This weekend, we attended opening night of the newest children’s play at The Arden Theater, Charlotte’s Web. We were so, so excited – we read Charlotte’s Web earlier this year. Naturally, Charlotte’s Web is such a classic story, we knew it would be amazing. Every show we’ve seen at the Arden has been wonderful!
Join us for the heart-warming story of a special friendship between a lovable pig and everyone’s favorite spider. Wilbur, Charlotte and their barnyard friends have never been more delightful than in this wonderful tribute to one of the greatest stories for children ever written.
We arrived for opening night and were greeted by a county fair, complete with an actual live pig!! We enjoyed a super kid friendly dinner, from Catering by Design, then we went around to earn stickers to win a blue ribbon at the Arden County Fair!
getting their hands painted
Grace made her own web word to hang up. She said she was "AWESOME!"
After completing all their stations, the girls won their blue ribbons!
fern and wilber
We headed into the theater and the kids were bouncing in their seats with excitement. The show started and the kids were enthralled, of course. Me, I was fascinated by how such a small cast played so many different characters. They would put on a hat and go from being a person to a goose, or put on a coat and suddenly be a rat. Amazing. It was such a simple set and used so few props and costumes – but the kids were totally into it and following every word of the play. When Charlotte was lowering slowly from the ceiling, they were gasping aloud. And when [spolier alert] Charlotte died, all three kids were in tears. And I may have been as well. *ahem* This show does require imagination, since the actors are people, not animals, and the story is a little sad, so its recommended this for ages 5 and up.
After the show, we enjoyed tasty ice cream from Franklin Fountain and got to meet the actors. The girls made a beeline for Charlotte, beautifully played by Sarah Gliko:
On the drive home, the kids were talking and our friend we brought along said, “That was amazing! I just love going to see plays! I’m going to see lots more plays!! ” And that is why you take kids to the theater. We’re teaching them to love this art form, to appreciate theater and become a life-long patron of the arts. That’s why I am so thankful for programs like the Arden – and for programs like Arden for All that brings theater to children who might not otherwise get the opportunity. If you can, try to take your kids to the theater. For under $100, a family of four can see a show at the Arden and with the Target 2-for-1 Program, you can buy one ticket, get one free for select performances! And the memories will last so much longer than you can even imagine.
Charlotte’s Web is playing at the Arden Theater until January 29, 2012. Up next at the Arden? Robin Hood!
disclosure: we received tickets to this show from the arden theatre. i was not compensated for this post. as always, all opinions are my own.
| Ages 18 months-6 years, $24.95
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Kids give their ideas to make the story unique and then the story they wrote is read back to them. Its fabulous – so funny (with all the expected humor of Mo) and every time, its original. Grace even recorded her own voice as part of the story and the pictures she drew were included, too! So cool.
What impressed me about the app is that there are endless possibilities. The stories can be rewritten and rewritten and be different each time. So many apps we’ve bought entertain the kids for an hour or so, then they’re done. They’ve seen it and they’re not interested anymore. But the Pigeon App has the ability to keep them entertained for so much longer. Kids aren’t just watching something, but they are reading, engaging and being part of the story. Now at $7, its certainly pricier than most apps I buy, but I felt it was worth the price. Especially if you have an iPad – it was so much cooler on the iPad than on my iPhone! That price point is still less than a movie, so I’d rather buy something like this for my kids!
Grace screwed up all her courage during question time (Grace does not like speaking in public) and asked Mo what his favorite book was. He said that choosing his favorite book would be like choosing his favorite child. But probably his most favorite is whatever book he finished most recently, as he always is wishing he had done something different after a book is published.
Mo and Grace pretending to be Leonardo the Terrible Monster!
that I wouldn’t let her peek inside 😉
!!!! After the girls stopped their high-pitched squealing, Gracie handed out the dolls to her friends and they immediately ripped them open and were playing for the rest of the playdate. Gracie’s friend said, “This is the BEST playdate EVER! Do you do this every time????”
