Review of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie at The Children's Theatre in Minneapolis

Quote of the Day:  That is one crazy mouse! Leah, 5 years old
Look, he's clean skating! Rebekkah, 5 years old
That was really funny. Leah and Rebekkah

 

What happens when you give a girl and her sister a cookie?

 

 

You'll have to read them the book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Joffe Numeroff.

 

 

Then, you'll have to take them to see the play based on the book at The Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis, MN.

 

Where they'll laugh their heads off at the crazy mouse and the boy, who make messes and try to clean them up, but end up making more messes, and having more fun, and not going to sleep, but listening to a great story that the boy reads and the mouse acts out, with food for characters and props, and it's all very exciting, and most of the kids (and some of the grown-ups) are on the edge of their seats, slapping their heads at the silliness, and standing up, and shouting, and telling their parents and friends that this is "too much," but not really, because it's the most fun at the theatre they've ever had. For some youngsters, it might even be their first time, and they'll love it so much that they'll beg to go back again because these guys are really good!

 

Dean Holt as the Mouse, Reed Sigmund as The Boy

Photos by Dan Norman, CTC

 

Things got a little carried away, at times.

 

 

Bring on the milk and cookies because this is a high energy, calorie burning show! We loved it.

 

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is playing at The Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis, June 21 - July 21, 2013. Based on the book by Laura Joffe Numeroff, adapted for the stage by Jody Davidson, Directed by Peter C. Brosius, Music Composed and Recorded by Victor Zupanc (fantastic, btw.). The show runs an hour and a half with one intermission, just enough time to gobble up a cookie. And, you know what happens when you give kids a cookie...they'll want to see the show! So, bring them all! They'll be sure to thank you, and maybe even share their cookies.

 

Go. Create. Inspire!

 

Journaling Prompt:  What's your favorite cookie?

Mine is a monster cookie! Of course, I love all cookies...sugar cookies, snickerdoodles, chocolate chip, peanut butter chocolate chip that my sister made today...thank you! And, I love gingersnaps and rolled out cookies that I can frost, especially at Christmas when they're shaped like angels and reindeer and Santa and trees. Mmm. That's making me thirsty for milk. See ya! Enjoy your cookies, books, plays, and family!

 

 

 

Kids and the Art of Writing

Quote of the Day:  Answers to the question on our last day of Writing Camp, kids age 7-12: What did you like best about Writing Camp?
Writing
Making new writing friends
Writing
Reading
Writing
Having time to write
Sharing our writing
Writing
All of it!
Meeting an author
Meeting two authors
Meeting three authors
We learned that we need to get our characters in trouble and out of trouble. (Thanks to guest author Candace Simar)

Guest Author, Candace Simar at Writing Camp

 

I think you get the picture. Kids came to our writing camp because they like to write! Guy Kelm and I had a blast working with 13 young authors on their writing.

 

Mary Aalgaard and Guy Kelm, facilitators for Kids and the Art of Writing Camp

at Franklin Art Center

 

Kids and the Art of Writing Camp

 

We had a party at the end called Amazing Beginnings where the kids read from their journals, stories that they started this week, poems, ideas, interesting characters, exciting action. They had it all. I am so inspired by their creativity.

 

I have so much more to tell you, but I don't want to overwhelm you. We spent two hours every day together for a week, and now, we all have more stories to write and share. Oh, ya, I brought Millie and Willie. The kids gave me a bunch of ideas for them, too.  They even hung around for the readings.

 

 

I'll share more with you next week. On Saturday, I'll be going to The Children's Theatre in Minneapolis to watch If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and sharing my review here.

 

Go. Create. Inspire!

 

Journaling Prompt:  What would you write on your author/personal bio?

 

Youth Frontiers inspire Courage

Quote of the Day:  To have courage means to follow your heart. Brian, a presenter from Youth Frontiers at the Courage Retreat for the Forestview 6th graders.

I wish I had some photos of the retreat, but I don't. Their teacher, Mr. Wallace, took a bunch, but I'm not sure if they're for public, especially internet, use. So, I'll use my best writing skills to describe the day, and provide you with a photo of my guys who inspire me everyday to be the best person I can be.

Shaved heads to swim faster for sections and state.

Tootin' your own horn.

Feeling joy and love of being your authentic self.

I'm one of those moms who loves to volunteer for school, especially fieldtrips. I'll be the first to raise my hand and sign up for anything that has to do with the arts, but I've gone on other types of events, too. I hope the 8th grade teachers will let me chaperone when they go to the theatre for The Diary of Anne Frank (hint, hint). I've been to camps and picnics and overnighters at retreat centers. I told the boys that I'd signed up for this one-day event because they needed small group leaders, and I've been a small group leader for... "ever," they both said.

This is a high energy experience for both the kids and adults. I wished I had worn a t-shirt and gym shoes. They encouraged us to participate to the fullest, be the first group to run across the large group circle, jump and dance, stand up, sit down, you get the picture. It was an aerobic day. I had visions of sitting in a small circle with my 5 or 6 kids and visiting. We did that, too. But, the large group, energetic time was to help us all relax, laugh, move and have fun together, so that when we got into those smaller groups, we'd be more open to sharing our fears and hopes for building a better community.

The presenters are high energy, caring leaders who readily share their own stories of when they were feeling left out, or could have made a better decision to include or help others. They have backgrounds in performance, music, and working with youth groups. Their entire presentation gives you the sense that they truly care about the kids who are there and lifting them up to be better citizens of their schools and the world. If we all faced our fears and stopped ridiculing others for their differences or failings,  or even successes, we would have a much easier time being our authentic selves. Some of the things that my small group listed as fears are standing out too much, being different, not being in the right activities, smelling weird, dressing weird, not looking right.

They asked a few of us adults to share our own stories. A couple women talked about a time in middle school when they were singled out as different or someone to ridicule because of how they dressed or who they liked (boy-girl issues). I talked about being different, feeling different. That I was the one who liked to write stories, and that even today, I feel like I'm different because I'm the only one of my friends in this community who sits around coffee shops and writes plays. I hope my message was Dare to be Different. The presenter said, "It sounds like you're taking a risk to be your authentic self."

At the close of the day, we sat in a large group. The presenters handed out cards and asked us to write one change we could make in ourselves to improve our community. Then, they asked people to get up and share what they'd written. I was moved to tears as 6th graders got up and talked about being kinder, including those who are left out, stopping their bullying, and being nicer to siblings. Getting up and sharing is a very brave thing to do. I was inspired by those young people.

Go. Create. Inspire!

And, dare to make a difference.

Journaling Prompt:  What is one thing you can do to improve the community where you live and help those who might be hurting?

Will Work for Ice Cream

Quote of the Day:  Music can lift us out of depression or move us to tears - it is a remedy, a tonic, orange juice for the ear. But for many of my neurological patients, music is even more - it can provide access, even when no medication can, to movement, to speech, to life. For them, music is not a luxury, but a necessity.

— Oliver Sacks, author of Awakenings 

(apologies for the dark picture - my settings were off)

Three of my piano students and I played and sang at an assisted living center this week. Besides being a great way to keep their skills up over the summer months and provide a place to share their gifts, this was an opportunity for them to lift up the residents.  We helped them feel connected to the present and hopeful about tomorrow, as well as evoking memories of the past.

When the youngest of the three, barely playing piano for a year, played Twinkle, Twinkle, Litte Star, the residents couldn't help but sing along.  They tapped their toes to the peppy tunes, and got dreamy during the classical pieces.  When I played some good, old patriotic hymns, they all sang along, nearly every word to every verse.

Then, we walked down to the memory care unit. I explained why the door needed to be locked, that the residents have memory loss, and that there might be added distractions.  We entered the commons room where a tv was on that no one was watching.  We moved in towards the keyboard and shut off the tv.  My young student played Twinkle, Twinkle again, and I saw eyes light up, lips move, and words coming out of smiling mouths.  They clapped after every song the girls played, and sang out strong during the patriotic hymns.  They seemed the most jubilant for Onward Christian Soldiers, and I had visions of them as young women, linking elbows during the war years, working in factories, writing letters to sweethearts, dancing at the halls with soldiers so young they'd barely graduated high school.  Were any of them in the American Army Corps, or Red Cross workers?  Perhaps an army nurse was in residence or even a pilot.  Who knows?  I don't know their stories, but I do know that they came alive to Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war. With the cross of Jesus going on before.

We enjoyed a well-earned ice cream treat afterwards.

We're making memories of our own as we share these experiences.

Thanks, Girls, for sharing your gifts and accompanying me!

Journaling Prompt:  Write about a song that brings up a strong memory in your life.

Life is Good

Quote of the Day:  "...a talent is something given, that opens like a flower, but without exceptional energy, discipline, and persistence will never bear fruit."  - Mary Sarton, Belgian-born American writer

From my Mom's flower garden.

Her spring flowers were gorgeous this year.

When I discovered Orioles in my yard, I set out oranges and readied my camera, but it was the grape jelly that brought them to my porch railing.  Birds have amazing brightness of color.  I'm a bird watcher, but not a true "Birder."  I don't know all my varieties, I just like looking at them.  I heard an ad on the radio about a yard service that makes your yard bird friendly with the right plants, feeders, etc.  I'm tempted to have them come here.

The Oriole likes grape jelly!

School's out for summer, and I'm prepping myself to share my space.  With my own four sons and various friends and neighborhood boys running in and out, I find myself craving quiet time and creative space.  I need to claim it.  Make some dates with myself at coffee shops.  Shut the door and tell them to find their own food.  I can do it, but it takes more discipline.  It's good for them to see me taking time to do what I love, creating, writing, making music, nurturing my own friendships.

And, they're not little kids anymore (sigh).  They're getting more independent. My oldest son is a senior, now, and starting his first job - lifeguard at the Y.  Yay for him!  The three younger ones will go to scout camp for a whole week without me this August.  What adventures await them?

What adventures are waiting for me?

Don't lose yourself in caring for others.  Find what you love and nurture it, too.  Then, you won't feel so empty when the chicks start to leave the nest.

This was the fastest school year, yet.  How fast will next year fly with a senior in the house? Too fast. I can already hear the clock gears speeding up.

Tess Hilmo, a blog friend, is challenging us to write how "Life is Good."  She's also giving away prizes and promoting her first book, With a Name Like Love.  I was a winner last week, among my treats are See's candies and her book as soon as it's released, Sept. 27.  Thanks, Tess.  Go check out her book and great prizes, and tell her how "Life is Good" in your world.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  When you claim time and space for yourself, where do you go and what do you do?



Outdoor Classroom

Quote of the Day:  Hope and the future for me are not in lawns and cultivated fields, not in towns and cities, but in the impervious and quaking swamps.
From the essay "Walking" by Henry David Thoreau

I went on an overnight fieldtrip with my two 4th graders and their classmates.  We were approximately 4 teachers, 90 (or so) students, 45 chaperones including Moms AND Dads and a few Grandpas.

Here's what we needed for two days and one night. (I left the kitchen sink at home.)

We played team-building and problem-solving games with great instructors.

Learned how to used weapons and tools from long ago.

Tested our strength and bravery on the climbing wall.  When the instructor unlocked this door, it was like we were walking into Willie Wonka's World of Wonder and Delight.  The kids' eyes sparkled.  I saw pure joy.

Hiked to the top of a hill, then walked up all these steps to a lookout.

Except for me.  I have acute acrophobia.

My boy made it to the top.  His twin brother was up there with a different group.  Thanks for the pics, boys!

Thanks to the great teachers who made this possible.  I am so grateful that they encouraged me to accompany my boys on this fieldtrip.  I was a little worried about the overnight part.  I need my rest.  But, the kids were great.  Most of them slept pretty well.  I was in charge of tucking in a group of girls.  So, naturally, I brought along a few good books.  We read Click, Clack, Moo, Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by A. Wolf (Jon Scieszka), and The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss.  I pulled out our favorites, but do you know what they asked for when I knocked on the door?  One that I'd written.  I've shared a few of my short stories for kids with them through their years of elementary school with my boys.  They told me that those were the ones they liked the best.  (That was totally worth any loss of sleep and sore muscles from hiking.)  Thanks, Girls!

Fourth graders, teachers, parents, and instructors, You're all Rock Stars to me!

Journaling Prompt:  Describe a fieldtrip experience.  There are ones that went great, and then there are the ones that produce good stories that we laugh about years later...

Whatif

Quote of the Day:  A Poem by Shel Silverstein

          Watif

Last night, while I lay thinking here,

Some Whatifs crawled inside my ear

And pranced and partied all night long

And sang their same old Whatif song:

Whatif I'm dumb in school?

Whatif they've closed the swimming pool?

Whatif I get beat up?

Whatif there's poison in my cup?

Whatif I start to cry?

Whatif I get sick and die?

Whatif I flunk that test?

Whatif green hair grows on my chest?

Whatif nobody likes me?

Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?

Whatif I don't grow taller?

Whatif my head starts getting smaller?
Whatif the fish won't bite?

Whatif the wind tears up my kite?

Whatif they start a war?

Whatif my parents get divorced?

Whatif the bus is late?
Whatif my teeth don't grown in straight?

Whatif I tear my pants?

Whatif I never learn to dance?

Everything seems swell, and then

The nighttime Whatifs strike again!

These Whatifs are worry Whatifs.  What are your main Whatifs?  Does it help to worry about them?  This week, The Journaling Woman wrote about frogs and worry.  Something about leaving the worry to the frogs, which makes me smile, and feel less worried.

Over at Mystery Writing is Murder, the guest blogger reminded us that using Whatifs in our writing is a good plot strategy.  I was working with some Fourth Graders this week and talked to them about Whatifs in their stories. 

Suppose you and your buddy are going camping.  You get set up and realize that you've forgotten your matches.  What are you going to do?  That's a problem, but Whatif a big storm blows in and collapses your tent? 

"Ya," one said, "and it traps you inside." 

Um-hmm. 

"And," another chimed in, "You hear a bear outside scratching around because he smells the food that is also trapped inside the tent with you." 

Now, you've got it!

I can't wait to read that story!  Even if they all write from that same brainstorming session, they will all come up with different stories. 

Whatifs are worrisome in real life, but good in story plotting.  Does that mean that the things that make us worry create interesting stories?

Top Reasons Why Visiting a Fourth Grade Class is Great:

1.  They still love having parents show up, especially for mashed potato and turkey gravy day.

2.  They are a caring bunch.  I suspect it's hard for them to write in a mean character.

3.  They seem to still like school and have a love of learning.

4.  When I read my Highlights contest entry to them, they applauded and told me I should be a winner.

5.  When I told them that I had about 250 pages in a novel written, but wasn't done yet, one boy said, "I'd read 600 pages!"  (melt my heart)

6.  And, I got my best "date" offer so far - "Oh, I wish you could stay for recess."  (Aww.)

Here's a couple of Fourth Graders who look like they're ready for a cold winter.  That, or they're auditioning for the sequel to Fargo.

Journaling Prompt:  Make a list of your Whatifs - then throw them away!  Or, describe a time when kids brought out the best in you.