This week, as we have pointed out already, is Character Counts Week. But there is another area of recognition to celebrate this week. October 25 through October 31 is officially International Magic Week!
Something a little different this month. I recently came across something I want to share. Be advised... THIS IS NOT FOR THE WEAK HEARTED! But I believe it is a very important piece of information we all need to know.
There are many, many performers in this country making their livings, or trying to make their livings, through performing school assembly programs for kids. Some are good, some are great and some are, well ... some are not so great.
I don’t know if you caught this but it took me by surprise. China recently launched a piece of a future space station into orbit. Coming as it does on the heals of the end of our Space Shuttle program it kind of rocked me back on my heels a little.
As September rolls rapidly toward its conclusion (Boy, can you believe how quickly that went by?), we find ourselves looking ahead toward the rest of the school year. Many schools have now made their plans for school assemblies, though many have not yet even begun. Just some thoughts today on strategically planning your school assemblies for maximum benefit in supporting the curriculum.
So, I am imagining a hypothetical school. Math scores are down and reading scores don't look good. Well meaning federal regulations insist these scores must rise. Worried administrators face a decision. What can be done?
Nothing about state standards or science assemblies today. Being Friday it seems a good time to introduce our latest Mobile Ed Productions School Assembly Dog of the Month!
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
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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
