On Sunday night, we took the kids to the part for a performance of Romeo and Juliet by the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. We sat close, and though it was cold and the language hard to follow, they loved it. Emily said it was the best thing she had ever seen, even better than The Diary of Anne Frank. Now THAT'S a recommendation. They have the old BBC version in play at home on Netflix, so we should watch that soon as a follow-up.
Both of them really seem to enjoy live dramatic performances, so look for incorporating more of that in the future.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The Diary of Anne Frank
The kids watched this film (the 1959 version) and loved it. Emily in particular couldn't get enough, and for three weeks it was on for some amount of time every day. We had discussions about Nazis, the persecution of the Jews, and all things World War II. Owen has watched since then several WWII documentaries, and is particularly fascinated by the personality of Hitler. Interesting that Emily focuses on the human drama of hiding in the attic and being discovered by the Nazis, and that Owen focuses on the mechanics of the war, the purely military aspects of the situation.
Last night he asked J's mom and dad what life was like during the war (they were both around his age when WWII started) and J's dad spent a good deal of time talking about life during wartime: the rationing, the scrap metal drives, etc. He even gave them both a ration book with coupons. It made for a nice personalization of large historical events.
My favorite moment: Owen telling his grandfather how sad it was that the Frank family were captured "just weeks before the Allied liberation of the Netherlands."
Should follow up this week with some map work. Maps of Europe. Etc.
Also it might be nice to show a couple of films this week: Hope and Glory, Empire of the Sun, The Children of Huang Shi, (possibly) Letters from Iwo Jima. All of these are play at home on Netflix.
Last night he asked J's mom and dad what life was like during the war (they were both around his age when WWII started) and J's dad spent a good deal of time talking about life during wartime: the rationing, the scrap metal drives, etc. He even gave them both a ration book with coupons. It made for a nice personalization of large historical events.
My favorite moment: Owen telling his grandfather how sad it was that the Frank family were captured "just weeks before the Allied liberation of the Netherlands."
Should follow up this week with some map work. Maps of Europe. Etc.
Also it might be nice to show a couple of films this week: Hope and Glory, Empire of the Sun, The Children of Huang Shi, (possibly) Letters from Iwo Jima. All of these are play at home on Netflix.
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