December Book: The App Generation

 

Last week, we had the opportunity to see a talk by Howard Gardner and Katie Davis about their new book The App Generation: How Today’s Youth Navigate Identity, Intimacy, and Imagination in a Digital World. Those of you that work in formal and informal education are probably familiar with Gardner’s earlier research including his Theory of Multiple Intelligences and work with Project Zero (if not, click on the links provided to learn more).

In this current work, Gardner and Davis set out to examine how texting, tweeting, Facebook, and other technology trends have impacted the first generation of digital natives. Through various data driven research methodologies, they have drawn several interesting conclusions.

• Characteristics of the current generation of youth: more risk-averse, have a discomfort with ambiguity, more accepting of a range of identities, hyper-connected with parents. The researchers do acknowledge that these characteristics may have been influenced by variables other than technology use.

November Book/TED talk: Brene Brown & Daring Greatly

This month, we want to share with you the work of Brene Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work who has spent the past decade studying vulnerability, courage, worthiness, and shame. Dawn first stumbled upon Brown’s TED talks last year and immediately ordered and read her book Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead (2012). Last month, Dawn also had the opportunity to see Brown speak at the Emerging Women Live Conference in Boulder, Colorado. Brown’s engaging storytelling captivates audiences as she authentically shares her research and her own struggle with vulnerability. If you watch the TED videos, be ready to laugh, but at the same time be ready to get hit in the gut as she holds up a mirror to aspects of ourselves we normally try to shield.

Flow Circus Skill Toy Museum: 19th Century Diabolo

 

 

 

 

 

 

The latest featured item from the Flow Circus Skill Toy Museum* is a 19th Century diabolo. Many of you have played with a yo-yo. Now imagine a bigger yo-yo that can actually come off the string. Players move two hand sticks connected by a string in order to get the toy to spin. Once spinning, it can fly off the string, jump over body parts, and do other tricks. Some players even juggle two or three on one string.

October Book of the Month: Growth Mindset

We've been busy doing research in areas of positive psychology, motivation, and other related fields to better explain the outcomes of our tween/teen and adult programs. We realized that the books we have been reading and TED talks we have been watching might also be beneficial to those of you that are educators, parents, program evaluators, and grant writers. So we are kicking off a regular feature on our blog - a featured book or TED talk.

The first in our series is Growth Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck (2006), a researcher in the fields of personality, social and developmental psychology at Stanford University.

From the Flow Circus Skill Toy Museum: Flores Yo-Yo

Starting this month, we are going to bring you a featured item from the Flow Circus Skill Toy Museum. The museum doesn't physically exist yet, but we have been collecting vintage skill toys over the last few years and wanted to start sharing them. The first item captures the story of a toy and an entrepreneur. The yo-yo has a long rich history dating back as far as 500 BC. Vases from Ancient Greece depict children playing with the toy and a few terra cotta yo-yos from that time still exist. The yo-yo was played on several continents throughout its history, but this story of this yo-yo starts in the Philippines.

Summer 2013 Recap

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The results for Summer Reading Program 2013 are in: Flow Circus performed 122 Dig into Reading shows and conducted 15 tween/teen workshops in just 11 weeks! We visited 8 states from Alabama to Connecticut. Our home state of North Carolina hosted us for the largest number of programs with Pennsylvania coming in a close second. We were invited to visit many new libraries this summer as well as return to some of our favorites from past summers. To see more photos from Paul's Can You Dig It show, visit our Photo Gallery. Special thanks to all of the libraries that hosted us this summer. Here's some of the feedback we have been hearing:

A most exciting, high-energy show which was engaging and entertaining and educational all at one time, and equally entertaining for adults and children. Paul added a lot of humor, enlisted volunteers from the audience, and provided 45 minutes of continuous, high-quality fun! Barbara McNutt, Upper Dublin Public Library, Fort Washington, PA

You guys put the pro in professional and the f in fun. Your pre-show contact and information is always spot on and your follow up is the best of any performer I've worked with hands down. Your continued exploration of new areas and new ways of reaching children with your art speaks volumes of your dedication and determination. I hope to see Flow Circus again and again and again for many years to come. Jess Willis, Florence County Library, Florence, SC

Getting Ready for Summer 2013!

Performer Paul Miller has been busy creating his new Summer Reading Program library show for 2013. For many this summer's CSLP theme, Dig into Reading, will send people down into the dirt. Paul, on the other hand, will dig deeper at his library to uncover new adventures. Below is a brief description:

Can You Dig It?
Performer Paul Miller of Flow Circus takes us back to one memorable summer when his eccentric uncle comes to visit. Unlike any other adult Paul knows, his uncle opens up an exciting, new world of play through stories, books, juggling, magic, and more. More importantly, he encourages Paul not just to copy what others are doing, but to dig deeper and explore his own unique interests and talents.

Paul’s comedy juggling and magic show engages audiences of all ages. Credits include Disney Cruise Lines, Off-Broadway, and performances from coast to coast. He also loves to share his passion for play at schools, libraries, and camps throughout the year.

Our SRP 2013 tween/teen workshops will encourage participants to explore Beneath the Surface and discover skill-based talents such as juggling and skill toys at their library.

We currently have over 100 shows and workshops booked in 8 states, but there are still a few openings. Visit FlowCircus.com/Library for more information about our programs.

New Free Resource for Librarians

Connecting Fiction and Non-Fiction
Some of your library regulars may love reading stories while others use the non-fiction section to satisfy curiosity about dinosaurs, bugs, and sports (oh my!) There’s also that third group that might come for programs and gaming nights, but avoid reading. How can you develop programs to engage all three? How can you bridge fiction, non-fiction, and active learning? Why juggling, of course!

Visit the Connections Page for resources needed to get tweens and teens excited about juggling through hands-on workshops that you can run regardless of your juggling skill level. A reading list with both fiction and non-fiction books will help them dig deeper and explore their new interest in juggling. These resources can also serve as a model for other programming ideas to help bridge this gap.

This site has been developed with libraries in mind, but can easily be adapted for schools, camps, and afterschool programs. Flow Circus is available for hands-on training sessions to help your staff take full advantage of this resource. We are available to present sessions at conferences or regional meetings. These workshops are free if we are on tour in your area.

For other free resources and DIY projects, visit FlowCircus.com/freeresources.