The Living Chess Game: Fine Arts Activities for Kids 9-14

Alexey W. Root

ISBN-13: 9781598843804

102 pages • 8½ x 11
Year Published: 2010

Living chess games have been referenced in works from classic authors such as Lewis Carroll and Kurt Vonnegut; this theater art was also mentioned in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. With The Living Chess Game: Fine Arts Activities for Kids 9-14, any parent, librarian, teacher, or after-school instructor can successfully stage an educational and entertaining living chess game.

The book's chess instruction enables children to perform, with understanding, as living chess pieces. The activities not only instruct students on how to research chess, but also teach a myriad of fine arts skills such as acting, composing music, choreographing movements, designing scenery, and scriptwriting, and the activities address content standards from the National Standards for Arts Education. The author has also provided a "resources and materials" section that explains the cultural reference of each activity's title and lists opportunities for parental involvement, such as tech support and attending students' performances.

This book provides comprehensive information and guidance for successfully staging a theatrical living chess game for children ages 9–14.

Living chess games are theatrical performances where human actors portray the game pieces. Human chess games have been performed for 1300 years and are still staged at schools, libraries, festivals, and renaissance fairs around the world. Beyond pure entertainment, living chess games can bring music, dance, visual arts, and chess to life for participants and audiences.