Shakespeare Abounds

We love Shakespeare in this house.  Since the very beginning of homeschooling Group A, I have read Shakespeare, in story form, to the kids.  Even Miss A and Miss M can recite the famous "Double double toil and trouble ... fire burn and cauldron bubble" excerpt from MacBeth (sound familiar?), not because I taught them, but because their ears are always open when I'm working with the olders. 

Enjoy Shakespeare and don't be afraid to introduce it early! That way, the kids already know the general plot by the time high school rolls around and they won't be afraid of it. There are several good collections of Shakespeare stories; we really like the collection by Nesbit.  I recently purchased this Shakespeare kit for Miss A and plan on introducing it to her soon.

http://www.amazon.com/Shakespeare-Discovery-Kit-Dover-English/dp/048647934X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319692843&sr=8-1

This year we are trying something different with Group A and reading MacBeth as a family, after Group B has gone to bed.  We all play several roles and the kids enjoy trying out different accents (MacBeth is set in Scotland).  We each have a copy of the play, and I'm using a version with a side by side modern English translation, so every so often we stop and discuss what has just happened.  We work through a couple of scenes every evening.

It is a hoot!  And most hootable is my dear husband, venerable office executive, playing the role of MacBeth.  Um, let's just say that when you homeschool, everybody gets an education!


Cheers!