Showing posts with label frogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frogs. Show all posts

July August 2011 Newsletter

                           Summer Days by
                Edward Killingworth Johnson
                     (1825 – 1896, English)
Summer's here and the time is right, for dancing in the streets...Yes, I am dating myself by knowing the lyrics to the Mamas and the Pappas song, which I just learned was first recorded by Martha and the Vandellas in 1964. No matter who sings it, that song always gets me in the summer time mood!

Last month my two storytelling troupes rocked the house on both nights of the festival. They always add new twists to their tales at the last minute, showcasing their amazing talents and most importantly, having fun! Stop by the Kid’s Corner in this newsletter and read about just one of the creative moments. I plan on writing a blog post highlighting more in the next week or so.
 

I had the great pleasure last month of being interviewed on the radio by Dr. Bill Lampton of Championship Communication in June as well. If you would like to read a bit more about it and perhaps listen, go to http://tinyurl.com/64t47js 

This July I will be attending the Tejas Storytelling Conference in Texas, conducting a storytelling workshop in Newfoundland, and visiting Maine in August. If you will be visiting or live in Newfoundland and are interested in attending the workshop, please email me; I will be happy to answer your questions and I would love to meet you!

Remember, if you are seeking stories, curriculum, etc., for other special days or events don’t forget to search the newsletter archives. I have also listed a few below in the Stories section for you so you just have to point and click. A Google search box is available on the main newsletter site at http://storybugnewsletter.blogspot.com . I also add stories and education resources on my blog 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 
. Wishing you a joyful and safe summer, surrounded by loving family and good friends; see you in September!

Warm wishes,
Karen Chace
www.storybug.net

STORIES

There seems to be a special day for just about anything! July 15 is National Cow Appreciation Day. If you don’t have a cow to hug, at least tell a story about them!

Brer Rabbit Fools Sis Cow – African American
http://tinyurl.com/6fjcjce
Cow’s Head – Ukraine
http://tinyurl.com/6fhcutk

The Cow Tail Switch – Liberia
http://tinyurl.com/62wtj63


Lappa, the Elfin Cow – Iceland
http://tinyurl.com/6xlpwtg
The Miraculous Cow – Philippines
http://tinyurl.com/6hol5f9
One Man and His Precious Cow – West Africa
http://tinyurl.com/6kupksw

The Three Daughters and the Lost Cow - Tibet
http://tinyurl.com/68c4tfn



July 17 is Yellow Pig Day! I am not sure what color these pigs are but I am sure you will have a great time reading these tales from around the world.

The Dog and the Pig – India
http://tinyurl.com/6kw57cf
The Impatient Pig – Nigeria
http://tinyurl.com/6hryg9l

The Ram and the Pig and the Who Set Up House – Norway
http://tinyurl.com/6ykz9gr


I thought I would throw in some farm tales as well.

The Farm – France
http://tinyurl.com/5ugv2rz
The Robber and the Farm Animals – Switzerland
http://tinyurl.com/6a62klw


Need some frog tales? Hop on over to my blog post from 2010.
http://tinyurl.com/685ddh3

Or perhaps you are buzzing around looking for stories about bees?
Fly over to my newsletter from May/June 2010. http://tinyurl.com/6cloyje

August 3 is National Watermelon Day. Visit my blog post from August 2010 for some sweet and seedless stories! http://tinyurl.com/4oc9njh


BOUNTIFUL BLOGS

Chaz-TalesMy storytelling colleague Charles Kiernan chooses one fairytale a month to “take a peek under its surface.” http://chaz-tales.livejournal.com/


CRAFTS

DLTK’S Craft for Kids – Lots of fun, farm animal crafts; chickens, lambs, donkeys and more for a variety of age groups. http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/farm.html

Enchanted LearningDucks, pigs, and rabbits oh my! More easy and fabulous farm crafts to keep the children smiling through the summer. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/farm/
 

CURRICULUM

The Kind Tiger and the Truthful Cow: Folk Discourse in Oral and Written LiteratureThis issue of the Electronic Journal of Folklore offers an interesting discussion but there are also examples of stories sprinkled throughout.
http://www.folklore.ee/folklore/vol14/pdf/tiger.pdf

The Teacher’s Guide – On the Farm – Lesson plans, whiteboard resources, print outs, crafts, recipes and clip art.
http://www.theteachersguide.com/onthefarm.htm


EDUCATION HIGHWAY, RADIO, SPOKEN WORD AND GUILDS

I have moved these sections to my blog:

Education Highway -  Go to this link http://tinyurl.com/6e5mk9l for  the listings. If you have an upcoming workshop, festival, or retreat event I will be happy to list it there for free. Specific directions are at the link. 
      
Spoken Word and Storytelling Guilds - You will it at this link
http://tinyurl.com/3w7yutc. If you have regular spoken word and storytelling venues, such as guild gatherings, I will list them for free. end them to storybug@aol.com. Directions at the link.  

BUSINESS NOTES

10 Ways to Differentiate Your Customer Service & Make Your Clients Actually Feel Valued by Sara LaForest and Tony Kubica http://www.businessknowhow.com/marketing/differentiatecs.htm

How Branding Can Lead to Your Business's Success or Failure by Michele Pariza Wacek
http://www.businessknowhow.com/marketing/businessbrand.htm

KID’S CORNER

My storytelling students always find a way to surprise me! At our June festival Aidan was telling the story of The Mayor’s Golden Shoes. The mayor is upset because no one notices him and the wise men of the village tell him the will find a solution. The mayor returns home to await their decision; Aidan decided to add a little modern spin and as the mayor waited he hummed the jingle from the Jeopardy television game!

READER’S THEATER SCRIPT

The Three Little Pigs - Puppet Theater for children with printable animals to use for props.
http://tinyurl.com/6k2qsql

SONGS AND FINGERPLAYS

Alphabet SoupCute ideas to put the “interactive” in your farm program.
http://www.alphabet-soup.net/farm/farmpoem.html


SOMETHING EXTRA

Parenting.com – Bubbles, music, crafts and more. All things fun and sassy to keep your children cool and entertained during the summer months. http://www.parenting.com/article/fun-things-to-do-summer


This newsletter was painstakingly researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my newsletter via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.
© 2011





March/April 2010

Hello friends,

This is the first newsletter using the new system. Please let me know if you experienced any problems or have any questions.

I have added a new section to the newsletter in this issue. From time to time I will highlight blogs I feel are the best of the best. If you have any to suggest, please send the link along for review.

I hope you enjoyed a terrific New Year and Valentine’s Day. While I love snow I am happy to see spring peeking just around the corner. Of course, it makes me very happy that one of my favorite holidays, St. Patrick’s Day, will soon be here. As you may suspect I am of Celtic heritage, Irish, English and Scottish, so I revel celebrating the day when we are all Irish!

With that in mind, I invite you all to join us on March 6 for the adult Story Café at ArtWorks in New Bedford, MA for Celtic Fury, Fun and Frivolity with award winning storyteller Marni Gillard. For information on the evening and more go to http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2010/02/celtic-fury-fun-and-frivolity.html . You won't want to miss a moment with this delightful talented teller and author.

If you are interested in the art of storyteller please join me at the Northeast Storytelling Conference: Sharing the Fire in Warwick, Rhode Island this month. There is a wide variety of workshops, for beginners to experienced tellers as well as concerts and comaradeire. I will be presenting my workshop, Story by Story – Building a School Storytelling Troupe as well. For conference information got to http://www.lanes.org/ .

April is also full of some fun celebrations, the day of fools, no housework day (my personal favorite) on April 7 and Tell A Story day on April 27. I hope you will enjoy them all!

On April 12 the amazing Michael Parent, storyteller, raconteur and musician will be our feature at the Story Café. Michael will share stories about “He-roes and She-roes, Unsung and Unlabeled.” This is a fundraiser for ArtWorks and there will be no open mic this evening.. Contact ArtWorks at (508) 984-1588 for tickets for this special event, it will be worth every penny and you will be supporting the arts!

If you live in the Midwest and wish to learn more about storytelling there is another wonderful conference on the horizon, the Northlands Storytelling Conference. This is one of my favorite conferences, filled with fun and friends. I will present my workshop, Untangling the Web – Researching Stories on the Internet and there is so much more this amazing conference has to offer. For more information go to http://www.northlands.net/ .

In Massachusetts we are on the cutting edge with a brand new storyteller venue. MassMouth has an amazing series of adult Story Slams taking place in and around Boston, MA. For more info and to get in on all the fun go to http://massmouth.ning.com/events. The next one is scheduled for March 15 at Kennedy’s in Boston. I will be there meeting, greeting and taking tickets at the door. Come by, say hello and stay for the fun!

I will see you all again in May. If you have any comments or suggestions, or would like to see something added to the newsletter, please email me at storybug@aol.com I would love to hear from you!

Happy Spring!
Karen

Image: A Fairy by Arthur Rackham

STORIES

Okay, I admit it, I was a bit obsseed trying to find a way to connect Ireland and frogs this month. Eureka! I found a story with frogs and faeries. I hope you enjoy it.

The Little Green Frog - from the Yellow Fairy Tale book by Andrew Lang
http://tinyurl.com/ybz9sgq

St. Patrick’s Day will be upon us quicker than you can say “shamrock!” Here are some sites to help you celebrate in style. Erin go bragh!

In Chimney Corners: merry tales of Irish folk lore by Seumas MacManus and Pamela Colman Smith, 1899 http://tinyurl.com/p7onf

Legends and Stories of Ireland by Samuel Lover, 1831, 1834
http://sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/lasi/index.htm

Storybug.net - Visit my blog post to find Celtic stories for adults and children alike, along with some printables and a craft to share. http://tinyurl.com/y85cgdm

April is National Frog Month so here are some tales to get you hopping!

The Frog and the Condor - Peru - http://tinyurl.com/yl29sfy
The Frog Princess - Italian - http://tinyurl.com/yzl97rq
The Kind Stepdaughter and the Frog - Germany - http://tinyurl.com/yhg33fm
The Tiger and the Frog - Tibet - http://tinyurl.com/ykl6rzg
The Tsarevna Frog - Russia - http://tinyurl.com/yjfvtxe

April 15 is the birthday of Leonardo Da Vinci. To celebrate I offer you a some tales from the master.

The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci - Edited by John Paul Richter in 1880 this website offers da Vinci’s perceptions on a variety of topics. Click on the link “Humorous Writings” to discover fables on plants, animals and objects. All of these works are in the public domain. http://tinyurl.com/yzh72ma



"All sorrows can be borne if you put them into a story or tell a story about them."
                                                                         - Isak Dinesen Three Acre Sorrow

 
BLOGS
 
Chinese Folktales: "The White-Nosed Cat" and Other Tales From the Chinese-Speaking World - Chinese folktales, myths, legends, and proverbs translated, adapted, and annotated by Fred Lobb. http://tinyurl.com/ycr8bsu

New England Folklore
– Appealing and fun blog from Peter of Boston, MA. He is an avid folklore fan and intersperses short tales with interesting historical and background information.
http://newenglandfolklore.blogspot.com/

Sue Black – Storyteller and Teaching Artist – Sue is not only a talented storyteller but a teaching artist as well. Her blog is full of wonderful insights, a lovely feast for the mind. http://sueblack1.wordpress.com/


BUSINESS NOTES

Weaving Storytelling and Business with an Authentic Voice - I recently put together a handout for a college class on storytelling and business. I have placed it on my blog for your use. http://tinyurl.com/yhnnpaa

5 Free Tools That Make You Look More Professional by Brad Egeland
http://tinyurl.com/yaspdtr

7 Tips for Money-Making Postcards by Ivan Levison
http://tinyurl.com/yhoxq9w

10 for '010 - 10 Smart Leadership Questions for 2010 by Gayle Lantz
http://tinyurl.com/yzr5fxb

Building Lessons Learned in 2009: What Highly-Successful Small Business Owners Are Doing that You Can Do Too by Stacy Karacostas http://tinyurl.com/yjj4obv

Email Newsletter Design Guide By Hostway http://tinyurl.com/ygv7589

Rid Yourself of These 10 Damaging Word-Habits by Stephanie Bickel http://tinyurl.com/yzu6oux

CRAFTS AND FUN

You’ll be “wearin the green” with these fun crafts for St. Patrick’s Day!Catch him if you can!

Leprechaun Crafts - http://tinyurl.com/yl3rmq9
St. Patrick’s Day Wreaths – Easy crafts for ages 2 – 4 http://tinyurl.com/yz4bw29
St. Patrick’s Day Word Jumble http://tinyurl.com/ykjhtf8
St. Patrick’s Day Word Search http://tinyurl.com/ylx8537
St. Patrick’s Day Coloring Pages http://tinyurl.com/yz7guar

Frog crafts to complement the tales!

Frog Pouch Craft – Ages 3 and up http://tinyurl.com/ykjkko5
Frog Paper Bag Puppet – Ages 2 and up http://tinyurl.com/yjc9cbd
Frog Paper Crafts – Ages 2 and up http://tinyurl.com/yjb5tok

“Every child, and the child in every one of us, is ready to plead: Tell me a story. For the role of stories is to explain life, and the good stories, in their substance and in the structure of their language, become revelation."   - Andrew M. Greeley



CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

Leprechauns, frogs and toads, oh my!

An Irish Folktale to Teach Cause and Effect - http://tinyurl.com/yg62kn9
Circle Time and Game Ideas for St. Patrick’s Day - http://tinyurl.com/ygf8bj7
Literacy Ideas for St. Patrick’s Day – Site words, literacy tiles and more. http://tinyurl.com/ylyhz9a
Math Ideas for St. Patrick’s Day - http://tinyurl.com/yjcecro
Use Irish Folktales to Teach Reading Comprehension Skills - http://tinyurl.com/yzottw8

All About Frogs for Kids and Teachers – Lots of information here: lesson plans, activities, crafts, games and more. http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Themes/frogs/
Frog Life Cycle Quizhttp://tinyurl.com/yg9vvsp
Some Strange but True Facts about Frogs and Toads http://tinyurl.com/yf5enlu


EDUCATION HIGHWAY

March 5-7, 2010 Riverwind Whirlwind Weekend Belleville, Illinois with Bil Lepp at Our Lady of the Snows  “Getting Folks to Lie Well” (Workshop details to come later or contact Mary Lu Bretsch at
618-234-9698

March 19 – 21, 2010 Warwick, Rhode Island - Sharing the Fire: The Northeast Storytelling Conference http://www.lanes.org/

March 28—April 3, 2010 Oaxaca, Mexico Storytelling Retreat and Cultural with Jim May. We “workshop” ‘til 1:00 p.m. each day and spend the rest of the day with optional visits to museums, ruins, cafés, galleries, markets, etc or rest. Contact Jim May at maystory@earthlink.net

April 9 - 11, 2010 Cape Girardeau, MO with Donald Davis, Minton Sparks, Kevin Kling, and Syd Lieberman. http://www.capestorytelling.com/

April 23-25, 2010 Green Lake, Wisconsin - Northlands Storytelling Conference “The Tale’s the Thing” http://www.northlands.net/

April 28 - May 1, 2010 Mt. Vernon, Ohio - O.O.P.S. Storytelling Conference - Mary Garrett will be telling stories and presenting “Frog Goes to High School,” a workshop on “stealth storytelling” in middle and high school. http://www.oopstorytelling.org/

April 28 - May 1, 2010 – St. Louis, MO Leeny Del Seamonds will be headliner at St. Louis Storytelling Festival in Missouri, along with Bil Lepp, Peter Cook, Gene Tagaban, Regi Carpenter, and Larry Brown. http://www.stlstorytellingfestival.org/

May 19-23, 2010 – Greensboro, North Carolina - Leeny Del Seamonds returns as headliner at NC Storyfest, Greensboro, NC, along with The Healing Force and Logie Meachum. http://wwwncstoryfest.org/

July 29-August 1, 2010 – Los Angeles, California - National Storytelling Network National Conference “Many Stories…One World” http://www.storynet.org/


MUSIC

Music and Movement – Just what the title says! Some old favorites and some that might be new for you. Help the children shake those wiggles out! http://tinyurl.com/yllxvhz  

“No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.”  - Aesop

SOMETHING EXTRA

Random Acts of Kindness – Terrific ideas for spreading kindness in the classroom, at work or in the community. Make someone smile today! http://www.actsofkindness.org/