IN THEATRES DECEMBER 9 Dear Children s Group Leader, For over 50 years, C.S. Lewis The Chronicles of Narnia book series have been embraced by hundreds of millions of readers, young and old alike. These classic tales have brought adventure, enchantment and valuable moral lessons to people from all walks of life. On December 9, 2005, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe will be released as a major motion picture by Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media. We believe the film will provide schoolteachers, parents, church leaders, youth leaders, and others a wonderful opportunity to share positive moral values and lessons. Director Andrew Adamson says: This is a story about four kids, disempowered by the war in their own world, World War II, who enter this land where they re not only empowered, but they re ultimately the only solution to war in that land. And it s only through betrayal and forgiveness and finally, unity as a family, that they can overcome those odds We re taking the story of a family, and exaggerating it to the level of the battle between good and evil. But at its heart, it s still a very personal story. In this Guide you will find Narnia-themed materials and plans, as well as links to many other resources. We encourage you to share these FREE resources with other leaders at schools, churches, and family organizations within your community. We are thankful to have an opportunity to partner with you in your important work. Sincerely, Paul Lauer Motive Entertainment The views expressed herein do not represent those of the Walt Disney Company, Walden Media, The C.S. Lewis Estate, or the filmmakers, but are rather the views of various organizations who have created these resources specifically for leaders in the faith and family community.
Sharing The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe with Families and Children IN THEATRES DECEMBER 9 Idea 1 Host a Journey into Narnia using the Narnia Event Kit This turnkey family event kit is available at www. NarniaResources.com/ordermaterials. The kit comes with a poster, an event guide featuring games, activities (including reproducible activity sheets), craft and food ideas; plus Narnia passports and the Narnia Resource DVD featuring a trailer, exciting behind-the-scenes material, interviews and more. Also included are five Leader s Guides (Adult Leaders, Youth Leaders, Children s Leaders, Parents, Teachers), and other activity sheets. Idea 2 Narnia Costume Party for Children, Youth and Adults Host a Narnia Costume Party where guests are invited to dress as one of the characters in the movie, human or beast. This is a great theme for an alternative Halloween event. Idea 5 Joint Event for Children and Adults Host a Narnia-related (Christmas) event where children are encouraged to stay with their parents and participate in a cross generational Narnia-themed gathering. Utilize Narnia music from the Narnia CDs from EMI. Show the movie trailer from the Narnia Resource DVD. Present a Narnia message appropriate for children and adults alike. Idea 6 Turkish Delight See www.narniaresources.com/recipe for a recipe of Turkish Delight. Make the candy, share it with children and adults, and use the opportunity to discuss the themes surrounding the delicacy, such as addiction, overcoming temptation, prudence and so on. Idea 7 Narnia Character Building Family Activities 1. Play a game of hide-and-seek. Afterward, discuss what it was like for Lucy to hide in one place and find herself in a totally different world. 2. Use a stuffed animal as a puppet and create a dialogue to use with your children utilizing some of the lines from Mr. Beaver and the children in the book. Then ask: What would it be like if animals could really talk? What is the relationship between people, animals and plants? See NarniaResources.com for characters photos. See www.narniaresources.com/parents for even more family ideas. Idea 3 Narnia Read-Alouds for Children (and some adults!) Kids love The Chronicles of Narnia books. Schedule Narnia read-alouds for kids in anticipation of the movie s release. Then go see the movie together. (This is also a great post-release outreach opportunity.) Idea 4 Narnia Splash Build energy in your Narnia family activities by putting up Narnia banners 2-3 months before the movie is released. (A selection of different Narnia banners is available at www.outreachresources.com.) Distribute reading and activity books, worksheets, Narnia passports, and other resources to the children.
Narnia KIDS EVENT IN THEATRES DECEMBER 9 1. Open with an overview of the event. 2. Read the first chapter of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe to your class. 3. Then tell them you are going to get to know the children in the story better. 4. Show the behind-the-scenes video on The Story (from the Narnia Resource DVD). 5. Activity: Meet the Children Materials needed: Children paper doll pages (See www. NarniaResources.com/downloads to print these out), thin cardboard or poster board, glue sticks, crayons or markers, scissors. Have the children color the cutout and then glue them to the poster board. While letting them dry for a few minutes, the teacher may share the information about the characters given below with the class. Focus should be on what each of the children became: Magnificent, Gentle, Just and Valiant, and how those traits are important. Children can then cut out and assemble their paper dolls. Note for teachers: You may read the following info to your children about each of the children in Narnia: Peter He is the oldest of the children. Father Christmas gave him a sword and shield to use when the time was right. When he first heard Aslan s name, he felt brave. Peter became a great warrior and was called Peter the Magnificent. Susan She is next in line after Peter. She received a bow from Father Christmas and a horn to blow to summon help. When she first heard Aslan s name, she felt as if she had heard beautiful music. Susan grew tall and gracious and was called Susan the Gentle. Lucy She is the youngest and the first to go through the wardrobe into Narnia. Father Christmas presented her with a cordial made from fire-flowers of the sun and a dagger. Lucy felt like it was the first day of summer vacation when she first heard Aslan s name. Lucy was always happy and much loved. She was called Lucy the Valiant. Edmund He is the next youngest to Lucy. His greed for Turkish Delight put him under the spell of the White Witch. When he first heard Aslan s name, he felt mysterious horror. Although he had a rough start in Narnia, he became great in judgement and was called Edmund the Just. 6. Closing Comment: See www.narniaresources.com for more Narnia materials.
IN THEATRES DECEMBER 9 M E E T T H E C H I L D R E N E D M U N D Edmund He is the next youngest to Lucy. His greed for Turkish Delight put him under the spell of the White Witch. When he first heard Aslan s name, he felt mysterious horror. Although he had a rough start in Narnia, he became great in judgement and was called Edmund the Just. L U C Y Lucy She is the youngest and the first to go through the wardrobe into Narnia. Father Christmas presented her with a cordial made from fire-flowers of the sun and a dagger. Lucy felt like it was the first day of summer vacation when she first heard Aslan s name. Lucy was always happy and much loved. She was called Lucy the Valiant.
IN THEATRES DECEMBER 9 M E E T T H E C H I L D R E N S U S A N Susan She is next in line after Peter. She received a bow from Father Christmas and a horn to blow to summon help. When she first heard Aslan s name, she felt as if she had heard beautiful music. Susan grew tall and gracious and was called Susan the Gentle. P E T E R Peter He is the oldest of the children. Father Christmas gave him a sword and shield to use when the time was right. When he first heard Aslan s name, he felt brave. Peter became a great warrior and was called Peter the Magnificent.
Narnia Discussion Starters IN THEATRES DECEMBER 9 Before You See the Film Here are a few things you may do as a family before the film comes out so that you will get the most out of it when you do see it: 1. Instead of watching TV for a few nights, read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe as a family. 2. Learn more about C.S. Lewis by doing a search on the Internet. 3. Get more info on the movie by going to the official resources Website www.narniaresources. com, or the movie website www. narnia.com. There you can watch videos, learn more about the cast, the director, movie production, etc. After You See the Film In The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe there is a wonderful scene that describes the feelings of the children when they first hear the name, Aslan. Edmund felt mysterious horror. Peter felt brave. Susan felt as if she heard beautiful music. And Lucy felt like it was the first day of summer vacation. The children s different feelings revealed their diverse personalities, the condition of their character, and their response to Aslan. This scene shows that belief and faith are personal. Get more from this movie by personalizing it. Share with your family about how it made you feel. Use the questions below to help explore your thoughts about this movie. When you first met Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, how did you feel about each of them? Did your feelings change about them as the story continued? How did you feel about the Professor? What would you do if you walked into a magical wardrobe? Would you keep walking or never step foot in there again? In Narnia there was a curse that made it always winter. How would you feel if it was always winter? What difference would it make to you if there was no Christmas? Why do you think the Professor believed Lucy s story? Do you think that Mr. Tumnus is good or bad? Why? What did Edmund know about the White Witch deep down inside? The children all experience different feelings when they first hear Aslan s name. Edmund felt mysterious horror. Peter felt brave. Susan felt as if she heard beautiful music. And Lucy felt like it was the first day of summer vacation. Why do you think they felt different things? How did you feel when you first heard his name? What is supposed to happen to Edmund according to the deep magic regarding traitors? Why isn t Edmund punished for all the bad things he did? Does that seem fair to you? Do Aslan and the children forgive Edmund? What would you do? How did you feel when Aslan was killed? To find more questions like these, go to www.narniaresources.com