Supercharge Your Superhero Teachers and Librarians

Infuse your professional development, staff training, or in-service with a refreshing, playful energy that reminds you why you wanted to be an educator - the love of learning. 

At Flow Circus, we firmly believe that children and teens are not the only ones that need to step outside their comfort zone and learn new skills. Adults also need to make time, create space, and find tools for play in order to replenish and renew their enthusiasm. We utilize

2015-16 Tour Dates

Bring Flow Circus to your school or library this year for engaging staff development, educational performances, or hands-on tween/teen workshops. Visit FlowCircus.com to learn more about available programs.

We currently have the following tours already scheduled for upcoming school year. There are still openings left for each of these. If you don't see your region or your preferred dates mentioned, contact dawn@flowcircus.com to see if a tour can be arranged. We will try to keep these dates updated as tours get added.

Flow Circus Conference Services

Fun. Engaging and inspirational. They gave each participant something they could take with them  that day. Our attendees left refreshed and smiling.

ACA Heart of the South Conference

Learn more about how our Keynote Presentations, Break Out Sessions, and Invigoration Stations can add a playful energy that motivates attendees to learn, grow, and connect. Contact dawn@flowcircus.com to schedule a phone call.

Captain Fundama to the Rescue!

Looking for a fun and easy superhero themed activity to do this summer? Why not join Captain Fundama in his campaign to fight boredom and engage kids, tweens, and teens in developing new skills? 

A number of years ago, we developed Fundama, a DIY skill toy that uses paper cups, string, and masking tape. Camps and libraries across the U.S. have created and played with Fundama. We're very excited to bring it back to you with a new twist connecting the activity to this summer's CSLP theme, Every Hero Has a Story.

The program just requires a few steps:

1. Read: Share the story of Captain Fundama (found below) to introduce the activity.
2. Create: Have attendees create their own Fundama. You can use one of our designs or have them create and name their own. Videos, printable instructions, and other resources available at PlayFundama.com and videos available at Skoyz.com.
3. Play: Allow time for actually playing and mastering a few tricks with their new Fundama.
4. Tell: Have attendees finish the story that started off the activity. Describe the Fundama that Fundy (you) created and the reaction his brother had to it. Was his brother good at the skills? Did he have fun? Did he make his own? 
5. Share: Have volunteers use the Fundama they created to finish their version of the story.

The Captain Fundama Story: Captain Fundama's older brother always says, "I'm bored." Whether at home, school, the park, or even on vacation, he says "I'm bored." Fundy just does not understand. How can you be bored when you can build sand castles, master the rock climbing wall, or learn about volcanic eruptions?

Then one day the power goes out at home. No video games, no music, and no internet. His brother turns to Fundy and says, "I bet even you will be bored today!" Little did he know that Fundy had already developed the super power to be able to create and master new challenges with even the simplest objects. He goes into the kitchen closet and grabs paper cups, string, and masking tape. He gets to work knowing that even his brother won't be able to resist this entertaining challenge. Captain Fundama to the rescue!

Feel free to share pictures of the Fundama, creative story endings, or videos of the story telling here or on our Facebook Page.

Summer 2015 Tour Schedule

We know our library partners are busy thinking about super heroes as they prepare for this summer's CSLP theme Every Hero Has a Story. Performer Paul Miller has also been thinking about how learning new skills like juggling and developing resiliency plays a critical role in the development of all kinds of heroes. With his improvisational antics, animated story telling, and impressive skills, Paul will entertain and inspire audiences this summer. Flow Circus is also available for tween/teen workshops and staff training at libraries and summer camps. We travel from Alabama to Massachusetts during the summer - see our tour schedule below to see when we are in your area.

Many of the following weeks still have a few openings. Contact us to  check availability.

May29 - June 2: Available for Camp Trainings in the Southeast

June 3-6: Alabama (Greater Birmingham area)

June 8-13: North and South Carolina

June 15-19: Charleston County, SC

June 20-29: North Carolina

June 30- July 3: Cumberland County, PA and Eastern PA

July 6- 9: - Bucks County, PA

July 13-18 - North Carolina & Virginia

July 20-24 - Horry County, SC

July 25-30: North Carolina

July 31 - August 15: Northeast Tour (PA, NJ, NY, CT)

 Visit FlowCircus.com to learn more about our staff training sessions, performances, and workshops for your library or camp. Or visit Flow Circus.com/videos to see video highlights of past Summer Reading shows.

New Video - Science of Awesome

Science of Awesome from paul@flowcircus.com on Vimeo.

Paul has spent the last two months fine tuning his new Science of Awesome show for elementary and middle school students. Learning about science concepts such as gravity, center of gravity, potential energy, and kinetic energy leads Paul to master a variety of skill toys in exciting, new ways. Employing the scientific method in the process teaches Paul (and his audiences) this important lesson: it doesn't matter if you drop. What matters is if you pick it up and try again. 

Great fit for in-school assemblies or family Science Nights. Visit FlowCircus.com/schools to learn more. We already have school tours scheduled throughout the East Coast for 2014-15. Contact us today to find out when we'll be in your area.

Summer Reading Program 2014 - Wrap Up

    

Another amazing summer has ended. Paul really enjoyed creating a show for this summer's Fizz, Boom, Read! science theme. He performed his new Science of Awesome show at close to 100 libraries in 10 states from Connecticut to Louisiana. Using juggling and skill toys, he illustrated scientific principles such as gravity, center of gravity, potential energy, and kinetic energy as he learned to balance, spin, and master new tricks. The show of course had his signature style of improvisational comedy and audience interaction.

Don't just take our word for it, here's what the librarians we worked with are saying:

Science of Awesome - New Show for 2014-15

Flow Circus has added a new school assembly performance to its offerings for the upcoming school year.

Science of Awesome: Performer Paul Miller of Flow Circus tells the story of one fateful summer when he first learns about physics. In this seemingly magical world where things fall, balance, and spin, he defies gravity and discovers new skills. His journey begins with a single question that ultimately gets answered through problem solving and the scientific method.

Book Flow Circus for the day and extend the impact of assemblies with hands-on workshops or author visits. Add a Skoyz Family Night to encourage participation in your PTA events. Most importantly, invite Flow Circus to your school to remind students and families about the importance of cultivating curiosity, building resilience, and having fun together.  A limited number of the following special packages are available:

Summer 2014 Tours Scheduled

Paul can't wait to share the science of juggling and skill toys this summer. His Summer Reading Performance Fall, Balance, and Spin: A Juggler's Tale will connect to the CSLP theme Fizz, Boom, Read! Throughout the show, he will tell a story that encourages families to use the library to answer questions and discover new skills.

The summer calendar is filling up quickly, but we do still have openings left on the following regional tours:

Summer 2014
Week of May 26 - Louisiana
Week of June 2 - Gulf Shores area of Alabama
Week of June 9 - North and South Carolina
Week of June 16 - North Carolina
Week of June 23 & 30 - Northeast Tour (PA, NY, NJ, CT, MA)
Week of July 7 - N/A
Week of July 14 - Virginia
Week of July 21 & 28 - North and South Carolina
Week of August 4 & 11 - Northeast Tour (PA, NY, NJ, CT, MA)

Hands-on tween/teen workshops are also available which will allow participants to experience the science of juggling and skill toys first hand. Visit FlowCircus.com/library to learn more about our programs or check out our Video Gallery to see how Paul has connected to the CSLP theme in past summers.

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.

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.