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.

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.

Summer Reading Program Kicks-off!

Flow Circus kicked-off Summer Reading Programs in Alabama & North Carolina with a new performance One Toy, Many Stories and the hands-on tween/teen workshop Skill Toys from Around the World.

Paul's 2011 SRP performance includes some old favorites like his 5 ball juggling routine, but also incorporates fun new routines. As always, the audience helps to create a unique show every time!

To see more pictures from our tours, visit our Photo Gallery. We look forward to bringing Flow Circus performances and workshops to libraries in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, & Connecticut throughout the summer months. Keep up with our tour schedule by becoming a fan of on our Facebook Page.

 

Team Building for Youth Leadership Program

The Wake Forest Chamber of Commerce recently launched Youth Leadership Wake Forest - a program for high school sophomores and juniors in the community. The program's mission is to develop a corps of informed, committed, and competent youth motivated to learn more about the community, assume leadership roles in school, and become more involved in civic, cultural, philanthropic, and economic development organizations.

Flow Circus was invited to conduct a team building session to kick-off the program in a playful, interactive way. Our 90-minute session involved learning basic balloon twisting skills and then having some fun! One of the exercises challenged groups to create a :30 commercial highlighting the various benefits of living in the town of Wake Forest. Enjoy the results below which will make you want to come visit our wonderful community.

To learn more about our professional development sessions visit the Flow Circus website.

Skill Toys Add Play to Community Festivals

This fall, Flow Circus had the opportunity to set up Skill Toy Play Stations at several community events to engage families in play. Kids of all ages challenged themselves with new toys or rediscovered toys from their youth.

Skill Toy Residency at Newcomer Center

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!

Skill Toys From Around the World - 5th Grade Workshops

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.

Teen Tech Week Video Contest: Learn, Create, Share

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.

Make A Splash@Your Library

At libraries across the United States, families will Make A Splash and teens will Make Waves this summer. Flow Circus has been brainstorming fresh ideas for a new 2010 SRP performance. Our juggling & skill toy workshops provide a unique program for tweens & teens......they will be making wave patterns as they juggle and making waves as they share their new skills with friends.

Below is a list of our current summer schedule. We still have openings for these tours and would love to visit your library. For more information on performances and workshops visit www.FlowCircus.com/library

Summer 2010:

June 8-11: Alabama Library Tour

June 14-18: North Carolina Library Tour

June 21-25: Pennsylvania Library Tour

June 28-July 2: New York Library Tour

July 5-9: North Carolina Library Tour

August 9-13: Connecticut Library Tour

August 16-20: Long Island Library Tour

Contact Dawn to check our availability at dawn@flowcircus.com or (919)604-3462.

Flow Circus Visits Encore! Afterschool Program

Encore! loves Flow Circus. Paul and Dawn are awesome! They managed to capture the attention of and engage even our most hard-to-please students. The demonstrations and patient instruction were top notch---and I was even juggling by the end! I can’t say enough about how great they are.

Amy Franks, Program Specialist, Durham Public Schools

 

 

Last week, we had the opportunity to teach juggling workshops at 3 different Encore! afterschool programs in the Durham Public School System. We were so impressed by the willingness of these middle school students (and staff) to try something new. Over the course of a 60 minute workshop, everyone saw big improvements and we even had some of the participants juggling up to 30 throws. We look forward to returning to the programs this spring to introduce other skill toys.

Flow Circus Returns to Campfire

Last week, we had the opportunity to return to the YMCA Campfire Conference held in Black Mountain, NC. Summer camp staff from all over the southeast came together to share ideas, develop skills, and play together. In addition to teaching juggling and skill toy workshops this year, we conducted a team building workshop using balloons.

To add to the fun, Paul also performed his variety show for the group. The one thing we observe when working with YMCA staff is that they are always ready to laugh and play! We look forward to participating again next year.

To see more pictures visit the Flow Circus Photo Gallery.

New Video - Professional Development Workshops

Flow Circus offers a range of professional development programs for school, library, afterschool, and camp staff. Programs and workshops use juggling, balloons sculpting, and performance to actively engage participants in teambuilding, stress relief, leadership development and creative thinking.

Watch our video & imagine your colleagues having fun together!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4ecZ4wqv6s[/youtube]

For more information visit the Flow Circus website.

Playful Staff Development

Flow Circus finds that working with adults can be just as much fun as working with kids because adults need to laugh & play too! This month we conducted two different staff development sessions. The first was held at Camp Silver Beach for the Peninsula Metropolitan YMCA. Our half-day workshop was part of a two day retreat focusing on the book Juggling Elephants by Jones Loflin and Todd Musig. As the authors point out in the book: People sometimes need to laugh, relax, and not take themselves too seriously. Our session taught participants how to juggle and use a variety of skill toys. Learning these new skills gave the group an opportunity to reflect on the learning process and how to overcome a fear of failure in order to improve their very own own 3 ring circus!

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

This past week we conducted a workshop for the staff of Mauney Memorial Library and Cleveland County Library System (pictured above). For this workshop, we used balloons to set up different team challenges that emphasize the importance of good communication, clear objectives, and understanding strengths/weaknesses when working together in teams. Creative thinking and team brainstorming resulted in the commercials below which promote the wide variety of services that libraries provide in the 21st Century. Watch and enjoy their results.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp0eIEK7Nhc[/youtube]

 Visit our website to learn more information about Flow Circus Staff Development Workshops.

Obama Kendama Goes to the White House

Dear Mr. President,

I'm sure you have received many gifts during your campaign and presidency, but I bet this personalized kendama is unique! This toy is popular in Japan and one of the many skill toys that I teach to children. During your presidential campaign, I realized that "Obama Kendama" had a nice ring to it. I sent it to artist Christopher Bordenca to paint your face on it and thus the Obama Kendama was born. To my knowledge it is the only one like it. During your campaign it traveled to Washington, D.C. and to one of your campaign rallies in North Carolina (there are videos of its travels on YouTube).

I have decided to send the Obama Kendama to you now because playing with the kendama exercises and develops the important 21st century skills that you outlined in your September 8th Back to School speech to students. At the same time, it draws attention to an important aspect of education that should not be overlooked - the critical hours between 3-6pm.

Flow Circus Moves Up the East Coast!

Paul started a busy day performing his Just Paul show for families at this beautiful outdoor pavilion in Gaithersburg, Maryland this morning.

Next on the tour was Strafford, Pennsylvania where we taught a Twisted Fun Workshop to tweens & teens at Tredyffrin Public Libraryto kick off their Express Yourself Summer Reading Program. The workshop was followed by a performance for all ages.

Tomorrow Paul will have more library performances in Sloatsburg, New York and Rye, New York. If you have seen any of these shows, please feel free to comment here.  If not, we will be back in PA, NY, and CT in August!

More pictures from this tour can be seen at our photo gallery.

Skill Toy Residency Wraps Up

   

We just wrapped up a 6 session residency at the Chapel Hill High School's Newcomer Center. The center provides high school and 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.

Over the six weeks we introduced juggling, flower sticks, Japanese kendama, spinning plates, diabolo, yo-yo, jitter ring, and footbag. Visit our photo gallery to see more pictures of the students using the different skill toys.

We look forward to returning again next year.

Twist & Earn! - Tween & Teen Library Workshop

 

 Teens and tweens at Fair Haven branch library in New Haven, CT learned how to Twist & Earn! during National Library Week. After learning basic balloon twisting skills and participating in a high-energy team building exercise, kids had the opportunity to Express Yourself @the Library making balloon hats. Some were big and some small, but all were very colorful!

These teens with the guidance of their wonderful teen librarian will be able to continue to twist balloons in their community to raise money, do community service, and advocate on behalf of the library.

Visit our photo gallery for more pictures of their wonderful creations.

Connecting Cultures through Skill Toys

Flow Circus is currently conducting a six visit residency at the Chapel Hill High School's Newcomer Student Center. The center provides 21 high school and 15 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 English language skills of the students range, but they all understand the language of play!

 

So far we have introduced juggling, flower sticks, diabolo, and yo-yo. It has been wonderful to see the expression of joy and accomplishment as students get the basic flow of the prop or master new tricks. The objective of our residency which was arranged by the Durham Arts Council is to provide the students with a hands-on activity that will allow them to be creative, build self-esteem, and provide a new tool to create cross-cultural interaction with other students at the school. We are looking forward to an upcoming session when the students are going to introduce us to the Burmese game of Chinlon - a game in which a woven rattan ball must be kept off the ground at all times and hit over a net using only ones head, legs, and feet.

 

Skill toys provide a fun, playful way to engage all students in a discussion about history and culture. For more information about skill toys visit our website.

 

NC Summer Reading Program Workshops

Flow Circus had the opportunity to conduct skill toy workshops for NC librarians this week at Summer Reading Program workshops in Salisbury and Pittsboro. We introduced a variety of props, and then let the participants develop their own skills with Japanese Kendama and Flower Sticks.

We enjoyed the playful energy in both groups and look forward to bringing juggling and skill toys to libraries across NC!

After the workshops, Paul performed as part of the Performer's Showcase. Click here for more pictures from the workshop and performance.

Jugglers, Jesters, & Fools

Last week, we spent the day with 6th graders at Voyager Academy in Durham teaching juggling workshops that engaged students in active learning. Their study of the Middle Ages and Renaissance came to life as they learned first hand the skills of jesters and fools.

Did you know that there is evidence of juggling in Ancient Egypt and Greece? Just like many art forms, there is little documentation of juggling during the Dark Ages in Europe, but with the Renaissance came a rebirth of this unique art. Many other props such as the flower sticks and diabolo appear to have returned to Europe as trade with Asia became more frequent.

Throughout our workshop, we encouraged students to study the past by investigating the history of activities or topics they are interested in, such as toys or fashion or sports.  Looking at history in this way can make learning more captivating and of course, more FUN!

We enjoyed working with the Voyager Academy students & were impressed by their juggling skills! This residency was made possible through the Durham Arts Council CAPS program.