Schools across the country have in recent years pondered the problem of how to turn children into moral individuals and good citizens. Many have exerted much effort to introduce good character education into the daily lives of children. Concepts such as respect, responsibility, honesty and so on have been crafted together into various character building programs. Many schools now utilize these concepts on a daily basis to help turn today's children into the good citizens of tomorrow. And this is a great thing!

We have written recently about using science school shows or a school assembly based in history or social studies to entice kids to visit the library over the summer or on holidays. Well, here is an article about a pair of librarians in two completely different parts of the country collaborating on a series of projects to achieve the same end.

I started out today to just wish everyone a Happy July 4 celebration of the birth of our nation. And, by all means, Happy Independence Day to you all! (a day or two early because I will certainly be at a barbecue or a pool or both on Monday!) But along the way I was sidetracked by an article concerning scientists  who have apparently discovered a way to link strands of DNA through chemistry. 

School is out for the summer, and most of us are now thinking about vacations, gardening, honey-do lists, baseball games and cookouts. And that is all great!
But as we grow older we realize that summer flies by faster every year. Fall and the start of school will be here soon and savvy parents and teachers know they must use this time for planning.
How to bolster classroom learning and enrich the educational experience of students is a question with which many of us wrestle. Granted, there are many exciting teachers at work in our schools, but even with the best teachers, the grind of the everyday school week can becoming endlessly boring for kids. External stimulation is essential for keeping their minds actively engaged in learning.
Field trips are a great way to provide enrichment experiences for schools. Visiting museums or the zoo, or a trip to a local historical site or planetarium all provide opportunities to not only break the monotony of the school week but also to allow exciting teachable moments. But not all schools are close enough to interesting locations for this to be feasible. Moreover, transportation costs, permission slips and other logistical variables often rule out field trips altogether. A perfect substitute may be found in the introduction of similar experiences brought to the school by way of traveling performers. Instead of a field trip to a planetarium, have a portable planetarium visit your school. Instead of going to a local battlefield have a historical re-enactor visit your school as, say, Ben Franklin or Abraham Lincoln. Rather than a trip to a science museum set up instead a visit by a science assembly that brings in a show followed by hands on experiments and workshops. Many possibilities for school enrichment exist.
Understandably, many parents, looking for school enrichment,  are tempted to arrange a visit from an author of children’s literature. But visits from authors of books for children are often extremely expensive, and not all authors are commanding or interesting speakers. A good alternative  is to schedule a school assembly like Young Authors Day, where an exciting and funny  professional performer will  present performances of stories the children write themselves.
All in all, there are many ways to provide enrichment programs to schools that will bolster and gild the educational experience. But summer is the time to plan for these events, as the best enrichment programs, either for during the school day or for after school, will have their calendars filled quickly. Be smart and make your plans now. And then go and have that cookout or see that ball game. There is still a lot of summer left!

Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fields of science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN

I thought you might like these photos.
They were shot by my dear childhood friend Alan Lesheim where he lives in Tasmania. These are of some platypus swimming in a pond opposite his home there.
Alan is a professional photographer, actively engaged in efforts to reduce the destruction of old growth forests in Tasmania. He said in forty years of photography this was the first time he had managed to get some shots of this mysterious and elusive creature. According to Alan, usually as soon as they see you they are gone. It took him two hours of stealth to get these shots, and the next day the animals were gone.
Platypus are one of only five surviving types of monotremes, or mammals that lay eggs (though I have seen some bad comedians that might qualify). Platypus are only found in Australia where their survival status is good and the species is not threatened. An amazing creature, the platypus has a fur covered body, webbed feet and a bill like that of a duck. They are carnivores, spending many hours each day in the water foraging for worms, insects and small shrimp. The average platypus weighs in between 1.5 and 5 lbs.
Though as a species the platypus is not threatened, many other animals are, and species disappear from our planet with a sad regularity for a variety of reasons but unfortunately most of these reasons are man made. When we visit schools with our school assembly Animals and the Environment one of the features is a discussion of the various ways in which activities of humans are undermining the survivability of various species globally. Habitat destruction is of course a key ingredient in this deadly game, as is pollution and poaching. I recently heard a radio report detailing how the rise in buying power among various Asian and Middle Eastern  nations has led to a spike in the demand for Rhino horn. The horns of Rhinoceros are widely coveted in Middle Eastern nations for dagger hilts, while in China and other Asian countries the horns are widely prescribed in the medical treatment of many ailments. As a result, the illegal poaching of these magnificent beasts has become so profitable and rampant that their survival is seriously threatened.
Protecting the environment is of fundamental importance in our stewardship of this planet. Sadly economic interests often clash with our higher goals. In Tasmania, our friend Alan works every day in this very field, trying to preserve the ancient forests of that wild island. Here at home, we work every day educating children in the issues of survival for the animals of this world through school assemblies such as Animals and the Environment.
Just for reference, here is a shot Alan did not take, but which shows a little more clearly what these wonderful critters are like.


Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational  school assembly programs in the fields of science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's  THE LIVING LINCOLN

Just when you were hoping I would forget, it is that time of the month again! Nothing about school assemblies or which shows are going to Texas or premiering in Ohio, or which performer is getting rave reviews for his or her “best school assembly we ever had!”. No, today is just for fun as we once again recognize Mobile Ed’s Dog of the Month! Aren’t you curious about who it’s going to be?

Our winner for June is Fudge, a very cute, elderly pooch, well beloved by his owner, ex-educator and close friend of Mobile Ed, Mr. Bill Lyttle. Fudge is as sweet of a name as is our little friend and brand new dog of the month!

Bill is a friendly retired school principal from the Livonia school district here in Michigan. And Fudge has been his loyal companion for many, many years. Fudge has had a few health issues over the past couple of years (haven’t we all!) but he remains a steadfast and trustworthy friend to Bill.
Ain’t he cute? Yup, cutest little thing ever!

Here’s to Fudge! Mobile Ed’s Dog of the Month for June!

We have been back in the Chicago area this week with Sky Dome Planetarium, our portable planetarium school assembly, presented in schools there by the exceptional Rojo. He just appeared at a school in Joliet, Illinois, and judging by the reaction I think they liked him!

Depending upon what part of the country you live in, school may be already out, about to finish this week, or reaching it's end soon. Kids will be underfoot for awhile and most parents will soon be looking for ways to keep them occupied.

After that last article I thought I owed you something a little friendlier and a little more warm and fuzzy, so here it is!
Last time I wrote about the threat posed by the release into the wild of exotic pets and how creatures like Burmese Albino pythons are endangering natural environments. I went on to discuss how school assemblies like Mobile Ed’s Animals and the Environment are great for getting out the message that bringing exotic “pets” into your home is probably not such a wise idea.
The truth is, that apart from a natural habitat, the only place really equipped for the care and management of wild creatures is a zoo or natural game preserve.
A year or two ago, a zoo in England experienced something unique. For the first time they witnessed in their park the birth of female Rothschild giraffe. Named Margaret, she was born six weeks early and weighed in at just 75 pounds. Standing only 5 feet tall, Margaret was one of the smallest giraffes they had seen and the zookeepers nurtured her with hand feeding techniques. Pretty cool, huh?
Of course, Mobile Ed live animal assemblies will not be bringing a giraffe to your school, but the animals will be unique, suitable for school shows, and a great means for teaching kids about the wildlife of our planet.

Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fields of science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN