Shakespeare on Hot, Sunny Days...

We have had some really hot, sunny weather the past couple of days. The kids have spent most of the day in the pool. We had a really fun cookout on Memorial Day with lots of kids in and out of the pool, playing croquet, in the tree fort and light saber dueling through the basement. We have had a variety of kids staying over and I think this is the first day in two weeks where my kids are the only ones here!

We are planning to go to Washington DC to see Pericles by the Shakespeare Company. I got out a few books from the library on Ancient Greece, and Pericles, along with the original play that I wanted to try and read through before we go. I think there is such an advantage to going to see a production rather then simply reading the play in the book. These plays were really meant to be watched rather than read. A more recent equivalent would be trying to read through a modern day movie script without ever seeing the production. I think this is why I had such a difficult time understanding Shakespeare in high school. You can get the gist of it by reading, but seeing it, especially on stage is a much richer experience. Especially with Pericles, with which I am largely unfamiliar, I like to try and at least skim the actual story beforehand, get an understanding of who the characters are and the time period that the play takes place in. But it is nothing in comparison to the experience of seeing it performed on stage. We have been going to see Shakespeare in the park since before we had kids! Brianna has been going since she was an infant. By having it in the park, the kids had freedom to meander a bit if they got antsy. We always packed a picnic "dinner" and snacks and during intermission you could walk around the park or go into the town for coffee and a pastry. The kids have seen, Othello, King Lear, Julius Caesar, As you like it, The Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Mac Beth, Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night and Hamlet. I am certain they do not understand all of it - but they don't have that feeling that "Shakespeare is hard”. The difference I see is in the approach. Rather than approaching it as "this is a required reading as part of your curriculum" – it is simply that Shakespeare in the park is fun! Of course it is "educational" - but it is not forced.I believe this is a great example of sharing your own interests with your children. Because my husband and I enjoy going to see Shakespeare and the kids have always come along and enjoyed it, it becomes a fun family outing. I downloaded the cliff notes on Pericles mainly for my own benefit, but found myself reading little snippets out loud to my daughter and her friend - who is also going with her family about the writing of the play and why they believe that there was another writer in addition to Shakespeare. We talked about how Shakespeare had been away from his wife for long periods of time and my son noted "That was like Ben Franklin, when he was going to England after the Revolutionary War. His wife was sick and died and he wasn't even here." It brought all sorts of conversation about how the ability to travel quickly has changed society and how even though people are far away they can still see each other quickly.The point of all this is that nothing is static, everything is connected. This is why unschooling works so well. There isn't just one interest that a child follows - but that interest branches into further things.

I am sure that the production will be fun!