Luciernagas program in Tupelo ends with 40 + children and adults!

Our "Lucie" program just kept getting bigger and better! Thanks to all the parents and children who made it a success. I've made lots of new friends, and had a great time. I think the participants have gained a new knowledge of how to use literature at home to learn new skills, increase English fluency, and just have fun as a family!
Where the Wild Things Are was a huge success. We sang and played "Wild Thing" (of course) to my keyboard and an audience percussion band, and David Morgan of the Ms. Humanities Council showed up in complete wild thing garb. Check out the furry photo!

Lucie Week 4

Our fourth session of Luciernagas Hispanic Family Reading Program was lots of fun! We have had such large crowds that we moved to a bigger room, which gave us lots of elbow space. Nice!
This week we acted out "Pepita Talks Twice." Pepita has to translate for people who don't speak either English or Spanish and gets tired of it. She decides not to speak Spanish anymore. Only when her dog, Lobo, nearly gets run over does she realize the value of speaking 2 languages. We had a wonderful discussion about heritage and being proud of who you are and where you come from. We also talked about the importance of maintaining your heritage and customs, even as you assimilate new ones.
Each session features an "infomercial" for parents.This week, we all learned a lot about banking, including the fact that many banks have someone who is bi-lingual to help with transactions.
Next is "Where the Wild Things Are," one of my favorite books. Watch for pictures of our "Wild Rumpus" next week!

Luciernagas Hispanic Family Reading Program

"Lucie," week 3, saw three new families join those already registered. The theme for the night was "Coping" and we started off with one of my favorite stories, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Both children and parents enjoyed helping us repeat the refrain "Terrible, Horrible..." each time in both English and Spanish. I had written a song about the story, and had lots of help from audience percussionists, who played my bell tree, gourd rattles, sheep toenail shakers, etc.
Next, we read Magda's Tortilla's. Magda wants to learn to make tortillas, but finds it's harder than she thought. After the story we talked about coping when you have a bad day, or when something is difficult. One suggestion from the audience was to sing, so we did. You can see Magda "serving" her tortillas at left.

Second week of "Lucie" went even better than the first. Several new families signed up, and the regulars from last week were back. After telling Magic Dogs of the Volcanoes, a well-known Hispanic folk tale, we had the children act out The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, told from the wolf's point of view (of course, he's innocent!!!) Excellent discussion of the week's theme "Fairness", as we discussed how important it is to hear both sides of a story before judging someone or something. From there, it fit right in to discuss the implications this has for freedom. The U.S.A's court system allows someone to defend him or herself and present their side of the story. Deep stuff for elementary age kids, but something they can understand in a children's story context. The music was fun, once again. Even adults played percussion, and everyone sang along, trying both the English and Spanish verses. Prizes, gifts, and snacks followed.

Hispanic Family Reading Program

Last week we began a 7 week story program called "Luciernagas" (Butterflies.) We had 13 children and 14 adults who enjoyed stories and songs in English and Spanish. This is one of my favorite Ms. Humanities Council programs; it shows parents the importance (and fun) of reading, helps both adults and children learn English, and encourages parents to maintain their own cultural identity and customs while learning new ones. I've posted a few pictures and will include more as the program goes on.

Ballyhoo at the Ballroom

The Whole Schools Initiative and the Ms. Arts Commission held an event in Oxford to allow all of us on the Artist Roster to meet with over 300 educators from throughout the state. The hang drums, made from propane and helium tanks, were the big hit at my table. The other homemade percussion instruments were all sampled, and, of course, I had my styrofoam guitar on hand, too. I love showing people how much fun storytelling, music, and making your own simple instruments can be!