Shakespeare 101

You're never too young to learn a little Shakespeare.
OK well, maybe a little heavy editing is needed on some stories - tame a little of the violence and omit a little of the sex. But hey, if Taylor Swift is singing about it we should make sure the kids know where she's getting her material from.
So we headed to Stratford for the day (40 minute drive).
Hot chocolate in thermoses, snacks galore, cameras, sketch pads, a copy of Romeo and Juliet, and the Stratford scavenger hunt ... we were ready.

First stop: the Festival Theatre.
Stop to pose with the man himself.

Next stop: the Shakespearean Gardens.
Another pose, this time with the bust of the man.

Find a cozy spot on a bridge over looking the river and the gardens.
Pull out Leon Garfield's Shakespeare Stories.
Settle down for the final acts of Romeo and Juliet.
Shed a few tears.
Admit that only now, in reading Shakespeare Stories does Shakespeare actually make sense. I highly recommend it. You get the story, a little of the old language and none of the "huh, what do you think he meant by that?" My hope is that if we read these stories now when they are young they will have an easier time deciphering the "real" Shakespeare when they are in high school. I hope. I hope this fosters a love rather than a fear of Shakespeare. It's really not that scary.
"Where is my Romeo?"
Playmobile style.

This, my friends is why we homeschool.
There she is drawing a comic strip of Romeo and Juliet in the Shakespearean Gardens.
Of course, not everyday is like this.
But they can be.

And what of the five year old boy?
He did what any five year old boy would do - throw sticks at birds, disturb honeymooners attempting to have a quiet afternoon walk in the park, climb trees, jump over walls and monuments. I think between it all a little learning seeped in there. Look at the smirk on his face ... I don't think he minded this field trip one bit.
ps A special thanks for Bumpa for joining us today.