Shakespeare in the Woods

The homeschool Shakespeare group wrapped up its second year this weekend with three performances of Twelfth Night. The Friday night performance was in a theater on campus, and the Saturday and Sunday matinees were at a thing called Faerie Fest (think Renaissance Fair with lots of wings and a bigger dose of fantasy).

As was the case last year, the Shakespeare class/group has been a wonderful experience, for both George and me. It's homeschooling at its best, in a way. It felt like being part of a really wonderful school--well, actually, better than that. People worry that homeschoolers don't get enough opportunity for socialization, but the kind of community and socialization that developed over the course of the last several months with the Shakespeare group was probably better than anything I've ever been part of in a school setting, as either a student or a parent.

Since sometime in March, 31 kids and their parents met every Monday for about 3 hours (and occasionally on Fridays as well). The leaders of the group are the minister from the local Unitarian church and his wife, and they are extraordinary. The first few sessions were dedicated to various acting games, which served not only to loosen the kids up and get them really into the spirit of acting, but also to give Douglas (the director) an idea of the kids' levels of acting ability, for the purposes of casting. The activities ranged from improv with or without props to saying various lines with different emotions. Once the play was cast, the weekly sessions obviously focused more on rehearsals, but until the last month or so there was always a little time left at the end for more acting games, which the kids just loved.

The parents at first mostly just watched (although sometimes we participated in some of the games, too), but as time went by people helped out as they were able with costumes and sets or with running lines with kids whose scenes weren't being rehearsed right then with the director. As the months went by, I found myself becoming closer with several of the parents, but also with many of the kids. I have to say, I really love these kids! And I really cherish having had the opportunity to spend time with them, and to see them grow as actors and as people. And once Ben was born, it was so wonderful to see the kids respond to him. They were fascinated by and adored him, and would always ask to hold him and would sometimes even help me change him. It was so very sweet.

One experience that had nothing to do with the production really stands out to me as typifying the beauty of the community of the group. The Unitarian church has a labyrinth in the yard, and after rehearsal one day one of the kids asked me if I'd use the timer on my cell phone to time her as she ran through it. When a couple of other kids saw what we were doing, they asked if they could do it too, and before long there was a line of at least 10 kids who wanted to run through the labyrinth and be timed. I have to admit that part of me was just a little nervous--while a few of the kids are active in competitive sports, many are not, and I just wasn't sure how they'd handle this kind of direct competition. (Maybe I've internalized some fears about homeschooled kids!) Plus, some of the kids are a lot younger, and I thought maybe they'd get their feelings hurt if they didn't do as well. I needn't have worried! The kids all stuck around after their turns not just to see if anyone would beat their time, but also to cheer each other on with great gusto. You could really feel them pulling for each other, as if they were all on a team together. Which I guess they sort of are! I found the whole thing to be both touching and great fun.

The play took a little longer to come together this year than last, probably because it was significantly longer and also a bit more complex, with more characters with speaking parts, and some longer scenes with lots of entrances and exits and such. But eventually it did come together, of course, and despite the occasional rough spot we parents were all bursting with pride on performance night.

George did an awesome job (my biased and unbiased opinion), making the most of his minor role despite his disappointment in not getting a lead this time around. At least he didn't have to play a lover again, which was what he very much wanted to avoid:-)

I hope Douglas and Sidra will be up for doing this again next year!

A whole bunch of pictures... starting with one of the cast party, held at our house. Look, actual homeschool socialization in action ;-)

George as Fabian, the gardener:

Tending the tree he's about to hide behind with Sir Andrew:

Watching as Malvolio reads the fake love letter they have planted for him...















The whole cast, at the end of the production on campus:








The next day, at the entrance to the Faerie Festival
















Fabian, pushing a very reluctant Sir Andrew to fight with an equally reluctant Cesario
Fabian, Sir Toby, and Sir Andrew discuss their shenanigans


The final scene, when all is revealed:



































In between scenes, Baby Ben is adored....







My number 1 helper, pretty-in-pink stepdaughter Lindsey











Hamming it up after the performance in the woods at the festival

One of the more elaborate booths at the festival:

A fairy/nymph of some sort, who came out of her tree to offer a very entertaining blessing upon Baby Ben:































Another entertaining creature...

We wrapped up day two with a trip to a nearby lake:

Scary movies

George tells me that the 4 scariest movies he's ever seen are:

4. Toy Story 3
3. Killer Klowns from Outer Space
2. Super Size Me
1. Gasland

Out of the lot, Killer Klowns was the only one he actually enjoyed. I had been looking forward to taking him to Toy Story 3, but his dad beat me to it--which wouldn't have stopped me from also taking him, except that he does *not* want to see it again! Not because it was too scary, primarily, but because he also found it quite sad, and just did not find it fun. Oh well. Super Size Me was scary in what I think is an appropriate way... we should be afraid of McDonald's! And ditto for Gasland, which details the disastrous effects of natural gas drilling, although that one affected him perhaps a little too much.

His dad took him to a screening of Gasland last week at which the director was present. George fully expected to find it uninteresting, and had brought a book along with him. But it seems he didn't read much of his book. His dad told me that George was so upset about the movie that he was crying about it later that night, and what he was most upset about was that his baby brother might have to grow up in a wasteland! So sweet and sad at the same time. I watched the movie a few days later on HBO; it is indeed awfully disturbing. I'm hoping that the attention the movie brings to the issue will be enough to halt the drilling. But I told George that if things really get that bad here we'll find a way to move somewhere else. Maybe somewhere free of scary day care centers, Killer Klowns, and McDonald's!?

Ben and his Daddy

We had a great Father's Day. I wanted to make it extra special, since it's our first one with Ben. The rest of the kids were all with their other parents, so it was just the three of us, and we went to Skaneateles. It was an absolutely gorgeous day here in upstate NY--a day that could almost make you forget about the other seasons, and make a California girl actually *want* to live here. :-)

Anyway, we had lunch on the waterfront at the Bluewater Grill, which was great. The place gets mixed reviews online, but I've loved it every time I've been there. The food was delicious, the service was great, and the views were lovely.

After lunch we took a sightseeing cruise on the lake, which was so nice. We both really, really love the water. And then we strolled down the main street and looked in several stores before heading back home.

All-in-all it was a pretty much perfect day.

And on the occasion of Father's Day, I wanted to write a little bit about how bonded Ben is with his dad. It's pretty extraordinary. I've never seen anything like it. It's been like that from the day we brought him home from the hospital. He completely adores Bob, and seems utterly fascinated/compelled by him. He will just stare and stare, adoringly, at Bob's face. At less than two weeks old he smiled at Bob, and has been smiling at him ever since. (He does smile at other people, but with nowhere near the frequency he does with Bob.) When he's fussy, he'll calm right down on Bob's chest. When we put him on the bed between us, he finds a way to scooch himself over (he has done this from the beginning) and plaster himself next to Bob, and then he flails his little arms and legs around (batting at Bob) until Bob picks him up and puts him on his chest. Ben usually at that point puts his arms straight out to the sides, as if he's giving his daddy a giant hug. And then he promptly falls asleep. He has wanted me when he's hungry, but that's pretty much been it, and in fact if Bob could feed him I think he'd be happy never to leave Bob's side!

About 95% of the time, I think this is wonderful. Honestly, I was the one who was initially most enthusiastic about having another kid (though Bob was certainly on board), so it's been a beautiful thing to see this incredible bond between the two of them, and how much joy it brings Bob. We have even said that we kind of feel like Ben is here for Bob. Maybe that sounds weird, but if you could see it, you might know what I mean. He's certainly changing Bob's life in a huge way, because Bob has decided not to go back to teaching next year, but to stay home with him, which we're all really thrilled about. It's also just really nice to feel that this little being who needs so much doesn't need it all from me--it's great to be able to share the caregiving as well as the love.

But every once in a while I do get just a little jealous! Mostly after a marathon feeding session when he then wants to go to Bob, and will look up at him with this expression of satisfaction and gratitude, like "Wow, Dad, thanks for that great meal!" Humph! I think it would be at least a little more fair if Bob were the one who had to give up dairy!

Anyway, every day Ben is more and more alert, and he's getting more tuned into me as well, which I am enjoying. In fact, he's plastered right up against my side right this minute. So sweet.

A few pics of our day, and of Ben and his daddy:

In front of the Bluewater Grill

Inside, a primo window seat for Ben!

Itty, bitty, baby feet!!

Back in the car, for a quick feed and a cuddle

A gorgeous day out on the lake!

Drinky-poo on the boat

Cheers to you, Daddy!

More lovely lake views

"Judge Ben" has a nice ring to it

And now a few pictures of Ben enjoying his favorite spot (right next to, or on top of, Dada):

Sailing around the world

Sailing has been on my mind a lot lately, because my brother Michael's 3-year circumnavigation is just about to come to an end, but also because of the 16-year-old girl, Abby, who recently had to be rescued in the Indian Ocean. When she was lost at sea for that day or so, of course I could not help but think about my brother, and how happy I was that he was done with all of his ocean crossings and was now sailing safely up the Pacific coast of Mexico, back toward his home port in Southern California. And of course I was hugely relieved when Abby was found and rescued.

Part of me admires both Abby and her parents (for letting her go). What spirit! Like Dante's Ulysses, who--unlike Homer's Ulysses--instead of returning home to Ithaca decides to sail out past the Pillars of Hercules (where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic), into uncharted waters, in search of adventure and knowledge. Dante rewards Ulysses' daring by shipwrecking him, as if to say that we humans ought to know our limits, and should not reach for too much. But if everyone thought that way, if everyone stayed "in bounds", how much we as a species would miss! Sure it sounds crazy to let a 16-year-old sail around the world by herself. But didn't it once sound crazy to fly to the moon? To fly at all? We need dreamers and adventurers who dare to push the limits.

On the other hand, there's daring, and then there's foolhardiness.

Michael plotted out his trip very carefully, keeping the various extreme weather seasons around the world in mind. And in fact, his trip ended up taking three years instead of the originally planned two because he got off-schedule a few times while his boat needed repairs, which sometimes resulted in his having to remain in a particular port for months, waiting out monsoon or hurricane seasons. Avoiding the major storm seasons is no guarantee of safety, to be sure. But it seems a pretty good place to start. Apparently Abby never should have been sailing that far south in the Indian Ocean now, where, Michael told me, there is at least one huge storm per week this time of year.

Was that error in judgment/planning due to her age? I don't know; it seems to me that a 16-year-old could be capable of figuring something like that out, and it also seems to me that an inexperienced, unwise adult could make the same mistake. But I suppose the young age can make for a lack of both experience and wisdom. I know she was originally rushing because she was going for a world record, but fairly early on she knew she had lost the record to an Australian girl, and yet she still wanted to continue on with her trip. I imagine she wanted to finish what she had started, because it was just something she really wanted to do in her life. I can admire that. But she should have taken her time or chosen her route more carefully, for sure! Anyway, she's safe and on her way back home to Southern California...

As is my brave and adventurous (and cautious-when-it's-called-for) brother! His arrival in Newport Harbor is scheduled for July 3rd, and will be marked with what is sure to be a fabulous party at the Balboa Yacht Club. He has invited all of his friends with any kind of boat to meet him at the entrance to the harbor, and caravan with him through the harbor to the yacht club. It kills me that I won't be there!!! But he will be coming out to visit me about a month after he comes home... and I'm going to throw him one heck of a welcome party when he gets here :-)

Read, Play, Learn. With Confidence!

A great piece in the New York Times about education was recently brought to my attention. It was about how misguided current educational policy is. It made some really great points about childhood learning, such as:

"developmental precursors don’t always resemble the skill to which they are leading. For example, saying the alphabet does not particularly help children learn to read. But having extended and complex conversations during toddlerhood does. Simply put, what children need to do in elementary school is not to cram for high school or college, but to develop ways of thinking and behaving that will lead to valuable knowledge and skills later on."

It goes on to specify what kids ought to have mastered by the time they're about 12:

"They should be able to read a chapter book, write a story and a compelling essay; know how to add, subtract, divide and multiply numbers; detect patterns in complex phenomena; use evidence to support an opinion; be part of a group of people who are not their family; and engage in an exchange of ideas in conversation. If all elementary school students mastered these abilities, they would be prepared to learn almost anything in high school and college."

It then describes an ideal 3rd-grade classroom, one that would foster the attainment of the goals stated above. Basically, there would be lots of time for reading, conversing, playing, and exploring, with a bit of time for writing (specifically, writing things that are actually meaningful to the child--stories, letters, cartoons, etc.) and basic math skills.

If school were really like that, I probably wouldn't be homeschooling! Actually, George did attend a school like that (and if you've read this blog for long or if you know George you surely know all about it), if all too briefly.... But in any case, this line of thinking pretty much mirrors my own, and the description of the ideal classroom is quite close to what I aspire to do with George's homeschooling days much of the time. (Apart from the times when he's taking a non-self-paced course and is devoting much of his time to one particular subject, that is.)

And I have to say, it's nice to see that point of view articulated and advocated, because even though most of the time I'm fairly confident about how I'm proceeding with George, it's still too easy for me to second-guess myself sometimes, and to feel like I ought to be making sure he has a lot more structured learning.

I wish I could have that old second-time confidence the first time around! I mean, I'm so much more relaxed with Ben, having been through all of this baby stuff before. It's not that I was an uptight mom with George; I really wasn't. And I very much followed my own instincts with him, even though they didn't exactly coincide with what I had been told or was being told about parenting (though that changed when I eventually discovered, many months into it, that what I was doing with him was actually a "thing," and it had a name: "attachment parenting"). But even though I knew deep inside of me that my parenting approach with George was what was right for him, there was still a level or a layer of self-doubt, however subtle.

This time around, with Ben, that's completely gone. And I don't miss it one bit! It's not just a matter of "this feels right to me"; it's that I've done it before, and I know it works. I wish I could bring that level and consistency of confidence to my directing of George's homeschooling, even though it's my first time through.

But I guess the trail has to be blazed first....