Drama Lessons for Families Who are Home-Bound
Tick, tock, tick, tock…….
Is it only Wednesday?
Have you worn out the Play-dough, grown frustrated by the board game, broke the new cool toy, gained five pounds by baking chocolate chip cookies and just can’t make one more blanket fort?
Families: Have you exhausted your ideas during this pandemic?
If you’d like a free guide And lesson plan from me, click here LESSON PLAN
Need a little help?
I am here to help you.
Drama Lessons for Families Who are Home-Bound
If you’d like a free guide And lesson plan from me, click here LESSON PLAN
Many years ago, we lived in Missouri. I remember when we’d have a couple of snow days in a row. Deep snow and ice kept us home.
Of course we didn’t know how long we’d be, but the school district had a rough idea of when we’d return to the classroom.
That was fine and it really was fun, but this?
Well, who knows how long this quarantine will last?
When our daughters were children, being very creative beings, they would orchestrate little programs for us. They’d rehearse for hours, invite us to their concert or play and my husband and I would sit quietly while they gleefully performed for us.
We’d clap at the end as they bowed. One time they put on their own rendition of Lion King. Part of the end of the performance included walking around in a circle with a sign which read “Lion King” misspelled to “Loin King.” We still call the show Loin King to this day…
It was such fun for all of us. Honestly, I have many fond memories of those performances. In fact, I remember them more than other times in their young lives.
Drama Lessons for Families Who are Home-Bound
I say families that do drama together stay together. (Last Saturday I said “families who Face Time together stay together” so you can see I toss this phrase around as needed.)
When I researched this subject, here was something I found very interesting about families in a research essay, childtrends.org:
Drama Lessons for Families Home-Bound
Time Use
Perspectives: Shared parent-child activities are important both because they are intrinsically satisfying and because they can help educate and socialize
children. For example, research has found that children whose homes emphasize learning opportunities and cognitively stimulating activities are more academically motivated than other children. In addition, a positive and enriching family environment can help prevent behavior problems in youth, including delinquent behavior.18 Moreover, sufficient quality time together may be a prerequisite for well-being in
family relationships.
Here are a few ideas for you of ways to provide quality time with your family.
Drama Lessons for Families Home-Bound
Here’s a new one! Drama Choice Boards–keep an eye out for more of these.
Saturday, Sunday and Monday Unit and Play Distance Learning
This reader’s theater script is perfect for a family to use. It has many roles and opportunities for younger children to be involved even if they can’t read yet. Plus, there’s an original song.
Bow Wow Blues Unit and Play Distance Learning
The whole family can learn about radio theater with this gem. Written in the style of old radio shows, Bow Wow Blues is a silly cops and robbers tale.
Plus, the family can learn about the radio theater of old and where it is most present today.
Set Design Rendering Lesson Distance Learning
A precursor to my set design unit, this gives a family the chance to learn about set design and draw a rendering for any setting.
Maybe a set design of a child’s classroom? A castle? The wild west? The moon?
It Could Always Be Worse Reader’s Theater Distance Learning
The title of this reader’s theater is really all anyone needs. Based on a Jewish folk tale, it is full of humorous moments and roles of animal sounds.
Part of the fun is the chaos that ensues every time the man does another thing that the rabbi suggests.
HINT: THIS KIND OF PLAY IS RELAXING AND FUN FOR EVERYONE.
Or how about some beginning playwriting?
Costume Design with Fairy Tale Characters
Does the family enjoy fairy tales? Here’s a lesson about costume design using fairy tale characters as the focus.
With costume design, a student considers the character from a different perspective or time period. (There is also one for super heroes and one for circus performers.)
It’s important our students learn about growth mindset by learning about successful people. This series of theater artist biographies include
Idina Menzel, Hugh Jackman, Lin Manuel Miranda and many more.
Famous Theater Artist: Idina Menzel
I have several one pager assignments. One for Idina Menzel and also Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Who am I?
I am a retired drama educator having taught for thirty-eight years in both the public and private sectors. Whew! During this time, I created curriculum for studies in creative dramatics, creative movement, introduction to musical theatre, musical theatre, film making, technical theatre, introduction to Shakespeare, introduction to theatre as well speech and debate. I created seven youth theater companies that continue today in various parts of the midwest, oversaw productions for thirty-eight years, and developed a national playwriting contest for youth theater scripts. In addition, I am an award-winning director who has directed over 250 plays and musicals with children and adults alike. My sister was an elementary teacher for many years as were my aunts. In the late 1800s, my fraternal grandmother was known for her strength in teaching math in the wilds of Kansas. My maternal grandmother established the first kindergarten in Osaka, Japan in the 1890s. In short teaching is in my blood and comes to me joyfully and naturally.
Who’d a thought we’d be practicing social distancing and quarantined? Not me that’s for sure.
I hope you’ll check out my lessons in my teacherspayteachers store, Dramamommaspeaks. It’s free to join TpT and there are lots of free lessons to pick up for other interests, too.
In fact, here are a bunch for you: Free Teaching Resources Blog Hop
Take care. Contact me if you need some advice or just to share how you used the lessons. I’d love to hear from you.
Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net
