AJ stands for Andrew Jackson, our 7th president. His reputation for toughness earned him the nickname "Old Hickory." A hero of the War of 1812, Jackson has appeared on the $20 bill since 1928.

First, let the ideas flow. Let the Ideas Flow

We cracked up as we wrote our script.

Here are our authors (from left to right): me (Jesse), Katelyn, Janelle, Jacob, and Jessica.

Close

We did it! Some kids from my 4-H club, our leaders, and I started with a few basic ideas, and eventually turned them into a complete script that was published by Plays magazine. Here's how!

Start by brainstorming

First, let the ideas flow.

Our group started with several brainstorming sessions, where we decided to write a script with a twist on the classic fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel."

As we wrote, we tried to incorporate everybody's ideas.

I think this is why our play turned out as well as it did. Working together allowed many great ideas to bubble up. Our script ended up with a more interesting and funny plot.

You can get a sense of the play from our list of characters:

The characters

The Characters
Hansel	kid who has no idea where he is most of the time
Gretel	See Hansel
Geek Geek Geek was played by Janelle (left), who was surprised when she looked up the word. Close	Really smart kid; almost nobody understands her when she talks about her techy stuff
Goth	Actually really sensible, despite her clothes
Sassy Sassy Sassy was played by Katelyn—not at all a brat in real life. "Saucy" is a better word! Close	The average beauty queen, concerned only with herself
Jock Jock Jock was played by Jesse, author of this story and amazing muscle man. Close	An uneducated, strong guy who needs some deodorant
Mom	The average American workaholic
Dad	Same as Mom
Narrator	Great storytelling Granny
Child 1 and Child 2 Child 1 and Child 2 Child 1 was played by Jacob (right). We had to subdue him to get him to act the part. Close	The self-appointed "editors" of the story
Rover Rover Rover was played by Jessica—smart, but obviously not a dog. Close	The smartest dog in the world

Now to put the characters into a story, which means we need a plot...

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