This Shakespeare for kids lesson idea is all about taking it to the streets….or dare I say, castle. That’s what one teacher did with our Macbeth for Kids play!!! Mrs. Monaghan, of York, England was the genius who dreamed this one up. Ok, it helps that she actually has a castle in her back yard, literally, it’s like a few hundred yards away or something like that! I mean, in England, they are all over the place, right?! But, in that same spirt, you may not have a castle in your backyard, but you do have something that can feel “authentic”. Maybe an old church, or a run down building, down by the river or lake, or simply in someone’s back yard.
Sometimes, to simply reengage or recharge the kids, you just have to take them out of their environment, switch it up! And, when you perform in a cool setting, it makes the experience and memories that much better! So, this lesson idea is about taking the children out and about and getting a fresh look at Shakespeare.
Mrs. Monaghan starting her teaching career floating around England teaching ESL. She decided to join the rat race and quickly decided that wasn’t her calling and got her teaching credential. She is clearly an accomplished writer, being a finalist in the edublog, “best class blog” awards! She has always loved Shakespeare, growing up seeing it performed by the RSC every year sure didn’t hurt that!
You can read about the Macbeth castle with kids experience on Mrs. Monaghan’s blog, and follow her tweets here: @cmonaghan11. Also, I have posted the video below, mainly because I don’t ever want to forget about it! This is so exciting to see my play performed in a castle! Wow, and great job, Mrs. Monaghan!!! I’m now your newest fan!
The performance:
