*all photos of the play via the Youth Theatre at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre Facebook page
As I prepared for this school year, I looked through the piles of books that Daniel and I still have from when we were kids, and made a list of books I thought would be appropriate to read aloud with Jack throughout the school year.
That preliminary list included: Charlotte's Web, Winnie the Pooh, and Frog and Toad. So imagine my delight when my good friend informed me that the Youth Theatre at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre would be performing all three of these as plays during the 2017-2018 school year. They also performed Beauty and the Beast, but we opted to skip that play due to it's two-hour length.
So our very first experience attending a play for school was a local production of Charlotte's Web. During the two months leading up to the play, I read the book aloud to Jack. Often stopping to make sure he was grasping the story and could tell it back to me (narration) or answer my specific questions.
We finished the last chapter on the morning of the play, then headed downtown to meet our friends for our Friend Friday outing.
The play only lasted 60 minutes, but hit all the highlights. I only had to step out for a few minutes with Isaac because he was hungry, but even he sat a watched most of the production.
Jack's favorite part was the scene where Wilbur was attempting to run away and he ran wildly across the stage leaving mayhem in his wake. I was really impressed with the set and how closely they stuck to the book, even though they had to leave parts out to fit the allotted time.
My kids surprised me with their ability to sit quietly through a play, and enjoy and understand what was happening on stage.
Afterward we walked to a Mexican restaurant with our friends. The kids all sat together and the moms sat together and discussed the play and life in general. It was a perfect Friday afternoon.
When we went our separate ways, Jack asked to go to a playground he likes that is downtown. Since it was so beautiful out, we drove across the river to the park. The kids briefly played on the playground equipment before they found some discarded cardboard boxes and took up cardboard sledding instead.
It was the second time for Jack, and this time I rode down with Isaac before he attempted on his own. We had a lot of fun, and are grateful for all that our city has to offer, right down to the grassy hills by a river front that you can sled on year round!
The next play we hope to attend is The House At Pooh Corner. We have started reading that book aloud in anticipation of the play.
Check back on Fridays to see our weekly outings.
If you're following along, here are our previous Friend Friday adventures this school year: August: Coolidge Park
September: Creative Discovery Museum ⎮ Greenway Farms Picnic ⎮ Chattanooga Zoo ⎮ Big Soddy Gulf Picnic
October: Reflection Riding Center
Update: A couple of months after the play, we noticed that Charlotte's Web was on Netflix, so we watched it for a family movie night. I later quizzed Jack about the story. We discussed the differences in the book, play, and movie. I was surprised at how much he remembered – even obscure things after so much time had passed. I am grateful to be on this learning journey with him and to see first-hand all of the connections he makes and things he remembers.
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