Over the summer The Bee and Dill had an opportunity to attend a FREE camp at the Spells Writing Lab. Despite getting lost daily the first week of camp and the kids enduring hurricane Rachee (Did I not mention my mom skills suckage?) and all of this during some of the hottest days of the summer they were excited about the camp, meeting authors, starting a podcast and blog (The Bee has since started ‘Gloggong’ as she wanted this to be an all The Bee endeavor) and a renewed interest in books, the written word and prepared for school. A few months ago I attended a workshop and have been shamelessly cribbing the camp idea at my library to get some kids hooked on reading.
Next week Spells is hosting a fundraiser that I cannot attend (dang Wednesday night work!!!) but I wanted to share this with you all in case you are able. Check out this wonderful organization and support them if you can!
The fundraising event is called Read Between the Wines: 2nd Annual Wine & Cheese Fundraiser.
Featuring wines from around the world, paired with a selection of Di Bruno Bros cheese by local sommelier Owen Rothstein and CoolVines.
Mix and mingle while comparing tasting notes, reading stories authored by children at our free writing workshops, and listening to light music fare by great local artists. A 50/50 raffle will also be held.
$80 for VIP admission (includes complimentary wine, cheese, and entertainment, plus an exclusive sampling of higher-end wines)
$50 for general admission (includes complimentary wine, cheese, and entertainment)
Purchase admission at http://phillyspells.org/store/
Parking is available during the event at 1845 Walnut Street for a $12 flat rate, and at 2101 Chestnut for a $6 flat rate.
The three weeks that The Bee and Dill attended were well worth the drive. Sadly we haven’t been able to make any of the workshops during the fall but what they are offering is drool worthy. Past workshops have included (taken directly from their site):
Totally Irresponsible Saturday Science Club
Join us one Saturday each month, as we turn our writing center into a mad scientist’s laboratory to perform totally messy, thrilling, and crazy experiments guaranteed to make your mom glad you’re not doing them at her house! In past sessions, we’ve made monster ice cream, used a magnet to pull the iron out of cereal, turned milk into curds and whey, and made gloves come to life. What crazy experiments will we attempt this month? Join us and find out!
And Then . . .
Have you ever thought about what crazy things could happen if you gave an animal a treat? The answer might be more than a little surprising! In this writing workshop based on Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond’s popular If You Give A Mouse A Cookie series, we will explore how small actions can lead to zany consequences, and how an everyday situation can turn disastrous—or hilarious! Taking place at the Gallery at Market East, this is a perfect opportunity for parents to get some holiday shopping done without the kids. And, as a special treat after the workshop, participants are invited to help paint the “How Philly Moves” mural, which is being installed next spring on the exterior of the airport.
Extraordinary Excuses
Are you trying to avoid taking a test at school? Trying to find a reason to get out of gym class? Forget to finish your homework, but you’ve already used “My dog ate it”? Taking inspiration from the book Dear Teacher by Amy Husband, we’ll imagine incredibly convincing explanations and craft extraordinary excuse notes that are way more creative than your average doctor’s note. We can’t guarantee that these adventurous accounts will result in an excused absence, but we’re sure your teacher will have fun reading them!
And once again it’s all FREE!
Even if you are not able to attend, please try and support Spells! They are always looking for volunteers, ideas and you will be working with an enthusiastic, positive group of ladies!
-r
No Comments