A very special thank you to the over 80 libraries that we visited this summer.
Paul had so much fun developing a performance around the Make A Splash theme that combined storytelling, juggling, magic, and of course comedy. We also helped teens Make Waves by teaching them new juggling, skill toy, and balloon twisting skills.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the video capturing the fun we had!
Flow Circus will travel! We currently have the following tours planned for the 2010-11 school year and still have openings available. Book during one of these tours and we will waive your travel costs. We are continually adding new tours to this schedule so feel free to contact us about setting up a tour in your area.
For more information about Flow Circus performances, teen workshops, and staff trainings, visit www.FlowCircus.com
Paul has been busy this summer entertaining families from Alabama to Connecticut with his antics. His 2010 Summer Reading Program performance encourages kids (and adults too!) to learn new skills so that they can Make a Splash and get recognized in a positive way. Paul starts the show with the story about how he jumped in a huge puddle one summer day because no one was paying attention to him. He gets his whole family wet and they are not very happy!
His grandmother is about to leave on a trip to Asia and makes a deal with him……learn to do something that will make people smile and she will bring him a gift from her travels. Paul spends the summer learning to juggle, perform magic, and discovers other toys that require practice. He and his friends put on circus shows in his front yard and he realizes that he likes the applause! When his grandmother finally comes home, she brings him a new skill toy for him to learn – the Japanese kendama. Paul can’t wait to see what new tricks he can learn and perform for more applause!
If you have been at one of the 90+ Flow Circus library shows this summer, feel free to comment here. To see more photos visit our Photo Gallery.
Flow Circus took time off from performing this week to teach two Beginning Juggling, Magic, & Balloon Sculpting camps at the Cary Academy Summer Quest Program. We have been amazed by the skills these 9-14 year olds have developed in such a short time!
Visit our photo gallery to see images of campers sculpting giant palm trees, mastering a variety of skill toys, and performing magic tricks like the cup and ball routine!
We look forward to returning to Summer Quest again next summer.
If your child was a camper, we would love to hear what you enjoyed most about the camp. Feel free to post your comments here.
The Flow Circus 2010 Summer Reading Performance Make A Splash…Without Making a Mess focuses on how with a little skill, we can all make a positive impact in our world. Below is a brief description of the show:
As a kid, performer Paul Miller was always getting in trouble. Then one summer all that changed with the gift a Japanese kendama. That popular toy and a trip to the library led him to discover juggling and other skill toys from around the world. Instead of getting grounded, he started to get applause.
As the performance took shape, we realized that we wanted to provide librarians with the opportunity to provide the same discovery of new toys and skills for their patrons. We know that budgets are limited, so we sat down with string, masking tape, sticks, paper cups & PlayFundama.com was born!
PlayFundama.com provides instructional videos on how to make and play with the different versions of fundama that we have created. You can also find photos of similar toys from around the world and suggested activity ideas for how fundama might be incorporated into your Summer Reading Program.
We hope to inspire kids to be creative and playful with whatever materials they might have laying around!
This year we returned to the Chapel Hill High School’s Newcomer Center to conduct a Skill Toy residency. The center provides middle school ESL students with a smaller classroom environment to help with the transition to US language and culture. The majority of the students are refugees from Burma and have spent time in Thai refugee camps before coming to the US. The residency is coordinated by the Durham Arts Council.
Over the course of six visits we introduced juggling, flower sticks, Japanese kendama, spinning plates, diabolo, yo-yo, jitter ring, and footbag. Visit the Flow Circus photo gallery to see more pictures of the students using the different skill toys.
The students also introduced us to two common games from their cultures. The first involved a wicker ball called the chelo that gets kicked. The other is a rope game that involves a variety of intricate jumps over an ever-rising rope. We always enjoy learning about new games!
As part of the 5th grade Global Awareness Technology Project, Flow Circus recently visited Newington Forest Elementary School in Fairfax County, Virginia to introduce students to skill toys that have traveled the Silk Road. Students learned the history of 4 different toys and then had a chance to test their own skills with the various props. As one students commented while playing with a set of flower sticks, “I bet people that had these were never bored!”
In addition to using toys to illustrate how cultures interacted and influenced each other, we discussed how the materials used to make the toys varied based on resources available and/or new inventions. Below are excerpts from thank you cards/letters written by the students after the workshop:
I never knew that history could be about toys! Today really inspired me.
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The best part was when you taught us about how they were made and how they got from place to place on the Silk Road. Thank you!
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You were entertaining and you made learning a blast. I have gotten lots of ideas for my project.
To celebrate the 2010 Teen Tech Week, Flow Circus conducted workshops and kicked off a new video contest to fit this year’s theme: Learn, Create, Share.
Teen Tech Week was established in 2007 by YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) to encourage teens to be “competent and ethical users of technologies” especially those offered at the library. They encourage teens to use school and community libraries’ nonprint resources for education and recreation. Teen Tech Week 2010 was held March 7-13.
The theme was a perfect fit for our latest video contest: Learn to juggle or use other skill toys, Create a video, and Share the video with family and friends on FlowCircus.tv. For more information about the video contest visit the Flow Circus TV Blog.
Video contests are offered throughout the year as part of the Skill Toy Program. Libraries and afterschool programs can organize Skill Toy Clubs to engage teens in a unique, playful way. For more information on Skill Toy Clubs visit our website.
To see more pictures from our Teen Tech Week workshops visit the Flow Circus Photo Gallery.
Tuesday, March 2nd marked the 106th birthday of Dr. Seuss. flow Circus celebrated with a performance of Read Yourself Silly at Union West Regional Library in Indian Trail, NC. A little snow falling didn’t stop families from coming out to laugh and celebrate reading.
For more pictures of the show, visit the Flow Circus Photo Gallery.
For more information and activity ideas, visit the National Education Association’s Read Across America website.
Paul performed at the Nasher Museum of Art’s Family Day this weekend. The event celebrated current exhibition Big Shot: Andy Warhol Polaroids. Paul presented his own version of a self-portrait through his performance incorporating juggling, magic, & balloons.
The Nasher Museum has a beautiful performance space and enthusiastic audiences. In addition to performances, Paul performed close-up magic and engaged kids of all ages (the grown up ones too!) in plate spinning fun. We look forward to returning to the Nasher again in the future.
For more photos, visit the Flow Circus Photo Gallery. If you saw one of Paul’s shows, feel free to comment here.
