Do you find the theater thrilling or boring? Do you introduce your kids to new ways to appreciate the arts or when you announce you are taking them to the "theater" does that mean the cinema to see the latest Hollywood blockbuster? There are so many incredible benefits to introducing children to the arts at a young age. I'm so thankful we realized the importance while ours were young enough to be inspired by it. At the theater there is a human link between the performance and the audience. The actors feed off the energy of the audience and visa versa, creating a connection to the story being told. Homeschooling should strive to connect that same energy and inspiration to learning. |
It's that time of year again! Dracula comes to the stage. It's our favorite production to see live. The fog, the dimmed lights, the screams. It's almost as if the theater even drops the temperature just enough to give that chill of Transylvania air. The perks of homeschooling means that we get incredibly discounted tickets by going to a student matinee at the Actors Theater in the city. We've gone several times and as anyone who has been to the theater knows, you can see the same production multiple times and come away with something different each time. To us, the theater is a magical place...especially when Dracula is playing. This year we got an extra special surprise when we arrived for our student matinee. Our randomly assigned seats happened to be in the very front row! Our feet were literally ON stage. We couldn't have been closer unless we had been proforming with the actors. This seating arrangement definitely enhanced the performance for us! We could nearly feel Dracula's breath breathing down our necks as he slid in through the stage door behind us. The screams of the victims were closer and the we even ended up getting "blood" on our shoes. We were no longer at the theater..we had been transported to Transylvania and then England. We walked away feeling like we had lived another life in another time. The actors had done their job! We were more than entertained we were inspired, afraid, intrigued and finally, in the end, relieved that the monster was put to death at last! Truthfully a good homeschool lesson should do all these things. Kids learn best when they are engaged and interested. We went to the production of Dracula three weeks ago but if my middle schooler is asked today, she can tell you everything that happened, start to finish! She was drawn in to the storyline and it stuck with her, as any good story should. She has contemplated the scenes over and over again and we've discussed what the victims could have done...or should have done...or what we would have done to resist the monster at the door. Even more, the production along with our field trip behind the scenes of the theater last year, has served to inspire her dream of becoming a special effects make-up artist and work in theater. I'll admit not every lesson I've taught my kids in 12 years of homeschooling has been as inspiring but it should be. There's a saying: "Teaching is one-fourth prepreation and three-fourths pure theater", and it's true. If we take those things that inspire our kids and use them to create a sense of wonder, learning becomes intrinsic. It will come naturally...essential homeschooling at its best! Aspire to inspire. Have you ever noticed that a child interested in something can not be distracted? Our youngest daughter took a co-op class in the 2nd grade called Presidential Pets. The goal was to introduce the students to the presidents by funny stories about the pets that each president had while in office. What began as an 8 week class geared toward a topic that is interesting to seven year olds - pets - sparked a wildfire in her imagination that has lasted till this day (she is now 12). From learning about the pets of these presidents, our little learner became enchanted about all things presidents and then government and civics. We've visited several presidential homes, driving up to two hours away. She's learned way more about government and the executive office from her own inspired excitement than anything a forced lesson could have taught. Sparking a fire through intrigue and then fanning the flames through excitement is the best kind of education we can offer our children. It won't always be as easy as Presidential Pets turned out to be...sometimes math is just math. But if we took what interested them in another area and applied math to it, imagine how they would see math in a new way. Look for moments of inspiration in everyday, you never know what may catch fire.
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About MeI'm Becca, a former chocolate junkie, herbal enthusiast, curriculum writer, homeschool mom to four active kids, wife to my jack of all trades hubby, blessed child of God. Archives
November 2018
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