Hey there parentals of the under-16 set (and others who care to take an interest). Shall we embark on another odyssey of fun for our intrepid and treat-hungry boys? I'm all ears for ideas. We have the structure down--let's embellish.
Definitely need a pond adventure, maybe with an angry and threatening Poseidan figure making things difficult.
I would also suggest that the final station be Ithaca, where a brawl must break out between our heroes and the unruly suitors making Penelope's life interesting. Who wants to be Penelope?
Craft ideas? Make a flag for Odysseus's ship with fabric paint? Make a mask like that used by chorus members in a Greek tragedy?
26 comments:
Sounds great! Paloma and I were just talking about this yesterday. I think Chris would be really into it as well.
I agree about the pond. Perhaps we could release a "kraken" of sorts that they have to defeat?
We could borrow from the Percy Jackson storyline and have each of the kids be "claimed" by their godly parent. This would entail a ceremony of some sort at grill night (in the story the kids eat a lot of bar-b-q and toss an offering into the flames for the gods) where a symbol of the godly parent appears over the kids head to show who they belong to. Perhaps we could just have them open a letter or something.
The letter could also have a clue to the quest in the form of a prophesy from the oracle. Can't have a quest without a poetic prophecy.
Then we can set off on the quest on Monday.
Am I going too deep? :D
As for Penelope ... I don't think it can be a mom of one of the kiddos as I don't think we want to go down the road to Oedipus. :D
Love your ideas, Rob. This is shaping up quick!
Cool. For a craft idea I thought it might be fun for us to make our own pinata. Medusa? Minotaur? We've got no shortage of monsters to choose from. They could complete the Ithaca brawl and then have to defeat a monster for the treats.
I like the piñata idea. What were you thinking of making it of? Paper mache, which comes to mind as the obvious choice, is time consuming and usually a multi-day thing. We could do something with shaped paper bags, paint, and a glue gun and cardboard strips and other shapes.
Do you think I should emerge from the pond naked on a half shell? You need Aphrodite, right?
I was thinking paper mache, but that is from someone who hasn't done paper mache in a really long time. If we did the quest on Monday we would theoretically have 3 days to work on it. Too ambitious?
Ea, I dare you! :D
Love love love it. Great piñata idea. As for the Quest, we could model it on a combination of the Odyssey and the Golden Fleece myth- it's a Joseph Campbell treasure hunt for the fleece, but we want them to work together so maybe it'll shake out as kids against gods/monsters (us).
We'll need
- a Call to Adventure (Rob's prophecy), the Initiation (at BBQ),
- Supernatural Aid to initiate the Quest (the "disembodied voice" of a "god" perhaps),
- the Road of Trials (Tests, Allies, Enemies - piñata here),
- the Journey to the Underworld (please can we have someone be Charon and ferry them across the pond/Styx to the Island of the Dead to find the fleece!?!? the coin for passage comes from the piñata! They must place it in Charon's skeletal hand!! :-)
- the Reward/Return to improve the world (battle for and winning of the fleece with triumphant parade back to the house.)
For the fleece I picture a tangled mass of shiny gold party foil (they're making some flashy party favors lately).
Whadya think??
OK, Chris is fired up! :)
Looking at the revised dinner schedule grill night is moving to Monday, so perhaps we can work the initiation phase into the Garden Delight night (fri)?
Also, it sounds like Jay is leaving on Monday (not sure what time), so we should plan the quest for Sunday so Alden can be part of it.
I'm not sure that leaves us enough time to paper mache a monster piñata. LOL ... so, I'll see what monster-ish piñata we can buy and we can come up with a different craft idea. Perhaps building the Parthenon on Brazil Hill.
So, I think we just need to hone the quest/adventure down to a reasonable set of activities.
Here's what's worked in the past:
- clearly the pond is involved somehow
- a battle of some sort
- following clues revealed through prophecy that involve some problem solving
- a craft activity
Let's hammer out the flow a bit more. We've usually finished on the piñata, but there's no reason we can't change it. Defeating monsters sometimes results in them leaving spoils of war behind that the heroes can use in the quest (like Medusa's head).
We gather the Argonauts outside the barn.
A voice from someone inside the barn tells them he/she is a god or goddess (transgendered Olympian? ;-) and has a mission for them - to find the Golden Fleece. A clue is given regarding the next stage of the journey.
At the next stop on the journey they all receive weapons (piñata sticks) from a god/goddess/transgendered Olympian as well as the next clue to the next stage of the journey.
The next stage of the journey is the defeat of the piñata monster. (I could try to make a medusa in all my free time....) Along with the coins of passage and treats there's a note that sends them to the location of the Golden Fleece - Ithaca, which is across the pond.
They arrive at pond and someone rows them to the other side, where they defeat the guardian enemies and return en masse, triumphant with the fleece.
That actually does satisfy all the points I mentioned above, which may have seemed too much in the abstract form in which I presented them!
Additional elements could include Kraken or other monsters/gods/goddesses/transgendered Olympians
Maybe they could decorate their "weapons" (piñata sticks) and that could be the craft.
In my next life, I wanna come back as a Porter Hill boy!!
hi all , excited to see this take form. i'm all "camped out" here on star island so will be one of the watchers, and just wondering when this is again? i heard mention that it may start on friday (garden party night) and just making sure chris can be also be avail (as he's on the team for that meal)
SO - can we say Sunday or Saturday? Which is best?
Sunday is pizza night and I'm on. Sat. night? I like the craft idea of decorating piñata poking weapons. Paper mache piñata feels overly ambitious to lazy me (it also requires a lot of precious surface area and needs a lot of drying time--we could make one without paper mache if need be).
Also: I can bring a golden fleece. I have materials to make something that will work.
I can play the role of diva floating across pond, kraken, other...
Sorry for dropping off the map for a bit. Trying to get caught up again.
- we do have a pinata, so no need to make one
- the pinata is an amazing monstrosity of color and shape, and as such we'll need to create the mythology around it
- we've historically done this adventure pretty early in the day, so no danger of interfering with dinner prep
- Saturday is currently looking like the better weather day, so my vote would be pre-lunch time on Sat
- we can work in the call to adventure during the fri night dinner, or we can just round them up Sat am and do it then. whatever is easiest for us.
- I'm not sure how practical decorating a stick that will be used to smash a pinata will be. We might just stick to having a single pinata busting stick (broom handle)
- other craft ideas? In the Percy Jackson stories the kids that left on a quest had a burial shroud made and decorated for them by their siblings who remained behind. Would decorating their own burial shrouds be too ghoulish? :D
Otis and I just made the golden fleece. It looks cool. Now I'm going to make some cardboard masks that look like Greek helmets that our explorers can decorate with paint.
Awesome- so we have the date and time and we have the piñata-monster and lots of volunteer Olympians!
I for one want to play the part of Charon, ferrying them across the River Styx to Ithaca. Good thing the Halloween stuff is in the stores already. I'll get a pair of those skeleton gloves and perhaps paint my face (a skull mask might be too scary!)
Rob, can we leave the Friday evening call to adventure to you? You could also introduce the mythology of the piñata at that time.
Please stop me if any of this seems off or anything. This is just one way we this could go, but here's how I'm envisioning it:
The Prophecy summons them to appear at the corner of the barn at 10 the next morning maybe? How cool would it be if we rounded them up that evening and brought them to a cloaked figure (Rob) by the fire who delivers the Prophecy!?
Saturday morning outside the barn: a voice from inside (this could be William playing Mercury the messenger) gives them a riddle that they have to figure out, the answer to which is a PH location where they'll find a scroll and a piñata weapon and the craft of the masks/helmets. I will make the scroll they find!
The scroll will tell what to do with the stick and the helmets and where to find the piñata.
The piñata contains among the treats coins of passage for Charon (**anyone have any plastic gold coins lying around?**) and another scroll that I'll also make tomorrow which will tell them their quest is to seize the Golden Fleece but that first they must gather at the bank of the pond and each pay the ferryman one gold coin to take them safely across the river whose water, if touched, brings eternal forgetfulness. (There's like a canoe or something that's big enough for them all I hope but cannot recall).
On the other side our heroes meet guardians of the fleece in battle. Mark? Avery? William? Anyone else?
They defeat their foes, retrieve the fleece, and return triumphant to the world of mortals.
Well, whadya think?
- Decorating helmets and masks = awesome!
- I have some gold dollar coins we can put in the pinata
- I can do the talking on Fri night, but will need some creative input to pull this storyline together
- there has been a beat up green canoe forever, so hopefully it is still there
- I think the defenders of the fleece should be Cyclopes! We can make some kind of giant eyeball mask for them :D
Awesome idea Rob! How can we do it? Lamely, with paper-plate masks with an enormous bloodshot eye in the middle, but do you have other ideas?
Rob - we just found a great black cloak (grim reaper costume) that you can wear as the giver of the Prophecy and that I'll use as Charon! ;-)
SCRIPT: Greek Myths Spectacular
(An Adventure in Seven Stages)
Cast (in order of appearance):
The Heroes (The boys of Porter Hill)
The Prophet (A Wise Man) - Rob
Mercury (Messenger of Zeus) - William
Athena and the Muses (A Craft-Teacher and her helpers) - ?
Peniatides (A Cursed Monster) - Itself
The Ferryman (A Cloaked Figure) - Chris
Ithaca (A Mythical Land)
Foes - Anyone we can get: Rob, Mark, Avery, etc.
The GOLDEN FLEECE (A Magic Elixer)
Locations:
The fireplace (The Hearth)
Outside the barn (The Threshold of Adventure)
Inside the barn (The Cave)
A tree near the front lawn (A Stop on The Road of Trials)
The picnic table (A Place for Creativity)
The pond (the River Lethe)
Across the pond (Ithaca)
ACT I
1. The call to adventure (the prophecy - Rob)
Friday Evening, the Fireplace
(The HEROES are led to the HEARTH after dinner, where Rob, face shrouded in a dark cloak, speaks):
PROPHET (Rob): Omens have been seen, portents have been … portended: a great band of young and brave heroes will undertake a quest and bring happiness to the land. You are to become those heroes - but first you must face many adventures, maybe even battle monsters and enemies before you can retrieve the treasure - that treasure is the Golden Fleece.
The magic of the Golden Fleece is strong and good - one touch of the fleece will cure anyone of any hurt or sickness! It is of great value to our people in this time of need! Its possession ensures 100 years of happiness for Porter Hill!
YOU must go on this journey! This is your adventure - your quest - you must FIND AND BRING BACK THE GOLDEN FLEECE as a gift to all our people at PORTER HILL!
This FLEECE is no selfish treasure! To find and bring it back, you must be pure of heart - you must not want it for yourself - it is a Magic Elixer - a gift you must be willing to give to help others.
But beware the mythical monster Peniatides - (pr: pen-YA-tah-dees) is a fearsome, angry monster, cursed by the gods to prevent anyone from ever finding the GOLDEN FLEECE. (As a man, he tried to take the Golden Fleece for himself without undertaking a quest and without honoring the gods. His punishment is to live inside a cave and to forever battle those who, unlike himself, seek the fleece with an honest and generous heart and a desire to do good.) If however you are able to defeat him, the gods will show their pleasure by providing you with important clues that will help you succeed in your quest.
You will start your adventure tomorrow morning - at 10 o’clock you must come to side of the barn facing the field. A friend and helper will take you there. Now go! And rest well. For tomorrow you begin the quest for the GOLDEN FLEECE!
(Dismisses HEROES)
The Following Morning, Outside the Barn
2. The crossing of the threshold (arrival at barn) met with supernatural aid (Mercury - William)
MERCURY (William): Greetings mortals! I am Mercury, messenger of the gods! So you have undertaken an adventure to find the Golden Fleece and deliver it for the good of all mankind! Very admirable! May you succeed where others not so pure of heart have failed.
Almighty Zeus has smiled upon your journey and bids me deliver to you a riddle which if you can figure it out will lead you to find a special scroll that will lead you onto the next part of your journey. Here is the riddle!
My feet are firmly in the ground, yet my arms can touch the sky.
I charm the birds out of the clouds, who round my limbs do love to fly.
Look carefully for where I stand
- you’ll know me by the flag of greeting in my hand.
What - and where - am I?
(answer: a tree near the front of the house that has a flag of some kind on it, could be bandana tied to it, etc.) At the base of the tree they are to find the MAGIC WEAPONS (gifts of the gods!)
3. Road of trials (build masks and fight PENIATIDES (the piñata)
Location: A Tree Somewhere Out Front
Scroll #1 found with stick and helmet materials at the base of the tree with the flag:
Congratulations heroes!
You have completed the first part of your journey! The gods are pleased with your progress! To show their pleasure, the gods have given you these gifts and they also bring to you this task:
You must defeat the fearsome monster Peniatides before you may pass on to the next part of your journey for the wondrous Golden Fleece.
But fear not! With these materials that you have earned you will make your own magic weapons to face the monster!
Take these gifts to the picnic table near the fireplace and create your magic helmets there!
There you will also find a guide who will help you find the Penatides Monster so that the Battle may Begin!
Location: The Picnic Table
ATHENA AND THE MUSES (Ea, Hayley, Anna, Jaylin, Jen…) help the Heroes contrive their magic helmets and lead them to the barn to face Peniatides (the piñata).
ACT II
4. Journey to the underworld
Location: Inside The Barn
Facing of the monster inside the cave. Defeat of the monster yields treats, golden coins, and Scroll #2:
Congratulations Once Again Brave Heroes!
You have defeated the accursed Peniatides!
Your Quest is nearing its end. Your Next and Final Task shall be to seize the GOLDEN FLEECE - NOT to keep it for yourselves! But to dedicate it to helping others and healing the people of Porter Hill.
To find the FLEECE you must journey to the land of Ithaca, across the river of forgetfulness. DO NOT TOUCH THE WATERS OF THIS RIVER! They will erase all your memories forever and you will forget the task and higher purpose of your journey.
Instead, you must find the Ferryman and each must pay him one gold coin - HE it is who will carry you safely in his boat across the river.
There on the other side, in the mythical land of Ithaca, you will find the GOLDEN FLEECE that will bring happiness and health to Porter Hill.
FAREWELL and may the GODS go with you!
Location: The Pond
FERRYMAN (Chris), waiting at boat: Greetings Travelers. I am Charon , the Ferryman. DO NOT TOUCH THE WATERS OF THE RIVER LETHE - or suffer the forgetfulness of your task and the failure of your quest. For the price of one gold coin, each man shall find safe passage to Ithaca with me (opens hand to receive coins) and ferries HEROES to Ithaca.
5. The final battle with the FOES is fought is won in the name of good for all.
Location: Other Side of Pond
6. The Reward - attainment of the boon, the Magic Elixer, (the FLEECE!)
7. Triumphant return - our heroes return with the gift of the FLEECE that will secure the next 100 years of happiness at Porter Hill, followed by FOES, FERRYMAN, etc.
Procession Back to the Hearth and Home (Picnic Table)
exeunt
Correction to LOCATIONS (in order):
Locations:
The fireplace (The Hearth)
Outside the barn (The Threshold of Adventure)
A tree near the front lawn (A Stop on The Road of Trials)
The picnic table (A Place for Creativity)
Inside the barn (The Cave)
The pond (The River Lethe)
Across the pond (Ithaca)
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