January February 2012

Polar Bear Magic
by
Edmund Dulac

Welcome 2012! January and February are filled with fun; we welcome the Chinese New Year, Polar Bear Day, Valentine’s Day and Tell a Fairy Tale Day. You will find resources below to help you celebrate each one.

This year is shaping up to be wonderful already! On January 6 I begin a 19 week series, "Whales, Tales and Sails" at the National Historical Whaling Park in New Bedford, MA. This will be a bit different than my usual storytelling work as it is a parent/child centered lapsit program, geared to newborn through three years old. If you  are interested in attending this free morning program contact them via the link above.

In March I will attend the LANES Sharing the Fire Conference in Albany, NY and present a workshop, Enhance Your Online Presence – Blog It Baby, and also co-present another workshop, Branding, It Doesn’t Have to Hurt, with the talented Simon Brooks.  In April I will make my way to the Northlands Storytelling Conference in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and present the blog workshop again. In June I will be part of a panel discussion at the National Storytelling Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio with nationally known, award winning tellers Elizabeth Ellis and Linda Gorham; our topic is Selling Stories, Not Snake Oil.  Each of these conferences offers a wide range of opportunities for storytellers, educators, librarian, those in the healing arts, business, and parents. Come and join in the fun, you won’t be sorry!

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


Wishing you a glorious New Year filled with possibilities!

Karen Chace

www.storybug.net

"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in."  ~ Greek proverb

STORIES

January 23 ushers in the Chinese New and 2012 is the Year of the Dragon according to the Chinese Zodiac
and January 16 is Appreciate a Dragon Day!

Dragons - Mythical, Mystical, Magical Creatures! This link http://tinyurl.com/7nhwxhx will take you to a blog post on dragons I wrote in May of 2011. This post from 2008 offers information and the legend of the twelve animals of the zodiac. http://tinyurl.com/yfqejbk


February always brings Valentine’s Day to mind but did you know that February 27 is Polar Bear Day? Here are some stories to wake you up from your deep winter hibernation! 

The Bear, the Eagle and the Fish – Czechoslovakian
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/kog/kog10.htm
Bear Lake – United States
http://tinyurl.com/7yr8fgu
The Bear Who Married a Peasant’s Daughter - Latvia
http://tinyurl.com/7e4p4f3

The Fisherman and the Bear – Maine http://tinyurl.com/5sa45e5
The Magic Bear - Inuit

http://tinyurl.com/79ub3cx
Masha and the Bear - Russian

http://russian-crafts.com/tales/masha.html

I bet you thought I was leaving out Valentine’s Day!
Tales to Warm the Winter Nights - Here is a blog post from last year filled with love stories and trivia to share. http://tinyurl.com/7kao5pd 

Wisdom, Wit and Wonder: Fabulous Fairy Tales
February 26 is Tell a Fairy Tale Day. The link will take you to a blog post with an array of resources to help you celebrate in style! http://tinyurl.com/7vb4das

BOUNTIFUL BLOGS

Jan’ Storytelling Club – Canadian storyteller Jan Andrews offers a wonderful combination of blog and podcast. Jan regularly records traditional folk material of interest to anyone who loves stories. Thanks to storyteller Jennifer Cayley for passing this along. www.jansstorytellingclub.wordpress.com

The Storytree Company – Australian storyteller Jenny Cargill-Strong contacted me for permission to share some of the resources from my website on her blog and so began my introduction to her wonderful blog. I just love the way the Internet reaches across the continents and connects us!  Jenni writes about a variety of storytelling topics. Give yourself a treat and stop by. http://www.storytree.com.au/

BUSINESS BUZZ

3 Tools to Actively Control Your Online Reputation by Karl Walinskas.
http://tinyurl.com/7x8x7b7

Finding and Working With a Web Designer by Janet Attard
http://tinyurl.com/72h5c3q

Getting Exposure for Your Small Business by Cathy Zimmermann
http://www.businessknowhow.com/internet/getfound.htm

Since the magic number in fairytales is three and I love Bill Lampton's work, I offer you two of his articles and a video to ring in the New Year!

10 Greatest Communication Blunders of 2011 from The Complete Communicator – At the end of every year my friend and speech consultant extraordinaire Bill Lampton shares these lessons, in the guise of blunders. We can all learn from them! http://thecompletecommunicator.com/?p=2389 

 

Don’t’ Speak to Strangers: - 5 Ways to Bridge the Gap With An Unfamiliar Audience by Bill Lampton. http://tinyurl.com/blryn2j

Use DISC to Resolve “Personality Conflicts – Another helpful and useful video from Bill Lampton. http://thecompletecommunicator.com/?p=809



CRAFTS 

BillyBear4Kids - Panda Bear Paper Mask – Cute and easy template to print, color and wear.

http://tinyurl.com/6qx2o68

4Kraftykidz.com – Lots of fun crafts to complement the fairy tales I know you will share on February 26 for Tell a Fairy Tale Day. http://www.4kraftykidz.com/MythicalCrafts.html

Crayons, Crafts and Coloring Oh My! – I compiled all of my craft suggestions from previous newsletters from my newsletter from 2008 – 2010 here. You will find crafts for Valentine’s Day, Groundhog Day and more to help you all year through. There are of course more from 2011; use the Google search tool on the main newsletter page if you need something specific that you do not find here.
http://tinyurl.com/6pkybnz


 “One kind word can warm three winter months.”   ~ Japanese Proverb


CURRICULUM

Step by Step - Preschool Teddy Bear Curriculum – Songs, fingerplays, books and more.
http://stepbystepcc.com/animals/teddybear.html

Project Wild – Lots of  bear resources and activities from California Fish and Game, there is even a coloring book for the little ones. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/projectwild/bear.html

Apples4the Teacher – Lots of fun printable activities, including puzzles, word scrambles and more for the younger set to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
http://tinyurl.com/8y5kwsa 


School Daze, School Daze II- To make it easier for you here is a blog post I put together with a wide variety of curriculum resources, including Valentine’s Day.
http://tinyurl.com/7evm83j

First-School – Lots of lesson plans here to introduce your preschoolers to fairytales.
http://www.first-school.ws/theme/fairytales.htm


EDUCATION HIGHWAY

I have moved this section to my blog. 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://tinyurl.com/6e5mk9l for the specific directions and format then email it to me at storybug@aol.com with the subject heading “Education Highway.”

READERS THEATER

Proteacher.com - Another way to celebrate Tell a Fairy Tale Day is with Reader’s Theater! Here is a great resource to set you on the right path. Leave some bread crumbs so you can find your way back!
http://tinyurl.com/6pludnz

SONGS AND POEMS

Can Teach  - Polar bears, grizzly bears, black bears and more will keep the little ones singing and swinging all winter long.  http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems19.html

DLTK-KIDS.COM – More teddy bear poems and songs.
http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/teddy/songs.html

SPOKEN WORD/STORYTELLING VENUES

You may find it at this link. http://tinyurl.com/3w7yutc. 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; this is a free service. Directions are at the link.