Kohl’s Wild Theater Teacher Packet

The Chronicles of Detective Appletree

Photos by ZSM/Richard Brodzeller

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Table of Contents

What is Kohl’s Wild Theater? ............................................................. 1

General Overview of The Chronicles of Detective Appletree ................ 2

Animal Information ............................................................................ 4

Discussion Questions and Activities .................................................... 6

About the Artists ................................................................................ 7

What is Kohl’s Wild Theater?

Kohl’s Wild Theater (KWT) is made possible by a partnership among Kohl's Cares, the

Milwaukee County Zoo, and the Zoological Society of Milwaukee. This program provides

conservation-themed theater performances using drama, songs, and puppetry to children and

their families both at the Milwaukee County Zoo and within our community. Since 2011, Kohl’s

Cares has committed $2.5 million to bring these performances to area schools.

The KWT outreach program, a division of the Zoological Society’s Conservation Education

Department, offers 4 different shows about a variety of topics. Our plays and musicals are

approximately 30-45 minutes long, performed by professional actors, and include stories about

animals and environmental conservation. KWT performances are very similar to attending a play

at a traditional theater, but there will be many times when the audience can be a part of the show

through group participation. There will not be time during the performance for the actors to go

over curriculum or to review information. After the performance, if time permits, the actors will

take a few minutes to answer questions from the audience. Please note, there are no live

animals in KWT shows.

Most of our performances are developed for an elementary school audience. Elements of our

shows are entertaining for adults and younger children, but the educational information presented

is targeted for grades 1-5.

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The Chronicles of Detective Appletree

Summary

This 40-minute performance includes two 15-minute plays about animals found right here in

Wisconsin. The first play, The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Bees, follows detective Jo

Appletree as s/he helps a honey bee in search of her missing colony. Appletree travels around

Milwaukee and gets some help from B-Fly the butterfly (probably the coolest butterfly you will

ever meet), a queen bee, and an entomologist. Audiences learn about the real-life mystery of

disappearing bees (colony collapse disorder) and what they can do to help these important

pollinators in their own neighborhood.

There is a brief intermission where two actors share the story of “The Trashmonster.” This seven

minute skit emphasizes the importance of throwing trash away and recycling.

In the second play, Detective Appletree returns for The Strange Case of the Alien Invasion. This

time Jo is on the search for alien invaders in Wisconsin lakes and forests. Along the way s/he

meets native species such as a salamander and gar. The animals show that the aliens are invasive

species and kids can help native animals by stopping the invasive species from moving around.

Target Age Range

Most appropriate for grades 1-5 and families with children of all ages.

Theater Etiquette

Before the performance, please take a moment to review good theater etiquette with your

students. It is important that students are respectful to the actors during the show. It is a good

idea to remind students not to talk during the performance, but encourage them to participate

when directed to do so by the actors.

Educational Concepts

Bees and Butterflies:

- Bees and butterflies are important pollinators and can be found in Wisconsin.

- Pollination is the process of transferring pollen from one plant to another. This process

gives plants the ability to reproduce.

- Bees are exceptionally good pollinators because their bodies make contact with a flower

when they walk across it. A lot of pollen can attach to a bee’s body as it travels from

flower to flower. Bees also collect excess pollen to store in their hive during the winter.

- Honey bee hives include a queen bee. The queen lays all of the eggs for a hive. The

queen mates with male "drone" bees and the hive is constructed and maintained by

female "worker" bees. If a bee colony is failing or “collapsing” (see below for

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information on colony collapse disorder) beekeepers often find only a queen bee left

behind and uncared for. - An entomologist is a scientist that studies insects. In 2006, entomologists began to notice

a phenomenon called “colony collapse disorder” (CCD). CCD is defined by the sudden

disappearance of all bees from a hive. Entomologists and other scientists are still unsure

of the exact cause of CCD. Likely contributors include the use of pesticides, the transfer

of diseases between bees, and their lack of access to native plants and flowers.

- Children can help bees from home by planting many different types of flowers in their

backyard or neighborhood. The best plants for local bees are species native to Wisconsin,

such as goldenrods, milkweeds, and sunflowers. For a more comprehensive list, see

www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/xerces_bee_plants_upper_midwest.pdf.

Invasive Species:

- Invasive species are non-native animals that often transform and damage natural habitats.

- Zebra mussels are invasive species found in Wisconsin’s lakes. They are damaging

because they eat up many of the lake’s nutrients. They have no natural predators so they

multiply quickly, leaving far fewer nutrients for other animals.

- One way to stop the spread of zebra mussels is to clean your boat, boat trailer, and fishing

gear when you are done fishing. That way zebra mussels won’t be moved from lake to

lake.

- Earthworms are invasive species found in Wisconsin’s forests. Worms are good for

gardens (where they loosen and help to aerate soils), but bad for forests. In forests the

worms devour the duff layer on the forest floor. Duff is comprised of old leaves and

other decaying organic matter. The duff is very important for providing conditions in

which tree seedlings can germinate and grow. When worms eat the duff, new trees can’t

grow. The duff layer also is home to many insects and other organisms that serve as

food for forest animals.

- One way to stop the spread of earth worms is to throw bait worms away in the trash when

you are done fishing. They will then go to a landfill where they can do little harm. Or,

bait worms can be placed in a garden or farm where they can be productive.

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Featured Animals

Bees (Apinae):

- There are over 20,000 species of known

bees across the globe and they can be found

on every continent except Antarctica. - The common honey bee (Apis mellifera) is a

European species that was brought to

North America by European settlers.

Many honey bees are now moved around the country by commercial beekeepers that rent

bee hives to farmers to assist in crop pollination. - Honey bees live in colonies. A colony of bees consists of a queen bee, worker bees

(female) and drones (male). When a hive becomes too crowded, the queen will leave the

hive with some of the other bees to create a new colony. Others will stay behind and a

new queen will be instated. Most honey bees in a colony will hibernate during the winter. - Bumble bees are different from honey bees. Bumble bees store pollen, but not as much as

honey bees. Bumble bees are larger than honey bees and are particularly good at

pollinating crops because of “buzz pollination.” - Buzz pollination occurs when a bumble bee attaches its jaws to a flower and vibrates its

wings. This action is an effective way to release pollen from many different kinds of

plants.

Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus):

- Monarch butterflies are one of the most recognizable butterflies in North

America, but they can also be found around the globe.

- There are about 17,500 different species of butterflies found across the

world. Butterflies can be found on every continent except Antarctica.

- Many butterflies survive by drinking nectar from flowers. Butterflies

pollinate flowers, plants, and crops as they fly from one flower to another.

Eastern Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum):

- One of the largest terrestrial salamanders in the world. The

largest recorded eastern tiger salamander was 13 inches

long. - The eastern tiger salamander is an amphibian. It starts its

life under water, but as it matures it leaves the water and

lives underground. - Eastern tiger salamanders can be found throughout the

Honey bee (left) and bumble bee (right).

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eastern seaboard and the Midwest, including right here in

Wisconsin!

Long-nose and Short-nose Gar (Lepisosteidae):

- Gars are fish with long snouts and sharp teeth that can grow

to be almost 10 feet and 300 lbs.

- Gars can be found all across the midwestern, eastern, and

southern regions of the U.S.

- Looking at a gar is like looking into the past. Gars have

been around for about 100 million years and have gone mostly unchanged.

Zebra Mussels (Dreissena polymorpha):

- A small bottom-dwelling clam that is native to Eastern Europe.

- Zebra mussels were introduced to the Great Lakes in the mid-1980s and

have quickly spread through the United States.

- Zebra mussels are considered invasive species. They hurt US lakes by

devouring most of the small plankton that other animals need to eat.

They also cause damage by clogging water pipes and boat engines.

Earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris):

- The earthworm is an invertebrate that is native to Europe but is now

abundant in North America.

- Earthworms are beneficial to gardens because they loosen the soil

and move nutrients around.

- However, earthworms are not good for forests because they disrupt

the soil structure that trees need to grow.

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Post-Performance Discussion Questions: 1) In The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Bees, detective Appletree was trying to figure

out why the bees were disappearing. What would the world be like if there were no bees?

Would our lifestyle have to change? What would we need to do differently if we didn’t

have bees to help us?

2) Even though we see Wisconsin every day, it is actually a very unique and special place

filled with exciting animals and plants. What is your favorite Wisconsin animal? What do

you think you can do at home to protect that animal in the wild?

3) When you see trash outside, how does it make you feel? Whose responsibility is it to pick

the trash up?

Activities:

1) Design a garden. Each student can go home and look for a location in their backyard or

neighborhood where they could plant a garden (this could include a windowsill garden).

Research which native flowers could be planted and what they would need to survive. If

you take a trip to the Milwaukee County Zoo then you could get some tips by visiting our

butterfly gardens found in the farm area. Or try this link from the UW-Extension master

gardening program: http://milwaukee.uwex.edu/files/2010/05/BflyHabGardng05091.pdf

2) Organize a park clean-up day. If a local park isn’t accessible to the class, you can also clean

up a playground or other outdoor area.

3) Take a trip to a natural area with a hiking trail. While walking the path, take a close look at

the plants and animals around you. If you find one that is particularly fascinating, see if

you can draw a picture of it.

4) Research a conservation organization that works to protect local animals and habitats. See

list below for some suggestions.

Suggested conservation organizations that help protect Wisconsin’s animals

and habitats:

- Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation: www.xerces.org

- The Wisconsin Master Gardener Program: http://wimastergardener.org/

- Milwaukee Riverkeeper: www.mkeriverkeeper.org

- Savanna Oak Foundation: http://oaksavannas.org/

- Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin: http://www.wisconservation.org/

- The Zoological Society of Milwaukee: www.zoosociety.org/conservation

For more information on Kohl’s Wild Theater, you can see our

website at wildtheater.org or email us at kwt@zoosociety.org.

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About the Artists

MELANIE WEHRMACHER (Playwright) has written a significant body of work for museum

theatre as a writer for the Science Museum of Minnesota, the Central Park and Bronx Zoos, and

the NY Hall of Science. Other writing credits include Reminiscences (Jackson Rep), The Mail

Play (Looking Glass), The New York Times (Baobab Groove), Experiment (Secret Theatre), and

her solo shows Trip (Provincetown Playhouse), and Hotdish with a Hot Dish (Creative Center.)

Awards include the Jig Cook Playwriting Award, Sam French Festival semi-finalist, a Field

Work residency, and Best New Play (KC/ACTF). Ms. Wehrmacher is a member of the

Dramatists Guild of America.

JOHN TANNER (Sound Designer) is one of the principals of Tanner-Monagle, with years of

experience in scoring, arranging and music composition for television, radio, industrial video and

theatre. His commercial music has won numerous awards, including Golden Reel Awards; Telly

Awards; national, regional and local American Advertising Federation “Addys.” He has written

original scores and designed sound for theatrical productions at the Milwaukee Repertory

Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, American Player’s Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park,

Oregon Shakespeare Festival, First Stage Milwaukee and many others.

DAVE MCLELLAN (Director) joined the Zoological Society in 2010 to begin development of

Kohl’s Wild Theater. Since that time, Dave has directed 13 original plays and musicals for the

Zoo, as well as many short skits and exhibit interactions. Prior to moving to Milwaukee, Dave

spent a year working as a conservation educator for the Walt Disney Company in Orlando, FL.

Before moving to FL, he was a company member and assistant director with the Wildlife

Theater, performing regularly at the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo and Queens Zoo in NYC.

Other selected theater credits include the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Ford’s

Theater, Round House Theater, Imagination Stage, Surflight Theater, Capital Repertory Theatre,

Cape Rep Theatre, and Universal Studios Florida. Dave now resides in Wauwatosa with his wife,

Mary, and two children, Angela and Johnny.

STEVE BARNES (Set/Props Designer) is a Racine-based set designer who has designed for

the Milwaukee Rep, First Stage Children’s Theatre, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Renaissance

Theatreworks, In Tandem Theatre, as well as Lawrence University and the Racine Theatre Guild.

Steve holds an MFA in Scenic Design from Purdue University.

ANDREA BOUCK (Costume Designer) is a MFA graduate in costume design from the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She now works the Crafts Master for the Milwaukee

Repertory Theater in addition to designing costumes for other area theaters.

THE ACTORS - KWT employs numerous professional actors that perform many different roles

in our various shows. Casting changes with each performance, but if you want to learn more about

each individual actor you can see their bios at http://www.wildtheater.org.