Midsummer Night's Dream with elementary aged kids

[Bluegoat]

I am doing a week long half-day camp this summer, and need some sort of activities or project centered around the play.  We are going to see the play on Sunday and the camp starts the next day.  We'll also be doing some other things so it doesn't have to fill the whole time - some flexibility might be a good thing in case we get bad luck with weather.

 

There will be 8 kids aged six to 10, four girls and four boys. 

 

Any ideas will be much appreciated.

[Eagle]

How about making fairy gardens? We took a class and it was simple but fun. We used baskets made of a type of husk (looks like coconut husk, very inexpensive). The kids filled them with soil, then put a plant or two in them (ours has a few succulents -- thyme would be a nice touch!) and some moss. Then they made little sculptures by using a hot glue gun to stack pebbles, and twine to tie little twigs together. Some kids made a mini lean-to, others made a fence or a twig tent. They made little paths with coloured aquarium gravel. They looked so good and were easy to do with a group of children. We still have ours in the yard, so it has lasted nicely for more than 8 months.

[SilverMoon]

Act it out!  Give everyone a turn being Theseus, "What say you, Hermia? Be advis'd, fair maid: To you your father should be as a god." With gusto! Exagerate. Costumes if you can. There are gobs of fun moments like that in Midsummer.

[Kerileanne99]

We have been loosely 'studying' the play at our house. My dd5 is going with us to a Shakespeare Festival next weekend to see it. It is in kid-friendly language but provided a wonderful overview of the storyline first:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1552091244/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1435385446&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40&keywords=a+mid+summer+nights+dream+for+children&dpPl=1&dpID=51mmFUk5pKL&ref=plSrch

 

We started by reading this book, a version written for children. It is cute, with a the illustrations all dra n by children. There are short little 'letters' inside written by children as though they are the characters. For example, a letter written by an eight-year-old Demetrius telling Helena to get lost:) My dd wanted to write a letter, so we did that. She also drew pictures as I read aloud.

 

We then did a puppet show. She made fairy finger puppets and used dolls for the rest. The whole family got in on it. Another day we made a donkey mask out of construction paper and various art supplies.

 

I also bought the Jim Weiss audio CD to listen to in the car on the way there. Have you seen it?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003FRLBI0/ref=dm_aw_dp_sp_bb_sfa

[Mystie]

Here's what we did for it: http://www.simplyconvivial.com/2014/shakespeare-kids-midsummer-nights-dream

[Holly]

This is a great thread...this is our Shakespeare play for the coming year.  

I was just reading about how the Midsummer holiday is celebrated.  I think it'd be fun to set up a fairy tea party.  Or some kind of bonfire, but probably not with real fire.  ;)

[purduemeche]

The Jim Weiss retelling is quite good for lower grammar level.

[TheAttachedMama]

I actually started a Shakespeare club for kids in this age range.   We only meet once every two months.   There is so much to do that I have trouble cramming it all in!

Here are some ideas to get you started.....

 

1)  Read or listen to a storybook version of the play  (Coville books take about 20 minutes to get through.  They are also on audible.)

2)  Memorize some lines and discuss what they mean (use this as a guide)...issue rewards for anyone who can recite their lines from memory with GUSTO and enthusiasm (public speaking)

3)  Do a craft project for the play (fairy wings would be fun)...you could also do a "nodding violet" craft if you use the Ken Ludwig memory suggestions.  You could also have each child choose their favorite character and make a sock puppet of it.  (See #6)

4)  Have kids discuss characters, setting, conflict/plot, etc. etc.

5)  Shakespeare News:   Have kids pick their favorite character, and have a "news show" where you interview the character about the events of the play.   They have to tell back the story from their characters point of view....sort of a fun, group, narration.  This might be fun to record.

6)  Re-enact your favorite scene using a "readers theater" format....you could do this with puppets since there is a lot of "love" in this particular scene.   That way kids won't get embarrassed pretending to be in love with one another.  ;)

7)  Watch a shortened version of the play.   (I like these animated versions because they are shorter than the original plays...but they still contain a lot of original lines. Sort of like the Coville books. I think seeing those lines acted out makes them easier to understand for kids.   BUT you should preview them to decide if you think they are appropriate for your kids.  Even though they are animated, it is still "Shakespeare"...not Disney.  You can find them online for free if you do a search.)  

[Bluegoat]

Thanks for the suggestions all - I will use some of these ideas.  One of the limitations in having the kids only for a week is that I don't want to ask too much in terms of trying to actually memorize lines - especially since this is vacation for them and they won't be expecting to do work outside the camp day. 

 

I think we will probably do at least one read-through of a scene with costumes, and I had been thinking about making dioramas, but now I wonder if making a fairy-garden diorama might actually be a fun project.  Or, possibly we could actually plant a fairy garden outside that we intend to keep.

 

I like the bonfire idea as well but I am not sure I could bring myself to have a fake one.

 

I've also ordered a CD of Mendelssohn' music for the play that we can listen to while we work and we'll look at some artistic depictions as well.