Karen Margrethe’s blog

July 17th, 2008

What is the biggest lie you've told?
Submitted by lazywong.

Who art thou to ask such a question? You haven't really thought about it, have you? My, my my .....

July 16th, 2008

Hyoshigi Clappers

Here are some more useful links if you want to get into Kamishibai.

Creating and using Kamishibai by Cathy Spagnoli

http://www.kamishibai.com/PDF/CreatingUsingKamishibai.pdf

This is a link to a page where you can se how kamishibai storytelling works.

http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0214080/arts/kamishibai.htm

Kamishibai Tips Hand out – pdf-file

http://www.cla-net.org/included/docs/07conf/children-teen7.pdf

Kamishibai (Japanese Card–Stories)

http://www.cvsd.org/progress/documents/PDF_files/kamishibai.pdf

Kamishibai Performance Tips

http://www.cla-net.org/included/docs/07conf/children-teen7.pdf

July 15th, 2008

Kamishibai, or “paper–theatre”, was popular for a time in Japan before there was television. Storytellers called “Kamishibai Men” would come to neighbourhoods on bicycles and tell tales using large picture cards. Children who bought candy from the Kamishibai Man would be able to stand closest to the stage where the cards were displayed.

You can create your own kamishibai stories. All you need is paper, something to draw and write with, and your imagination. Traditionally, kamishibai stories have 16 cards, but you can use as many or as few as you’d like. Use one side of the papers to illustrate the main events of your story and write the text of the story on the back of the papers. Remember, kamishibai stories have a lot of dialogue.

To be able to properly present your kamishibai stories, first number your cards in the order that the story goes (and how your audience will see them). Put the text for the first card on the back of the last card. Then put the text for the second card on the back of the first card, and so on. I good idea will be to laminate the cards before use, that way they will live longer.

Keep your kamishibai story in a special envelope that you can decorate.

July 14th, 2008

Kamishibai Man BookCover

If you want to get a real good introduction to Kamishibai maybe you should buy the wonderful book by Allen Say, it is not a book only for children. Anyway if you are going to do story telling for children the Kamishibai way the book really is a must.

The Kamishibai man used to ride his bicycle into town where he would tell stories to the children and sell them candy, but gradually, fewer and fewer children came running at the sound of his clappers. They were all watching their new televisions instead. Finally, only one boy remained, and he had no money for candy. Years later, the Kamishibai man and his wife made another batch of candy, and he peddled into town to tell one more story – his own. When he comes out of the reverie of his memories, he looks around to see he is surrounded by familiar faces – the children he used to entertain have returned, all grown up and more eager than ever to listen to his delightful tales.

July 13th, 2008

What is home to you?

Home is where you keep your stuff while you are out collecting other stuff.

July 12th, 2008

Nereta Church

In a few weeks time I am going to Latvia for my holidays this year. I love Latvia very much, it is a very beautiful country and its people are very nice and friendly. A little reserved maybe, but so are we Danes too. They have almost the same kind of humour as we have, which makes everything a lot easier. We are going to a small town called Nereta, which lies south east of Riga, near the border to Lithuania. The landscapes all over and round the city is breathtakingly beautiful. Only a couple of thousand people live in the city. We belong to the Lutheran Church and this year we are going to celebrate that their Baznīca is 415 years old. We are housed privately with each our family. Last time I lived with a small family outside the city in a small farmhouse. I don’t know who I am staying with this year – that is part of the excitement.

July 12th, 2008

I call it the “Land of the lonely cows and the giant mosquitoes”, because in the fields there is only one cow as far as your eye can reach. They are so far apart that they won’t be able to hear each other when they muuuh. I feel so sorry for them. And then they have the biggest mosquitoes that I have ever seen. I have made a drawing of the landscape.

Latvian Drawing

July 12th, 2008

Here is a panorama view of Nereta.

Nereta Panorama

And a Map of the country:

Latvia Map

July 10th, 2008

Lavender

As you make your own vanilla-sugar, so you can make your own lavender-sugar.

Pick them fresh in the garden – just before the buds shows colour – before the flowers open, and drop them in a jar with sugar. – For every 2 dl or 200 g sugar you add 1,5 tablespoon lavender buds. Let it sit for at least a month before you use it first time. You can keep on adding sugar and lavender. Just shake the jar well.

I use it for cookies and cakes and marinated berries and there I leave the buds in. If I use it for whipped cream or meringue I pass it through a strainer, and pour the buds back in the jar. You can use it for ice cream and caramels too. – If you use dried buds use double amount. 

July 9th, 2008

Who

When I want to read what vox-bloggers have written lately it would be nice if bloggers had changed the icon of the little head with a question mark into a real picture of some kind. It will look good and it will be easier to identify one from another. I do accept that it may take some time to find a picture, but it should be possible within a couple of weeks.  

It would make me more interested in reading what the blogger has to say.