Tommy Johns Presents - Encouraging Kids to Read!

The programs we offer are designed with the state standards and educational goals in mind from the beginning. That's just one of the reasons that our programs are completely different from shows offered by most school show performers. To find out more about the process, and what we mean by educational significance, click here.

Tommy Johns Presents currently offers nine educationally significant programs for elementary and middle schools and libraries, and we add at least one new program every year. Every program is packed with audience participation, comedy, music and more and really motivates and encourages kids to continue their learning after the assembly ends by GOING TO THE LIBRARY!

WE Can Do This!

Think of it as a CRCT PREP rally!

We Can Do This!, the CRCT preparation and test taking skills assembly program, is brand new this year and it's everything you've come to expect from Tommy Johns Presents! The 45 minute assembly program will feature Petey the Possum, and how he faces his biggest fear: The TEST! It will be very entertaining, and like all my shows will include magic, puppets, audience participation and comedy, but most importantly, the program has three objectives.

3. We Can Do This! will motivate kids to do their best by discussing the importance of the

CRCT to the school and to the student and by helping them see that they CAN do it.

For after the show, there will be teacher support pieces and classroom exercises. Everyone attending the event will get a bookmark with a test taking strategies checklist on it as a reminder of what we learned. There will also be a reproducible take home piece to show parents how they can help get their kids ready for the test and why it's important.

We Can Do This! is not just a "rah rah" event. It's an assembly program designed to reinforce what their teachers have been telling them all year long - that if they prepare well, understand the importance of the CRCT, and approach it with an "I Can!" attitude, they can do well on the most important test of the year!

This summer, treat your kids to a show that really MAKES A SPLASH! Your kids will get washed away in a rising tide of fun and magic as Tommy Johns and his pet rat Roosevelt sail into your library with their newest show, Dive Right In! The Books are Fine!

Claudia the Hippo will be back this year and she’s been developing some new material that is HILARIOUS! She promises waves of laughter, not to mention the tsunami of books that will be checked out from your library shelves after the show!

Dive Right In! features magic, fun and BOOKS! A whole BOATLOAD of BOOKS!

We know budgets are tight, so we didn’t raise our prices this year. As a matter of fact, click here to read about ways to fund a great summer program with little or no budget!

“Tommy Johns is a fabulous performer. The kids love him and he always holds their attention. The show is just as much fun for the adults as it is for the children.”

“I especially liked the integration of books and reading with the magic and puppets. The puppets and magic were especially well received by the audience.”

I Love to Read is an interactive educational show that is part storytelling, part magic show and 100% FUN. I Love to Read shows kids just how much can happen when they LOVE to read!

Tommy uses an unusual puppet, crazy comedy, magic and audience participation to show how books can magically let readers travel anywhere, meet famous people, and learn how to do just about anything!

This 45-minute show is filled with volunteers, comedy, costuming, magic and music. New books as well as classics and award winners are featured in the show.

Over and over we reinforce the importance of picking up a book and reading EVERY DAY. The show closes with the hilarious “Instant Magician,” where one of your students or a staff member will be transformed into a magician, complete with tuxedo and top hat!

This unforgettable show will have your kids talking about the reading program for weeks to come!

I Love to Read is also available in a Middle School version, with age appropriate books, instruction and humor that really reinforce the message of the program for this sometimes challenging age group!

Tommy and his friends will be taking your kids on a wild and imaginary tour of their backyards, neighborhoods, and community parks. Through puppetry, magic and storytelling, Tommy and his furry and feathered (puppet) friends will teach young readers about how to use the Scientific Process to answer questions about their own environment. It looks like a science show, but it is all about getting kids excited about READING!

Along the way everyone will learn interesting facts about the plants and animals that live among us everyday, from North America’s only marsupial, the possum, to color changing lizards, inventive birds, and animals and rocks that change forms.

In addition, the students learn the importance of recycling and how they can begin simple steps to take ownership of their environment. Get ready for another fun, educational, and entertaining program that will have your kids racing for books and talking about the show months after it’s over.

Psst! Want a great way to hook kids into reading? If so, I’ve got a mission for you....

Imagine being able to get your entire student body excited about all the things they can learn in the library. Well, there is an agent available that do just that. You might have seen him in the past disguised as a safari guide and telling kids about science and Georgia wildlife. But we have information now that exposes this agent’s true identity. And the show is called "TOP SECRET."

This program takes a subject that kids find irresistible - in this case secret agents and spy gadgets - combines it with magic, puppets, and a cute bunny rabbit, and suddenly the kids are captivated.

When the presenter has their attention the subtle teaching begins about what is possible through reading books. At the end of the show the kids are all presented with their very own “Secret Agent I.D. Card” which has a list of their “Training Objectives.” These objectives are a list of the subjects discussed in this program along with their Dewey Decimal numbers so the kids can find the books in the library.

How many of your students currently carry around a list of Dewey Decimal numbers in their wallets? Kids who watch our programs do and they refer to them often as they try to read at least one book from each subject area.

This hands-on workshop allows learners to handle wheels, pulleys, levers, wedges, incline planes and screws in a way that makes abstract concepts "concrete" (yes, the pun was intended!).

Tommy comes in dressed as a construction worker, but the children from the audience are the ones who do the work.

Your tactile learners will come to life as they help figure out how to lift a 50 pound bucket of rocks with a 5 pound weight, and why a wedge is such a handy tool. Using levers your youngest students will be able to easily accomplish feats that NO human being can accomplish bare handed. This is a presentation that will be remembered and talked about for a VERY long time.

Teachers will have no problem tying lessons into the subjects taught. And because the program also promotes reading and media center resources, it is a program that everyone appreciates!

Throughout the program, the kids learn how simple machines help us “Work Smarter, Not Harder.”

Tommy and his puppet friends have done it again! He and a top notch team of performers, educators, and librarians have put together another amazing program for your readers! Like all of his reading programs, Reading Round Up includes costuming, puppets, magic, music, audience participation and a STRONG message about using the resources in the library!

This time, Tommy, his sidekick Roosevelt Rat, and the kids at your library are trying to help Claudia (a very funny hippo with an attitude!) write a story for Cowboy Digest magazine. Claudia needs help with descriptive language, character development, plot twists and other writing tools, and we do our best to help her. The kids at every show will help create a story that teaches them how to become better writers!

To help Claudia understand the elements of a good story, we will be looking at lots of books including award winners, books that have been made into movies, classic children's books and

folk tales from across this great land of ours, and from other lands as well. Filled with book talks, storytelling, and a neat moral at the end of the show, this program drives home the importance of good writing.

Reading Round Up is also available in a Middle School version, with age appropriate books and writing tips that really reinforce the message for this sometimes challenging age group!

This holiday season treat the kids to a program that’s trainloads of fun, filled with puppets, magic, storytelling, music, and audience participation. This imaginary train ride magically takes kids around the world to learn about winter holidays like: Diwali, Kwanzaa, Solstice, Ramadan, Chinese New Year, Hanukkah and of course, Christmas.

Yes, the program is educationally significant (we can't help ourselves, we are obsessed with creating the most educational programs available without compromising entertainment value), and yes, the program strongly encourages children to read. But don’t think for a minute that the show is anything less than sheer delight for everyone, including teachers and staff. When you hear the sleigh bell ring at the end of the show, you won’t be the only one to wipe a tear from your eye.

Math-A-Magic

This is a program developed specifically for 5-12 grade students. It takes the abstract concepts of statistics, determining probability, and multiplying fractions and presents them in a way that is compelling, exciting, memorable and FUN!

What are the odds of reaching into a shuffled deck of cards, grabbing four of them and having them be the four aces? First we calculate the statistical probability of such a feat and then one of YOUR STUDENTS comes up to attempt it!

How many combinations exist for a shuffled deck of cards? Would you believe that there are more combinations for a shuffled deck of cards than there are atoms in our entire galaxy? I'll prove it and then I'll do a trick that has even slimmer odds of success.

Math has never been this fun!

	Tommy Johns Presents Curriculum Based School Assembly Programs that Encourage Kids to Read! Atlanta (770) 640-6509 Toll Free 1(866) 490-READ Home About Us Programs Fees Schedule Clients FAQ’s Contact Us Blog
Our Programs and the Curriculum Topics They Support Include: Go Wild! (Reading, Scientific Process, Life Sciences, AL/GA Facts) We Can Do This! (CRCT Preparation, Test Taking Skills, Motivation) Top Secret! (Reading, Geography, Maps, Landforms, Problem Solving) Work Smarter! (Reading, Simple Machines, Inventions) Dive Right In! The Books are Fine! (Reading Motivation, Library Skills) I Love to Read! (Reading Motivation, Library Skills) Arctic Express (Reading, Winter Festivals, Cultural Diversity) Reading Round Up (Reading, Writing Process, Using Details, Figurative Language, Folk Tales) Math-a-Magic (Statistics, Probability, Multiplying Fractions)
	Programs TOP The programs we offer are designed with the state standards and educational goals in mind from the beginning. That's just one of the reasons that our programs are completely different from shows offered by most school show performers. To find out more about the process, and what we mean by educational significance, click here. Tommy Johns Presents currently offers nine educationally significant programs for elementary and middle schools and libraries, and we add at least one new program every year. Every program is packed with audience participation, comedy, music and more and really motivates and encourages kids to continue their learning after the assembly ends by GOING TO THE LIBRARY! Brand New for March and April 2010! WE Can Do This! *Think of it as a CRCT PREP* rally! We Can Do This!, the CRCT preparation and test taking skills assembly program, is brand new this year and it's everything you've come to expect from Tommy Johns Presents! The 45 minute assembly program will feature Petey the Possum, and how he faces his biggest fear: The TEST! It will be very entertaining, and like all my shows will include magic, puppets, audience participation and comedy, but most importantly, the program has three objectives. 1. The program shows students several test taking strategies that will help them face the challenges of a test like the CRCT (or any academic test they face). 2. The program will teach the students ways to prepare for the test days (studying content as well as physical and mental preparation). 3. We Can Do This! will motivate kids to do their best by discussing the importance of the CRCT to the school and to the student and by helping them see that they CAN do it. For after the show, there will be teacher support pieces and classroom exercises. Everyone attending the event will get a bookmark with a test taking strategies checklist on it as a reminder of what we learned. There will also be a reproducible take home piece to show parents how they can help get their kids ready for the test and why it's important. We Can Do This! is not just a "rah rah" event. It's an assembly program designed to reinforce what their teachers have been telling them all year long - that if they prepare well, understand the importance of the CRCT, and approach it with an "I Can!" attitude, they can do well on the most important test of the year! _____________________________________________________________________________ Available Beginning Summer 2010! This summer, treat your kids to a show that really MAKES A SPLASH! Your kids will get washed away in a rising tide of fun and magic as Tommy Johns and his pet rat Roosevelt sail into your library with their newest show, Dive Right In! The Books are Fine! Claudia the Hippo will be back this year and she’s been developing some new material that is HILARIOUS! She promises waves of laughter, not to mention the tsunami of books that will be checked out from your library shelves after the show! Dive Right In! features magic, fun and BOOKS! A whole BOATLOAD of BOOKS! We know budgets are tight, so we didn’t raise our prices this year. As a matter of fact, click here to read about ways to fund a great summer program with little or no budget! Contact us TODAY to make your NO RISK reservation. “WATER” you waiting for? Don’t miss the boat*! Call today! Here’s what your peers said about the 2009 Summer Reading Program “Tommy Johns is a fabulous performer. The kids love him and he always holds their attention. The show is just as much fun for the adults as it is for the children.” Monica Davis, Stevenson Library, Stevenson, AL* “I especially liked the integration of books and reading with the magic and puppets. The puppets and magic were especially well received by the audience.” Amy Billings, Gwinnett County Public Libraries “Book him. You won't be sorry.” Louise Brown, Lena Cagle Library, Bridgeport, AL _____________________________________________________________________________ I Love to Read is an interactive educational show that is part storytelling, part magic show and 100% FUN. I Love to Read shows kids just how much can happen when they LOVE to read! Tommy uses an unusual puppet, crazy comedy, magic and audience participation to show how books can magically let readers travel anywhere, meet famous people, and learn how to do just about anything! This 45-minute show is filled with volunteers, comedy, costuming, magic and music. New books as well as classics and award winners are featured in the show. Over and over we reinforce the importance of picking up a book and reading EVERY DAY. The show closes with the hilarious “Instant Magician,” where one of your students or a staff member will be transformed into a magician, complete with tuxedo and top hat! This unforgettable show will have your kids talking about the reading program for weeks to come! I Love to Read is also available in a Middle School version, with age appropriate books, instruction and humor that really reinforce the message of the program for this sometimes challenging age group! Back to top _____________________________________________________________________________ Go Wild! A Humorous and Engaging Tour of The Scientific Process Tommy and his friends will be taking your kids on a wild and imaginary tour of their backyards, neighborhoods, and community parks. Through puppetry, magic and storytelling, Tommy and his furry and feathered (puppet) friends will teach young readers about how to use the Scientific Process to answer questions about their own environment. It looks like a science show, but it is all about getting kids excited about READING! Along the way everyone will learn interesting facts about the plants and animals that live among us everyday, from North America’s only marsupial, the possum, to color changing lizards, inventive birds, and animals and rocks that change forms. In addition, the students learn the importance of recycling and how they can begin simple steps to take ownership of their environment. Get ready for another fun, educational, and entertaining program that will have your kids racing for books and talking about the show months after it’s over. Back to top _____________________________________________________________________________ Psst! Want a great way to hook kids into reading? If so, I’ve got a mission for you.... Imagine being able to get your entire student body excited about all the things they can learn in the library. Well, there is an agent available that do just that. You might have seen him in the past disguised as a safari guide and telling kids about science and Georgia wildlife. But we have information now that exposes this agent’s true identity. And the show is called "TOP SECRET." This program takes a subject that kids find irresistible - in this case secret agents and spy gadgets - combines it with magic, puppets, and a cute bunny rabbit, and suddenly the kids are captivated. When the presenter has their attention the subtle teaching begins about what is possible through reading books. At the end of the show the kids are all presented with their very own “Secret Agent I.D. Card” which has a list of their “Training Objectives.” These objectives are a list of the subjects discussed in this program along with their Dewey Decimal numbers so the kids can find the books in the library. How many of your students currently carry around a list of Dewey Decimal numbers in their wallets? Kids who watch our programs do and they refer to them often as they try to read at least one book from each subject area. Back to top _____________________________________________________________________________ Simple Machines Made Simple! This hands-on workshop allows learners to handle wheels, pulleys, levers, wedges, incline planes and screws in a way that makes abstract concepts "concrete" (yes, the pun was intended!). Tommy comes in dressed as a construction worker, but the children from the audience are the ones who do the work. Your tactile learners will come to life as they help figure out how to lift a 50 pound bucket of rocks with a 5 pound weight, and why a wedge is such a handy tool. Using levers your youngest students will be able to easily accomplish feats that NO human being can accomplish bare handed. This is a presentation that will be remembered and talked about for a VERY long time. Teachers will have no problem tying lessons into the subjects taught. And because the program also promotes reading and media center resources, it is a program that everyone appreciates! Throughout the program, the kids learn how simple machines help us “Work Smarter, Not Harder.” Back to top _____________________________________________________________________________ Reading Round Up! Making the Writing Process FUN and FUNNY! Tommy and his puppet friends have done it again! He and a top notch team of performers, educators, and librarians have put together another amazing program for your readers! Like all of his reading programs, Reading Round Up includes costuming, puppets, magic, music, audience participation and a STRONG message about using the resources in the library! This time, Tommy, his sidekick Roosevelt Rat, and the kids at your library are trying to help Claudia (a very funny hippo with an attitude!) write a story for Cowboy Digest magazine. Claudia needs help with descriptive language, character development, plot twists and other writing tools, and we do our best to help her. The kids at every show will help create a story that teaches them how to become better writers! To help Claudia understand the elements of a good story, we will be looking at lots of books including award winners, books that have been made into movies, classic children's books and folk tales from across this great land of ours, and from other lands as well. Filled with book talks, storytelling, and a neat moral at the end of the show, this program drives home the importance of good writing. Reading Round Up is also available in a Middle School version, with age appropriate books and writing tips that really reinforce the message for this sometimes challenging age group! Back to top _____________________________________________________________________________ Arctic Express! This holiday season treat the kids to a program that’s trainloads of fun, filled with puppets, magic, storytelling, music, and audience participation. This imaginary train ride magically takes kids around the world to learn about winter holidays like: Diwali, Kwanzaa, Solstice, Ramadan, Chinese New Year, Hanukkah and of course, Christmas. Yes, the program is educationally significant (we can't help ourselves, we are obsessed with creating the most educational programs available without compromising entertainment value), and yes, the program strongly encourages children to read. But don’t think for a minute that the show is anything less than sheer delight for everyone, including teachers and staff. When you hear the sleigh bell ring at the end of the show, you won’t be the only one to wipe a tear from your eye. This is a show children will remember for the rest of their lives. Back to top _____________________________________________________________________________ Math-A-Magic This is a program developed specifically for 5-12 grade students. It takes the abstract concepts of statistics, determining probability, and multiplying fractions and presents them in a way that is compelling, exciting, memorable and FUN! What are the odds of reaching into a shuffled deck of cards, grabbing four of them and having them be the four aces? First we calculate the statistical probability of such a feat and then one of YOUR STUDENTS comes up to attempt it! How many combinations exist for a shuffled deck of cards? Would you believe that there are more combinations for a shuffled deck of cards than there are atoms in our entire galaxy? I'll prove it and then I'll do a trick that has even slimmer odds of success. Math has never been this fun! Back to top © COPYRIGHT 2000-2010 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Tommy Johns Presents 1650 Bainbridge Way Roswell, GA 30076-1621 (770) 640-6509