HOMEFRONT LARP for teaching purposes !
Mike!Pohjola! ! !
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Game!design:!Mike!Pohjola! Translation:!Niina!Purhonen! Layout:!Irina!Raski!&!Teemu!Heikkinen! Illustrations:!Irina!Raski!&!Tapio!Mömmö! Original!idea:!JuhaBPekka!Natunen! ! ! ! ! This!live!action!role!play!was!supported!by!Europe!for!Citizens!Programme!of!the!European!Union.! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Copyright:!Rautjärvi!Municipality,!free!distribution.! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Rautjärvi*Municipality!Simpeleentie!12! 56800!Simpele,!Finland! Phone:!+358!40!581!8040!! ! Lappeenranta!University!of!Technology! Skinnarilankatu!34! 53850!Lappeenranta,!Finland! Phone:!+358!029!4462111!! ! Department!of!Estonian!and!Comparative!Folklore! Institute!for!Cultural!Research!and!Fine!Arts! University!of!Tartu! Ülikooli&16&! Tartu!51003,!Estonia!Phone:!+372!737!5304!! !
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TABLE!OF!CONTENTS! ! INSTRUCTIONS!FOR!THE!GAMEMASTER!...................................................................................!4! Timetable!...............................................................................................................................!4! PREPARATION!............................................................................................................................!5! Set!design!and!props!.............................................................................................................!5! Additional!props!....................................................................................................................!5! Preparation!lessons!...............................................................................................................!5! SELECTING!THE!FAMILIES!..........................................................................................................!6! SCENES!.......................................................................................................................................!7! Warm!Up!................................................................................................................................!7! Introduction!B!Family!.............................................................................................................!8! Scene!B!Going!to!War!.............................................................................................................!9! Scene!B!School!Lesson!..........................................................................................................!10! Scene!B!Body!in!the!Forest!...................................................................................................!11! Going!Through!the!Game!....................................................................................................!12! ! ! !
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INSTRUCTIONS!FOR!THE!GAMEMASTER! Homefront! is! a! live! action! roleBplaying! game! or! a! LARP! in! which! the! purpose! is! to! empathise!with!the!families!that!lived!during!the!Second!World!War.!This!way!one!can! learn!through!own!experience!what!it!feels!like!to!live!in!wartime.! Your! role! is! to! be! the! instructor! and! narrator! of! this! game.! In! addition,! you! will! be! playing!the!role!of!a!teacher!in!two!scenes.!Or!alternatively!you!can!give!the!role!of!the! historical!teacher!to!a!pupil!who!has!good!performing!abilities.! The!Homefront!is!divided!into!scenes!in!which!there!is!text!which!you!read!out!loud!on! the!left!column!and!instructions!written!in!italics!which!are!meant!just!for!you!on!the! right!column.! This!LARP!is!designed!to!be!used!especially!in!teaching!of!history!to!pupils!at!secondary! school,!but!it!can!also!be!used!in!other!environments.!(For!children!under!10!years!old! the!subject!matters!may!be!too!heavy.)!If!necessary,!you!can!modify!the!game!to!suit! your!purposes!and,!for!example,!to!highlight!the!events!of!your!own!region.!!
Timetable The! game! lasts! from! two! to! four! hours.! This! includes! the! preparation,! the! LARP! and! going! through! the! game! afterwards.! If! you! are! taking! more! time! to! teach! the! pupils! about!the!Second!World!War,!it!would!be!good!to!do!that!before!the!LARP!in!order!for! the!pupils!to!know!the!basics.!! In! the! introduction! you! will! describe! what! this! is! about! and! divide! the! players! into! families.!In!each!family,!there!is!a!certain!amount!of!roles,!e.g.!father,!mother!and!1!to!3! children.!This!type!of!family!would!require!3!to!5!players.!The!players!will!invent!a!name! for! their! family! and! their! character.! For! example,! the! family! of! Anttila,! in! which! is! included! the! father! Juho,! mother! Iida! and! children! Ensio! and! Helvi.! (If! necessary,! the! girls!can!play!the!roles!of!men!and!boys!can!play!the!roles!of!women,!it!is!not!significant! for!the!game!–!as!long!as!it!does!not!take!too!much!attention!from!the!actual!theme!of! the!game.)! The!more!there!are!children!in!the!families,!the!better.!If!this!means!that!there!are!less! families,! it! is! all! right.! Four! families! with! five! children! each! is! a! very! good! amount! of! families!for!this!game.!You!can!use!your!own!judgement!on!which!families!to!include!in! the!game.! After!you!have!chosen!the!families!and!the!names!are!invented,!it!is!time!to!start!the! actual! game.! It! is! composed! of! different! scenes! which! deal! with! the! life! of! school! children!during!the!war.!
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4!!
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PREPARATION! Before! starting! the! game,! you! should! go! through! this! document! and! read! the! descriptions!of!the!scenes!thoroughly.!(Reading!the!description!of!each!character!is!not! necessary,!they!are!quite!repetitive.)!If!you!want,!you!can!omit!some!things!or!make!up! new!things.!However,!it!is!good!to!maintain!the!basic!structure.!
Set design and props The!game!is!designed!to!be!played!in!the!classroom!where!there!are!chairs!and!tables.!If! you!play!somewhere!else,!make!sure!that!there!are!at!least!enough!chairs!for!everyone.!! In!addition,!print!the!material!beforehand!and!cut!out!the!hymns.!!The!material!consists! of!the!descriptions!of!the!families!and!characters,!of!which!you!need!at!least!one!print! of! each,! and! the! hymn! Jumala& ompi& linnamme! and! the! chapter! 164! of! the! book! Maamme-kirja!of!which!you!need!one!print!of!each!per!player.!! If!your!class!uses!technology,!you!do!not!need!to!print!everything!but!in!that!case!you! should!download!a!separate!character!file!which!is!designed!for!the!screen.!! You!are!larping!a!strict!teacher!from!the!1940s,!and!therefore!it!may!be!useful!to!have! proper! props! for! you! role,! such! as! glasses! and! a! pointing! stick.! If! you! want! to! put! in! effort,!a!whole!outfit!with!a!costume!and!a!wig!help!to!create!proper!atmosphere.!! If!there!is!a!trusted!pupil!with!good!performing!abilities!in!your!class,!you!can!also!give! the!teacher’s!role!to!that!pupil.!This!way!the!normal!dynamics!of!the!class!change!more! which!supports!the!roleBplaying!game.!
Additional props If!there!are!some!enthusiastic!pupils!interested!in!crafts!or!history!in!your!class,!you!can! advise!them!beforehand!to!prepare!for!the!LARP!by!getting!some!appropriate!costumes! or!props!for!their!characters.!Finding!out!what!are!the!appropriate!outfits!and!making! them! can! be! one! way! to! learn! history.! Or! everyone! can! bring! something! form! home,! such! as! a! vest,! a! bow,! a! fake! moustache! or! something! else! that! suits! their! character.! This!is!not!the!essential!for!the!LARP!but!it!is!a!good!way!to!expand!it!–!or!to!cooperate! within!the!school!with,!for!example,!arts!and!crafts.! It!can!also!be!interesting!to!decorate!the!classroom!together.!What!did!school!or!home! look! like! seventyBfive! years! ago?! What! kind! of! music! or! pictures! would! be! suitable! there?!
Preparation lessons If!you!tell!about!the!LARP!beforehand!and!even!assign!the!characters,!the!usual!history! lessons!about!early!1900’s!can!be!a!lot!more!interesting!for!the!pupils.!Now!it!is!about! matters!that!have!influenced!their!characters.!! You! can! talk! about,! for! example,! gender! roles,! the! status! of! religion,! the! role! of! the! family,!the!rise!of!fascism,!long!strikes!and!many!other!matters!which!have!now!become! quite!personal.!Who!was!the!president!when!your!character!was!born?!
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SELECTING!THE!FAMILIES! There! can! be! a! maximum! of! 30! players! in! the! game.! Everyone! has! their! character! description.!Some!players!play!the!role!of!the!same!child!character!for!the!entire!game.! Others!play!first!the!role!of!an!adult!and!then!the!role!of!a!child.! The!game!starts!with!four!families:!the!Crofter!family,!the!Conflicting!family,!the!Jewish! family!and!the!Romany!family.! Instruct! the! players! to! form! a! line! according! to! the! alphabetical! order! of! their! first! names.!First!Aino,!then!Ahti,!then!Anni!and!so!on.!! ! If!there!are!9!or!less!players,!they!all!form!the!Crofter!family.! ! If! there! are! 10! to! 13! players,! 5! of! them! form! the! Jewish! family! and! the! rest! form!the!Crofter!family.! ! If!there!are!14!to!17!players,!4!of!them!form!the!Jewish!family,!6!of!the!form! the!Conflicting!family!and!the!rest!form!the!Crofter!family.! ! If! there! are! 18! to! 25! players,! 4! of! them! form! the! Romany! family,! 4! of! them! form!the!Jewish!family,!6!of!them!form!the!Conflicting!family!and!the!rest!form! the!Crofter!family.! ! If!there!are!26!to!30!players,!9!of!them!form!the!Crofter!family,!5!of!them!form! the!Jewish!family,!8!of!them!form!the!Conflicting!family!and!the!rest!form!the! Romany!family.! ! You!can!also!pay!attention!to!your!pupils’!wishes!about!the!families!and!give!thought!to! what!is!interesting!in!your!area.!! The!game!is!based!on!the!material!collected!in!Finland!and!Estonia!but!it!can!be!played! anywhere!in!the!world.!The!religious,!ethnic!and!political!groups!are!obviously!different! and!therefore!you!can!freely!modify!the!families!accordingly.!! ! The!families:! The!Crofter!family,!4!to!9!players,!at!least!1!man!and!2!women! The!Jewish!family,!3!to!5!players,!at!least!1!man!and!1!woman! The!Conflicting!family,!6!to!8!players,!at!least!2!men!and!2!women! The!Romany!family,!4!to!8!players,!at!least!1!man!and!2!women! ! Later!we!will!get!to!know!the!children!of!these!families:! The!Educated!family! The!Murky!family! The!Poor!family! The!Priest’s!family!
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SCENES! The!game!includes!six!scenes:!Warm!up,!Introduction,!Going!to!War,!School!Lesson,!! Body!in!the!Forest!and!Going!Through!the!Game.! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Warm Up
Today!we!will!play!a!LARP,!that!is!a!live!action!roleBplaying!game.!The!idea!of! the! LARP! is! to! take! the! role! of! someone! else! and! try! to! make! up! new! scenarios!together.!These!scenarios!are!not!scripted!and!there!is!no!way!you! can! fail! in! this.! Even! though! this! is! a! roleBplaying! game,! you! cannot! win! or! lose.!The!purpose!of!this!is!to!imagine!what!it!would!be!like!to!live!in!another! time!as!another!person.! First,!let’s!practise!a!little!taking!up!the!roles!and!setting!up!the!situation.!In! this!exercise,!you!have!to!be!as!irritating!as!possible.!These!two!chairs!are!the! seats!of!a!bus.!On!the!other!seat,!there!is!an!ordinary!passenger,!and!then!a! really! irritating! travelling! companion! will! sit! next! to! that! person.! When! the! first! passenger! cannot! bear! the! situation! anymore,! the! first! passenger! will! leave.!Then!the!irritating!person!will!turn!into!an!ordinary!passenger!and!will! get!a!new!irritating!travelling!companion.!! Form! a! semicircle! around! the! chairs! in! order! for! everyone! to! see! them.!! !Go!ahead.! Now!you,!the!irritating!passenger,!have!to!think!about!ways!to!be!irritating.! You!can,!for!example,!belch!or!ask!to!borrow!money.! Keep!annoying!your!fellow!passenger!until!he!cannot!take!it!anymore!and!will! leave.!Go!ahead.!
NEEDED&PROPS:&Two&chairs&in&front&of& the&classroom.& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & Then&the&first&person&in&the&semicircle& will&be&the&first&passenger&and&the& second&person&will&be&the& troublemaker.& & & & & After&the&first&passenger&has&left,&the& person&who&was&the&irritating& passenger&will&change&the&seat&and&will& be&joined&by&a&new&unpleasant& companion,&that&is&the&person&who& was&third&in&the&semicircle.&This&will& continue&until&everyone&has&done&it&at& least&once.&
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Introduction - Family In! this! LARP! you! will! play! the! roles! of! Finnish! men,! women! and! children! during!the!Second!World!War.!During!the!game,!each!of!you!has!their!own! character! with! whom! to! empathise! with.! Some! of! you! may! even! have! two! characters.! You! will! speak! as! your! character! and! treat! each! other! as! characters.!First!you!will!be!divided!into!families.!Form!a!line!according!to!the! alphabetical!order!of!your!first!names.! Read!the!description!of!your!family!and!choose!your!roles!inside!your!family.! Someone! is! the! father,! someone! is! the! mother,! grandmother! or! the! child.! The!players!who!will!take!the!roles!of!children!now,!will!be!playing!the!same! role! for! the! entire! LARP.! But! players! playing! the! adults! and! the! oldest! sons! going!to!war!will!get!a!new!child!character!to!play!in!the!upcoming!scenes.! Invent!a!name!for!your!family.!The!name!needs!to!be!believable,!for!example,! Salonen!or!Koskela.!Not,!for!example,!Pikachu.!You!can!think!about!it!for!few! minutes.!!Go!ahead.! The!mother!of!the!family!can!now!introduce!her!family!to!the!other!players.! Tell!the!name!of!the!family!and!what!kind!of!family!it!is.!For!example,!we!are! the!family!Leppänen!and!we!are!a!poor!family.!!Go!ahead.!
NEEDED&PROPS:&Printed&descriptions& of&the&families&and&characters.&The& description&of&each&character&is&on&a& separate&page.& & Read&the&text&on&the&left&column&out& loud.& & Divide&the&players&into&1&to&4&families.& See&more&detailed&instructions&from& Selecting&the&Families.&Advise&the& players&to&join&their&families&and&give& them&their&family&description&and&the& descriptions&of&the&characters&included& in&the&family.& & & Give&the&players&2&to&3&minutes&to& invent&a&name&for&their&families.& & & & This&can&take&5&minutes.&During&this,& there&may&be&heckling&and&laughter.&It& is&all&right&for&now.&
& Next!choose!believable!names!for!all!the!family!members.!The!names!need!to! be!believable.!For!example,!Voitto!or!Aliisa.!Not,!for!example,!Hermione.!You! can!think!about!it!for!a!few!minutes.!!Go!ahead.! Introduce! yourselves! to! your! own! family.! For! example,! I! am! Iida! and! I! am! quite!an!unruly!child.!!!Go!ahead.!! Now! you! have! created! your! own! characters! and! families.! The! roleBplaying! game! can! now! begin.! I! will! describe! the! scenes,! and! you! will! decide! what! your!character!will!do!in!the!scenes.!In!your!character!descriptions,!there!are! some!goals!for!the!character!in!the!individual!scenes.! Let’s!move!along!to!the!first!scene.!
& Give&the&players&3&minutes&to&choose& their&names.& & & This&can,&again,&take&about&5&minutes.& & &
& & & & & & Go&to&the&scene&Going&to&War.&
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Scene - Going to War Now!we!will!play!the!scene!that!is!about!going!to!war.!The!scene!starts!with!a! conversation! about! the! war! and! is! culminated! when! some! of! the! family! members! receive! a! letter! where! they! are! summoned! to! duty.! Read! your! character!descriptions!to!find!out!what!they!want!to!do!in!this!scene.! First,!decide!with!your!families!what!kind!of!home!you!are!living!in!and!what! you!do!in!there!in!the!evenings!during!the!week.!Remind!each!other!of!your! characters’!names.!!Go!ahead.!! It! is! an! evening! in! autumn! and! it! is! already! dark! outside.! You! are! with! your! family! at! home! listening! the! news! from! the! radio.! The! war! in! Europe! has! started.!Nazi!Germany!has!occupied!the!west!of!Poland!and!the!communistic! Soviet!Union!has!occupied!the!east!of!Poland.!France!and!Great!Britain!have! declared!a!war!on!Germany.!Still,!Germany!has!been!able!to!occupy!Denmark! and! Norway! without! resistance.! Germany! has! formed! an! alliance! with! Italy! and! several! countries! of! Eastern! Europe.! Finland! is! fortunately! still! a! safe! place! and! the! warmth! of! a! home! makes! you! feel! secure.! The! children! ask! from!their!parents!about!the!war.!!Go!ahead.! Then!it!is!said!on!the!radio!that!the!Soviet!Union!has!attacked!Finland.!At!that! very!moment!there!is!a!knock!on!the!door!and!the!postman!delivers!a!letter! to!the!family.!It!is!informed!in!the!letter!that!Finland!in!mobilised!and!all!men! fit! for! battle! are! summoned! to! duty.! The! war! is! here.! Fathers! and! older! brothers!have!to!tell!their!families!that!they!are!going!to!war.!!Go!ahead.!! In!the!end,!the!men!going!to!war!leave!their!families!behind.!You!can!move! over!here.!!Go!ahead.! Fathers,!husbands,!sons!and!brothers!are!going!to!war.!Some!are!frightened,! some!are!excited!about!the!adventure.!They!all!receive!a!uniform!and!a!rifle,! and! they! are! transported! with! lorries! to! the! border! of! Finland! and! Soviet! Union.!! At!home,!the!first!days!feel!empty.!Who!will!do!the!father’s!tasks?!Who!will! shovel! the! snow?! Who! will! fix! the! radio?! Who! will! fell! the! Christmas! tree?! The!older!children!will!have!to!fill!the!void!father!has!left!behind.! Every! day! people! at! home! listen! to! the! radio! to! receive! news! from! the! battlefront! but! letters! come! only! rarely.! They! are! constantly! worried! about! their! loved! ones.! Now! they! will! write! a! letter! where! they! can! express! what! they!are!really!thinking.!Everyone!can!think!of!something!for!the!letter!about! what! has! happened! at! home,! what! the! war! feels! like! at! home! and! other! things! they! want! to! say.! The! letter! begins! with! “Christmas! greetings! from! home”.! At!the!same!time!in!the!battlefront,!men,!who!have!seen!death!up!close,!are! writing! home.! The! letter! begins! with! “Christmas! greetings! from! the! battlefront”.!!Go!ahead.! Children!are!growing!without!their!fathers.!Women!are!getting!used!to!living! without!their!husbands.!For!some!of!the!soldiers,!it!takes!years!before!they! see!their!families!again.!Some!will!never!return.!
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TARVITTAVA&REKVISIITTA:&& Kaikille&kyniä&ja&paperia.& & & & & & & Give&them&3&minutes&for&this.& & & & & This&scene&will&be&played&for&about&5& minutes.&The&beginning&can&be&clumsy& since&the&players&are&only&just&learning& about&role-playing.&Go&to&each&of&the& families&to&make&sure&that&the&players& have&understood&the&idea&–&that&they& are&playing&their&characters&and& treating&each&other&as&characters.& & & & This&is&the&high&point&of&this&scene.&Let& the&players&play&this&for&a&long&time,&10& to&15&minutes.& & & & Instruct&the&players&going&to&war&to& come&to&a&specific&place&in&the& classroom.& & & & & & & & & & & & You&can&use&5&to&10&minutes&for&the& writing&of&the&letters.&After&this&one&of& the&children&can&take&the&letters&to&the& soldier&of&their&family&and&bring&his& letter&as&return&mail.&Then&the&soldiers’& letters&are&read&at&home&and&the& families’&letters&are&read&at&the& battlefront.& & & & & & & & Scene&ends&here.&
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Scene - School Lesson Next!we!will!play!a!scene!from!school.!The!children!from!the!families!of!the! previous!scene!are!all!on!the!same!class!even!though!their!ages!may!differ.!I! will!play!the!role!of!a!teacher.!The!players!who!were!adults!in!the!families!of! the!previous!scene!are!now!other!children!of!the!class.!Make!sure!that!you! have!a!name.! In! the! beginning! of! the! day,! the! children! come! to! the! classroom! and! the! teacher!says!“Good!morning”.!The!children!shout!out!the!answer.!Then!the! teacher!checks!everyone’s!nails!and!they!sing!the!hymn.!!Go!ahead.! – "!Good morning, children!" – "!I said: good morning, children!" – "!Let’s have our daily roll call. Let’s start from this end. No, not like that. Get up and say your name. Sit down. You next." – "!Let’s check the nails. You, hands on the table. Why haven’t you washed your hands? School is not a hayfield!" – "One who does not clean their nails, hate their health. One who hates their health, hates their country. And traitors of our country are not tolerated in this class. If your nails are not clean tomorrow, you will be beaten with a stick!"
The!class!sings!the!hymn!together.!Even!the!children!whose!families!are!not! Christian!sing!along!–!or!they!will!cry!and!sing.!!Go!ahead.! – "!Attention, class! Today for our morning assembly, we will sing the hymn number 170. And remember to sing along loudly."
Then! a! history! lesson! will! begin.! The! class! reads! out! loud! from! the! book! “MaammeBkirja”! about! Finland! during! the! Great! Northern! War.! Each! of! the! pupils! reads! a! sentence! out! loud! on! their! turn! and! then! the! next! pupil! continues.!!Go!ahead.! – "!Put away the hymns, class! Take out Maamme-kirja and turn to the chapter 164" – "!The great Sakari Topelius has told us the whole history of Finland and today we will learn about the Great Northern War when Finland once again had to suffer from the oppression of our old enemy."
Every!time!a!paragraph!has!been!read,!it!will!be!discussed!in!the!class.! – "Stop reading! What can we learn from this paragraph?” – “You! What is the relationship of Russia and Finland?” – “Get up and start your answer with “Sir / Ma’am!” – “You! Was the Finnish nation destroyed in the Great Northern War?” – “All right, let’s continue reading."
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NEEDED&PROPS:&Copies&of&the&hymn& Jumala&ompi&linnamme&and&the& chapter&164&of&the&book&Maammekirja.&Enough&copies&for&everyone.& & The&players&who&take&new&roles&as& children&will&now&receive&a&new& character&description.&You&have&used& some&of&the&families,&therefore,&the& new&children&will&be&from&the&families& that&you&have&not&used&yet.&If&no&one& has&been&a&child&from&the&Crofter& family,&then&five&of&the&adults&of&the& previous&scene&are&now&the&children&of& a&crofter.&The&change&from&mothers,& fathers&and&grandmothers&to&pupils& may&take&a&while.&It&is&fine.& & You&play&the&role&of&the&teacher.&The& teacher&needs&to&develop&a&strong& authority&by&being&very&strict&and& giving&punishments&from&even&small& slip-ups.&A&tie&for&a&man&and&a&tight& bun&for&a&woman&can&be&a&good&look.& You&can&also&talk&in&a&louder&and&more& commanding&voice&than&usual.&As&the& roll&call,&every&child&will&say&their&name& and&age.&This&will&also&work&as&an& introduction.&& –&Here&are&some&lines&that&you&can& use.& & & & Hand&out&the&copies&of&the&hymn& Jumala&ompi&linnamme.&
& & Hand&out&the&copies&of&the&chapter& from&the&book&Maamme-kirja.&
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Scene - Body in the Forest
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Children!find!a!body!in!the!forest.!It!seems!to!be!a!soldier!of!their!homeland.! What!will!they!do?!Then!a!teacher,!who!is!picking!berries,!happens!to!come! by.! You,! children,! are! playing! in! the! forest.! You! are! eating! ripe! berries! or! throwing! each! other! with! pine! cones.! A! year! or! two! ago,! there! has! been! battles! in! this! forest! and! there! are! trenches! or! cartridge! cases! from! rifles! here!and!there.! School!lasts!the!whole!day!from!Monday!to!Friday!but!on!Saturdays!it!ends!at! noon.!And!Sunday!is!a!holy!day!on!which!you!cannot!run!wild.!But!now!it!is!a! sunny!Saturday!afternoon,!so!it!is!the!best!time!to!take!time!for!playing.!But! what!would!you!play?!Everyone!has!their!own!opinion.!!Go!ahead.!! When! you! start! to! play,! you! find! the! dead! soldier! on! the! ground.! Animals! have!eaten!the!meat!from!the!bones!and!the!body!does!not!smell!much.!His! uniform!is!covered!in!blood!and!leaves!but!the!deceased!seems!to!have!been! in!the!Finnish!army.!On!the!radio!these!dead!soldiers!are!called!heroes.!What! should!be!done!with!this!skeleton?!!Go!ahead.! The! teacher! is! in! the! forest! picking! berries.! He! approaches! the! children.! Children!are!trying!to!hide!the!body.!Or!are!they?!The!teacher!wants!to!know! what!the!children!are!doing.!!Go!ahead.! – "!Well, children, are you taking a trip in the forest? Great! A healthy soul in a healthy body!" – "!What are you hiding there? You have not found a land mine, have you?" – "!All right, show it to me now! You there! Tell me at once what is going on."
11! !
If&there&are&more&than&12&child& characters,&they&will&be&divided&into& two&groups&which&are&approximately& the&same&size:&the&older&children&in&the& other&group&and&the&younger&children& in&the&other.& & & & & & This&conversation&goes&on&for&5&to&10& minutes.&The&idea&is&to&stop&when&the& children&have&decided&what&to&play.& & & & The&children&get&to&decide&what&to&do& with&the&soldier.&This&can&take&10&to&15& minutes.&After&the&conversation,&the& teacher&arrives.& & & You&play&the&role&of&the&teacher&again.& The&scene&starts&when&you&arrive.&The& point&of&this&is&to&see&what&the&children& do&with&the&body.&Do&they&tell&the& teacher?&This&is&the&high&point&and&it& lasts&3&to&5&minutes.& & &
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Going Through the Game In&an&educative&LARP,&the&learning&happens&when&you&go& through&the&game.&You&can&do&this&according&to&these& instructions&or&you&can&use&your&own&methods&but&it&is& important&to&include&this&in&the&LARP.& & & & &
! The! game! ends! now.! You! can! go! back! to! being! yourselves.!! !Go!ahead.! ! Now,!I!want!everyone!to!say!their!real!name!and!the!name!of! their! character! or! characters.! Next,! use! one! sentence! to! tell! something! about! the! experience.! For! example:! “My! name! is! Kasper!and!I!played!the!role!of!Juho,!the!crofter’s!son.!School! was!really!dull!in!the!past,!it!was!nothing!like!nowadays."! ! What!do!you!think!happened!to!your!character!during!the!war?! Did!someone!die?!Did!someone!get!driven!out!of!their!home?! Did!someone!go!to!prison?! ! What!did!we!learn!from!this?!Were!you!able!to!empathise!with! the!people!who!lived!in!wartime?! ! How! old! would! these! children! or! young! people! who! lived! during!wartime!be!now?!! Are!there!any!people!this!age!in!your!families?! ! at!was!it!like!to!grow!up!during!wartime?!Was!it!different!than! growing!up!nowadays?!
& & & & & & & & & & & There&may&be&a&moment&of&restlessness,&people&going& to&the&bathroom&and&laughing.&Give&a&maximum&of&& 5&minutes&for&this.& & & This&is&an&important&stage&when&moving&from&the&LARP& to&the&usual&teaching.& & & & & & This&is&where&the&actual&learning&begins.&You&can&also& give&them&a&writing&assignment&where&the&pupils&tell& about&the&later&life&of&their&characters.& & & Some&conversation,&try&to&get&the&quiet&ones&to& answer&as&well.&It&is&quite&fine&to&say&that&they&did&not& like&the&experience&or&were&not&able&to&get&into&their& characters.& & & The&purpose&is&to&connect&this&experience&to&the& stories&of&everyone’s&own&family.&The&best&scenario& would&be&to&hear&personal&stories&about&the&pupils’& grandparents&or&great-grandparents.& & & This&is&perhaps&the&most&central&educative&question.& This&can&also&be&carried&through&by&asking&the&pupils&to& write&a&short&essay&about&the&life&of&their&character.&
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! Thank!you!so!much!of!this!LARP!!
This&is&the&end&of&the&LARP.
12! !