Get Your Child’s Free Online Broadway Course “The Lion King”
Our most theatrical children can get tired of the simple one-on-one and puppet shows they put on in the living room. Maybe they played a role in the school’s spring musical before everything – including their rehearsals and performances – closed. Or maybe they are just bored and looking for something new and interesting to do. If they have a little free time (ha) and an affinity for The Lion King or the performing arts in general, they can enjoy the free virtual theater courses offered by Disney.
The lessons introduce students to various aspects of theatrical production through the lens of The Lion King, and are hosted by Cindy Winters and Jelani Remi, who played Nalu and Simba in the Broadway production. The curriculum was originally designed for teachers for classroom use, but has been adapted for individual use at home during a pandemic.
There are two programs to choose from : “Kids Experience” for children from 8 to 11 years old and “JR. Experience ” for children from 12 to 15 years old. Each lesson in the program (11 lessons for children and 18 lessons for younger ones) covers a different topic or skill such as plot, movement, character, transition, space and sound. …
Children are encouraged to watch a short video that accompanies each lesson, complete an activity or journal entry, and then share what they have learned or created with their family. For example, children can learn to block off their dining room as if it were a scene, write their own dialogue for a new scene, or create a mask.
Each lesson includes “Level Up Challenges” for children who want to take the class a little further, and the program ends with a mini-show for family members. And at the end, they can even print out a certificate of completion to make things look more formal.