Shakespeare Week is the annual national celebration of Shakespeare in primary schools, organized by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Since its launch in 2014, over eight million primary school children have had first experiences of the world's greatest writer. This year, Shakespeare Week runs from 16 to22 March and has a theme of art and design. It's free to register and to access the hundreds of resources on the Shakespeare Week website, including videos, plays, poetry, storytelling, debate, art and much more, providing children with first experiences of the world's best-known writer.
Create a Shakespeare portrait
We're working with some of the nation's best-loved children's illustrators to contribute a portrait of William Shakespeare. Participants can see their artworks in a fabulous online exhibition. They can imagine their own William Shakespeare, plan and decide how they would like to represent him. Here are some suggestions:
·Make an abstract Shakespeare, Draw a sketch of Shakespeare and then use a tablet to take photographs of the portrait. Create a selection of images that show a range of thoughts and emotions.
·Children can enter their Shakespeare portraits in a competition to win the chance to have their works exhibited during Shakespeare Week. They will also receive an art workshop for their class from great artists.
Recreate Shakespeare's hometown
Some of the buildings that Shakespeare would have walked past and indeed lived in are still standing in Stratford-upon-Avon. If you can't make it along. why not recreate a miniature Stratford-upon-Avon? We offer a simple art activity created for Shakespeare Week by artist Jennie Maizels. Children can follow her step-by-step video and use the downloadable resources free on the website. It is a simple but effective tracing and copying activity, exploring watercolor and fineline pen painting and drawing techniques.
Design a storyworld
Participants can work with other children to design a “narrative environment” or "storyworld" that picks out a key or magical moment from one of Shakespeare's stories. This will offer them a great chance to explore Shakespeare's world.
Why not take your children to join us? You won't regret it!
