Posted by Geoff Beauchamp on Fri, Dec 06, 2013 @ 08:56 AM
There are moments in our world when events transpire that have meaning beyond words across the entire globe. Yesterday the world experienced such a moment. Nelson Mandela passed from this world yesterday and with his passing the world lost one of the greatest and most influential men of our time. Men die everyday, of course. Some are mourned by hundreds or even thousands of people while others die in lonely obscurity. But few pass with an impact felt by so large a community throughout the world as has Nelson Mandela.
Why is it that this single, solitary individual is loved by so many?
Simply because his entire life was spent in devotion and dedication to the simple truth that we all deserve to be free. His life, words and deeds, changed the course of history by bringing to an end the oppressive white minority rule in South Africa. In the process, he spent 27 years in prison. But the experience served not to embitter the man but rather to deepen his love, compassion and wisdom.
Such are the men whose names we cherish and honor. Those who have changed the world for the better, not through violence and warfare, but through compassion, humanity and love of mankind, aiding in bending the flow of history toward a better world for all. Nelson Mandela joins the ranks of others of his kind. Men such as Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.
We join the world in mourning the passing of such a powerfully important and iconic figure, but, at the same time, we choose to honor him by celebrating his life, joyously, and with full knowledge that we are the better for having lived in the same brief moment in history as did he.
We choose to celebrate the memory of these great men by remembering them. In ancient times, the lives of great men were remembered in song and stories told to great affect around the fires at night. 
In much the same manner, but with a modern twist, we retell these stories and honor these great lives through reenactment for children so that they too may know and understand the impact that one life may have on many. By extension, we hope they may realize the very same greatness that exists potentially in us all.
As we move toward the time of year when many of us will celebrate the birth of one whose impact makes all others pale in comparison, we look ahead toward the cold dark months of January and February when students cannot easily receive the benefits of outdoor play and many a day is spent entirely indoors. These dark months are the perfect time for gathering around the proverbial fire and retelling the stories we pass down from one generation to another. 
and Ben Franklin whose birthdays we celebrate in January, or Abraham Lincoln in February. Frederick Douglass, the ex slave who rose to become the leader of a newly freed people. All of these great men have important stories and they are tales that need to be told and retold so that the great legacy of their lives is never forgotten.
If you feel the same way, please contact us and let's see if we cannot bring one of these experiences to the students of your school in the months to come. In some small way, we believe by honoring the memory of one, we will honor the memory of all.
Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fieldsof science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN. He also spent ten years coordinating assembly programs for the elementary school where his own children went to school.
Posted by Geoff Beauchamp on Tue, Nov 26, 2013 @ 08:04 AM
Despite the problems Americans have faced over our many years of existence, we, as a nation, have always had much for which to be thankful. Our spacious and bountiful land grants us many benefits, and our spirit has allowed us to prosper. As a people we have long recognized this providence. Early in our history, our founding fathers sought to mark this happy circumstance with a day of thanksgiving. The Puritan settlers of New England are, of course, noted for having celebrated the first American day of thanks, but as the nation grew, several of our presidents set aside special days for observance. Beginning in 1777, while we were still engaged in a war for our very being, and the British still occupied New York, Samuel Adams, then a delegate to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, but later to lead the nation as president, created the first draft for a proclaimed day of thanksgiving. And thus began a tradition that continued almost every year as succeeding leaders annually proclaimed special days of observance. But each year the day was proclaimed anew.
It fell to Abraham Lincoln to finally install a National Day of Thanksgiving among our official annual holidays. He did so in 1863, signing papers that made it a national holiday to be celebrated annually on the last Thursday in November. And so it continues on down to the present.
Thanksgiving is a day when we all indulge in feasting, family and for many of us a good football game or two. And in addition, since Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday, for many people the following Friday has also become a de facto holiday of sorts, when many of us engage in a frenzy of pre holiday shopping known as Black Friday.
Regardless of how you choose to celebrate this Thanksgiving, we at Mobile Ed want to wish you all a wonderful day and a happy weekend filled with all the delights of family and friends. This year has been a happy one at Mobile Ed, with the creation of a brand new science program of which we are extremely proud (The STEM Museum), the welcoming home of several fine performers who have returned to our fold after some absences, and with business beginning to recover finally, as the recession of 2008 fades into history. We have much for which to be thankful, and we do give thanks, especially to you, our loyal clients who choose to honor us and bring our programs into your schools each year. Without you we are nothing. Together, we can change the future by helping our young to recognize the potential for greatness that exists within each and every one of them.
And so on this 26th of November, we say thank you, loudly and with humble pride, and we wish all of you the happiest and most fruitful day of thanksgiving ever!
Bon Appetit!
Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fieldsof science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN. He also spent ten years coordinating assembly programs for the elementary school where his own children went to school.
Posted by Geoff Beauchamp on Wed, Nov 20, 2013 @ 09:53 AM
Sometimes things can get a little tense. Sometimes ordinary daily work can get a little stressful. Sometimes you just plain need a break from school and learning and homework and classwork and all of it. Sometimes you just need some fun.
And taking a little time to engage in something pleasurable and fun usually refreshes the mind in such a way that returning to work is easier and more productive.
But, you know, after thirty some years of creating ultra cool curriculum based assemblies, it isn't easy for old curriculum freaks like those of us at Mobile Ed to let go of educational content. Still, we recognize that there are some occasions when some fun is really all you need. So, a few years ago we hit on a great solution. The Magic of Science.
Unlike our true science assemblies and science programs like Chemistry! It Really Matters, Physics is Fun, The STEM Museum, and so on, The Magic of Science is a fun romp through a number of cool science based demonstrations that behave like magic tricks. A little light on science compared to our other shows, but a blast and a half in the entertainment category. The best part is that within all the wacky, crazed magic and fun, we have craftily buried some really cool and useful science. Your students won't know it but the real "trick" here is that they are learning the whole time.
And one performer who absolutely dazzles with this program is our own Barry Cutler who is one of our resident California based presenters. Barry offers an eclectic mix of great shows to our left coast clients, including not only The Magic of Science but also Imathimation a stunning assembly about math. But the ironic aspect is that he originally came to us to perform our Living Lincoln program and still offers a truly outstanding performance in that role.
But for today, the theme of the moment is fun, and Barry excels at providing that in the role of a wacky scientist in The Magic of Science!
Recently, Barry visited Las Vegas, bringing his crazy mix of science and magic to the Adelson Educational campus there. We thought we might share with you some of the many responses we received from students at Adelson.
Barry is available pretty much year round in most parts of California as well as Arizona and Southern Nevada. And, of course, for the other states we service across the country, we have other equally zany performers available as well. If you are in the mood for something really fun but with a some real educational content nestled in the corners, give us a call and let's see when we can visit you with The Magic of Science!
Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fieldsof science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN. He also spent ten years coordinating assembly programs for the elementary school where his own children went to school.
Posted by Geoff Beauchamp on Tue, Nov 19, 2013 @ 09:40 AM
One hundred and fifty years ago today, a tall thin man, weak and dizzy from an as yet undiagnosed case of smallpox, rose from a temporary platform to face a crowd of onlookers beneath a cold and drizzly gray sky. He was there to deliver “a few remarks” in dedication of an as yet unfinished cemetery. The previous speaker was Edward Everett renowned orator and the the main featured attraction that bleak morning.
The nation was some two and a half years into the bloodiest and most ghastly war this country has ever fought. Reeling from seemingly unending blood and gore, the nation was weary. Surely nothing could be worth this horrible loss, could it?
Edward Everett began his oration and did not finish displaying his oratorical extravagance for some two hours. One can only imagine how those in the crowd of listeners must have tired over that time, standing outside in the damp, chilly Pennsylvania air. For two hours Edward Everett went on, describing in intricate detail and with great dramatic flourish every aspect of the mighty battle that had raged across there for three long and bloody days the previous summer. The battle had left so many dead that a final resting place had been made locally to house them since transportation home for such a number of corpses was impossible. Though more had died in a single day at the battle known simply to soldiers as Antietam, in Pennsylvania, more than 50,000 men gave their lives over the three day engagement, making it the bloodiest single battle of the entire war. The country was tired, weary and wanting the war to end.
The man who rose shakily to follow the bombast of Mr Everett was, of course, Abraham Lincoln. In sharp contrast, his “remarks” lasted a mere two minutes. Accounts vary but there is some agreement that at the end of his speech there was essentially silence and no rousing burst of applause. Truth be told, it is likely many in the crowd that day did not even have time to register that Mr. Lincoln had begun to speak. The photographer charged with recording the days events was caught so off guard that we have no picture of Lincoln actually speaking. And, Mr. Lincoln himself, slightly stung, perhaps, by the lack of reaction, is said to have remarked to his bodyguard, Mr. Lamon, that “...that speech won't scour...”. An old farmers expression referring to a plow blade that reference to won't do the job.
Mr. Lincoln was not a man to speak lightly or without prepared thought. Indeed, when preparing for a court case as a lawyer, he often would spend hours simply staring out the window of his office, seemingly lost in thought. Those hours were spent searching out what he referred to as the “nub” of the case, or the one fact or circumstance or detail upon which the entire verdict would turn. Later in court, his clients would often panic as he would sit and concede one point after another to the opposing side, seemingly giving away the entire case, only to finally rise at mention of that one particular point or “nub” and hone in on that point so effectively that the day was indeed won handily. In the case of preparing for Gettysburg, some have spread word that Mr. Lincoln arrived unprepared and hastily wrote out his remarks either on the train ride from Washington, or that morning prior to the event. Whether true or not, where and when he put pen to paper matters not at all. We may be assured that the text in form nearly finished existed already within the mind of the president.
And so he rose that morning to address the crowd, but also, as he certainly knew, to address the nation. His words would, of course, be printed and disseminated across the country within hours if not days.
Politically astute beyond most, Mr. Lincoln was not one to squander an opportunity. The country needed a reason to continue the war to it's ultimate successful (for the nation although not for the South) conclusion. Begun as a war against secession, the conflict now included emancipation of the slaves, a goal not embraced by large numbers in the North, let alone the South. The “nub” behind Mr. Lincoln's intent that day was to reconcile this difference and to provide a new rationale for continuing the war. And the speech he delivered did so masterfully.
The following day, Mr. Everett wrote to Mr. Lincoln complimenting his speech and saying "I should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes."
Indeed, despite Mr. Lincoln's fears, the speech did “scour”. It made it's way into the newspapers across the country, inspired a weary nation with new confidence, and has come down to us through history with the judgement of time proclaiming it as one of the finest speeches ever given in the English language.
Not bad for a gangly, self educated country boy from the dusty roads of prairie Illinois. Not bad at all. :-)
Mr. Lincoln remarked in his address “... the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here...”
In this one instance, it appears Mr. Lincoln was uncharacteristically, but happily, completely wrong.
We believe it is important for our children to learn of these events. We believe it is impossible to know what direction to take going forward without a strong understanding of where you have been before. We believe to avoid mistakes in the future it is essential to learn from the mistakes of the past. And so we provide these lessons to our young people through impersonation of some of the finest and most influential individuals America has known – Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Martin Luther King, Thomas Edison, Harriett Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and so on. If you believe as we do that these events still have meaning and the ability to engage the minds of our youth, we hope you will consider allowing us to visit your school with one o our historical school assemblies. We would love to come and see you.
Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fieldsof science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN. He also spent ten years coordinating assembly programs for the elementary school where his own children went to school.
Posted by Geoff Beauchamp on Mon, Nov 18, 2013 @ 01:11 PM
Fresh reviews for Mobile Ed Productions' newest science assembly program, The STEM Museum!
This awesome new program has been touring up and down the Eastern seaboard since early September, leaving a trail of totally dazzled schools in it's wake.
The STEM Museum is, of course, a day long, interactive, hands on science museum that is totally mobile, and travels five days a week setting up shop at schools. And, in case you have been under a rock or just not paying attention to the world of education during the past year or so, STEM is a revolutionary concept in combing essential skills and fields in order to better meet the needs of tomorrow's leaders. STEM is an acronym that stands for science, technology, engineering and math. To help introduce these concepts to students in a very “kid-friendly” fashion, we have assembled an entire host of super cool displays and activity stations that set up in the school gym for the day. Judging by the response we have received, the concept and execution have hit a home-run with schools!
Recently in Maryland, the show was covered by Sara Toth, a reporter from the Baltimore Sun.
"We want kids to be interested in STEM because that's where a lot of jobs in the future are going to be," said Lisa Armes, the PTA's cultural arts liaison. "We want to expose the kids in the beginning years to these concepts, and if they develop an interest, they can chose to tailor their education to those interests."
Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/columbia/ph-ho-cf-school-days-1114-20131108,0,6165837.story#ixzz2l1dq7WnS
We could not agree more!
"It feels like I'm playing," said fifth-grader Robert Finegar, deeply engrossed in putting together K'Nex pieces to form a robot. "But we're learning math and science and actual, real things."
If you would like to bring The STEM Museum to your school we applaud your far sighted wisdom! But you better hurry. The East coast leg of the tour is now over for 2014-2015 and the tour has moved just this week into the Midwest. There are no more dates for this year available anywhere east of the Mississippi River! We do have a rapidly growing waiting list for dates for 2014-2015 and we urge you to call soon before even that list is filled.
Meantime, the tour is yet to fill in Texas, Colorado and California, where very limited dates are still available.
This is a great experience and one your school will relish. We urge you to get in touch today!
Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fieldsof science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN. He also spent ten years coordinating assembly programs for the elementary school where his own children went to school.
Posted by Geoff Beauchamp on Thu, Oct 24, 2013 @ 01:18 PM
This morning I came out to my car to head in to the office and lo and behold there was actual frost on my window for the first time this Fall. The remaining apples are slowing falling from the tree in my yard. Leaves are starting to fill my gutters. And I am starting to think about breaking out a pair of gloves. Yes, Fall is certainly here.
And you know what that means, right?
It is almost time for Hallothankmas! Yes, in our modern commercially driven culture we have been conditioned to roll together all three holidays into one long celebration starting in about August with preparations for Halloween which, when it finally arrives, is swiftly followed by a brief anticipation of eating too much during a football game on Thanksgiving, before a rapid explosion of decorations and shopping that begins the day after Thanksgiving and does not really end until after New Years Eve. Wow!
And you know what this does to kids, right?
Kids love this time of year. They go positively ballistic with excitement before each of these holidays. What is a school to for in the days leading up to each celebration?
Ha! School assemblies, of course! Even before a crazy long holiday weekend, when it is virtually impossible to keep kids focused in classrooms, they will zero in and pay attention during a school show. This is your chance, crafty person that you are, to outsmart them! Schedule an awesome school assembly right before the holiday! You will hook them in totally. But not just any assembly. No, make it a super cool educational show and they will be tricked into actually learning something despite the holiday buzz!
Here are some ideas.
Halloween
OK, what do kids do on Halloween. They go trick or treating, right? And that means they are where at what time? Outside at right, right? Suppose they happen to take their little minds off all that candy for a moment and look up. They will see … what? They will see the night sky and they will see stars. So, in order to turn this into a “teachable moment” (has that phrase – teachable moment - “jumped the shark” yet? Has “jumped the shark” jumped the shark? … I am so out of touch... sigh), simply introduce them to the night sky with a portable planetarium, such as our Sky Dome, in the days immediately prior to Halloween. Sweet!
Also good for Halloween, are programs dealing with magic. But not any old magic show. Kids get enough stuff that tastes good but has no nutrition at Halloween, right? Instead choose a magic show with educational content craftily concealed within, such as our Magic of Science, which is only a magic show on the surface. Trick or Treat! Only here we trick them into learning!
Thanksgiving
November is a perfect time for some Social Studies. How about Piankeshaw Trails, dealing with Native Americans? Especially good, considering how children all learn about the Pilgrims and their interaction with Native Americans. Or, taking another direction, how about Abraham Lincoln, who declared Thanksgiving as a national holiday? Or Ben Franklin who declared that the National Bird of the United States should be the turkey rather than the eagle.
Christmas
In December, for the Christmas holidays, or whatever your religion celebrates, what about a program like Mime Time or Young Authors Day, each featuring the work of a dazzling and funny classical mime?
There are many ways to suit assemblies to the holidays, and I am sure you will find your own. But the best part of doing so is that class time that might have been wasted becomes instead extremely productive and inspirational. Tastes good and good for you, too! How about that!
Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fieldsof science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN. He also spent ten years coordinating assembly programs for the elementary school where his own children went to school.
Posted by Geoff Beauchamp on Tue, Oct 15, 2013 @ 08:27 AM
When I was a kid, back in the Pleistocene era, many things were envisioned for our future that were more than a little exciting. Back in the early days of television we were promised a day would come when we would be able to watch whatever we wanted whenever we wanted. Dick Tracy comics promised telephones we could wear on our wrist. Food that would pop out of a machine piping hot and ready to eat was also “just around the corner”. And then there was that most enticing promise of all, the flying car. What young boy (or girl) does not dream about being able to fly? The Jetsons cartoon show on television promised a world where our personal cars would fly, allowing that dream to come true for everyone.
Well, we now have most of these things. I saw a commercial last week for a new wrist mounted telephone the size of a regular wrist watch. Computers have placed all manner of entertainment and content only a click of a button away at any time. And microwave technology together with vacuum packaging, has placed gourmet food within the reach of everyone, in their own homes (well, my wife would disagree on this one...).
But, until now, the elusive dream as yet unfulfilled, was that amazing flying car.
Well, if the advance notices are correct, the day when we can take to the skies in our own private cars is closer than ever, and perhaps as close as the year after next!
Founded in Massachusetts by a group of MIT trained engineers, a company called Terrafugia has already built a car (The Transition) with folding wings that a pilot can drive home from the airport and park in his garage. But that isn't the real deal, is it? What we want is a car that the average person can drive, and take off and land anywhere, right?
Well hold onto your hat!
Terrafugia is now working on an advanced model called the TF-X, a four person, fixed wing aircraft with electrical assist for takeoff and landing. And, as envisioned, you will not need a pilots license as the car will fly itself. 
You would simply program the destination and the car would do the rest, tying into a new international computer network that would integrate control and monitoring functions for all aircraft. Stuck in traffic? No problem. Tell the car to take you home and small propellors would deploy in a vertical position lifting you out of traffic and into the air, where a larger prop would send you on your way. I want one!
Technology like this is the product of the age in which we live. It is a time when breakthroughs in not only knowledge but also the pace at which breakthroughs occur is accelerating daily. The future is here.
To keep up with all this technology our kids need training in science. They need to understand engineering. They need math skills. That is why all across the nation there is a push in education to emphasize four areas. Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Or, simply, STEM.
A push to increase awareness of STEM education is sweeping across the country faster than the TF-X could lift you out of traffic on the Santa Monica freeway.
And that is why Mobile Ed developed The STEM Museum, our newest school assembly program, designed to provide schools with an easy and affordable way to augment the educational experience of children in these four fields through exciting, direct hands on activities. Getting kids in tune with these areas and wanting to learn more is our goal and we are bringing it to schools across the country this year. Our hope is to inspire the kids of today to become the leaders of tomorrow in science, technology, engineering and math.
And then, the dreams of today may not need to wait quite so long to realize as did the dream of a flying car.
Personally, I want that little puppy right now.
Oh, just one drawback. Before you start running off to plunk down your down payment on the TF-X, take this into consideration. The starting price is expected to be well over $200,000. I wonder if that includes leather seats?
Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fieldsof science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN. He also spent ten years coordinating assembly programs for the elementary school where his own children went to school.
Posted by Geoff Beauchamp on Mon, Oct 14, 2013 @ 01:19 PM
I wasn't always Lincoln.
Honest.
There was a time... before... though it was a long time ago now.
PL time. Pre Lincoln time. Pre Abraham Lincoln school shows and assemblies.
There really was.
Hard to remember now though.
I used to be a pretty standard regional theatre actor, knocking around from Kansas City to Detroit to Nashville, plying my craft in theatre companies across the nation.
That was before I married and had kids, of course, as well.
Back before George Bush was sworn in as president. No, not that George Bush, the other one, the older one.
The first month I performed as Lincoln I remember standing in a faculty room waiting for my show, and George Bush Sr. was on television taking the oath of office as president. Four years later, I stood in the same room and watched the same television showing Bill Clinton taking the same oath.
I cannot imagine I could have been very good that first week or so.
I knew very little about Mr. Lincoln when I was approached by Mobile Ed all those years ago to develop a show for kids. And yet three short weeks later I stood before my first audience, in Warren, Michigan, wearing the iconic beard and tall hat, and, essentially, just reading from a very hastily prepared script.
But over time, at the end of each performance, as they will, kids would ask question after question I did not know how to answer. So every night in those early days I went back to my books and other resources, researching the answers I had been unable to provide. As time passed, and as opportunities presented themselves, I visited all the places where the man had lived and worked (and died). I spoke with the rangers and historians at National Parks devoted to him. I watched films. I plowed through text after text, frequently wading through pages of commonly repeated information, seeking out the obscure or enlightening bits of detail that would fill in the gaping blank spots in my knowledge and understanding. Gradually those holes grew smaller. Slowly they filled in.
Now my oldest is in College and I have nearly twenty five years under my wheels, performing as Abraham Lincoln in schools all over Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. I have taken the program all over the East and West coasts. I have worked before all ages, from pre school assemblies through high school shows and adult audiences as well. Beyond school shows I have performed for scouting groups with their Blue and Gold banquets, for state fairs, political events, senior citizen centers and even in prisons. Some middle schools have the program every year and have done so for as much as two decades. And I expect there are now kids in some of my audiences whose parents may have seen my show when they were in school.
It has been a heck of a ride!
And in that time I have come to know Mr. Lincoln pretty well. I have learned his favorite foods and his most loved books. I have experienced his travels. I have investigated his daily life alongside the iconic moments of greatness. I have laughed and I have cried.
I have grown humble in his light, and hopefully wiser myself.
He was a stunning individual. His intelligence and tenacity, together with his absolute and earnest humanity and down to Earth attitudes should serve as an example to every person alive today.
And hopefully that is the case.
My partners, other performers who also deliver this program to school, and I go to work everyday trying our best to present kids with an accurate introduction to Mr. Lincoln, his life, times and legacy. And I think that is a good thing. Kids need someone to look up to. They need examples in their lives of people with good values and strong ethics. They need someone to idolize. They could go far worse than with Mr. Lincoln.
We are now in October, celebrating in some places a minor holiday to honor the remembrance of Christopher Columbus. By all accounts he may not have been a good example for kids at all, and yet we observe a National holiday in his honor. Before we know it we will be into Halloween, and then Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays. And then will come a new year. Now, before all that happens, in the queit before the storm, would be a great time to look ahead to that new year and make a plan to observe the great national holiday in February in a special way. In February we witness and hopefully celebrate the birthdays of both presidents Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, but also, on Presidents Day, the achievements of all the men who have led our nation. Why not use that time to bring someone great into the lives of your kids? January and February are the months when schools all over the country teach our kids about the great presidents in the past of this great country. Why not look ahead and plan now for a visit from Abraham Lincoln at your school? You could do far worse, and very few programs will have as much impact.
Honest!
Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fieldsof science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN. He also spent ten years coordinating assembly programs for the elementary school where his own children went to school.
Posted by Geoff Beauchamp on Thu, Oct 10, 2013 @ 07:48 AM
By now, we would hope that most people have some awareness bullying in our schools and just how tragic the outcome often is. To raise awareness even more, each year in October we observe National Bullying Prevention Month. What started as a week of observance, founded in 2006 by Pacer's National Center For Bullying Prevention, the campaign has grown to occupy the entire month. Now coming up on it's eleventh year, the celebration truly it has an affect on the entire month and the entire year. And deservedly so. The scourge of bullying is preventable.
As the largest company in the country producing educational assembly programs mixing high levels of entertainment with solid educational content, Mobile Ed long ago joined the battle, and today offers several awesome shows designed to contribute to this worthy cause. For schools also wishing to teach an awareness of bullying, and ways in which it can be prevented, there are some great choices. We offer four great shows in this area. Stronger Than a Bully and You've Got a Friend both follow the work of Izzy Kalman and his pioneering work with Bullies2Buddies. The No Bully Zone is designed around the precepts of work put forth by the OLWEUS group. And in a related area we offer Inspector Iwannano carrying on the work of Character Counts and the Six Pillars of Character. All are fine shows.
To give you some idea of how these shows are received, here are some recent reviews from Stronger Than a Bully in performance in schools in a variety of locations.
Here is one from Highland Elementary in Highland, Illinois:
“Absolutely awesome! I wish all schools were able to witness and participate in your program. A sixth grade student confessed that she cried during the last part. This program touches kids hearts.”
And here is one from a school in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania:
“Phenomenal! Dave Mitchell did a wonderful job! Educational, entertaining and timely. We are hoping to have a school full of smiling heroes!”
And this from North Royalton, Ohio:
“Terrific presentation! Timely, relevant and well worth the cost.”
And here from Libertyville, Illinois:
“David was excellent – personality, presentation skills, professional! For a very serious topic he gave the students easy to understand tools to deal with a bully. Mobile Ed does it again!”
We are blushing a little now.
But here is another, this time from North Judson, Indiana:
“Very well done! One student was compelled to apologize to another friend on the bus whom he bullied two years ago. It got through to them.”
That is our point and we are glad it seems to be working!
Some more...
“The teachers gave high praise to the performance” - Red Bud, Illinois
“Dave Mitchell was a delight!” - Clarksville, Tennessee
“Fantastic program! I highly recommend it to any school system.” - Speedway, Indiana
“Excellent program with a timely subject matter. The students really enjoyed the program.” - Hayden, Indiana
Now, lest you think only Stronger Than a Bully gets these reviews, here are a couple from You've Got a Friend:Stronger Than a Bully II:
“Dave Mitchell was engaging for all K-5 students. The kids loved the puppets, the message and the magic!” - Libertyville, Illinois
“Mr. Mitchell did a great job engaging students and driving home an important message." - Lamar, Indiana
Now these reviews are all from the Midwest because that is where David starts his tour every year, so these are all from performances that have taken place since mid August. David is currently on the East coast earning, we are sure, equally fine reviews which we will try to publish later along with some for our other Bully Awareness programs. Meantime, be aware... November is right around the corner! What are you doing for your students to observe and support this crucial message? Give us a call! Whether you are out East, in the Midwest or out West in Colorado or Texas, one of our tours may be in your area in November and we just might still have a slot left open just for you!
Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fieldsof science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN. He also spent ten years coordinating assembly programs for the elementary school where his own children went to school.
Posted by Geoff Beauchamp on Fri, Oct 04, 2013 @ 08:11 AM
Today is October 4, and whether or not you know it, today marks some important anniversaries in the exploration of Space.
Mobile Ed has always been interested in Space. Way back in the dark ages we began touring withour Sky Dome portable planetariums and taking them into schools so that young students could begin to understand the universe in which we live. And through the years we have kept a keen eye on all the events and breakthroughs connected with Space and Space exploration.
Well today is an important day.
On October 4, in 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth. Today, we hardly think about all the satellites floating around the planet, so used to the idea have we become. But in 1957, this was earth shattering news. The launch of Sputnik I put fear into the hearts of Americans, and filled them with rage as well. On one hand, there was the nagging knowledge, in the middle of the Cold War, that a Russian object was passing over our heads every day. Then there was the rage at having been beaten into Space by our enemies. It seems somewhat laughable now, but in the middle of the Red Scare and with fall out shelters appearing in suburban basements, the fear was palpable at the time and Sputnik made it worse.
The launch of Sputnik I was a pivotal event that commenced the “Space Race” in ernest. It wasn't long after that that we caught up in the area of satellites. Then came the era of manned Space flight and the Mercury Space Program. The hoopla over the “original seven” astronauts was captured brilliantly in the film The Right Stuff, based on the book of the same title. America loved her astronauts.
And the age of Space exploration had begun.
Well another important anniversary is celebrated on October 4.
On October 4 of 2004, another milestone was reached. On that day the space ship SpaceShipOne became the winner of the Ansari X Prize for private spaceflight, by being the first private craft to fly into space. The age of commercial space flight was dawning.
But another event of importance occurred the very day that SpaceShipOne won it's prize.
On October 4, 2004, just as SpaceShipOne was launching a new era of Space exploration, a 67 year old man born in Oklahoma, passed away quietly in California. That man was Gordon Cooper, one of the “original seven” Mercury astronauts. Mr. Cooper had flown the last of the Mercury capsule flights, Faith 7. He orbited the Earth 22 times and spent more time in Space than the previous five astronauts combined, 34 hours, 19 minutes and 49 seconds. He later flew as a command pilot on Gemini 5 and was involved in the Apollo program. In later life he served as a consultant for the Walt Disney Company.
Gordon Cooper was there at the beginning of manned Space flight and we like to think it would have pleased him to see the beginning of a new age in that field beginning as he was taking his leave of this Earth.
In 2012, the ashes of Gordon Cooper were included in the cargo of the SpaceX flight launched to the International Space Station.
We at Mobile Ed firmly support the investigation and exploration of Space, and continue to do our part to encourage the engineers and pilots of the future. From Sky Dome Planetarium, the foremost mobile planetarium available in this country, to The Invisible Wonder, teaching kids about principals of flight, to The STEM Museum, encouraging future engineers and scientists, our programs are designed to propel a new generation into the wonders of science, technology and engineering.
We think Gordy might have liked that, too. :-)
Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fieldsof science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN. He also spent ten years coordinating assembly programs for the elementary school where his own children went to school.