Posts Tagged ‘travel’
Where Do You Want to Go?
June 11th, 2012 Posted 8:30 am
I don’t remember when I first learned of Flat Stanley. I’ve never read the books and the kids have never done Flat Stanley projects for school. I suspect a friend mentionned it or it was featured on one of the blogs I follow. I do know that it’s popped under my radar several times since then and several times I thought about doing a home version. Neither of the boys were especially interested and the project was too intended for their benefit for me to do all the work. Ravynn and Whisper, however, are incredibly interested.
So far, they’ve designed Flat Stanleys for themselves and one for each of their brothers. I have one ready for me and the girls have completed the pair that I was going to do. We have trips scheduled for a couple of them and are signed on to serve as a host family for someone else. We really look foward to that.
After browsing the website, it seems there aren’t rules so much as suggestions, so it’s up to each participant to decide how they want their Flat experience to go. I’ve talked with the girls and at this point, this is the plan.
- Write a bio for each of our Flat People [posted below]
- Ask hosts to fill out travel logs and sign signature pages [encouraging them to decorate the pages]
- Allow return of digital picture files
- Plan visits for 1-2 weeks.
- Create a binder to hold the travel logs and signature pages.
- Blog their trips!
First, though, let me introduce our Flat People to you.
Flat Sapphire [designed by Ravynn]
Birthplace: Anderson, IN
Birthdate: 6/9/2012
Favorite color: Blue
Lucky number: 5
Hobbies:
- Drawing
- Reading
- Exploring nature
Where she wants to visit:
- Japan
- Caliornia
- Manhattan
She wants to learn about:
- Nature
- Museums
- Famous people
Flat Spring[designed by Whisper]
Birthplace: Anderson, IN
Birthdate: 6/9/2012
Favorite color: Orange
Lucky number: 7
Hobbies:
- Ballet
- Volleyball
Where she wants to visit:
- France
- Africa
- China
- Texas
She wants to learn about:
- Science
- History
- Your schools
Flat Stefan[designed by Ravynn]
Birthplace: Anderson, IN
Birthdate: 6/9/2012
Favorite color: Orange
Lucky number: 7
Hobbies:
- Dance
- Acting
- Flirting with girls
Where he wants to visit:
- Moscow
- New York City
- Virginia
He wants to learn about:
- The Arts
- History
- What teenagers do for fun
Flat Jordan [designed by Whisper]
Birthplace: Anderson, IN
Birthdate: 6/9/2012
Favorite color: Blue
Lucky number: 16
Hobbies:
- Tennis
- Hanging out with his girlfriend
- Computers
Where he wants to visit:
- France
- Canada
- China
He wants to learn about:
- Technology
- History
- Colleges
Flat Gothlings[designed by Whisper & Ravynn]
Birthplace: Anderson, IN
Birthdate: 6/9/2012
Favorite color: Orange & Purple
Lucky number: 7 & 5
Hobbies:
- Dance, volleyball, and tennis
- Canoing, making people laugh
Where he wants to visit:
- Canada
- Japan
- Texas
- Europe
- New York
He wants to learn about:
- History
- Food
Flat Ophelia [designed by Sheila]
Birthplace: Anderson, IN
Birthdate: 6/9/2012
Favorite color: Black
Lucky number: 13
Hobbies:
- Gardening
- Dancing in the moonlight
Where she wants to visit:
- Salem
- New Orleans
- Ireland
She wants to learn about:
- Urban legends
- Old cemeteries
- History
- Famous people
If you know anyone who would be interested in hosting one of our Flat People, please let us know.
Tags: flat stanley, ravynn, travel, whisper
Posted in Daily Life
Oh Canada
May 15th, 2012 Posted 9:07 am
Alek's first headshot, 2012
If you know us, have seen our Wife Swap episode, or have seen any of our Facebook pages, you know that dance [and the arts in general] play a huge role in our lives. All of the kids have studied ballet; most of them added tap; the boys studied modern and jazz. Jordan dropped classes when he turned 13, but was happy to rejoin the cast of the Nutcracker this past year as my partner, “Party Dad – Family One.” Alek, though, has really taken an interest and I’m excited about the opportunities that are opening up for him.
At the barre in Pittsburgh, 2011
Last spring, he spent a week in Pittsburgh with Regional Dance America and had a great time. While he’s been fortunate to study with great teachers, his exposure to other dancers [outside of his company] is limited. Pittsburh brought new teachers and classes with other male dancers – something I think he can greatly benefit from.
This year, an opportunity for a week-long trip to Montreal, Canada was presented. Also with RDA, this was a national festival unlike the regional festival in Pittsburgh. He had a lot of new experiences with this trip: rerouted planes, lost luggage, foreign currency and exchange rates, and choices between tours of the city and a men’s class with a well-respected teacher from France. He chose the class; I would have chosen the tour, but my absolute love for Montreal is not undocumented.
- Alek during a solo in a Latin piece.
His company performed a lovely modern piece [their fist opportunity to perform before an international audience] during one of the sows. I was lucky enough to sit in while this choreography was adjudicated and was incredibly impressed. I’ve watched several of these kids dance since they were tiny, so watching them grow is a gift in itself.