**Produce your own circus! Make your own stilts, juggling sticks, and
tightrope, then learn to use them; master the human pyramid; discover
how to create your own circus acts and shows; and much more with DIY
Circus Lab for Kids. Companion online video tutorials for every prop
and skill make learning easy.
**
Veteran circus educator Jackie Leigh Davis takes you, step by step,
through the props and skills you need to perform all the major circus
arts:
- Acrobatics, acrobalance, and human pyramids
- Balance arts
- Clowning
- Gyroscopic and toss juggling
You'll learn how to make juggling balls, a hoola hoop, a rola
bola, a clown nose and hat, and a pair of poi, among other
circus essentials. With these props, you'll learn how to juggle, hoop,
balance, perform clown gags, and more. Photo demonstrations,
numbered steps, and online tutorials ensure you'll understand
exactly how to make the props and perform the skills.
Did you know that a tight rope walker in Ancient Greece was called a
funambulus? Or that female jugglers can be found pictured in
4,000-year-old hieroglyphs on the wall of an Egyptian tomb? DIYCircus
Lab for Kids includes the history of each family of circus skills.
"Circademics" sidebars explore the science and academics behind the
circus activities, like how the brain changes when you learn how to
juggle.
"Circussecrets" sidebars throughout connect circus arts to social and
emotional skills, like listening, persistence, and asking for and
giving help. Many of the skills in this book are safe enough for kids to
do themselves, with a few requiring an adult "spotter" so families or
classes can enjoy them together.
Once you've learned how to create your own circus with DIY Circus Lab
for Kids, you can also: host a circus prop-making party, start a
juggling club at school, clown at a senior center or daycare, start a
community circus meet-up in a park, or integrate circus themes into your
school's curriculum--the opportunities for circus fun are endless.
The popular Lab for Kids series features a growing list of books
that share hands-on activities and projects on a wide host of
topics, including art, astronomy, clay, geology, math, and even
bugs--all authored by established experts in their fields. Each lab
contains a complete materials list, clear step-by-step
photographs of the process, as well as finished samples. The labs
can be used as singular projects or as part of a yearlong curriculum of
experiential learning. The activities are open-ended, designed to be
explored over and over, often with different results. Geared toward
being taught or guided by adults, they are enriching for a range of ages
and skill levels. Gain firsthand knowledge on your favorite topic with
Lab for Kids.
