Churkendoose Presentation Script

Take off all the people figures and replace with the Churkendoose flannel figure.

Add the rooster, chicken, duck, turkey, and goose one at a time and have the churkendoose ask them to be a friend and their responses be “No” for one reason or another (I am afraid of you, you are so different from me, I must go and ask the other animals if they will be your friend because I always do what they do . . .). Include a part where the animals whisper behind the Churkendoose’s back.

This animal is a combination of lots of animals, he is part chicken, part turkey, part duck, and part goose.  Even his name has a combination of all these animals, Ch for chicken, ur for turkey, ken for chicken, d for duck and oose for goose.  Just because he was different from all the other barnyard fowl, they did not let him into their circle.

When they said he was ugly, he replied, “How can you say I’m ugly when you have never seen a Churkendoose before?   I might be a very handsome Churkendoose!

 But his words did not have an effect on them.  This is what they did . . .

Place a human figure outside of the circle along with the Churkendoose.

They left the Churkendoose out of their circle and just as you said you would be unhappy on the outside, so was the Churkendoose.

And as the Churkendoose sat off by himself, sad and lonely, he tried to think of something he might do to get the others to change their minds.

Show a real apple, a pear, grass, picture of sky, a rose or flower, an onion, and a pickle.

So he decided to tell them this poem:

“Does the Pear Tree
Say to the Apple Tree: 
‘I hate you
Because  you’re not like me?’
Does the Green Grass
Ask the Sky so Blue:
‘I’m Green
Why aren’t you Green too?”
A Rose smells Sweet
Because it’s a Flower.
An Onion tastes Strong
And a Pickle is Sour
They’re Different
Yet they get along
And No One
Seems to think it is Wrong.

 Let’s think about this for a moment.  You wouldn’t want a pear to taste like an apple, would you? . . . No, you like a pear for one taste, and an apple for a different taste.  You wouldn’t want the sky to be green just because the grass is green, would you? . . . We appreciate differences in nature, but so often with people, we just aren’t that wise.  Just because the Churkendoose was different, the other barnyard animals still would not let him in their circle.

The Churkendoose said in a crying voice, “Why do I have to be a Chicken or Goose, can’t you just like me as a Churkendoose?

But the other animals still would not let him into their circle and how do you think he felt? (sad, crying . . .)

Put up the fox and pretend he is trying to get into the circle (barnyard) to hurt the other animals.

That very night, another animal came into the barnyard looking for dinner.  It was a fox.

Well, while the Fox was so busy trying to get through the barnyard fence, she was not watching where she was going, and tripped right over the Churkendoose.  The Fox growled at the Churkendoose but the Churkendoose did not run away.  Why do you think he did not run?

Put the fox flannel figure behind the flannel board

Like some people, the fox did not ask why but instead, assumed the Churkendoose was brave and since she had never seen such an animal, she was scared of him and ran away, never to be seen again.

 All the other animals cheered,  “Hurrah, you saved our lives, three cheers for the Churkendoose, you are our hero, you can sleep by yourself in the hayloft and give you a cheer everyday.

But the Churkendoose responded,  “I don’t want the cheers and I don’t want the tears.”  What did the Churkendoose want?  (to be their friend, to play with them, not to be alone . . .)

Place the Churkendoose in the circle with the other animals