June 27, 2006

"John has as much fun as the kids. He's patient, fun and informative in an entertaining way!

The kids will like him because they will be able to tell that John likes them."

Boynton Beach Library Branch

[Read MORE of what others have to say about this educational program ...]

 

This program's objective is to help children get excited about the library, reading and learning!

The show begins with a story about a little boy who LOVES magic. With the help of his father (who buys tickets to a real magic show) the little boy meets a "real" magician. The magician tells the boy some real magic secrets. He tells the boy to never give up on yourself and your ability to learn new things!

He also mentions that the secrets to learning and magic are in the library, in books.

The little boy then embarks on a quest to find out exactly what the magician meant. The little boy takes off to the library.

Next, John introduces an instructional drawing book - "Make Your Drawings Come Alive" is the title. John draws a book worm! With the help of everyone in the audience John and the magic drawing sing “I want to Read!” The kids go crazy when the picture really comes alive and sings along.

Library Card

John and a helper show (disguised as a magic trick) the audience his favorite card – his Library Card! The audience learns why a Library Card is important, what they are for, and how to get one.

 

Turning the page in our story, John calls an assistant, who together, remind the audience about the Dewey Decimal system in a unique and very FUN way using oooey-goooey book worms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The little boy discovers the mystery book. He realizes that magic is just like a mystery. John turns his helper into a Super Sleuth. Together they create and solve a mystery.

Everyone has read or has had a biography read to them. In the middle of our story the fun begins when an audience member comes up on stage and provides the group with a brief biography about themselves. John then shows everyone his favorite heroes of the past – Amelia Earhart, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin and Leonardo Da Vinci! The kids are thrilled when the totally unexpected happens during the course of the trick.

Fables are the next and final topic. Creating mental images while reading is the focus.

John becomes a REAL character in the story and acts it out - complete with props - while the story is narrated. This is very visual and fun!  

The end of the story is something that must be seen to be appreciated. The children ALL LOVE THIS!

The little boy almost forgets about his goal, and his dream to become a real magician and perform a real magic show. To demonstrate this, a young man from the audience comes on-stage and, in a very entertaining way, performs a real magic show for the entire audience!

Throughout the entire program the kids learn new vocabulary words and new ways to get more out of reading.

Following are the books used in The "Magic Secrets" Reading Program