Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Beginning Our Journey With Shakespeare


To teach or not to teach...that is the question.

I really want to be one of those people who admires and appreciates the writings of Shakespeare.  Honestly, that's the case with most of the Classics.  But when it comes right down to it I often find it tedious and a bit hard to understand.  I feel uneducated even admitting this, but I have a hunch I am not alone.

But, all of you bloggers out there are so compelling and convincing with the benefits of reading and learning the Bard's works that I decided it might be worth a second look.  We may never sit down and read all of his writings, but I want us to know the basic storyline and main characters of each of the plays.  If along the way we develop a passion for his work, all the better.

To begin our study I purchased the book Shakespeare for Kids his life and times.  It has been a gentle introduction into his life and what it would have been like to live during that time period.  There are activities for every age group, some being easy and some more time consuming.


We started this book before Christmas, so we decided to make the Pomanders first. They were a lovely, scented addition to our table.  When you walked by them you could smell the spices and citrus.  It was interesting to learn that people of this time period believed that disease could be spread by fowl odors, so they made these spiced oranges to place all over their homes.  They also wore them around their necks, or kept them in their pockets.



We made our family tree, and created individual Coat of Arms.  I think those in Shakespeare's day would have wondered what some of those symbols were, especially the Minion :) The older boys wrote a brief biography on Shakespeare's life.




We read a few lines from a Mid-Summer's Nights Dream, and the kids drew their interpretation of what they read.



Overall I feel this was a very good beginning to our journey.  All of the kids joined in on the reading, and it kept their interest if I kept it short.  The book is divided up nicely, and makes this an easy read.

Another book I purchased was How To Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig.  I first heard of this book while listening to a podcast at Amongst Lovely Things that was very inspiring.  He talked about the years he spent with his daughters reading and memorizing Shakespeare's work.  So, I think we are going to tackle this one next.


Edith Nesbit is a name I come across often when I am reading articles concerning Shakespeare.  She was born in England in 1858 and was the youngest of six children.  "Miss Nesbit simplifies many William Shakespeare's masterpieces for young readers by delighting them with stories of misunderstandings, generosity, sadness, humor, courage and love."  This was taken from the back of the book Beautiful Stories From Shakespeare.  These quick, fun reads will give us the basic story and build on our Shakespeare foundation.


I have also heard really good things about the series from Lois Burdett, Shakespeare Can Be Fun.  All these resources have given me the courage to wade in and begin what I consider an intimidating subject.

So there you have it.  Our 'mostly' comprehensive plan to tackle one of the most famous writers in history.  How do you teach and enjoy Shakespeare?  I would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.






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12 comments:

  1. I must admit I struggle with shakespeare too, it takes so much effort to understand it. Those books sound really good though and I love your children drawings.
    Thanks for linking #LetKidsBeKids

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  2. I'm not sure what happened to my comment. My apologies if it appears twice.

    I remember sticking cloves into oranges around Christmas when I was a child, but I didn't know people used to think it would ward off disease. Interesting.

    Shakespeare has some difficult language to understand, that's for sure. Your resources look terrific, though, for sticking toes in the waters of classic literature. I'll check them out. Thanks, and have a terrific weekend!

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    1. We really enjoyed making the spiced oranges. I think it might become a tradition :) We are going to give it a shot. Enjoy your weekend as well!

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  3. This is just my style of homeschooling! I haven't tackled Shakespeare yet either and wasn't sure how far I was going to delve into it so I do appreciate your ideas! thanks for sharing this on the Art of Home-Making Mondays Channon! I remember Romeo and Juliet being quite challenging to understand at 16 so I am in the same boat as you I think...

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    1. Thanks JES. I am looking forward to grasping at least a little of it. He is quoted and referenced so often, I would like to know what they are talking about :)

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  4. I love the family trees! Thanks for submitting to the HomeAcre hop. Heidi @ Pint Size Farm

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  5. This is very encouraging! The older kids got their Shakespeare in homeschool co-op, but I haven't taught any of the younger kids yet...I'm glad to hear it is doable and can be fun!

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    1. I didn't really have much of a Shakespeare background, but this study has helped, too! Thanks for visiting Paula :)

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  6. ooh I like these ideas and will apply them! it will make it fun and easier to understand Shakespeare. We just finished a Shakespeare camp! it was fun but I think I will do a bithday like on ed snapshots and use both your ideas! Thanks!

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    1. I hope they will be a help to you :) Thank you for stopping by!

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