Read Across America 2013 Tour

We love Dr. Seuss! One of Paul's favorite comments from a student came after a school show when the boy compared Paul to the Cat in the Hat (we can't imagine why!) Our favorite Dr. Seuss book is If I Ran the Circus and Paul has been known to incorporate the book into his storytelling.

We thought it fitting to plan a tour in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday which has been designated by the National Education Association as Read Across America. We will be traveling throughout the Northeast (MA, CT, NY, &NJ) the week of February 25 and the DC area the week of March 4th. We have already booked several shows, but still have openings available to help your community celebrate Dr. Seuss!

If you are interested in booking Paul's Read Yourself Silly performance or any of our other programs for your school or library during this tour, visit FlowCircus.com for more information. For activity ideas and other resources from the NEA, visit their Read Across America page.

Grounded for Good Wins a Moonbeam Award

We are thrilled to announce that Dawn's debut book Grounded for Good won a Moonbeam Award. It won the gold for Best First Book - Chapter Book. The Moonbeam Children's Book Awards are intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary children's books and their creators, and to support childhood literacy and life-long reading. Each year's entries are judged by a panel of youth educators, librarians, booksellers, and book reviewers of all ages.

Grounded for Good tells the story of 8th grader Derek Dawson's summer gone wrong. After an incident on the last bus ride home from middle school, his plans of summer camp and hanging out with friends are dashed. Instead he must do community service at a library, work at his family's store, and spend the rest of his time grounded at home. Torture, until he meets a colorful crew of kids in the next town that help him uncover his hidden talents. As one reader commented, "All in all, Grounded for Good is a book that will have you rooting for Derek Dawson from beginning to end as the searches for the answer to the question inside so many of us...Where do I fit in?"

To see the complete list of winners and categories, visit the Moonbeam Award website. Scroll down to #37 to see Dawn's name. To learn more about the book visit DawnDaria.com and to order your copy of Grounded for Good, visit FlowCircusPress.com.

 

"Juggling Money" - New Financial Literacy Show a Success

Flow Circus was selected by Lackawanna and Luzerne County Library Systems in Northeastern Pennsylvania to develop a performance about financial literacy for preschoolers as part a grant they received from PNC Bank's Grow Up Great program. Performer Paul Miller kicked-off the program with fourteen shows during a week-long October tour and looks forward to returning in April to visit more libraries in the region.

In Juggling Money, Paul tells the story of how a trip to the library led him on an adventure filled with high-flying juggling, amazing magic, and the wonders of circus. In the end, he learns that hard work and smart choices lead to rewarding results. The show had a wonderful response as you can see in these photos in our Photo Gallery and this quote from the Nancy Kay Holmes Library in Scranton:

In and of itself, his act (the magic tricks/pantomime/juggling) is amazing, but more importantly, the flawless (and fun!) way he incorporates the themes of Spending, Sharing, and Saving into his act is beyond impressive! Our parents and kids LOVED this event, and this was a TERRIFIC way to kick-off the PNC Grow Up Great financial literacy campaign!

To learn about our other library programs, visit FlowCircus.com/library. Contact Flow Circus if you are interested in learning more about Juggling Money or if your organization would be interested in having Flow Circus customize a performance or workshop to fit specific grant objectives.

2012 Summer Reading Program - Highlights

The results for Summer 2012 are in - over 100 library performances and 20 tween/teen workshops in 9 different states. Our home state of North Carolina hosted us for the largest number of programs with Pennsylvania coming in a close second. We were excited to also add Massachusetts and Virginia to our summer tour schedule. Many thanks to all of these libraries for inviting us to their communities and helping to make this our most successful summer yet.

Keeping with the tradition we started many years ago, we created a video with highlights from Dream Big - READ! performances. Even if you didn't get to see Paul's show this summer, you'll be sure to get a laugh from the comical ways in which he tries to get the attention of his "mom."

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/48325339#at=5[/vimeo]

We are currently booking for the 2013 Dig into Reading Summer Reading Program. Visit FlowCircus.com/library for more information on our programs.

Grounded for Good - Book Trailer Contest

In Grounded for Good, the debut book of author Dawn Daria, Derek Dawson is forced to "volunteer" at a local library as punishment for a prank he pulls on the last day of eighth grade. A colorful crew of kids and a librarian unlike any other adult Derek knows help him uncover hidden talents including juggling and performing.

Flow Circus Press wants to help readers tap into their hidden talents this summer and Own The Night! The winning entry will win juggling equipment for the creators and their public library. It's simple - create a book trailer for Grounded for Good and enter it in our contest by August 17th. If the trailer is selected, the team members will each get a signed copy of the book and a set of juggling balls. Their library wins a Flow Circus Juggling Kit which contains instructional materials, 20 sets of juggling balls, and other juggling equipment. Your library will have what it needs to start a juggling club that can meet throughout the year. For more information about the kit contents, visit our Teen Kit page.

Grounded for Good - Now Available

Grounded for Good, the debut book by Flow Circus Education Director Dawn Daria, is now available in paperback. Visit Flow Circus Press for more information on how to purchase it or download the e-book.

 

Sleeping late. Hanging with friends. Freedom.
Ah, Summer…
Derek Dawson couldn’t wait to finish middle school. Unfortunately, a heroic attempt to impress his classmates on the last bus ride home sends him right back to the principal’s office. He’s been in trouble before, but nothing like this.

Working for free. Musty books. Grounded.
Summer Ruined!
Derek’s summer leaves him stuck at home, working at the family store, and “volunteering” at a library. Torture, until he meets a colorful crew of kids in the next town that help him uncover his hidden talents. Will Derek finally be able to prove to his parents that he’s more than just a trouble-maker?

I’ve never fit in before. Football’s not my thing, video games aren’t my thing.
But now…now I’ve found my thing.

Take the Stage...Own the Night: Free Teen SRP Resources

As we thought about Own the Night, the 2012 Teen Summer Reading Program theme, we figured many of you would go with the popular zombie, vampire, creatures of the night idea. We struggled at first with how to connect what we do with the theme because you don't usually see juggling zombies! But when we refocused on our goal of helping kids discover new interests and skills that empower them, a variation on the theme seemed obvious: Take the Stage...Own the Night. Why not have teens learn new skills that provide them with the confidence and self-esteem to Own the Night.

We have compiled a variety of resources that start with teaching teens to juggle including DIY juggling balls that you can make with them on a shoe-string budget. But that's just a starting point. Why not engage folks in your community to come in a do demonstrations on music, dance, storytelling, or other skills. We've also included ideas for showcasing teen talents from using them as opening acts for your SRP programs to a full talent show event. The materials have been developed with libraries in mind, but can easily be adapted for camps and afterschool programs.

All of these resources and more can be found at FlowCircus.com/OwnTheNight. Video contest coming May 1st. Join our mailing list to get details when available.

You can run these programs without us, but Flow Circus is available for family performances and teen workshops. Visit FlowCircus.com/library for more information.