Tell the same old stories in a new way at a campfire, a party, in class, or at a sleepover. Trent Hergenrader came up with the idea of involving children in Role Playing Games based on familiar books. Although characters, plot, setting, and objects retain some elements of the original stories, "what if" questions challenge kids to go off in new directions.The idea is to ask questions that lead children to develop their own story twists. If Cinderella didn't go to the ball with her step sisters, what could she have done to improve her situation if she stayed home? Why might Cinderella's fairy godmother be too busy to come to her aid with a gown and coach? Instead of getting free help from the elves, what changes could the shoemaker make in his business in order to hire employees for pay?
Thought provoking questions can be based on any book a child reads. In his text, The Multiplayer Classroom, Lee Sheldon goes so far as to show how to convert stories into foreign language games. I prefer to use fairy tales to introduce what some may consider fan fiction, fiction by readers who write their own versions of a book. Every country has its own fairy tales, and, since generation after generation has read them, young and/or old can participate in the "what if" process.
In the musical, Wicked, Gregory Maguire's take on the Wizard of Oz, good friends were recast in later life as good and bad witches. Cinderella's slipper wasn't glass until Disney magic changed it. (What if she had worn sneakers?) But Maguire and Disney should not be the only ones to reimagine beloved childhood tales. Critical thinkers around the world can come up with their own modern twists. It's fun. And, as the Finnish saying goes (See the earlier post, "Learning Can Be Fun."), "Those things you learn without joy you will forget easily."
