May June 2011 Newsletter



Magnolia blossom
Picture courtesy Wikipedia.org

Spring has finally sprung in the USA. The daffodils are up and the flowers on my magnolia tree are in bloom. The tree was giving to me by my dear friend Roxanne when my mother passed away 14 years ago. Whenever the velvety soft, white flowers blossom they remind me of her gentle spirit and how much she loved nature.I can almost hear her laughter on the breeze...and it brings comfort to my heart.

On a personal note, I have been awarded the 2011 National Storytelling Networks Northeast Service and Leadership Oracle Award. It came as a complete surprise and it is all the more precious because the nomination came from my colleagues. I follow in the steps of some amazing people and I am honored.

I arrived home very early this morning from the wonderful Northlands Storytelling Conference so please accept my apologies for sending the newsletter out a day late. I attended terrific workshops, presented one of my own, and was one of three presenters for a panel discussion, "Selling Stories, Not Snake Oil. I listened to amazing storytellers during the concerts, told a story as well, caught up with old friends, made new ones and came home happily story satiated! Next year will be the 30th anniversary of this amazing conference. Start saving your pennies now, you want to miss a moment!

Remember, if you are seeking  stories, curriculum, etc. on spring or other holidays in May and June don’t forget to search the newsletter archives. In the past I have covered Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Flag Day, Asian Pacific Day, Dolls Day …well you get the idea! A Google search box is available on the main newsletter site at http://storybugnewsletter.blogspot.com/  . Also, for those of you who may be unaware, I also write a blog dedicated to the oral tradition. I often add stories and education resources there as well. You may find it here: http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/ .

As always, I appreciate your time. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions please drop me a note at storybug@aol.com . I love hearing from you.

See you in the summer!
Karen Chace
http://www.storybug.net/


STORIES

The first Friday of May is Space Day so I offer you
some stories that are out of this world!


A Coat for the Moon - Jewish
http://tinyurl.com/6l6y4qzThe
The Boy with the Golden Stars
collected by Andrew Lang
http://tinyurl.com/6d4b3ev How the Sun Was Rescued – Siberia
http://tinyurl.com/6x25p66Why
Why the Sun and the Moon Receive Their Light from the Sun
– West Africa http://tinyurl.com/6ye35un

June is National Adopt a Cat month so I offer some purrfect stories to enjoy!

The Fox and the Cat - German
http://tinyurl.com/6alarbt
Why Dogs Chase Cats
- USA
http://tinyurl.com/6a7vgqzThe Cat and the Cock - Russia
http://tinyurl.com/67r55u2The Cat and the Cradle - Dutch
http://www.compassrose.org/folk
The Demon Cat - Ireland
http://tinyurl.com/5rlnlwhThe White Cat of Ecija - Romania
http://tinyurl.com/5tnj3x3


Basile's "Il Pentamerone" - Storyteller Laura Bobrow has generously shared a free resource. She has worked on a project translating the poetry of Basile's "Il Pentamerone" into narrative verse. The purpose is to draw the simple story plots from the over-embellished prose versions. The poems are listed on her website at: http://www.laurajbobrow.com/poetry.htmlThanks for sharing your hard work Laura!


"Live out your imagination, not your history." -Arthur Bryan



BLOG

Storyteller Limor Shiponi of Israel always offers insightful posts related to storytelling and the world at large. http://limorshiponi.com/


BUSINESS NOTES

17 Lost Cost Ways to Get Newsletter Subscribers by Janet Attard
http://tinyurl.com/6kzdxj6
Getting Organized: 5 Secrets to Help Get You Started
by Marcia Gracia
http://tinyurl.com/yd275nn
Three Secret Weapons for Entrepreneurs by Renee and Don Martin
http://tinyurl.com/6bd7cej
What to Do when Someone Copies Your Web Site
by Hostway
http://tinyurl.com/5rjd2e2


Children live in a world of imagination and  feeling. They invest the most insignificant object with any form they please, and see in it whatever they wish to see.

                                               ~ Oehlenschlager



CRAFTS

Cat and Kitten Crafts for Kids
http://tinyurl.com/6bl8t8v Cat Puppet – Cute and easy, made from Styrofoam and a straw.
http://tinyurl.com/5rdhxtn

Star Mobile
http://tinyurl.com/6ggyxjo Star Origami http://tinyurl.com/5v9rgqw Enchanted Learning – Lots of astronomy themed crafts here for hours of fun.
http://tinyurl.com/5v4u6qc

Iowa’s Library Service: A Story Time Plan – Pajama Party: The Moon and the Stars. A complete plan for ages 4 – 5, activities, games, songs, books and lots more! http://tinyurl.com/6z93vye


CURRICULUM

Cosmic Chats – Interviews with Former Astronauts
http://www.spaceday.org/media/documents/OtherResources.pdf
Solar System Printables – Word Search, Vocabulary, Crossword Puzzle and more.
http://homeschooling.about.com/od/freeprintables/ss/solarsysprint.htm
Space Day – Curriculum, history of flight timeline, games and more.
http://www.spaceday.com/

For Kids About Cats - Resources for Parents and Teachers
http://kids.cfa.org/pt.html
Kidssoup.com – Cute cat math activity for preschoolers.
http://www.kidssoup.com/pets-activities/a_catwhiskers.pdf


KIDS CORNER

I've been working with the Massachusetts Humanities Council on the FAIR (Family Adventures In Reading) for the last five weeks. A few weeks ag we were reading the book Frederick by Leo Leonni. In the story Frederick collects words, colors and pictures to sustain his friends through the winter. During the discussion period I asked, “What if Frederick had run out of words?” Devlin, a very precocious six year old said, “How could ANYONE ever run out of words!”

SONGS/FINGERPLAYS

Step by Step – Song, fingerplays books and there is even a flannel board story all related to cats.
http://www.stepbystepcc.com/animals/cats.html

SPOKEN WORD/STORYTELLING VENUES

Usually I have a list of events here. However to conserve space and cut down on the amount of scrolling my newsletter readers have to do I moved the information to my blog. You may find it at this link.  http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/04/storytelling-story-slams-and-spoken.html . Also, if you have any regular spoken word and storytelling venues such as guild gatherings you would like to list, send them to me at storybug@aol.com and I will be happy to add them for free. Directions are at the above blog link.


EDUCATION HIGHWAY


Normally I kept this section to ten or or less items to conserve space. But since I dislike having to say no once the space if full, or if their item has not passed but already been listed, I have moved this section to my blog as well. Every issue the old information will be deleted and new events will be listed. If you have an upcoming event I will be happy to list it for free. Please go to this link http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/04/ease-on-down-education-highway.html for the specific directions and format then email it to me at storybug@aol.com .

SOMETHING EXTRA

Shelter Box – This wonderful organization provides emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for families around the world who are affected by disasters at the time when they need it the most. It really is amazing what they fit into these boxes that are so crucial to survival. http://shelterbox.org/ /

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