When it comes to Caesar and the Ides of March, you wonder how things would have changed if he only listened to the soothsayer and his wife and stayed home. But hey, greed and fame can do wonders on the psyche. Maybe if Julius played some of these Ides of March activities, he might have survived!
The Ides of March comes down to superstitions and how much one believes in them. Caesar obviously does now, but hey, now’s a bit too late for our multi-knifed friend. But, not too late for your kids to learn about. Whether you are doing our melodramatic Julius Caesar for Kids or Antony & Cleopatra for Kids or not, here are a few great activities to engage your kids with Shakespeare and superstitions.
- Bamboozle does a fun superstition quiz
- Throw a superstition party on the Ides of March (March 15th!)
- Everyone comes dressed in togas (easy-peasy AND FREE… check it out here)
- Kids plan the party
- Invitations
- Lucky and unlucky party elements
- Create superstition trivia (see above)
- Have a blast!
- Superstition exploration
- Ask your kids to give an initial definition of a superstition
- Have your kids then list all the superstitions they know. (Black cat, under a ladder, find a penny, “Macbeth” in a theatre, salt, Friday the 13th, etc.)
- Catagorize the superstitions: Good, bad, indifferent, others…
- Once catagorized, have them research where they came from, their history and origin. Do this in groups or individuals.
- Have the class redifine superstition from their new knowledge. See what’s changed.
- Ask/share if anyone already has their own superstitions. (only where yellow socks on game day, eat only breakfast before a performance, etc.)
- Lastly, have them create their own superstition.
Reach out and let us know how these Ides of March activities worked! We would love to hear from you!
