May June 2012

Crimson Roses by
Charles Webster Hawthorne, 1905

Spring has arrived and the flowers are waking up! Here in Massachusetts, the daffodils and forsythia’s are in full bloom. Since my son Christopher was small we would always play our own version of the game “I Spy” while riding in the car. Each spring we tried to be the first one to shout, “I spy forsythia!”

Christopher is now 25 years old and we are still playing that game. It always brings a smile to my face, laughter to my heart, and takes me right back to the fun we had when he was a child. What special games do you share with your children? Drop me a note and share the joy!

May and June also bring some interesting days to celebrate the season; May 14 is Dance Like a Chicken Day and June 12 is Red Rose Day, America’s favorite flower.  So of course, in this issue you will find stories of chickens and roses, quite the combination, with curriculum and crafts to complement these unique celebrations.

June brings more travel as well. I will be part of a panel discussion at the National Storytelling Conference (NSN) in Cincinnati, Ohio with nationally known, award winning tellers Elizabeth Ellis and Linda Gorham. I will also present at the NSN Preconference for the YES Alliance (Youth, Educators and Storytellers) on organizing and teaching student storytellers. Check out all of the other workshop offerings, along with three amazing, award-winning keynote speakers, MaryGay Ducey, Kevin Kling and Bill Harley. If you plan to attend please stop by and say hello!
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions please drop me a note; I love hearing from you.

Wishing you a glorious spring! Karen Chace

storybug@aol.com
http://www.storybug.net/

STORIES

May 14 is Dance Like a Chicken Day! I am sure many of us have taken part in the Chicken Dance at weddings here in the United States, I know I have! Did you know it was created by Swiss accordion player Werner Thomas of Switzerland and titled "Der Ententanz" (The Duck Dance)? Here are some chicken stories to get your toes tapping!

Chicken Licken – England
http://tinyurl.com/bsytazp

The Half Chick - Spain
http://www.mythfolklore.net/andrewlang/356.htm
Fox, Hare and Rooster - Russian
http://russian-crafts.com/russian-folk-tales/fox-hare-cock.html

The Story of Black Chicken – Bali
http://probaliguide.com/bali-folktale-the-story-of-black-chicken/
Lion, Chameleon, and Chicken - Tanzania
http://www.counselorresources.com/pdf/RPC175A.pdf
The Cat, the Rooster and the Fox – Russia
http://tinyurl.com/bqrpjex

The Pole Cat and the Rooster - Khmer
http://tinyurl.com/7kspx73
The Rooster, the Hand-Mill and the Swarm of Hornets – Sweden
http://tinyurl.com/74kj5v4
The White Rooster – Tibet
http://tinyurl.com/23tpzrc

June 12 Red Rose Day. Did you know that the colors of roses signify something different? Head over to this link http://www.gardenersnet.com/roses/roses06.htm and make sure you send the right message! Here are some tales of this fragrant flower to brighten up your spring!

The Maiden With the Rose on Her Forehead
http://tinyurl.com/7cu52v3
The Nightingale and the Rose by Oscar Wilde
http://www.artpassions.net/wilde/nightingale.html

The Rose-Beauty – Turkey
http://www.sacred-texts.com/asia/ftft/ftft07.htm
The Snail and the Rose Tree – Germany
http://tinyurl.com/blplu59
The Three Roses - Czech
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/kog/kog13.htm

  
“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.”
                                                                  ~ Albert Einstein

CRAFTS

First School Activities - A cute chicken/rooster handprint craft. “Templates are available in two sizes and can be assembled in various ways, and the process can be made more challenging and creative depending on the ages of the children.”
http://tinyurl.com/7tvazm5

Muffin Pan Flower Craft –These are simple and fun crafts for even the youngest children to do. The center of the flower can be further decorated with yellow sequins, small seeds or a photo.”
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/spring/mmuffin.html

Origami Petals - “This is one of the simplest examples of an origami project you can make -- which makes it a perfect introduction to the artform for early grade school children!”
http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/japan/morigami-petals.htm

Egg Carton Roses – A very creative craft for older children.
http://lessonplans.craftgossip.com/egg-carton-roses/2011/01/22

CURRICULUM

Chicken Facts – Did you know that a chicken is T-Rex’s closest living relative? Lrn more interesting facts about our fine feathered friends here.
http://tinyurl.com/445hlb5

A to Z Teacher Stuff – A number of helpful lesson plans for your classroom related to chickens. http://tinyurl.com/7vlmm8b

Hubbardscupboard.org – This section focuses on the book It Started as an Egg by Kimberlee Graves. It includes companion rhymes, book lists, adorable bulletin board ideas and crafts.
http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/it_started_as_an_egg.html

Garden for Life from Learning to Give – A comprehensive lesson plan to complement the book, Wanda’s Roses targeted for kindergarten to second grade.
http://learningtogive.org/lessons/unit182/lesson1.html

PoetryTeachers.com - How to Write a “Roses Are Red” poem.
http://tinyurl.com/77udf6c

SONGS

The Teacher’s Guide – Chicken Chicken
http://tinyurl.com/7khwxth

Five Little Chickens
http://bussongs.com/songs/five-little-chickens.php

Preschool Education – A colorful bouquet of flowered themed songs.
http://www.preschooleducation.com/sflower.shtml

BUSINESS BUZZ

5 Ways to Effectively Market Your Business with Pinterest by Alicia Forest
http://www.businessknowhow.com/internet/pinterest.htm

Does Your Business Need A Good Spring Cleaning? by Michele Pariza Wacek
http://www.businessknowhow.com/growth/springcleaning.htm

How to Create Marketing Strategies that Work by Barry Feigby
http://www.businessknowhow.com/marketing/create-strategies.htm

Cell Phone Etiquette: Calling with Uncommon Courtesy by Bill Lampton http://www.businessknowhow.com/growth/cell-phone-etiquette.htm
BLOG OF NOTE
Georgia Appalachian Studies Center- Living and Learning the Appalachian Story

http://blog.northgeorgia.edu/gasc

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.”

SPOKEN WORD/STORYTELLING VENUES

You may find it at this link http://tinyurl.com/5sr7fev . 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.

SOMETHING EXTRA

CD Recycling Center - “Each year, billions of CDs and DVDs are manufactured, while millions of these discs end up in landfills and incinerators…Compacts Discs, when recycled properly, will stop unnecessary pollution, conserve natural resources, and help slow global warming.” http://cdrecyclingcenter.org.
* Thanks to Simon Brooks for passing this information along.

REMINDER

If you are seeking stories, curriculum, etc. on other themes or holidays don’t forget to search the newsletter archives. A Google search box is available on the main newsletter site at http://storybugnewsletter.blogspot.com/ . Also, my blog offers stories and education resources as well. You may find it here: http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/ .

 

Catch the Storybug Newsletter • Karen Chace, Editor
www.storybug.net • storybug@aol.com