• You might like to prompt a teacher in advance to take the part of the dragon.

1. Ask the children if they know who the patron (special) saint of England is. What do we associate with St George? The flag - a red cross on white background, e.g. as seen on football supporters' faces. Some may know about the dragon.
   
   Point out that the story we tell of St George and the dragon seems like a fairy tale - we don't know much about the real St George, but his story is fun and has a serious message for us all.
   
   
2. St George was a soldier. He lived in Palestine at the beginning of the fourth century - that's the end of the Roman era. So he wouldn't have worn armour, as we often see him pictured.
   
   
3. Act out the story using volunteers: pick a child to be George. Start by seeking someone of that name (or Georgina) - there may be several in your assembled group.
   
   Ask George to come up, and go walking around the hall with you. George would have traditionally travelled around, as he was a knight; knights went round helping people they came across who needed their assistance.
   
   For older children you might say that he was an original 'freelance'.
   
   
4. In one corner of the hall you need a princess, tied to a tree. Pick your princess, and pretend to tie her up. Her mother and father (more volunteers from the children) are saying goodbye to her, and they're very upset.
   
   
5. Get George to ask what's going on. Prompt the family to reply that they are leaving her to be eaten by a dragon for breakfast! Explain that this is the pay-off for the town, which is being terrorized by the dragon. Each day, a new victim is left, and in return the dragon leaves the town alone. The princess is the victim for today.
   
   Ask the children, what they would do if they were George? Hopefully, they would fight and kill the dragon.
   
   
6. Carefully choose a dragon - this could be a good part for a teacher! The dragon flies in, to eat the princess - but George fights the dragon, and kills it. If you need to control the 'fight' ask the actors to do it in slow motion with you directing the moves.
   
   The dragon dies (a good dramatic death from your dragon). George marries the princess, and the town celebrates his bravery.
   
   
7. Say that on 23 April we celebrate St George, and his bravery. Ask if any children have ever seen a dragon. Be prepared for Komodo dragons and large lizards and film special effects - but real, flying, fire-breathing dragons?
   
   We don't have dragons today, but we do have things that really scare us, just like the dragon in St George's time terrified the villages.
   

Dear God,
Help me to face my dragons,
the things that I find really scary.
You are bigger than all those scary things
and you're not scary at all.
Amen.