Presenters of Living
History©

What the Students are saying...

"It was the best day ever of 7th grade!"

 

Acting Up With Shakespeare "It was really fun with him because he was funny. He was like acting all crazy. He acted the play Hamlet for us and it was really good." I had a lot of good responses from students on this workshop; complements on his story telling ability, liking the tale of Hamlet or this particular way of learning the story, and the fun of doing the tableaus. --Rhonda Rumrey, CA Jacobs Middle School

Basketry "... my favorite was the basket weaving it gave me an idea on how it would be like if I lived back then day in and out." "The basketry was cool because first I didn¹t really get it, but at the end I was having a good time. The basketry was a good thing because I can have it in my room or somewhere else. I thought it was hard to do, but no, it was easy." "Our teacher talked to us about how basket weaving was an actual guild and that way back then we would be called apprentices. It was hard work and I can¹t imagine weaving everyday, but it was also really fun." "I felt like I was part of a guild."

 

Country Dance "At the beginning it was hard, but then we got used to it. I really had fun on that one. I learned how to dance Irish dance." "I saw how good the presenter was at dancing to the Irish music and I noticed that he was also very skillful at playing an instrument ... This presenter was dressed as a true Irish peasant"

 

Pageants "This man was fun to listen to right away!" "This one was my favorite! The director was hilarious ..." "I enjoyed this section the most because of the creative way it has." "The man is a great actor." "[Sir Patrick] incorporated our lives into his presentation, comparing and contrasting our life and the old life. ... I thought it was the best, and learned the most." "... he presented the information in a funny & fun way. In his lively, animated manner, he taught us the purposes for pageants."

 

Pike and Drill (Military Life) "The Pike and Drill Station was also very neat because I got to learn how to use a musket and how they organized their offense in battle." " ... it was like you were there, in the battle. ...This was probably the highlight of my day." Several students wrote at length about how the various parts of the military were compared to rock, scissors, paper -- a good analogy as it made sense to them. -RR "The first, and probably my favorite, workshop was the Pike and Drill. ... All in all, I thought this workshop was really interesting." "The first thing I did was the pike and drill. The pike and drill was the most exciting thing I did. I learned how to fill up a gun and get ready for battle. I learned many things in this section. ... about guns and how it only takes 2 to 3 min to fill them up. The thing I enjoyed the most was the pretend battle and when he shot the gun off. It was all exciting and fun." "If I had to choose which one I liked the most it would probably be Pike and Drill because we got to learn about their army and the equipment that they used back then." "Captain Fry & Sir Roger really knew what they were talking about and I learned a lot." Kids who went to Pike and Drill were loaded with information! -RR

Rag Poppets "I would really like to do more rag puppets. I¹m gonna try to do some at home." "It was very amazing to do dolls with rags. Also the lady was nice." "The presenter was very good at encouraging us and she showed us examples of other rag dolls." Kids also wrote about how they learned peasants had few toys and every bit of cloth was saved and used. -RR

Rounders "I always thought Rounders was only just a game, but it¹s not!! It was a strategy for military. I was really amazed when they talked about it as some kind of rescuing thing, where you run out of the castle and save someone." "I had a great time at this workshop"

 

Storytelling "... he told them so good that it seemed like we were in it." "I learned a lot from his stories. Like never judge people by their size. And always tell the truth." "When he told us about the old lady, I felt like throwing up." (this is a complement! -RR) "... it was much better than reading it from a book. ... I loved these stories because I could picture what was happening, even though it was told by only one person."

 

Wheat Weaving Several students mentioned learning "... how people believed that there was a live spirit in wheat and that in order to have a crop of wheat the next year they needed to weave something decorative out of wheat and keep it over the winter." "I also learned that men wove more than women!" "I had a great time because it is fun and interesting."

 

Overall "Today was one of the best days this year. It inspired me to do my own research in the Renaissance including Pike and Drill, Wheat Weaving, Storytelling, and Pageants. It was amazing how much fun these people have making their living. I might even want to research this area of work. This was definitely a good end to the year." "I didn¹t know half the things the teachers told us. I would have to say the Renaissance Workshops were a great learning experience." "I not only learned how they were done/made. But also why. The authenticity of the workshops really made you feel like you¹re in the Renaissance." "I had a Renaissance fair at my old school a couple of months ago but the one today was much better. It was better because the one at my old school was not as authentic as this one was."

"I had a lot of fun and I even wore a costume. It was the best day ever of 7th grade. I learned that it wasn¹t easy a long time ago. But people had another way to do things. It as a very cool experience." "I think having these workshops was a lot better way to learn about the Renaissance. Also, for those people who didn¹t participate you really should have, it was the best..." "The Renaissance workshops were fun. I would take it over a book any time. ... the costumes made you feel like you were there." "What I enjoyed most was that the teachers dressed up too, and the directors made an accent like they would in the 1600¹s." "Presenters that the school hired worked hard to entertain us. I thought that today was going to be a boring day and just have some regular teachers to teach us about Renaissance and be in the workshops. But instead, they hired really good people to teach us new stuff about Renaissance times. I never thought it would be that fun or entertaining!"

 

"Participating in Renaissance was a great experience of learning of some different ways time was in the Renaissance. Participating helped me a lot because I learned their way of living ... It was a great experience learning how the people in those days dressed and did all the different things. I think the workshops helped me learn a lot. Renaissance life was a great experience for learning." "I expected the day to be like the Renaissance Fair I went to one time but on the school-ground. I enjoyed this Fair better because there were less people but the workshops were very life-like and fun. I wish I could experience this Workshop again." "Being able to participate in the workshops really helped me understand the Renaissance time period better. My absolute favorite part was the costume. That was what really made it real for me.  I had a blast today, and would never do it differently. I really learned a lot by doing these workshops."

 

 

Photos by: ©Martin Butler  Marked Turtle Vision (For the entire collection, Please go to: The Turtles Vision - PLH)

For more information send e-mail to  

website designed by Franz-To-Go Productions