Wardrobe opens world of wonder and wickedness

Your son can't wait till morning to unwrap his big birthday present. After everyone is asleep, he sneaks downstairs and rips open a new remote control truck. Unable to resist the urge to test-drive it, he accidentally rams it into your favorite flowerpot. He tries to rewrap the truck, hoping you won't notice the torn paper or your broken pot.

It's tough to resist temptation, as illustrated in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The movie, released on home video April 4, offers a great opportunity to talk about self-discipline. Then play our game, “Which Witch,” to bring the big-screen lesson to life!

Based on the classic novel by C. S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia features four siblings who are sent to an eccentric professor's mansion for protection during World War II. During a game of hide-and-seek, the youngest, Lucy (Georgie Henley), takes refuge in a wardrobe, in which she discovers a magic entryway into the snowy kingdom of Narnia.

After finally convincing her siblings that the wardrobe is magical, Lucy and the children enter Narnia. They learn that the White Witch (Tilda Swinton) has cursed Narnia with eternal winter, and no Christmas. The White Witch lures the youngest brother—selfish and angry Edmund (Skandar Keynes)—to her castle with empty promises of becoming king.

Desperate to save their brother—and Narnia—the kids must defeat the Witch by j oining forces with Aslan, the powerful lion (voice of Liam Neeson). Can the powers of good defeat the White Witch's evil?

Talk Together

Why do you think the White Witch's promises were so appealing to Edmund, even though everyone else thought she was evil? Why couldn't Edmund resist the White Witch's temptations? How did his choices affect the fate of Narnia—from his siblings to Aslan?

Everyone makes bad decisions once in a while. Take turns sharing a time you wish you'd had more self-discipline to resist the urge to do something you shouldn't have done. How did your decisions affect other people? Brainstorm ways you can stay strong when your willpower is weak.

Play Together: Which Witch

Hats off to honesty in this game about self-control!

You will need:

• Two ice cream sugar cones per person
• Two large cookies per person
• White frosting
• Green and pink cake-decorating sprinkles
• 12 small slips of paper
• Pencil

To assemble the witch hats, frost the rim of each cone and stick it on a cookie. Next, frost a small lightning rod on each cone. Separate the cones into two groups. Sprinkle the lightning rods of the first group with green decorating sprinkles. Sprinkle the other group with pink.

The object of “Which Witch” is to predict whether you would be able to resist temptations—both silly and serious. On each small slip of paper, write a challenge that would test your self-discipline. Ideas include:
 

· Sneak a peek at a friend's math test to see if you got the same answer.
· Read your sister's diary.
· Sneak into a movie without paying.

• Fold the papers and put them in the center of the table. Sit around the table, with each player hiding one cone of each color carefully in his lap.

The first player selects a paper and reads the tempting situation out loud. Then everyone must secretly choose “Which Witch”—the green hat, which means you think you could resist, or the pink hat, which means you think you could not resist. On the count of three, everyone places his chosen cone on the table. See how your different answers stack up.

Take turns reading the tempting situations, using the game to spark fun and interesting conversations. Planning some strategies before you actually encounter difficult situations may help you keep temptation under your hat!

copyright © 2006 Cinematters