for exercise, trotting them gently up and down the streets. If there were children along the way, CLANCY would always stop and let them pet the HORSES.

Sometimes the alarms were in the daytime, but sometimes they were at night. When the alarm sounded at night, one man would YELL up to the firemen above, and the men would run to the FIRE ENGINE where the STEAM was started up, and away they would go to the fire, clanging the BELL, with CLANCY driving the HORSES.

One night most of the men were in bed and the others were playing checkers when the alarm sounded. Where was the fire? At the mayor's big two-story house! The YELL was given and quick as a flash the firemen were up and on their way. CLANCY stopped the HORSES and YELLED,

"Keep the STEAM up men." They started the fire HOSE and began to squirt water on the fire. CLANCY strained to see upstairs where the mayor's wife was trapped. Flames were everywhere! CLANCY YELLED, "You'll have to jump!" The mayor's wife was afraid, so CLANCY threw her a rope and she came right down into the middle of the net.

The firemen kept fighting the fire. They got the HOSE on it and kept up the STEAM in the FIRE ENGINE. Before long, the fire was out, so they turned off the HOSE, got back on the FIRE ENGINE and went back to the fire house, clanging the BELL. To CLANCY and the other firemen, it was all in a day's work. The tired firemen went back upstairs and soon were sound ASLEEP.