Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 16, Read & Illustrate The Winter’s Tale, Act IV
We’ve turned the corner from tragedy to comedy! It’s time to illustrate the romantic scenes from Shakespeare’s play! I really hope the kids enjoy today’s installment of The Winter’s Tale. I’m quite looking forward to the kids’ illustrations of “TIME” and of our young lovers. [And, Act Four Scene Four is the second longest single scene in Shakespeare!]
The Winter’s Tale Act IV, A Brief Summary
TIME appears on stage to announce that 16 years have passed since we last met up with our characters. Out of grief, King Leontes has gone into seclusion. In Bohemia, where the scene is set, King Polixenes asks for Camillo’s help in keeping his son, young Prince Florizel, away from the poor shepherdess, Perdita, with whom Florizel is in love. Meanwhile, a rogue named Autolycus picks the pocket of a Clown at a town market.
Before the Shepherd’s feast, Perdita reveals her concerns about Florizel’s attentions: she knows that the king wouldn’t approve of their love; she’s just a poor shepherdess. Florizel insists that he’ll marry her come what may. The Shepherd, the Clown, and several shepherd girls arrive at the festival. So do Polixenes and Camillo, disguised as shepherds. Guests dance, and Autolycus sings. After most of the minor characters leave, Polixenes reveals himself and attempts to make Florizel renounce Perdita by threatening the lives of Perdita and the Shepherd, her guardian. The King leaves in anger, while the Shepherd leaves in fear. Camillo, who wants to go back to his homeland, suggests that the two young lovers disguise themlseves and run off to Sicilia. When Autolycus comes back onto the scene, Camillo orders him to change clothes with Florizel, while Perdita dresses as a boy. As it turns out, however, Camillo is not that interested in helping the young lovers. He reveals that he plans to tell Polixenes about the lovers’ flight so that, in chasing after them, he can get back to Sicilia himself. Autolycus figures this out and plans to take advantage of his knowledge of Camillo’s deceptiveness. He also overhears the Shepherd and the Clown talking about their plans to tell the king that Perdita is not the Shephed’s child, as they found her as a fairy child, wrapped in lavish golden blankets. Autolycus offers to take these two to the king, but he really plans on taking them to Florizel so that he can try to make money by “doing a favour” for the prince.
Today’s Illustrations
As it turns out, the kids were most interested in drawing Autolycus’ descriptions of what might happen to the Clown in light of the King’s anger at the romance of Florizel and Perdita. And here, I thought Time was going to be the clear winner!
Tobes & Bea:
IV iv 785-90, Autolycus: “He has a son, who shall be flayed alive, then ‘nointed over with honey, set on the head of a wasps’ nest, then stand til he be three quarters and a dram dead; then reovered again…set against a brick wall…with flies blown to death.”
Tobes Left: IV iv 276-282, Autolycus: “Here’s another ballad of a fish that appeared upon the coast…forty thousand fathom above water, and sung thsi ballad against the hard hearts of maids: it was thought she was a woamn, and was turned into a cold fish for she would not exchange flesh with one that loved her…”
Right: IV iv 153-5, Florizel: “But come; our dance, I pray,/Your hand, my Perdita; so turtles pair/That never meant to part.”
Bea: Clown, Father Time
Bea: IV iv, 230-2, Autolycus: “Come buy of me, come! come buy! come buy!/Buy, lads, or else your lasses cry!/Come buy!”
Me: IV iv 666-7, Camillo: “I shall re-view Sicilia, for whose sight/I have a woman’s longing.” 
Blaise: IV i, 21-24, Time: “…and remember well,/I mentioned a son o’th’king’s which Florizel/I now name to you; and with speed so pace/To speak of Perdita, now grown in grace…”
Blaise: IV iv 273-4, Clown: “Come on, lay it by; and let’s first see moe ballads:/we’ll buy the other things anon.”
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Advent Shadowbox 2012: An Introduction
Get Ready!
Our ADVENT SHADOWBOX 2012 project starts TOMORROW!
So what is it? An Advent Calendar is a staple in our house. Last year, I came up with a new way to display our daily activity for the kids: The Advent Shadowbox. Each day in Advent, I post a message in a shadowbox picture frame with an easy-open magnetic lid. I usually create an animated photograph to post the day’s TBD. And, sometimes, I place the materials we need for the activity[pencils, ornaments, popped corn, movie tickets] inside or around the Shadowbox. [See last year's Feed the Birds post for a bird-seed filled display].
But how do I organize all of this fun and excitment? I’ve gotten it down to a science. One Sunday morning in November, I print out a December calendar and have a look at all of our commitments. Then, I create 7 “themes” for the seven days of the week in order to organize our Advent activities. We ALWAYS have a “Giving Day,” for example, a day on which we make a donation to a charitable organization. And there’s usually both a “Writing Day” and a “Baking” or “Crafts” day on the list. We’re also fans of the “Friday Night Family Film Festival.” [See our Kids’ Movie Reviews post for a printable movie-review sheet for kids.] Then, I come up with an activity that suits the theme and pencil it in. Usually, I keep a list of recipes and activities I want to try or that I’ve come up with on my phone, and this is certainly one of the times in the year in which that “wish” list gets the most use. Although, most often, I come up with ideas on the fly based upon my super-imposed theme.
This year’s theme days are as follows:
Saturdays are “Party Days” on which we bake, can or create.
Sundays are “Shakespeare Days.” We’ll be reading and illustrating a play.
Mondays are “Giving Days.” We’ll learn about charitable organizations and make donations.
Tuesdays are “Writing Days” on which we correspond with family and friends…and Santa.
Wednesdays are “Improv Days” on which we write music and perform dramatic scenes, with the exception of the kids’ Christmas-Concert day, on which we will “improvise” a pizza.
Thursdays are “Arts and Crafts Days.”
Fridays are “Holiday Film Fest Days.”
The fun begins TOMORROW Saturday, December 1, 2012!
While you’re waiting, you can have a look at last year’s adventures.
Advent Calendar 2011: A Shadowbox Spectacular: An Introduction to the Project
Advent Shadowbox: Day 1, Baking Cookies: Test-Cookies for Santa’s Plate – Chewy Chocolate Chip Toffee Bit
Advent Shadowbox: Day 2, Daily Bread Food Bank: Our first “Giving Day,” Making Contributions to the Daily Bread Food Bank in two ways.
Advent Shadowbox: Day 3, Letter to a Friend: Write a letter to a friend.
Advent Shadowbox: Day 4, A Birdseed Wreath: Feed the Birds! A DIY Birdseed Wreath.
Advent Shadowbox: Day 5, Gratitude Ornaments: Making glass ornaments with strips of paper detailing our “grateful for’s.”
Advent Shadowbox: Day 6, Pancakes, Syrup, and a Classic Film: Traditional Friday Pancakes and a screening of A Night at the Opera
Advent Shadowbox: Day 7, Tree Trimming Party: Today’s the day for our tree-trimming party! A free Christmas Printable to the rescue…
Handmade Holidays: Favourite Photo Ornaments: Our annual photo ornaments made easy
Advent Shadowbox: Day 8, Gingerbread House: We used a german stamp and m&m’s to announce our activities today – reading Dahl’s version of “Hansel and Gretel” and constructing and decorating a gingerbread house!
Advent Shadowbox: Day 9, St. Vincent de Paul Baskets: Bringing Gift Cards for the Family Christmas Baskets at School.
Advent Shadowbox: Day 10, Kids’ Newspapers: Making “a-year-in-the-life” newspapers with the kids’ top ten lists, comic strips, advertisements and “special interest” stories.
Advent Shadowbox: Day 11, Imagining Santa’s Workshop: Using Jean de Brunhoff’s Babar books as inspiration, the kids draw their own pictures of Santa’s Workshop.
Advent Shadowbox: Day 12, Afternoon Sundae Bar: Chopping Peppermint Candies and Loading them onto Ice Cream Sundaes!
Advent Shadowbox: Day 13, Movie, Lego, Mindfulness: Asking the children to identify “The Christmas Spirit” during their movie date and lego-building contest.
Advent Shadowbox: Day 14, Salt Dough Ornaments: Making ornaments out from 3 basic ingredients: Water, Flour, and Salt.
Advent Shadowbox: Day 15, “Christmassify” Your Jars, or Glam Cans Lab 2: Applying canning labels to all of the jams, jellies, and preserves we made during our Summer of Funner and decorating the cans to give as teacher gifts.
Advent Shadowbox: Day 16, Have a Tree Planted: Via Canadahelps.org we will donate to Trees Ontario in memory of the loved ones we have lost.
Advent Shadowbox: Day 17, Christmas Crack-ups: Writing Festive Knock-Knock Jokes.
Advent Shadowbox: Day 18, Make Clove Oranges: We plunge cloves into oranges in festive patterns and letter shapes!
Advent Shadowbox: Day 19, Rudolph Festival (Design Your Own “Misfit Toy“): The kids watch Rudolph, eat snacks, and brainstorm and draw their own “Misfit Toys.”
Advent Shadowbox: Day 20, Festive After-School Spa: Santa Beards, Elf-Hairdos, Christmas Tattoos, the works!
Advent Shadowbox: Day 21, Carol Hootenanny: Write and Perform Christmas Carols!
Advent Shadowbox: Day 22, Trim Another Tree: Decorate the tree at the Grandparents’ House!
Advent Shadowbox: Day 23, Library-in-a-Box for Haiti via PlanCanada.ca: Send a “Library in a Box” to children in Haiti via http://www.plancanada.ca.
Advent Shadowbox: Day 24, Carols to and from the Concert: Sing Christmas Carols to and from this afternoon’s Christmas Concert.
Handmade Holidays: Great Lakes Handkerchiefs: DIY Embroidered Handkerchiefs.
Advent Shadowbox: Day 25, Elvis Dog and Reindeer Cookies: Making Biscuits to lure the Reindeer and to keep the dog quiet once they get here.
Handmade Holidays: Bookplates for Children: How to make your own bookplates for the kids’ books.
Advent Shadowbox: Day 26, Santa Baby Cookies: A favourite recipe.
Homebaked Holidays: Buche de Noel : An easy recipe for a Christmas favourite.
Advent Shadowbox: Day 27, Allons au cinema: We go to see the new (excellent) Tintin movie.
Advent Shadowbox: Christmas Eve Checklist : Cookie baking, Feasting, and more….
Advent Shadowbox: Merry Christmas
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Advent Shadowbox: Merry Christmas!
December 25th, 2011
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Advent Shadowbox: Christmas Eve Checklist
December 24, 2011
28th Day of Advent
Christmas Eve
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Christmas Eve Checklist
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□ Make Chocolate Chip Cookies for Santa
□ Make Gingerbread Cutouts, too!
□ Go to Family Mass
□ Indulge in the Feast of the Seven Fishes
□ Ice the Bûche de Noël
□ Drink Hot Chocolate and Sing the Carols You Wrote in Your Pajamas
□ Open One Gift From Under the Tree!
□ Leave Cookies, Milk, and Reindeer Biscuits by the Fire
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To say we’ll be busy this Saturday is an understatement…But we’ve gotten most of the prep work done ahead of time. So, the “business” will be in the fun! The cookie doughs have been in the freezer for a week, as have been our pasta sauce and soup for this evening’s feast (see below). We made our reindeer biscuits on Wednesday and wrote our carols last weekend! So, aside from heating up the supper and whipping up an easy peasy jelly roll cake, ie the Bûche de Noël (and I skipped the meringue mushrooms this year!), we’re good to go!
The Feast of the Seven fishes (festa dei sette pesci), sometimes also dubbed the Feast of the Thirteen Fishes, is a traditional Italian supper celebrating The Vigil (la Virgilia), or Christmas Eve. The “Seven” typically represents the Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church, while the “Thirteen” usually represents the twelve apostles and Jesus. I never grew up with this particular feast in my own Italian-American families per se, but my mom always made clam sauce on Christmas Eve. Over the past several years, my Italian-Canadian family has incorporated this into our own set of traditions. Typical Italian festas incorporate delicacies such as salt cod, deep fried fish, marinated eel, squid salads and stuffed lobsters (mmm, dying to try!). We make life simple for ourselves at our house by serving, at most, 3 or 4 courses that incorporate 7 or more fish within them. You can actually just get it down to just 2! I typically serve cold shrimp with a fancied-up cocktail sauce and fried calamari as apps (you can just get these in the freezer box at your grocery store). Although, this year, I might even pass these by. I always serve an easy fennel seafood soup (I’ve been tweaking Giada De Laurentiis’ recipe for Cioppino in recent years) in which you could pretty much incorporate all seven fishes in one fell swoop. And I always make fresh linguine or spagettini (purchased) with a homemade red sauce of smoked mussels and clams with an onion, garlic, and anchovy base – this blessed trio deglazed in good red wine, of course.
We hope your Advent has been as wonderful as ours!
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Our Christmas Eve Shadowbox:
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- The Lunchbox Season is Back
- Summer of Funner 2012 Film Festival
- Peach Day! Amaretto Peach Jam, Brown Sugar Vanilla Jam, and Giant Peach Butter
- A Movable Mural
- The Imaginary Beasts of Riverdale Farm
- Mad Scientist Day 2012: Ten “Sweet” Experiments
- The Kids Make Street Eats (with Beer!): Pilsner Pretzels & Hops and Robbers Mustard
- Glam Cans 2012: Kid-Designed Canning Labels DIY
