KIDS Convo: Homeric Hymn to Demeter
New Discussion for an Ancient Myth
Dear Classical Kids,
While the study of the classics is rewarding in and of itself, it’s always more fun to do with a friend. Who wouldn’t want to discuss myths and history and ideas with a buddy? Even better if the friend is also interested in the same topics!
That’s why we are starting our Classical Kids Convos, so fellow classical loving kids can get together.
We’ll do virtual museum tours, game days, and other fun stuff! And for our first discussion, we’ll tackle one of the most important works of the ancient world: The Homeric Hymn to Demeter.
It’s a story that has it all - the goddess Demeter, her beautiful daughter Persephone, the king of the underworld Hades, and his brother the king of Gods Zeus. Oh, and Helios the sun god plays an important role... as do the humans!
Not only that, it’s an origin story, both in that it explains the natural phenomenon of the seasons as well as the beginning of a long-standing ritual in the ancient world. As you can imagine, it’s a pretty important myth! But also really interesting.
This conversation will be aimed for kids 6 - 12 and will begin with a kid-friendly retelling of the story of Demeter and her daughter Persephone. Afterwards I’ll lead a discussion about how these stories were told and what they meant in the ancient world. Best of all, we’ll let the kids talk about it with each other.
Our first Classical Kids Convo will take place on September 18th at 5pm EDT and you can register in advance to get the link here:
Please note: It will NOT be recorded, since I’d like the kids to participate - so it is only a live activity.
If you can’t join at that time, don’t worry - we will try another discussion at a different time. Please email me to let me know if during the day or weekends works best.
I hope your kiddos can join! Please make sure to register in advance, so we know how many kids are coming. You can do so here:
All the best,
Anya Leonard
Founder and Director
Classical Wisdom and Classical Wisdom Kids
I am so looking forward to this class with my 9-year-old daughter. Not only that, but this particular story between Demeter and Persephone has personal significance to me. When I was little we didn’t have many story books, but one we *did* have had myths. My mother was always so busy working at the hospital that she was hardly ever home to read to me. The first time I asked her for a story I gave her this book, and she read me “Persephone” but because she was not classically well-read (nor was she a native English speaker) she said “Purse-a-phone” and I didn’t correct her. And now as a poet, this is the name of the poem about my mother reading to me — “Purse-a-phone”
I love this idea! Hopefully we can make it.