serendipitous journey Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 (edited) I'm hoping to do a Shakespeare intro before the school year runs out (related to our incorporating more Ambleside Online materials, and also more classics a la "the thread" :)). My oldest is 6 years old. Any ideas? Would you start with some Shakespeare bio and appropriate history? favorite plays? Midsummer Night's Dream is the common suggestion for little ones, but Button wants things to Make Sense so I'm not sure that would work. Here's what I've got: 1. We have old, not-beautifully illustrated retellings from Lamb and Nesbit. 2. This recent thread was inspiring. It included a suggestion for Weiss' recordings and a link to this blog page by Elizabeth Foss, also inspiring. 3. For mama-education, Milestones Academy pointed me to Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare, OOP but I'm going to try and borrow/buy a copy. Missing are pretty pictures; does anyone have favorite illustrated Shakespeare books for young ones? I am thinking maybe to do Shakespeare Fridays for the rest of the year ... anyhow, :bigear::bigear::bigear:! I'm editing to add links to things suggested in posts below: Muppets! look here for Muppet Shakespeare. Scripts adapted for children: Weinstein's Shakespeare scripts. Picture book bios: Diane Stanley's Bard of Avon and Aliki's William Shakespeare and the Globe. Teacher background on political and hidden undercurrents/meanings in Shakespeare: Shadowplay. Picture book retellings: _Bruce Coville has several picture books of Shakespeare stories: here's his Twelfth Night. _ The "Shakespeare Can be Fun" series, many if not all by Burdett: here is that version of Twelfth Night. General teaching resource: the Folger Shakespeare Library's Teacher Resource page. Inexpensive fingerpuppets & stage &c: Masterpuppet Theater. Shakespeare for children series at the Book Depository: no reviews there, but free shipping, books under $10 each, and good rec. on this thread. Each are about 64 p. Edited April 19, 2012 by serendipitous journey links. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 Bruce Coville has picture books on Shakespeare's plays. I have not seen them but I have heard good things about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 The Bruce Coville picture books are lovely and I think the retellings are just as good as Nesbit's, but more accessible for littles. I second the Jim Weiss cd too. Also, you can find the BBC animated tales versions on YouTube for free. They use the plays' real language. And just take him to go see a production. We take our kids to the Free for All at the Shakespeare Theatre every year since they were 5 yo and they love it. We actually did a shortened Shakespeare production with the kids when mine were 6 yo. It can be done! There's a book of scripts by Elizabeth Weinstein that I adapted for us to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 Oh, and the Diane Stanley biography is good, though there are others that are also nice. And the Folger has some nice activity suggestions on their site - I especially have found reading something like some of the rhyming speeches from Dream alongside Dr Seuss to be useful in illuminating meter for kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama2two Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 We also love the Coville books. Also got a lot of great ideas from Elizabeth Foss: http://ebeth.typepad.com/serendipity/2009/07/shakespeare-fridays.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted April 14, 2012 Author Share Posted April 14, 2012 (edited) Bruce Coville has picture books on Shakespeare's plays. I have not seen them but I have heard good things about them. The Bruce Coville picture books are lovely and I think the retellings are just as good as Nesbit's, but more accessible for littles. I second the Jim Weiss cd too. Also, you can find the BBC animated tales versions on YouTube for free. They use the plays' real language. And just take him to go see a production. We take our kids to the Free for All at the Shakespeare Theatre every year since they were 5 yo and they love it. We actually did a shortened Shakespeare production with the kids when mine were 6 yo. It can be done! There's a book of scripts by Elizabeth Weinstein that I adapted for us to use. ooooh, thank you both for the Coville rec: the books look lovely, here's a link to his Twelfth Night as a sample for the interested. I did find a local production of the Tempest coming up soon by a good company, so maybe I'll try to get us ready for that .. RE the Weinstein scripts: how many children were involved? Until Bot-bot's a bit older, it is just Button, me, and Bot-bot who is good for a word or two when prompted :D. ETA: here's a link to Diane Stanley's Bard of Avon, and one to Aliki's William Shakespeare and the Globe, both picture-book backgrounds for Shakespearean studies. Edited April 14, 2012 by serendipitous journey adding links. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 My kids are obsessed with Gnomeo & Juliet....does that count? :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 This is the Shakespeare with Children script book I mentioned - it's all the real language (a few minor changes, but not too many) but they're all cut to be between 20-40 minutes long. They're meant for a class of kids, so they have about 20 parts in each one, though some of the scripts leave in things to give kids lines that anyone trying to really cut a play would have cut out - for example, the masque is kept in The Tempest (parts for little girls who want to dress as fairies). When we did it, we went perhaps a little overboard (we rented a professional theater) but you could easily just do it low key. Last year we did The Tempest. This year I'm running it as an at cost (just expenses to rent the space) summer camp for two weeks and we're doing Midsummer Night's Dream. My 7 yos are playing Lysander and Oberon and we've just started running lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanikit Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 My kids are obsessed with Gnomeo & Juliet....does that count? :tongue_smilie: My daughter loves this movie - we have told her its based on a Shakespeare play but that is as far as we got :) I would probably start with the history and bio and a bit of geography. He is also quoted all over the place and I might teach my daughter some of the quotes as she loves saying quotes like this out loud at inappropriate moments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted April 14, 2012 Author Share Posted April 14, 2012 ...When we did it, we went perhaps a little overboard (we rented a professional theater) but you could easily just do it low key. Last year we did The Tempest. This year I'm running it as an at cost (just expenses to rent the space) summer camp for two weeks and we're doing Midsummer Night's Dream. My 7 yos are playing Lysander and Oberon and we've just started running lines. Aha! You are clearly Amazing at Theater. :lol: also at least Somewhat Organized. This sounds delightful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClassicalTwins Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 http://www.amazon.com/MacBeth-For-Kids-Shakespeare-Can/dp/0887532799/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334434938&sr=8-1 We've read Twelfth night in this series and are starting MacBeth, my boys seem to enjoy them. I was able to find them at our library with a long long wait. There are also Shakespeare: The Animated Tales on Netflix, DVD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 ETA: here's a link to Diane Stanley's Bard of Avon, and one to Aliki's William Shakespeare and the Globe, both picture-book backgrounds for Shakespearean studies. We read the Aliki book this winter and enjoyed it. We're reading the Poetry for Young People Shakespeare now, it has poems and parts of plays interspersed (we read "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" yesterday). Just trying to get a introduction to the language. Then we'll try some Lambs. At least that's my current plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindsrae Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 Love these ideas! Just finished reading Marva Collins' Way, and I ak determined to get Shakespeare in my kiddos :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 Aha! You are clearly Amazing at Theater. :lol: also at least Somewhat Organized. This sounds delightful! I'm not really amazing at theater... but "somewhat" is definitely the right adjective for my organization. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksoika Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 We have been working through the Lamb versions as they come up through Ambleside. I've found that my girls most enjoy acting it out with figurines... We have about a million Papo figurines so we can rustle up a cast pretty easily but I imagine paper dolls or Lego people would work, too. I assign characters and my two older move them around and repeat stirring lines. The youngest moves the scenery. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 Great thread. My DD has a fascination with him. We've not done much yet, but i am busy booking marking all the suggestions here :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tohru Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 The Bruce Coville picture books are lovely and I think the retellings are just as good as Nesbit's, but more accessible for littles. I second the Jim Weiss cd too. Also, you can find the BBC animated tales versions on YouTube for free. They use the plays' real language. And just take him to go see a production. We take our kids to the Free for All at the Shakespeare Theatre every year since they were 5 yo and they love it. We actually did a shortened Shakespeare production with the kids when mine were 6 yo. It can be done! There's a book of scripts by Elizabeth Weinstein that I adapted for us to use. :iagree: We only read Coville until ds was older and could read the original himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 Oh, I forgot this because we haven't yet used them, but in January I bought these finger puppets to help us with keeping track of characters. My blog-friend Brandy recommended them on this post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 You cannot do a Shakespeare study without YOU reading SHADOWPLAY first. A Midsummer Night's Dream has absolutely nothing to do with fairies. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 You cannot do a Shakespeare study without YOU reading SHADOWPLAY first. A Midsummer Night's Dream has absolutely nothing to do with fairies. ;) Ooh, thanks! That one does look interesting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted April 15, 2012 Author Share Posted April 15, 2012 Oh, I forgot this because we haven't yet used them, but in January I bought these finger puppets to help us with keeping track of characters. My blog-friend Brandy recommended them on this post. You cannot do a Shakespeare study without YOU reading SHADOWPLAY first. A Midsummer Night's Dream has absolutely nothing to do with fairies. ;) These are both discounted on Amazon right now -- about $6 for the puppets, and $11 (steeply discounted) for Shadowplay. (I try to buy at our independent bookstore often, but have to admit I took advantage of these prices ... sigh. Everything is a compromise. :tongue_smilie:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 I'm told these are lovely for children. http://www.bookdepository.com/Romeo-Juliet-Andrew-Matthews/9781841213361 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 My dd really loves the BBC version of Midsummer Night's dream. I was surprised, but I'm happy to go along with it! Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorisuewho Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 I'm told these are lovely for children. http://www.bookdepository.com/Romeo-Juliet-Andrew-Matthews/9781841213361 Are these picture books or chapter books? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Sorry, coming back to this late. I have no idea if they are picture books. I've not seen them but i am going to order my DD a few. Maybe Amazon has a look inside option? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Blessings Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 http://www.amazon.com/MacBeth-For-Kids-Shakespeare-Can/dp/0887532799 Did someone already mention the Burdett books? We went to London last year and we read several of the books mentioned above and they liked those, too. But the one that is worn from love is the Shakespeare Can Be Fun book. Hope that will link you . . . if not, just go to Amazon and check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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