Playing Faire

The school year is quickly coming to a close, just a little over a week left!  The twins first year of middle school seventh grade has gone by so unbelievably fast.  It seems like we were just coming to the school for orientation, learning more about the classes and programs available to them this year.  Both kids were in the Middle school honors program this year, which consisted of two classes, Honors English and Honors World History.  

Being a student in this program has been challenging and rewarding this year. They have done numerous world history projects, and have read and analyzed some good material this year including Treasure Island, A Christmas Carol, various Poetry and Shakespeare, and Tom Sawyer which they are just finishing up.  They also read some of the books that the regular English classes read, such as The Outsiders, just for fun. 

At the end of every school year the two teachers of these honor classes collaborate on a Renaissance Faire for the honors students to participate in. The woods around the school are decorated and booths are set up.  The whole area is transformed into a medieval village in a forest complete with a (painted) castle, there are educational booths set up with middle ages trades, crafts and games, a trebuchet, battle training, period dance instruction, a Maypole, knights, a king and queen, a dragon and even the Pope.  In the afternoon several of the students put on a Shakespeare play for the rest of the group. 

Everyone (even us volunteers) are required to dress in period costume. Pete got a chuckle out of that, he could just imagine the already somewhat nerdy honors kids being required to dress up in awkward costumes and parade around while the rest of the school went on with their normal day.  In reality it was a lot of fun and the kids all seemed to really enjoy themselves and the many aspects that the Faire offered.  The Faire took up the whole school day so they never really mixed in with the other students, lunch was even catered as a part of the faire, the kids ate roast chicken, bread, corn on the cob and apple turnovers, supposedly representative of an actual meal of the time.  (However unlike a similar meal served at Medieval Times restaurant, the kids didn't have to eat with their hands). 

The weather turned out to be beautiful, and the twins dressed appropriately without my having to purchase anything, thanks to hand me downs and clothing borrowed from Sue. 

Now behold, the Renaissance Faire of the Village of Serrano in the Kingdom of Lake Forest: 

the villagers gather 

The Pope begins the Faire with a blessing:

Next, the village band plays a traditional Renaissance song: (featuring Jack on snare drum)

Here's a live action video clip of the song - Jack performs, and a look at the Faire 

Harriet with many of the other fair Faire maidens 

Battle Training - the kids are taught the history and strategy of fighting with pikes:

Jack with his pike facing the instructor

Harriet in the battle line - also one of our bishop's twin sons dressed in his Puck costume

for the play later in the day

hand-to-hand pike combat 

Harriet poses with the King in front of the castle (also with the bishop's other twin son)

escaping the fire-breathing dragon

Harriet taking a turn trying the trebuchet

painting stained glass "windows" with religious and literary imagery

Jack spent a lot of time at the Mancala booth 

Harriet writing with an ink dipped feather quill 

Participating in the Maypole dance - not thrilled mom's taking pictures! 

Tied up Maypole ribbons  

After lunch its time for the entertainment - A production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
performed by certain members of the honors classes - including Jack as Theseus Duke of Athens, and Harriet as the fairy Peaseblossom.

the fairies in the glen 

Here is some video of Jack in his role before my camera died and I had
to revert to using my iPhone to take video and pictures  

Short video of Jack as Thesus - my camera died and then I had to 

use my iPhone camera, with which I recorded the video below, which

is longer but not as good as quality, harder to hear the lines 

Longer version, less quality

the cast clowning around after the show