Cultivating Community Announces Vacation Farm School for Middle Schoolers - From Four

>>
>> Cultivating Community Announces Vacation Farm School for Middle
>> Schoolers
>>
>> Do you know a middle schooler who would savor spending the days of
>> April vacation outdoors exploring the workings of a farm and making
>> it run?
>> Then check out Cultivating Community's Vacation Farm School!
>>
>> Vacation Farm Schoolers get to BE farmers by engaging in real farm
>> work, including starting seeds, caring for animals, and felling and
>> splitting trees for firewood. Each day we will accomplish the work
>> of the farm as well as play games, share in conversations about
>> food systems, tackle an on-going farm project in small groups and
>> reflect. Together we'll choose from a list of week-long projects
>> that we want to tackle such as building a vegetable washing station
>> or constructing a shade structure for the pigs. On Friday, from
>> 2-3:30, parents are invited to visit and see what we we've achieved.
>>

>> Conversations during lunch will engage everyone in what it means to
>> be part of a food system and how we as both consumers and producers
>> can build one that's strong, local, and fair. The farm is always
>> growing with our help; taking time for written reflection and
>> sharing reminds us that we are growing with the help of the farm.
>>

>> The cost is $175 for the weeklong program, 8:00-3:00.
>> Aftercare is available from 3:00-5:30, $15/day.
>>
>> A complete brochure is attached or you can go to www.cultivatingcommunity.org
>> <http://www.cultivatingcommunity.org/> to download one.
>>
>> If you have any questions or would like to register your middle
>> school-aged student, contact program manager Charlie Utter at (207)
>> 761.GROW ext. 2 or charlie@cultivatingcommunity.org.
>>
>> We invite you to experience with us what happens when work becomes
>> play!
>>
>> Craig Lapine
>> Cultivating Community
>> P.O. Box 3792
>> Portland, Maine 04104
>> t: 207.761.GROW (4769)
>> f: 207.541.GROW
>> c: 207.671.1189
>> www.cultivatingcommunity.org
>> <Vacation Farm School 09 Brochure.pdf>

Fwd: You're invited to The Thin Line - April 14th at 7pm

Come see "The Thin Line" next Tuesday Bowdoin College is sponsoring a performance of Add Verb Productions' nationally touring one woman play, The Thin Line.  Admission is free and open to the community, please contact us if you would like to attend. When:  Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at 7pm Where:  Kresge Auditorium (basement of the Visual Arts Center)     Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME RSVP:   Contact Amanda Bailey at 207-772-1167               or email amanda@addverbproductions.com Who should attend:  Anyone who would like to better understand how eating disorders impact family, friends and the community.  Suitable for mature middle school, high school and college students and their supporters. Check out the recent article in The Forecaster about The Thin Line.   Also if you know of anyone who would be interested in seeing The Thin Line, feel free to pass this email on!   More About The Thin Line The Thin Line is an engaging and effective tool in reaching audiences, inspiring personal reflection and conversation around healthy and unhealthy behaviors.  Developed from personal interviews and research, the play composites a look at how an entire community is impacted by the disease, not just the person who is diagnosed.  Watch The Thin Line Promo Video See what others have been saying about The Thin Line See where The Thin Line has been performed What are others saying about The Thin Line? Mere minutes into the performance, tears were streaming down my face. The play was a reflection of my life. My struggle was there for all to see, I was not alone, and someone was putting words to what I could not. The Thin Line is the most accurate portrayal I have seen, heard or read. This play helped my loved ones to understand. It showed my parents a little of what was going on in my head. This play captured my emotions, my thoughts and my struggles.  --KV, recovering anorexic The Thin Line is one of the most accurate examinations of the experience of eating disorders. It shows the insidious hold eating disorders develop on an otherwise rational, resourceful, reliable person; how it destroys self-confidence, judgment, and relationships; how they affect the families and friends; how they defy logic and destroy the spirit.  The Thin Line may serve to both prevent eating disorders and to provide insight and hope to those who suffer from them. It will be a valuable tool in our attempts to defeat the "Body Wars" that plague girls and women in western culture.  --Dr. Margo Maine, author of Body Wars: Making Peace with Women's Bodies. To date, The Thin Line and You the Man have toured to 32 states (as well as Bermuda and Japan!), and reached over 115,000 people.  To keep up to date on upcoming performances for all of Add Verb's programming, Sign up for our enews announcements!

Forward email This email was sent to cathy@addverbproductions.com byinfo@addverbproductions.com. Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Email Marketing by Add Verb Productions | PO Box 3853 | Portland | ME | 04101

*****************************************

Kimberly Simmons, Ph.D. 

kcs@maine.rr.com

 

Come visit Parenting for Peace

Earth Day Events

Earth Day falls during April Vacation this year. There are a number of calendar events linked above, but I'm curious if anyone has a family tradition or idea for engaging kids in Earth Day in an active way? On April 22 Maine Audubon is sponsoring Earth Day activities for children and families. On April 25 MECA is sponsoring an urban clean-up Other events, ideas, etc?

April Vacation - Public Hearing / Beakman Live

On Friday April 24, the public hearing for marriage equality will take place. Equality Maine is encouraging families to attend -- see more at http://www.parentingforpeace.blogspot.com

On Saturday, April 25, Portland Great Performances Presents Beakman Live! at 2pm at South Portland High School.

Beakman Live! A Family Matinee Performance Saturday, April 25 • 2 pm South Portland Auditorium at South Portland High School Geared toward ages 5-10 Beakman Live! is a wacky, entertaining, and educational escapade based on the Emmy Award-winning children’s television series Beakman’s World. This madcap theater event for children and families features acclaimed actor and performance artist Paul Zaloom – the originator of the Beakman character – in the role of the zany scientist. Wacky Beakman transforms the stage into a loony mix that’s one part laboratory and one part fun house, dazzling, amazing, and teaching young and old alike with off-the-wall science demonstrations, rapid-fire experiments, and tons of audience participation.

An action from the Campaign for a Commerical Free Childhood

First Dora, now Spongebob... apparently there was a pretty bad commerical on during the final four... for more info and an easy action, see the CCFC website. Susan Linn, Director of the Campaign for a Commerical Free Childhood will be in Portland, as a FSP Parenting for Peace Lecturer on May 12th!

Peace Action Maine Annual Supper

Peace is a core Quaker value and is interpreted and played out daily at FSP. If you or your kids are interested in Peace Work at the political or societal level, check out Peace Action Maine. They have tons of info, resources, projects, etc. and an open invitation to their annual Peace Supper, April 25th 5:00–9:00pm Guild Hall, 317 Congress Street

Kaleidescope Arts April Vacation Offering

We would love to see you at "Peter Rabbit and Friends" on Thursday morning April 23 from 10 to noon for another in our series of Vacation Creation workshops for ages 6 and up. We love Peter, Jeremy Fisher, Jemima Puddleduck, Mrs Tiggywinkle, and all the rest, and have lots of fun projects planned! We can make some bunnies and frogs, plant some seeds for a mini Macgregor's garden, sew a pincushion for Mrs T, even create a tiny room for mice...the possibilities are seemingly endless! Hope you can join us! Carolyn and Phyllis $15 per person Kaleidoscope 790 Stevens Ave Portland Maine 04103 email us (or call 773-2255) if you have questions or need more information

Henry Giroux speaks to the corportization of childhood

Maya, kindly sent me links link to an essay by critical educator Henry Giroux about the corportization of childhood. The article continues to ask questions about how we help kids develop as citizens -- something I think FSP does very well but the question is always a great conversation starter. And this might be a good time to start promoting our first annual Parenting For Peace Lecture : May 12th, at 7pm, Susan Linn will speak about the Case for Make Believe. Look for more promotional materials soon! If you have ideas for 2009-2010 Parenting for Peace workshops, lectures, etc. and/or would be interested in serving on the committee please let James know!

AMazing, ASTounDIng, AucTioN!

The auction was an incredible success, and Rose and all the other volunteers deserve so much appreciation! Woo-Hoo to All of Us!

2 reports of interest -- 1 re:the youngers, 1 re:the olders

The Alliance for Childhood released a report today about the importance of lots of time for unstructured play in Kindergarden. I have not read it yet, so I shouldn't be recommending it, but I'm guessing it will give us all a sense of affirmation about our program and provoke questions and conversation about best practice for a 21st education.

GLSEN (The Gay, Lesbian, Straight, Education Network) has also released a report, about the terrible harassment facing transgender middle school students. Again I think we'll be proud of FSP's emphasis on inclusivity and individuality and adult relationships with young people, but it raises a lot of questions about how to help our kids be brave bystanders in the larger world. As always, I'd love to talk about this stuff with people! Kim