Puppet Palooza at The New Victory Theater

To the world of theater for young audiences, The New Victory Theater Gala is second only to the Tony awards. I missed the event twice while living in Massachusetts, and I was so excited to return this year to honor the work of Cheryl Henson, arts advocate, puppeteer, and president of the Jim Henson Foundation. Cheryl has helped shepherd countless puppet projects to international audiences, and has supported many projects at The New Victory. I first met her in a puppetry Family Workshop at the New Vic several years ago. Of course I was working with my favorite puppeteer, Spica Wobbe, but who was I to share puppets with the daughter and grandchildren of Jim (freakin’)Henson?! Cheryl was kind and encouraging throughout the workshop, and it was clear then, as it was on the night of the gala, how important the artform is to her.

The evening was hosted by John Tartaglia and included performances from Arias With a Twist, directed by Basil Twist, War Horse, The Little Prince at The New Victory Theater, IBEX Puppetry, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph & Lolly, and Marty Robinson & Telly. The show opened with a procession of music and masks/puppets by Ralph Lee. Ralph is well-known for his giant puppeteers made most famous in the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. He also happens to have been my masks and puppetry instructor while studying at NYU. When Bill Irwin, who was honored last year, introduced Big Bird, I nearly fell to the floor. How much better could it get? It was an unforgettable night.

I was able to take a sneak peek at the dinner setup downstairs. Oobie eyes on the wineglasses?! Brilliant! Check more pictures out here.

The evening ended with all the performers sharing a bow on stage. Out of the corner of my eye I caught Heather Henson, who performed in the gala, marveling at Joey, the horse from War Horse. You could tell she was examining his construction, his movement. Perhaps that simple look of joy and awe in the eyes of an artist was the best part of the night. I’ve seen that same look in the eyes of children watching live and televised puppet performances. To me, that’s what art is all about.

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Photograph from The New Victory Theater Facebook page

Money Makes the World Go 'Round

Have you heard? Financial literacy is all the rage. Rumor has it they're building baby banks in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Okay, you caught me. Rumor doesn't have it. Financial literacy is the new star of children's media, though. There are currently three projects, to my knowledge, that are trying to teach kids the value of the dollar, as little as it may be. It's the greatest thing since the invention of the piggy bank!

The three projects are:
Cha-Ching- a series recently launched by Cartoon Network Asia, with some brain power from Dr. Alice Wilder

Secret Millionaires Club- a new animated series for The Hub starring everybody's favorite rich dude, Warren Buffet

For Me, for You, for Later, a partnership between Sesame Streeet and PNC- a new partnership between this well-known series and the bank (where you can open an "S" is for Savings account) promoting savings for and by kids, part of PNC Bank's Grow Up Great initiative

Which program do you think will be the most....profitable?

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iRead: My Place

Did you ever draw floor plans or maps as a kid? I loved making my home and neighborhood feel like a place where adventures could happen! My friends and I would use our maps to find pretend treasure or to create neighborhood walks. The book My Place, by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins, shares the stories of twenty-one kids over a span of 200 years. Each story shares information about the child, her family, and the neighborhood they live in as well as a map of the neighborhood. (SPOILER ALERT!) By about the third page, you realize each story takes place in the same home and each map is a variation of the neighborhood, tracking the changes from decade to decade.

The story, published in 1988, represents Australian history. My Place is a picture book but filled with a lot of text and information. I think children over 7 would enjoy reading this alone, but I could see myself reading it to kids as young as 4. I learned about it from a recent Kidscreen article. The book was turned into an Australian television program last year; each episode sharing a different child’s story, a different moment in time. They’ve renewed the show for another season, and I'm so curious to see it. You can read more about it here.

Though this is an Australian story, I think there’s something we can all relate to. Regardless of the kind of home we live in, everyone’s neighborhood has seen change and development over the past 200 years. Wouldn’t it be interesting to track the changes and the history of your own home and neighborhood?

I would have loved to use this in my Kindergarten classroom. I would have introduced the story to my students, probably reading it over a course of two days. As a class, we could create a history of our school and school neighborhood. Maybe we'd bring in the school director or parents who attended the school to interview and help us create our map and story. At home, each family could create their own map and brief history to be shared somewhere in the classroom.

My Place is out of print, but I highly recommend you purchasing a used copy here! Do you think this show would succeed in the US?

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My Week At Circus Camp

With all the excitement around getting ready for my new job, I forgot to share how amazing my week at AYCO (the American Youth Circus Organization conference) was. Aside from some nasty heat rash, Sarasota treated me right. I met such wonderful educators who are truly dedicated to sharing circus arts with young people. I can't even begin to explain how talented these kids are!

One of the highlights of my trip was meeting Craig from bandofjugglers.com. He's opening up a new circus studio in New Jersey with a group of wonderful people. Circus Place opens this month, and I think they're going to do some fantastic work there, particularly using circus arts as a tool for working with children with special needs. What I love most about their work is that they live my favorite ethos: art that's created for children should be created for ALL children despite varying levels of "ability."

Enjoy this video full of pictures and videos from the week!



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Amazing Artist Annie

How lucky am I to be working with some amazingly talented people? My desk neighbor, Miss Annie Sklaver, is a Brooklyn-based visual artist. Annie learned how to cut paper in preschool and hasn't turned back since! Her beautiful work, often 3-dimensional, is brought to life with a scissor and colored or patterned paper, and she specializes in illustrations and custom portraits. I'm particularly partial to the circus pieces.

Right now, Annie is working on writing and illustrating a book for children. I think her work is so well-suited to children’s literature and could bring a story to life in a very new, interesting way! I can’t wait to see what she comes up with and hope that we can all get a sneak peek here. I'm holding out for a pop-up book!

Her work is currently featured at Brooklyn Collective, which Joe and I checked out on Friday. We left with three of Annie’s note cards and tons of inspiration.

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Spectacular Steamtown and Astounding Amtrak

I have come to appreciate trains as part of my life. Joe’s love of Amtrak , inspired us to pack up the car and head out to Steamtown for the day, where the Amtrak 40th Anniversary Exhibit Train was on display.

The train is touring the United States and sharing the history of Amtrak. Each decade of the company is represented in its own passenger or baggage car. They’re filled with uniforms, timelines, dining sets, and videos.

I was most excited to learn about Amtrak’s programs for young people. Not only did I pick up this nifty conductor’s hat, I also got a kid’s train conductor handbook published by the company. It seems like Amtrak is really trying to reach out to families with young children. In addition to these cute perks, they’re offering free tickets to kids under 12 in honor of the 40th anniversary.

After doing a bit more research, I learned that Amtrak has an online destination just for kids called The Amtrak Kids Depot where they can play transportation-related games and print train coloring pages.

I can think of few things more exciting to a child than boarding, riding, and walking on a long-distance train. Using Amtrak’s resources, a child’s trip on a train could be planned out and feel like a true adventure!

All aboard!

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American Girl Debuts New African American Doll

I know way more than I need to about colonial American textiles, furniture, undergarments, food, and livestock. Why? Felicity. She will always remain my favorite birthday gift! I immersed myself in historical dramatic play with my Felicity doll and was the richest 8 year old in the Bronx until my next AG purchase was made. Felicity taught me to save my money for things I wanted; a lesson I’ve carried with me through adolescence and into adulthood. She still has a special place in my home.

I’m excited to announce that the company, now owned by Mattel, has recently launched a brand new doll! Cecile Rey is an African American girl from the 1850’s. You can learn more about her on the AG website here. I was very disappointed with the Huffington Post headline, “American Girl Moves Past Slavery, Introduces New African-American Doll,” however. It’s true, until Cecile’s launch, Addy Walker remained the sole African American historical doll available.

I remember when Addy was introduced. My best friend gushed. She couldn’t wait! The Civil War was her favorite period in American history. She and I consumed the books and learned much more about slavery and the war than was being taught in our third grade classrooms. Addy taught me about the atrocities of slavery. I love the character and doll for that reason. She was real to me and far more interesting than Samantha’s “poor little rich girl” routine.

As we celebrate Cecile, I think it important to acknowledge Addy and Pleasant Company for their efforts in educating young girls across America about the controversial nature of and personal stories from the Civil War. I hope Addy continues to be a mainstay doll and book series.

Welcome, Cecile! I'm excited to learn more about your story and your time period.

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