The BUGS Kitchen

Here they are, all four episodes of The BUGS Kitchen:

The BUGS Kitchen: Salsa from Wide Angle Youth Media on Vimeo.

The BUGS Kitchen: Pesto from Wide Angle Youth Media on Vimeo.

The BUGS Kitchen: Hot Sauce from Wide Angle Youth Media on Vimeo.

The BUGS Kitchen: Pickles from Wide Angle Youth Media on Vimeo.

Films About Food Opening!

This past Saturday BUGS had their big video opening at The Creative Alliance. We showed our cooking videos at the Food Network event. It was so nice to share this event with our wonderful students, and have their proud parents along as well.

... giggling actors watching themselves on the big screen!

New Episodes of "The BUGS Kitchen"

Check out the final two episodes of "The BUGS Kitchen." Watch a mystery about peach salsa here: http://www.vimeo.com/14963986 , and then check out a silent movie about pesto here: http://www.vimeo.com/14940825.

Reminder: This Saturday "The BUGS Kitchen" will make its world premiere at the Creative Alliance. The videos will be screened continuously between 5:30 and 7:30 PM. There will be a very special Q & A with the BUGS film makers and actors at 7 PM in the main gallery. This event is free, so come on out! We will see you there.

Peppers from the BUGS Garden!

Welcome to the BUGS Kitchen!

Question: What is hotter than the summer of 2010, made by BUGS students and will make you very hungry? The BUGS Kitchen Cooking Shows! BUGS teamed up with Wide Angle Youth Media (www.wideanglemedia.org) to create four amazing cooking videos. David Sloan and his youth assistant, Doug, from Wide Angle taught BUGS students all about film production, camera angles, sound and script. Then, we all got to work both in front of and behind the camera. The vibe was serious but fun, and the finished product looks amazing! Don't take my word for it, see for yourself.

You can now watch the first two videos on Vimeo starring Aijha Pack and Ranoah Johnson (pictured above) and Miyah Montgomery (below). You'll laugh, you'll laugh some more, then you'll be so hungry you'll run to the store! Check out the Pickles video here: http://www.vimeo.com/14775554 , and then watch the Hot Sauce video here: http://www.vimeo.com/14776103

BUGS will be premiering all four videos at the Creative Alliance on Saturday, September 18th, 2010, from 5:30 - 7:30 PM (free) as part of their new art installment, "Food Network." We will be selling DVD's of the videos as well as answering all of your filming and cooking questions. There will be awesome art, free food and a chance to meet the stars of The BUGS Kitchen. We'll see you there!

And don't forget to tune in next week for, Pesto, a silent film, and Peach Salsa, a mystery.

!! Summer Time Hats !!

After reading the charming book Aunt Flossie's Hats, we made some hats of our own. It was great fun figuring out the construction, and finding our own look when decorating. We loved rockin' our new hat style in these fun pics, enjoy!

BUGS STILTERS: THE SEQUEL IN PICTURES

The 2nd week of the Second Summer Session was just completed with more stilt walking. This group of students, though a bit more nervous, still accepted the challenge of stilt walking with courage and tenacity.

Ranoah Johnson and De'Eric Griffin getting acclimated while Ms. Jodie gives them some tips.

Angel Burton helps Ranoah get comfortable while De'Eric steadies himself.

Aaron Duckett practices without Ms. Annie. He was the Student of the Week. It took him the 3 days to accomplish stilt walking without a spotter. WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU, AARON!!!

Taylor Bennett making it away from the railing.

Angel made it look so easy! She must have taken her first steps on stilts. LOL!!!
Aaron is getting closer to stilt walking without hands.
Not one to be left out, De'Eric keeps the stilt walking easy and breezy.

Love that hat, De'Eric!
Aaron made it from the railing to the table. That's not a short distance!! Ms. Annie helps him sit.

Ms. Annie tightens Aaron's stilts.
Ms. Valeska, Ms. Jodie and Ms. Annie in the Certificate ceremony.
Angel receiving her certificate and walking on much taller stilts.
Aaron made it from the railing to Ms. Annie all on his own!
Taylor grabs that certificate and quickly makes it back to the railing.
De'Eric, once again, making it look so natural.
Ranoah got her certificate after much encouragement and overcoming her fear of falling. She made it over to Ms. Annie.
Ms. Niko, Nana Projects Intern, has gotten comfortable very quickly on the stilts. Would you believe it was her very FIRST TIME on the stilts.

Group Picture!! Smile!!! Check out the videos!!

A BUGS LIFE ON STILTS

(Daquan Richardson laughs after he falls from his stilts.)

As the 2nd Summer Session of the BUGS Summer Program began, our students had the opportunity to learn stilt walking from Nana Projects, a local company of stilt walkers who teach and perform around the city. Annie Howe, along with Ms. Valeska, Ms. Kisling and Ms. Niko, came to the Living Classrooms campus to teach our students about stilt walking.

(Ms. Annie helps Jerrel Mack get comfortable on the stilts.)

On the 1st day, Ms. Annie and her fellow teachers taught the students how to fall. There is a correct way for stilters to fall. If you find that you'll begin to fall, it is best to fall forward, bending and landing on your knees and breaking the end of the fall with your hands. While the students were practicing on the field, it began to rain and the remainder of the session happened in the Great Room.

(Keshaun Watkins walking with only one hand with Ms. Annie.)

Once the stilts were placed on the students, each one of the teachers would be a spotter - someone who would help the student get comfortable walking on the stilts. Practicing in the Great Room was so beneficial for the students. There were pillars that they could walk to.
This gave them a real and tangible distance for them to find attainable. They walked from pillar to pillar to the chairs or scaled along the wall to get comfortable. By the end of the 1st day, some of the boys were walking on their own.

(Ms. Annie ties stilts onto KeShaun.)

(Daquan making it look easy.)

On the 2nd day, we all ventured outside. The stilts were tied on. The boys with a spotter walked to the railing. They had a longer distance and a wider space to walk in the stilts. After some coaxing and ease, they began to venture around on the ground. They fell, got back up, fell again and got back up. They tried and reached their goal.
(Jailen Johnson scaling the rail.)

(Mr. Al wearing taller stilters and a carnival hat.)
(Allen Wright charging ahead.)
(Mr. Al braving the taller stilts.)

It was the final day of stilt walking with the boys. Ms. Annie was able to bring hats and sequenced vests for us to wear. We had a marching parade around the field and on the walkway. We were like avatars with our long legs prancing about.

(Mr. Al with Jerrel, Jerwon Mack, KeShaun and Daquan marching onward.)

On the last day, we wore our hats and vests and took a group picture. Ms. Annie and her crew gave each one of the boys a Certificate of Completion. The certificate stated that each of them were officially stilt walkers. What a great experience for them!

(Mr. Al with all the boys - Jerwon, Jailen, KeShaun, Daquan, Allen, Jerrel, Harry Santos and DeAndre Berry.)

Another Successful Farmers Market in Hamilton!

...AND THE SUMMER SESSIONS COMES TO AN END!

As the last week of the Summer Session comes to an end, the Older Girls group experienced bikram yoga and step aerobics. They were very honest and expressed how hard yoga was. They exclaimed how hot it was in the room and the difficulty in doing some of the poses. And yet, they tried each one of the poses.
Step aerobics was on Wednesday. This they enjoyed. It had great music., an energetic teacher and a mirror to see themselves move. They all thought of it as danced. They sweated, drank water, toweled off and got right back into the groover. They clapped. They kicked. They had fun!
With the last group experiencing a "Summer of Fitness Through Movement," it's time to move on to session two with stilt walking. Let's see what that brings!!

Mr. Reggie with Diamond Johnson, Kayle Manning, Breonna Vincent, Ayonna Moore, Ty'Jaih Gill and Brittane Vincent!