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Sunday, December 30, 2012

Meet the Holidays: Winter Holidays Around the World #MeetTheHolidays

Hubby & The Boys @ImagineItCMA

Meet the Holidays: Winter Holidays Around the World (featured)


The Children’s Museum of Atlanta is offering visitors a taste of multi-cultural holidays around the world. Children and their families can experience seasonal winter holidays like Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Santa’s Workshop, Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe, and Christmas. Join the Imaginators  to make festive crafts and decorations, enjoy story-time, and to celebrate diversity!

Meet the Holidays: Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe
Sat., Dec. 1 at 12:00 and 3:00 PM and Sun., Dec. 2 at 2:00 PM


Join the Imaginators for one of Mexico’s most celebrated religious holidays, Our Lady of Guadalupe. Visitors can listen to Our Lady of Guadalupe by Francisco Serrano to learn about cultural art and create Papel Cortado (cut paper) in bright colors to decorate at home.

Beep! Beep!


Meet the Holidays: Hannukah
Sat., Dec. 15 at 12:00 and 3:00 PM and Sun., Dec. 16 at 2:00 PM


Join the Imaginators for the Festival of Lights. Hanukkah in traditionally welcomed with a holiday banner adorned with light. Visitors to the Museum can listen to The Amazing Menorah of Mazeltown by Hal Dresner and then make a banner to decorate their home for Hanukkah.


Meet the Holidays: Christmas
Sat., Dec. 22 at 12:00 and 3:00 PM and Sun., Dec. 23 at 2:00 PM


Join the Imaginators for a magical Christmas story Room for a Little One: A Christmas Tale by Martin Waddell and Jason Cockcroft. Children can then make Christmas gift tags as a symbol of welcome, joy, and holiday spirit.  
My awesome sister and cute nephew! Having a blast!

Meet the Holidays: Kwanzaa


Sat., Dec. 29 at 12:00 and 3:00 PM and Sun., Dec. 30 at 2:00 PM 


To honor and celebrate African-American heritage and culture, children will listen to L’il Rabbit’s Kwanza by Donna L. Washington and Shane W. Evans and then make a Mancala game which people of all ages play during the weeklong Kwanzaa festivities.


Three Kings Day
Sat., Jan. 5 at 12:00 PM and 3PM and Sun., Jan. 6 at 2:00 PM


Visitors to the Museum can celebrate Three Kings Day by listening to Federico and the Magi’s Gift: A Latin American Christmas Story by Beatriz Vidal and then make a crown to wear as did the Three Wise Men. 


Don't miss any of the Museum's "Meet the Holidays" programs... become a member TODAY!
Artist in Residence @ImagineItCMA, Title: Grass, Cost: SOLD 
(Bought by Granny)

Friday, December 21, 2012

Happy Holidays! Happy New Year!



Happy Holidays! May 2013 be your best year yet! ♥ The Grimmett Family

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Learn More about SHE Enterprises #GlobalTeamof200


Learn how a maxi-pad can keep women working, girls in school, and drive economic growth

Did you know girls have to miss a week of school every month because of their period? Girls in developing countries desperately need access to menstrual pads and our new partner, SHE Enterprises, is providing them to thousands of girls in need.

SHE has developed an patent-pending, low-cost, and eco-friendly menstrual pad, the SHE LaunchPad, that makes an absorbent core (the highest material cost driver) for pads from agro-waste (i.e, banana fibers) without using any chemicals or super absorbent polymers. The SHE28 campaign launched in Rwanda in 2009, and girls and women, will now have access to a menstrual product that will be priced at 5 cents/pad.



There are 4 great ways you can get involved:
  1. Give $28. Support SHE.
  2. Break the silence and go viral — share the SHE28 campaign video with everyone you know!
  3. Get the word out – tell your friends to support SHE on Twitter – donate your voice (link to Thunderclap)
  4. Follow SHE on its website and blog or find them on Twitter and Facebook.
Better sanitary protection, PERIOD. Girls and women in developing countries can miss school and/or work--up to 50 days--because they don't have access to affordable sanitary pads. SHE is increasing girls' and women's access to affordable sanitary pads through sustainable businesses. Join us now!

#TOTEM is Leaving Atlanta December 30: Limited Performances Remaining

Leaving Atlanta December 30
Limited performances remaining



Last chance to step into the whimsical
and fascinating world of TOTEM!

Atlanta, GA – December 19, 2012 – On December 30, 2012, Cirque du Soleil’s latest awe-inspiring production TOTEM will perform for the very last time in Atlanta after a successful run of 80 performances under the blue-and-yellow big top at Atlantic Station. Since opening night in late October, more than 160,000 people have been mesmerized by the TOTEM experience that Jezebel Magazine proclaimed “a night when reality, history and fantasy came together - a show nothing short of spectacular” and the Atlanta Journal Constitution described as a show that “pushes the human body into positions that are both unspeakably difficult and remarkably graceful.” Atlanta audiences now have one last chance to experience the jaw-dropping acrobatics and the artistically stunning visuals of TOTEM before the production takes the road to its next North American tour stop, Miami, FL.
Written and directed by Robert Lepage, TOTEM traces the fascinating journey of the human species from its original amphibian state to its ultimate desire to fly. Inspired by many founding myths, TOTEM illustrates, through a visual and acrobatic language, the evolutionary progress of species. Somewhere between science and legend TOTEM explores the ties that bind Man to other species, his dreams and his infinite potential.
Cirque du Soleil invites you to celebrate the holidays at TOTEM and give the gift that doesn’t fit in a box! Impress your family, friends and business associates with the magic and wonder of the Cirque du Soleil experience. Special family 4-packs of tickets are now available at www.cirquedusoleil.com/holiday.
Tickets for remaining holiday performances of TOTEM are available online at www.cirquedusoleil.com/totem and at the Cirque du Soleil box office located under the big top at Atlantic Station (opening 2 hours prior to show time).
TOTEM Holiday Show Schedule
• December 19 at 8pm
• December 20 at 8pm
• December 21 at 4pm and 8pm
• December 22 at 12pm, 4pm and 8pm
• December 23 at 1:30pm and 5:30pm
• December 26 at 8pm
• December 27 at 4pm and 8pm
• December 28 at 4pm and 8pm
• December 29 at 4pm and 8pm
• December 30 at 1pm and 5pm
*No performance on December 24 & 25

For show and ticket information, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com/totem
Stay connected with TOTEM on Twitter: @Cirque #TOTEM
Follow the tour on Facebook: www.facebook.com/totem

Official Sponsors
Cirque du Soleil gratefully acknowledges the sponsors of the TOTEM 2012 North American tour: Infiniti, CGI, XEROX and Sun Life Financial.

Cirque du Soleil
From a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984, Cirque du Soleil is now a major Quebec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. The company has 5,000 employees, including more than 1,300 performing artists from close to 50 different countries.

Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to more than 100 million spectators in more than 300 cities in over forty countries on six continents.

For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit cirquedusoleil.com.
To find out more about the ONE DROP Foundation, visit www.onedrop.org.

Press Room
For more information on Cirque du Soleil and TOTEM, visit our press room at www.cirquedusoleil.com/press

Upcoming Alliance Theatre Activities for Parents!

Waiting for Balloon
December 27-30, 2012, Thursday-Sunday, 9:30am & 11:00am
January 3-6, 2013, Thursday-Sunday, 9:30am & 11:00am
January 12 & 19, 2013, Saturdays, 9:30am & 11:00am
Two childlike hobo-clown characters are waiting near the railroad tracks for “balloon.”  The problem is that neither of them knows exactly what “balloon” is.  Through delightful trial and error, exploration and interaction with the audience, the two clowns piece together what makes a balloon a balloon and celebrate all that is discovered while we “wait!”  An introduction to gentle clowning and the joy of creating puppets from found objects.  Waiting for Balloon is a Theatre for the Very Young production, developed for children ages 18 months – 5 years old.  For tickets - please contact Olivia Aston at 404.733.4702 or olivia.aston@woodruffcenter.org, also available online at

Alliance Theatre Spring Break and Summer Drama Camps One Day Sale!
January 8, 2013
Save the date for January 8, 2013.  For one day only, the acclaimed Alliance Theatre Spring Break and Summer Drama Camps will be 40% off! From acting basics to musical theatre to film acting, the Alliance Theatre’s drama camps remain one of the most popular and rewarding experiences for the young people of our community. For more than 30 years, the Alliance Theatre’s high energy drama camps have inspired thousands of young people throughout Atlanta. All camps end with a unique public performance for family and friends.  Space is limited.
 

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Jerry Craft: Getting Kids to Read, by any means necessary!

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Whenever I do a radio interview or am part of an author's panel, the thing that surprises my listeners the most, is that for most of my early life, I didn’t like to read. And I don’t mean just in my Tweens and Teens, I mean all the way into adulthood. Even after I had already had comic strips and articles published, I still didn’t like to read. Even though I had already started doing school visits, in which one of the most important things that I shared with kids was how important it is– I didn’t like to read.  After years of trying to get to the root of the problem, I think I’ve discovered the reasons.



DR. SEUSS: After my early childhood, I never remember any books picking up where Dr. Seuss left off. Books that were entertaining and fun, and made me want to read them on my own. 
  
1. As I got older, Marvel comics started to fill the void. But past that, there was nothing. For years! And now as an author, I can see why. Many publishers don’t think that teen boys, especially boys of color, read. So they do not put a lot of effort into that market. But what I always ask is, "do you not make books for them because they don’t read?" OR "Is the reason that they don’t read, because you don’t make books for them?" That's the biggest reason why, not only do I publish most of my work myself, but I work with other authors to help them publish their work. 

2. MARVEL COMICS: I have to say, that for folks my age, especially the men I know, nothing got us to read like Marvel Comics. Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, you name it. They had as much to do with my vocabulary as any teacher I have ever had. The MACABRE Man-Thing. The UNCANNY X-Men. And every issue was a potential ARMAGEDDON! I had to look those words up in an ancient book called a dictionary just to know what he was talking about. 

3. BUT TEACHERS HATED COMICS:So not only did they take away our comics, the books they gave us to read were totally uninteresting. Maybe subconsciously, this was starting to shape my opinion that reading should not, or maybe could not be fun. More teachers are embracing comics and graphic novels at both a middle-grade level as well as high school and college.

4. I NEVER SAW MY PARENTS READ BOOKS: I saw them read the daily newspapers, I saw them reading magazines, but I never remember seeing them curl up with a good book. So I never thought of doing it myself. 

http://jerrycraft.wordpress.com/2012/12/11/getting-boys-to-read/parentswhoread/
Me and my boys during a little family reading time.
 
So, when I had kids of my own, I wanted to make sure that they were readers. I started with reading the Dr. Seuss. Once they were older, it was important for them to have something that I didn’t have.  What I mean is that they needed books that they wanted to read on their own.

One day, I came home and saw him reading. It was a book based on the Bionicle toys. He read the entire thing. Next day, he brought home the sequel. Read that, too. Now for my younger son, it was much easier. Since his older brother was now an avid reader, he had his Reading Role Model. I DID still read to them at night, though, but it’s not the same as them seeing me read on my own.  Another great opportunity is when we take our yearly family roadtrip. Sure, they bring along the DVD player and the video games, I don’t want them to feel like they have to choose, but we also take books on tape. Get them free from the library. The coolest things about books on tape is that we all get to listen at the same time AND although they are not reading it, it’s still a book. And it’s another way to add to the whole "books are fun," theme.

Okay, so with that said, here is my advice for getting kids to read.
  • Read TO them!
  • Read WITH them!
  • Let them see YOU read!
  • Help them find books that they WANT to read. Just like they can’t eat unless you keep food in the house, they can’t read unless there are books in the house.
  • If there is a movie version, read the book, too!
  • Listen to books on tape. Either in the car, or maybe before bed.
  • Don’t judge what they read. Now obviously, you don’t want them to read something that’s inappropriate, but that’s not the same thing. Don't look at my book and think that since it is a comic book, that it is worthless.
  • Here’s a good one: Plug into things that they already are passionate about. If they like video games, then have them read Game Informer magazine, not just look at the pictures.
  • Show that you want them to read by picking out books with them. 
  • Even day-to-day things, like if you’re cooking, have them read the recipes out loud to you. Get it?
If you have your own suggestions, write me at jerrycraft@aol.com.

MAIN WEBSITE:   www.jerrycraft.net

Blog, Getting Kids to Read: http://jerrycraft.wordpress.com/

Jerry Craft is the creator of Mama’s Boyz, an award-winning comic strip that has been distributed by King Features Syndicate to almost 900 publications since 1995; making him one of the few syndicated African-American cartoonists in the country. He has illustrated and/or written a dozen children’s books and games and has won four African American Literary Awards. His work has appeared in national publications such as Essence Magazine, Ebony, and two Chicken Soup for the African American Soul books.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Stay Fit Over the Holidays: McDonald's Brings "Egg-citement" to Atlanta #EggWhiteDelight

The holidays are a time for celebration and family, not to put on extra unwanted pounds. This holiday season, make a plan to “Get Body Beautiful” and stay healthy over the holidays with recommendations from national fitness guru and author Andrea Riggs.

As you know, Atlanta area McDonald's restaurants are offering a new menu item - Egg White Delight McMuffin. Have you tried it yet? Well, if not then hurry down to your local McDonadl's to try this delicious McMuffin! 

McDonald's is celebrating the debut of Egg White Delight McMuffin by partnering with local author, wellness guru and celebrity trainer Andrea Riggs as she shares Five Ways to “Get Body Beautiful” and Stay Healthy Over the Holidays.

I'm taking Andrea's ideas and will continue to watch what I eat, and focus on healthy choices and not just all of my choices. Here are some of my own tips: 
  • Got kids? I like to dance in our living room, while holding our youngest son. The weight of my dancing partner helps tone my arms.
  • Take the stairs instead of the elevator and park your car furthest away from the entrance.
  • Don't over eat. Eat just enough until you are full. 


Andrea states that, "The holidays are a time for celebration and family, not to put on extra unwanted pounds. So don’t accept the idea of putting on pounds and slacking on your fitness during the next few weeks." How are you going to stay Body Beautiful over the holidays? What are some tips that you can share?
The Greater Atlanta McDonald’s Operators Association (GAMOA) partnered with bloggers such as me to help educate us all about the new Egg White Delight McMuffin. As part of this program, I received compensation. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the use of the product. GAMOA believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. GAMOA policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations. A winner will be chosen by random and voucher fulfillment will be handled by a third party.

Meet the Holidays – Winter Holidays Around the World #MeettheHolidays



The Children’s Museum of Atlanta is offering visitors a taste of multicultural holidays around the world. Children and their families can experience seasonal winter holidays like Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Santa’s Workshop, Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe, and Christmas. Join the Imaginators each weekend to make festive crafts and decorations, enjoy story-time, and to celebrate diversity!


Three Kings Day

Saturday, January 5 at 12:00 PM and Sunday, January 6 at 2:00 PM (craft)

Visitors to the Museum can celebrate Three Kings Day by listening to Federico and the Magi’s Gift: A Latin American Christmas Story by Beatriz Vidal and then make a crown to wear as did the Three Wise Men.



Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration

Monday, January 21, 2013

10:30 AM and 2:30 PM

Children’s Handprint Wreath
To remember Dr. Martin Luther King and his vision for mankind, children will celebrate cultural unity by creating a handprint wreath in many colors.

11:30 AM and 1:30 PM

“A Child’s Day of Service”
Join the Imaginators as we celebrate the birthday and holiday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in “A Child’s Day of Service”. 

 

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