Kindergartners Transform Auditorium Into Ancient Chinese Village For Play

"Tikki Tikki Tembo, No Sarimbo" undoubtedly resounded for quite a while in the heads of about 150 parents, children, teachers and staff who saw the Farm Hill Elementary School kindergarten's spirited and colorful production of the ancient Chinese folk tale earlier this week.

It's the story of two brothers, the older of which, Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo, falls in a well and, as a result of the younger boy Chang forced to alert his mother by uttering the older boy’s traditional, very long name, he nearly drowns.

And thus, goes the tale, is why Asian children now have short names.

Nearly 60 kindergarteners, four classes of children, filled the stage for this musical play in traditional Asian hats and red and gold costumes. As the curtain rose, a long, fiercely faced paper mache dragon advanced from the back of the gymnasium and music teacher Hallie Sorenson played piano, accompanying the children's voices.

After this impressive, half-hour program, kindergarten teacher Lauren Silberkleit was gushing with praise.

"Oh my goodness, it was awesome — from the very beginning. We were saying there should have been a 'before' and 'after' because they’ve come so far, it’s amazing."

She sat in a tiny box at the foot of the stage and prompted any children who had trouble remembering their lines.

"Between all the song they learned, all the lines they learned, all the movement they learned, the costumes, the scenery — everything," Silberkleit said. "They all had lines, they all had something to say."

Elizabeth Bredefeld, whose taught kindergarten at Farm Hill for 10 years, attributed the show's success to the children's efforts — and that of Hallie Sorenson. "She kind of helps to pick the plays and get them going on the songs," Bredefield said.

And while working on the play these past weeks, the kindergarteners learned a little bit about Asian culture.

"We’ve been learning about China," Bredefeld said. "We had a donation of chopsticks from PTA, which was nice. We just showed them, they got to take them home and we talked to them about how they’re used."

We love you. Reciprocate! Follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook.