The Faerie Queen Infection

Currently, my children's latest fascination is the story of The Faerie Queen. My two teens became infected when they read portions of Spencer's tale with Roy Maynard's wonderful and witty comments. That particular book is FREE and ONLINE, by the way. When they began making costumes for the fairy tale my younger children became interested and wanted to be a part of the outdoor play. I was unaware of all this activity until I discovered traces of oatmeal on my counters and floors. Upon further investigation, I found that my oatmeal containers had been swiped. The children were painting them silver or gold and using them as leg and arm armor. I couldn't help but notice sketches of the Red Cross Knight, Una and dragons posted on the stairwell, fridge, bedroom doors or other high traffic places. When I asked my son why so many pictures, he replied, "So everyone who visits us can have a chance to know the story too."

Then the infection spread to their friends, who knew nothing about the tale, but their curiosity was perked after listening to enthusiastic paraphrases of the story. They too, joined in the fun and began acting out the tale among the trees outside. (Mind you, this classic allegoric tale of political and religious intrigue during the reign of Queen Elizabeth is generally reserved for literature enthusiasts in universities, but these kids don't know that.)

After the weather became cold, the children moved their play inside. Their latest endeavor is making STOP MOTION videos using a digital camera and Microsoft Windows movie maker on the family computer. They got this idea from watching a play of EVERYMAN done with LEGOS. My kids use Playmobil toys. I hope you enjoy the following little production and that the infection jumps out of the computer screen and lands on your own children. Some of you, no doubt have already been infected long ago.




one step at a time...