The Nutrition Show: Hansel and Gretel Eat Right

This 25 minute musical play can be done as a complete play, skits, read-aloud, or you can just sing songs. Important nutrition basics are taught in a fun retelling of a classic story. No music or drama experience needed. Grades K-3.

Nutrition, exercise, and hygene lessons are threaded throughout this primary show. In our version Hansel and Gretel leave home because they don't like the food their parents provide. So they head for the forest in search of junk food. They meet a variety of creatures that attempt to teach them important lessons, although they continue on. Eventually they reach the witch's house of candy. There they finally realize that junk food cannot be the center of your diet. So they go home and live happily ever after, pretty much.

The Nutrition Show: Hansel and Gretel Eat Right! is a great complement to your curriculum resources in elementary school nutrition.

"For the past four years I have been doing one of your plays for my spring musical. Hansel and Gretel has been a lot of fun to do! The songs were fantastic, some of your best work. We learned quite a bit too. This play had so many speaking roles that all of my students were able to shine. Keep writing! I can't wait to do the next one!"

---Justine Hoffman, Teacher (2nd grade), Wagon Wheel Elementary, Trabuco Canyon, CA.

"I ordered 'Hansel and Gretel Eat Right' for my second grade PTA program and it was a hit! The songs were witty and easy to learn."

---Abby Jinienez, Teacher (2nd grade), Henderson School, Midland, TX.

"It was the highlight of the students' year. The music was engaging and easy to learn. The theme fit right into our curriculum. We saw some some students just come alive and shine on stage."

---Dana Sodergren, Teacher (2nd grade), Pioneer School, Davis, CA

Casting

Flexible casting from 11-40 students.
Use as many Rabbits, Elves, etc. as desired. One student can easily play more
than one role. Note that all roles can be played by either boys or girls; see our
comments on page 26 of the Teacher's Guide. The Storyteller will be played by
many students (who may also play the role of a character as well.).

Script

This is the first one-third of the script:

CHARACTERS:

Storytellers (many students share the role)
Hansel
Gretel
Parents of Hansel and Gretel
Rabbits
Elves
Compost Pile
Birds
Raccoons
Squirrels
Witches
and a CHORUS comprised of all students who are not playing roles on stage
at the time.

(CLASS gathers in front of audience and sings. HANSEL and GRETEL stand a
bit apart from the rest of the CLASS. We see a sign or banner that reads
"Hansel and Gretel")

Song 1 - Listen now!

ONE-HALF CLASS:
Hansel and Gretel
You know the tale
Witches and ovens
It’s growing stale.
Hansel and Gretel
Out on a limb
It’s a bit scary
And very grim.

OTHER-HALF CLASS:
So we’ve gone and changed things
Slightly re-arranged things
Given the story some bite
Wrote a new edition
All about nutrition
Hansel and Gretel—Eat Right!

(The sign is unfolded so we can see the entire title: "Hansel and Gretel Eat Right!)

ENTIRE CLASS:
Hansel and Gretel eat right
Hansel and Gretel eat right
Learning to be shrewd
When it comes to food
Hansel
And Gretel
Hansel and Gretel eat right.
Hansel and Gretel eat right
Hansel and Gretel eat right
Learning what we chew
Makes us healthy too
Hansel
And Gretel
Hansel and Gretel eat right.

HANSEL and GRETEL:
We like sweets
Lots of treats

CLASS: That’s not good for you.

HANSEL and GRETEL:
We like junk
Lots of gunk

CLASS: You’ll change before we’re through.

Hansel and Gretel eat right
Hansel and Gretel eat right
Learning to be shrewd
When it comes to food
Hansel
And Gretel
Hansel and Gretel eat right right right right
Hansel and Gretel eat right.

(CLASS exits/sits. HANSEL and GRETEL remain on stage. Their PARENTS
step forward.)

STORYTELLER: Hansel and Gretel live in the woods with their mother and
father. They only eat junk food, no matter what their parents try to feed them.

Song 2 - Listen now!

PARENTS:
Have some rice
Have some meat
Have some beans
Come and eat.
A couple bites of salad wouldn’t hurt

HANSEL and GRETEL: I wonder what we’re having for dessert.

PARENTS:
Have some nuts
Have some cheese
Have some milk
Drink some please.
It’s fresh right from the cow and good for you

HANSEL and GRETEL: But ice-cream is a dairy product too.

PARENTS:
You need good food for fuel
You need good food for fuel
You need good food for fuel all day, hey!

PARENTS and CHORUS:
Have some rice
Have some meat
Have some beans
Come and eat.
A couple bites of salad wouldn’t hurt

HANSEL and GRETEL: I wonder what we’re having for dessert.

PARENTS and CHORUS:
You need good food for fuel
You need good food for fuel
You need good food for fuel all day, hey!

(During instrumental, PARENTS try to get HANSEL and GRETEL to eat some
good food, but they refuse.)

Food is fuel so eat what’s good for you.
Food is fuel so eat what’s good for you.

(PARENTS exit.)

STORYTELLER: Hansel and Gretel decide to run away from home so they can
eat only junk food. They soon run into some rabbits.

RABBIT #1(munching carrots): Hello. What are you doing in the woods?

HANSEL: We’re running away from home.

RABBIT #2: Running? That’s good.

GRETEL: It is?

RABBIT #1: Sure. It’s exercise!

Song 3 - Listen now!

RABBITS:
Run
Kick
Hop
Skip
I love exercise.

Jump
Slide
Roll
Glide
I love exercise.

Swim
Leap
Dance
Creep
I love exercise.

Swing
Throw
Stop
Go!
I love exercise.

Here is a little secret
Here is a big surprise
What all you kids call fun
Grown-ups call exercise, woh-oh-oh.

RABBITS and CHORUS:
Run
Kick
Hop
Skip
I love exercise.

Jump
Slide
Roll
Glide
I love exercise.

Swim
Leap
Dance
Creep
I love exercise.

Swing
Throw
Stop
Go!
I love exercise.

(RABBITS exit.)

NARRATOR: Hansel and Gretel continue on their way, looking for junk food.
Soon they run into some forest elves.

(ELVES enter)

GRETEL: Hello. Do you have any snacks? We’re starving.

ELF #1: Sure we do. Here, have a pineapple.

HANSEL: A pineapple?

ELF #2: You’d prefer a kumquat?

GRETEL: Don’t you have anything but fruit?

ELF #3: Why would you want anything else! Apples, bananas, oranges—and
so much more!

Song 4 - Listen now!

ELVES:
Gonna eat some fruit
Gonna eat some fruit –oot –oot.
I know it’ll make us strong
Gonna make us cute.

Gonna eat a fig
Isn’t it a beaut –oot –oot?
Yeah I’m gonna munch a bunch
Gonna eat some fruit.

Peaches are peachy, grapes are great
Plums are my chums, and I’ve got a date.
Cherries are cheery and a raisin will hope
I’d marry a berry but I cantaloupe.

Have a nectarine
Isn’t it a hoot –oot –oot?
Yeah I’ll have a pair of pears
Gonna eat some fruit.

ELVES and CHORUS:
Peaches are peachy, grapes are great
Plums are my chums, and I’ve got a date.
Cherries are cheery and a raisin will hope
I’d marry a berry but I cantaloupe.

Gonna eat some fruit
Gonna eat some fruit –oot –oot.
I know it’ll make us strong
Gonna make us cute.

(ELVES exit.)

STORYTELLER: Hansel and Gretel do not want to eat fruit, so they
continue on their way. Before long they run into a compost pile.

(COMPOST PILE enters)

COMPOST PILE: Who are you? You’re not from the witches, are you?

GRETEL: Witches? Oh no. Are there really witches in this forest?

COMPOST PILE: Of course. Mean, nasty witches. They live in a house made
completely out of junk food.

HANSEL: That sounds great!

COMPOST PILE: It ISN’T great. They invite kids in to eat their house,
but the kids grow so weak they can never leave.

GRETEL: I’ll risk it.

COMPOST PILE: And the witches throw all their plastic wrappers and
juice boxes into the forest. That junk will last hundreds of years. It’s as if
I didn’t exist.

(This concludes the first one-third of the script.)

Sample Songs

Click on the song name to hear samples. Please note that internet song samples have low fidelity and rest assured that the CDs we sell sound much better! (This player requires Flash. If you have any trouble hearing the samples, just contact us for help.)

Full Song List

1. "Hansel and Gretel Eat Right"
2. "Food is Fuel"
3. "I Love Exercise"
4. "Gonna Eat Some Fruit"
5. "I Am a Compost Pile"
6. "So Many Flavors to Taste"
7. "Wash Your Hands"
8. "Is it Fresh?"
9. "The Walls are Peanut Brittle"
10."Hansel and Gretel Eat Right"

National Education Standards

Fulfills National Arts Standard 3 for Dance, 1 and 8 for music, and 2, 3, and 5 for Theater.

Vocabulary

a beaut
bio-degrading
compost pile
crêpe suzette
dairy product
date (the fruit)
decompose
edition
elves
enchilada
grim
gunk
hoot
hygiene
Irish stew
junk food
kumquat
nutrition
raccoons
recyclable
sauerkraut
shrewd
stale
sushi
"Swedish meatballs"
tandouri
vitamins
wantons
“out on a limb”
“give the story some bite”
“give the soap a spin”
“eat us out of house and home”