I used to tell a lot more stories in my workshops. It's interesting that teachers who saw me present years ago will often remember and request a story they heard me tell. Someone recently requested "The Crooked Mouths." It's a funny story that reminds me of how we keep making the same mistakes in education - but don't seem to learn from them!
It’s best if you light a real candle to tell the story, but in the classroom I would just pretend my index finger was the candle. You’ll need to practice this story several times in front of a mirror before attempting it in front of a group.
This is a story about a silly family called the Crooked Mouths.
Father Crooked Mouth could only talk out of the left side of his mouth like this. (Say this out of the left corner of your mouth. Every time father talks in the story say it from the left side of your mouth.)
Mother Crooked Mouth could only talk out of the right side of her mouth like this. (When mother speaks say it from the right side of your mouth.)
Brother Crooked Mouth could only talk out of the bottom of his mouth like this. (Stick out chin and bottom teeth to talk like brother.)
And Sister Crooked Mouth could only talk out of the top of her mouth like this. (Stick out top teeth and talk for sister.)
One night when the Crooked Mouths had gone to bed they heard a strange noise downstairs.
“Oh, dear,” said mother. “What could that be?”
“Well, I better go see,” said father. So he lit a candle and walked downstairs. (Take a candle and light it or hold up your index finger and pretend it is a candle.)
He looked all around, but he didn’t see a thing. Father decided to go back upstairs and go to bed. He tried to blow out the candle. “Whh! Whh!” (Blow from the left side of mouth.) But he couldn’t blow it out.
“Oh, dear,” said mother. “Let me try. Whh! Whh!” (Blow from right side of mouth.) But she couldn’t blow it out either.
“Oh, dear,” said father.
“Oh, dear,” said mother. “What shall we do?”
“Let’s go wake up brother,” said father. So father and mother went to brother’s room.
“Wake up, brother,” said mother. “Father lit a candle and we can’t blow it out.”
So brother took the candle and he tried to blow it out. “Whh! Whh!” (Blow from bottom of mouth.) But he couldn’t blow it out either.
“Oh, dear,” said father.
“Oh, dear,” said mother. “What shall we do?”
“Let’s go wake up sister,” said brother. So mother and father and brother went to sister’s room.
“Wake up, sister,” said brother. “Father lit a candle and we can’t blow it out.”
So sister took the candle and she tried to blow it out. “Whh! Whh!” (Blow from the top of mouth.) But she couldn’t blow it out either.
“Oh, dear,” said father.
“Oh, dear,” said mother.
“Oh, dear,” said brother.
“Oh, dear,” said sister. “What shall we do?”
Just then they heard someone knock on the front door. (Knock! Knock!) They went downstairs and it was Officer O’Brien.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “You’ve awakened the whole neighborhood with all your commotion.”
“Well, I lit a candle and I can’t blow it out,” said father.
“I can’t blow it out either,” said mother.
“I can’t blow it out either,” said brother.
“Boo hoo hoo,” cried sister.
Officer O’Brien laughed, took the candle, and blew it out. Then he told the Crooked Mouths good night and left.
Mother, father, brother, and sister started back upstairs to get in bed.
“Oh, dear,” said mother. “I can’t see a thing.”
“Neither can I,” said sister.
“Well, I better light a candle,” said father. (Pretend to light the candle again.)
