Peter Pan

Jor Man is becoming a man.  He has long outgrown his Peter Pan costume (wish I had pictures of him in it!) - but he will always be my little guy at heart.  But here are pictures of Campster as Tinkerbell when she was 18 months, and 2 years old.  So cute!

Our first voyage into Peter Pan was when Jor Man was 4 and Campster was 1.  Our homeschool group had gotten tickets to a performance of Peter Pan by the San Diego Ballet in Balboa Park.   They loved it.  Afterwards we waited until the cast came out and met them.  Jor Man was particularly entranced by Captain Hook.

Next Big Dad and Jor Man went with friends to see the stage production of Peter Pan with Cathy Rigby as Peter.  They met her after the performance.  Pardon the pun, but he was hooked!

The live-action version of Peter Pan movie is our family favorite.  One year for his birthday, Jor Man had all his friends watch it.  He liked it that much.  And eventually we got around to the Disney version as well.  We've also listened to Peter Pan being read by Jim Weiss several times - we are currently in the middle of it.  I believe we have also seen a high school production of the play.

Jor Man got wind of the movie, "Hook" and so we watched that together and discussed it.  And last night, I showed him "Finding Neverland" which is the story of J.M. Barrie's writing of "Peter Pan" the original play.  This is not for the faint of heart, because there are allusions to scandal and adultery, and even a suggestion of molestation - gives us a lot to talk about.  But it is a beautiful picture of the creative process that Barrie may have gone through in writing his most famous play.

All these different variations and genres of Pan have given us a mini comparative literature class.  We talk about the characters and how they are alike or different in the various expressions.  We talk about changes to the plot, subtle and dramatic.  Campster is particularly adept at making connections and following themes.  We talk about our favorite part of the book/play/movie and why we liked it.  And we look at the worldview expressed in it.  Is it Christian?  If not, what does it try to say?  What are the characters believing?  And do those beliefs help or hinder them?

If you've read "Honey for a Child's Heart", you'll remember that she says that one of the things that binds a family together is their shared experience of the characters and the little inside jokes that come from having lived such adventures together through stories.  I smile and think of Wendy giving the lost boys and Peter their "medicine" when I dole out the cod liver oil.  And Sher Bear offers to give me a "thimble" and kisses me.    

Wish you were here!