Seven Quick Takes: Shakespeare, Cinderella and Books

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Our regular Morning Time routine was abandoned Wednesday – Friday due to a sick Mommy. But that did not mean we skipped it altogether. On Wednesday, the kids watched a ballet version of Peter and the Wolf linked on Ambleside’s composer page. Thursday and Friday we watched more of Hamlet (yes, we’re still on Hamlet) via the Shakespeare in Bits app. I think the graphics are atrocious, and I’m not sure I’ll use it again, but the kids seem to enjoy it at least somewhat.

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Speaking of Shakespeare, our next play will be The Taming of the Shrew, and I’m going to use Mystie’s 5-step plan. I think I will substitute the Jim Weiss audio version for her picture book suggestion, as we already have it. I’m looking forward to something lighter after Hamlet, as good as it is. 😉

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And speaking of Mystie, Miss A has now made several meals for us using Simplified Dinners for New Cooks. Last night she made pizza, and it was delicious! This is a great resource if your kids are ready to learn how to cook. 

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We’re a week away from finishing up our second term of Ambleside Online, but I’ve started buying books for our next school year. Already on the way is Utopia by Thomas More (yes, we are reading this in Year 8!) and today I ordered an edition of Charles Kingsley’s Westward Ho! illustrated by N.C. Wyeth  (I do love beautiful illustrations).

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Last Friday, Miss A and I went to see the new Cinderella movie. I have not usually been a fan of Disney’s interpretations of fairy tales (the old Snow White and Sleeping Beauty excepted), but they hit the ball out of the park with this one! Just a beautiful movie, and one I will be watching again and again.

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I’ve started reading The Talks: A Parent’s Guide to Critical Conversations about Sex, Dating, and Other Unmentionables by Barrett Johnson, in part because I am about to become the parent of a teenager next month! But it’s not just for parents of teens – they advocate starting the conversation (in age-appropriate ways) with young children. It looks like it will be a helpful book on an often difficult and intimidating subject.

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And here’s an encouraging sign of spring: the tulips I planted last fall are actually making an appearance! I was a bit apprehensive that they would get eaten or wouldn’t come up.