Dreaming Big in Belize

Dawn Flowers at Burrell Bloom Methodist School in Belize is helping all of us spread the dreams! This Wednesday, April 14th, she will be a guest speaker at the Belize National Library Service Book  Fair.  She's been invited to teach other educators about The Dream Flag Project and how to connect. This year 300 students from Burrel Bloom Methodist have made Dream Flags, and they're going to be exhibited at the Book Fair, as well as a local hospital and bank! Talk about dreaming big! Thanks to you, Dawn, from all of us. Please keep dreaming!

Philly Library's After School Learning Starts Dreaming!

3/22/11 Last Saturday, some of the teen and adult leaders of the after school learning programs in Philadelphia's 54 branch libraries learned about Dream Flags and made their own. We look forward to seeing the dreams come together, especially since there will be a terrific exhibition of Dream Flags flanking both sides of the main entrance to the Main Branch of the library come mid-May. We'll post updates and a flag or two from Saturday soon. . . .

One-Stop Dream Flag Shopping!

3/10/11 Here's a link for your must-have-it all-in-one Dream Flags document for 2011. It's a total list of what to do when with links that get you there! CLICK HERE

Looking Ahead to Dreams!

2011 DREAM FLAG PROJECT DATES

2/7/11 Looking ahead to dreaming together takes vision (and planning)! Since The Dream Flag Project is not only about dreaming, but about dreaming together, we try to coordinate our activities so that we have the best chance of connecting each year in April and May. Each year,we ask participant groups to complete the Dream Flags by April, National Poetry Month. Then the connections begin. Many schools do their own local exhibitions and displays of Dream Flags. We have a large gathering here in Philadelphia and invite everyone who can to come, and for others to send Dream Flags. This year we've also got a wonderful connection to Nepal, and on May 19, our Dream Flags will start a trek up to 12,500 feet where they'll be connected at the Khumjung School. (Much more detail on that later.) For now, here's a list of dates and events that may help as you look ahead to a dream-filled spring. And if we can post your Dream Dates, let us know. We'd love to. 2010-11 DREAM FLAG PROJECT DATES

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANGSTON HUGHES!!

1/31/11 Tomorrow is the 109th birthday of Langston Hughes! His poem, "Bring me all your dreams, you dreamers . . " and his many poems that show the world the simple beauty of ordinary life and a vision of the way things could be are as inspiring today as they were when he lived and wrote. We hope The Dream Flag Project does, in some small way, make good the rich legacy he left us.

So let's celebrate! Here are a few resources for celebrating the birthday of Hughes. They could be used any time in February, really.
Fun Activity: Hughes Birthday Party Lesson Plan (from 107th birthday)
Great Site: The Poet's Voice: Langston Hughes and You
(from National Endowment for the Humanities)
Sing Along: "Dream Keeper" Set to Music (with easy guitar chords)
Sheet Music  -- Recording
Please let us know if you have sites or activities related to this great poet. We'd love to share them.

Dream Flag Teacher Workshop Spans the Miles!

1/18/11 We had a great Dream Flags on-line teacher workshop on Saturday, the 15th, with teachers from as far away as Belize and New Hampshire connecting and sharing ideas. Using Go To Meeting, we got to see the wonderfully creative reading areas for first graders at Burrel Boom Methodist School (My favorite was the sea-themed reading area that was an inflatable pool to sit in and read!), the cabin that Jennifer Carbonneau and her husband are building along with lots on their high school's reading and writing programs, and to share many ideas from near and far on Dream Flags, teaching poetry, engaging students and community, and more! It was a quick two hours spent sharing and learning how much we have in common. We can't wait to do it again in the future.

Dreamer Money In the Door!



http://www.pccy.org/

 Congratulations to Pennypacker Elementary in Philadelphia and especially to their art teacher, Melissa Thomas! The school was awarded a $4,500 grant from the Picasso Project Grants program of PCCY. PCCY is Public Citizens for Children and Youth. They awarded this sum to Pennypacker in support of their participation in The Dream Flag Project to pay for materials, supplies, and related costs. The slogan of PCCY is righ in line with Dream Flags:  "Imagine a safe world for children, then do something about it."

Ms. Thomas has years of Dream Flags experience and of finding funds to do it. If you want to be in touch with her on how she does it, just email us, and we'll connect you--or join the ning and contact her directly.

Yeay, Melissa, and dream on Pennypacker!