The Worst Witch in the World
Folklore Table of Contents
The fairy tale is based on the eastern European Baba and a Boba in Lithuania where this particular witch originated. The crone later found her way into Russia as Baba Yaga where her tales entertained vitually every child. The Baba is the old woman of autumn who was a divinity found in the last grain to be harvested in any year. Baba was the goddess of birth and death. Her early legends are serious with hidden inuindo that speaks to goddess worship.
The links which I have included are suitable for children and the beautiful art work from Sunbird will entertain even the most sophisticated artist or story illustrator. Several of the tales are quite long which provide a great opportunity for the teacher or parent to stop and let the child draw pictures as the story progresses.
There are many Baba Yaga tales and countless versions of each of those but all provide ample ideas for social studies and art units. Making the hag's cottage out of art and craft popsicle sticks is fun and lends itself well for teachers who write lesson plans using behavioral objectives.
I have just completed a papier mache representation of the Baba Yaga sitting in her mortar. Instead of painting her with red and green, I used the traditional orange and black for October.
And what a wonderful way to play with language arts by rewriting the stories and adding one's own dialogue and illustrations. Make a spelling list from one of the stories and use the words for dictionary study.
Culminate the unit by making costumes and performing a Baba Yaga skit for the student body, PTA or parents' night. Display art work and crafts on tables in the hall. What a wonderful way to bring Russian culture into the lives of others.
She is a hideous old crone that has tusks for teeth and when she is hungry she gnaws through a tree trunk. Her skin is greenish, her clothes and hair are bright red. She flies through the air not on a broom but rather in a magic mortar, the pestle her oar. She sweeps away her wake with a broom as she sings in a a raspy voice:
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