The Spider and the Hippo

I adapted this simple skit from a longer puppet show script I found in Library Sparks. I don't have an ant puppet, as the original calls for, but I figured I could make my spider puppet work just as well--and it did!

First, I explained that hippos live far away in Africa. I told them that Africa is a hot and dry place, and that animals often congregate at a watering hole to drink and bathe. I encouraged them to help with the story by pretending to be trees:  sitting on their trunks, their arm-limbs in the air and their hand-leaves waving in the breeze. I told them that spider would point out the trees to hippo, and they would know when to pretend to be trees.

At the watering hole, with hippo in the water.

Hippo:  (Sobbing.) Oh, this just won't do! How am I ever going to have clean toes again?
Spider:  Hello, hippo. I heard you crying. Are you ok?
Hippo:  (Hippo looks around) Who's there?
Spider:  Down here, hippo. Are you ok?
Hippo:  Oh, hello spider. I have dreadfully dirty feet.
Spider:  But, you're in the watering hole, hippo! Can't you just wash your feet?
Hippo:  (Sniffling.) I have. As a matter of fact, I've washed my feet 20 times already! But every time I try to get out of the watering hole, I step in mud and they're all dirty again! (Sobbing continues.)
Spider:  Hmmm. What about a bath mat to step out on.
Hippo:  (Sobbing.) I don't have a bath mat!  (More crying.)
Spider:  Hmmm. Listen, I think I have an idea, hippo.
Hippo:  Really? An idea? (Sniffling.)
Spider:  Yes. Do you see those trees out there? I can collect all the leaves and put them around the watering hole, so you'll step out on nice clean leaves instead of the mud.
Hippo:  (Sniffling.) But, how will you get up the trees?
Spider:  I have eight legs, silly. I can climb very well.
Hippo:   But, how will you get the leaves out of the trees?
Spider:  I am very strong. I can shake the trees and all the leaves will fall to the ground.
Hippo:  But, how will you get all the leaves?
Spider:  I am very fast. I will run and gather them all!
Hippo:  Please try, spider! Or I may be stuck in here forever! (Sobbing.)

And spider did just what he promised. He climbed each tree. He shook the trees. (have children shake) And all the leaves came down, just like he said. (have children pretend their hands are leaves, falling to the ground.) Then, he ran as fast as his eight little legs would go and collected all the leaves. He put them down on the mud and hippo stepped out of the watering hole.

Hippo:  This is perfect, spider! I feel like dancing! (make hippo dance and be silly.)
Spider:  Hippo! Look out! Down here!
Hippo:  Sorry, spider! I got carried away--I'm just so happy! Thank you! I'm going home now to paint my clean toenails!

And that's just what she did.

The End.