Bob combines his expertise as an educator with his experience as an entertainer to present dynamic “edutainment” performances.
School Assembly Programs
Bob has presented more than 2,000 school assembly programs throughout the United States since 1982. These programs are typically 40-45 minutes in length. All programs include storytelling, juggling, magic, and audience participation. They are suitable for elementary and middle school audiences.
Read! Read! Read! It’s Magic!
Reading can provide children with information, spark their imaginations, and nurture a love for language. In this fast-paced reading motivation program, Bob, a Professor of Reading Education and author of six children’s books, creatively uses storytelling, juggling, and magic to inspire kids to read. Bob promotes books related to birds and nature, history, biographies, magic, juggling, poetry, and fiction. Kids are guaranteed to want to read the books highlighted in this program.
Tales of the Amazing Dr. Seuss
It took Dr. Seuss nine months of failed efforts before he stumbled upon the two rhyming words that launched The Cat in the Hat. When he forgot to close his window, the wind blew a doodle of an elephant on top of a drawing of a tree which resulted in the idea for Horton Hatches the Egg. Hear inspirational tales about the life of Seuss, delight in his play with language, and find out where many of his ideas originated.
Shel-a-Bration: A Silverstein Extravaganza!
Celebrate the rich life and playful poetry of Shel Silverstein with this blend of biography and verse. Hear tales about the man who was interested in everything and created for the sheer joy of it. Listen to poems about Homework Machines, Hippo Sandwiches, Crocodile’s Toothaches, and stories about Runny Babbits. Find out about the “what if” principle behind Silverstein’s creativity.
An Outrageously Good Time
If you want to reward children and bring laughter into their lives, host this show. Drawing material from thirty years of experience performing comedy as a family entertainer, Bob presents an entertainment extravaganza guaranteed to tickle audiences’ funny bones and spark their imaginations. Bob uses storytelling, juggling, magic, and everything but the kitchen sink to “make em’ laugh.” Like the termite who was a comedian, Bob guarantees this performance will bring the house down.
MaGicEnergy™
MaGicEnergy is a live, 30-minute energy/environmental education program for elementary and middle school students. The show is adaptable for both elementary (K-5) and middle school (6-8) audiences. The fast-paced program combines a strong environmental and energy message with juggling, humor, magic, special effects, storytelling and plenty of audience interaction. MaGicEnergy was created in 2002-2003 by Madison Gas and Electric in collaboration with Bob Kann. “We Need Energy” is the major theme of the program with environmental subthemes woven throughout it to demonstrate the relationship of responsible energy use and environmental quality.
Earth Care: Every Day is Earth Day
How do we help to preserve the planet? Take care of the land, don’t pollute, protect endangered species, recycle, and believe you can make a difference. This program will help kids to think about ways in which their personal behaviors can positively affect the environment, and how one person can make the world a better place to live.
No More Bullying
Bob presents a storytelling program designed to prevent bullying and help kids to make positive choices. Students will learn what to do if they are being bullied or see someone else being bullied, and how to recognize the similarities they share with other kids instead of focusing on the differences that often lead to bullying behaviors.
Character Counts: Responsibility
Responsibility means do what you are supposed to do, try your best, persevere, be self-disciplined, and if you make a mess, clean it up. Bob tells true stories to teach audiences’ to embrace responsibility that is positive – and not with guilt. Hear about Thomas Edison’s 25,000 unsuccessful experiments before finally getting the storage battery to work. Find out how nine-year-old Melissa Poe’s assuming responsibility for the care of the planet led her to form the world’s largest environmental activist organization of children. Learn to think before you act and consider the consequences of your actions.
Library Programs
Bob has presented more than 1,000 library performances (link to Bob Library Performances at bottom of section) throughout the United States since 1982. These programs are typically 40-45 minutes in length. All programs are designed to motivate children to read and include storytelling, juggling, magic, and audience participation. In advance, libraries will be provided with a list of books Bob will promote during the performance. Each year, Bob designs new programs to support the Collaborative Summer Library Program theme (CSLP) and individual state library program themes.
Invitation: If You are a Dreamer, Come In!!
(Supports the Collaborative Summer Library Program 2012 theme “Dream Big-Read”)
Join the fun with storyteller/magician/juggler Bob Kann in this BIG BIG BIG celebration of dreams of all sorts. Hear tales of dreams of buried treasure, homework machines, hippo sandwiches, kids who can fly, and much more. Experience the dreams of magicians who vanish elephants and jugglers who cascade bowling balls. And learn about the dreams of a little girl from Kenosha who wanted to play professional baseball, as presented in Bob’s biography Joyce Westerman: Baseball Hero. http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whspress/books/book.asp?book_id=390
In advance of the performance, Bob will provide host libraries with a list of books related to dreams of different shapes and sizes. During the show, he’ll promote these books. After the performance, these materials are guaranteed to be checked out by eager children. Why did the little girl take candy to bed? To have sweet dreams.
A Recipe for Success: The Magic of Reading!
(Supports the Illinois 2012 Summer Library Program theme “Reading is So Delicious”)
Join storyteller/magician/juggler Bob Kann as he celebrates his 30th year as a family entertainer in a show of culinary delights as he get kids excited about reading. Hear tales about Hippo Sandwiches, Green Eggs and Ham, Pink Pickles, and pigs who travel to the hospital in hambulances. “Taste” stories about people who ate fried mush and cracker gruel from Bob’s award-winning children’s book A Recipe for Success: Lizzie Kander and Her Cookbook. http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whspress/books/book.asp?book_id=309Try food-related tongue twisters like “mixed biscuits, mixed biscuits.” Giggle at food jokes like “Why did the cookie go to the hospital? Because he was feeling crummy.” Be mesmerized by peanut butter and jelly magic and cascading fruit juggling. After the show, kids are guaranteed to race to check out many of the books promoted during the show
Read! Read! Read! It’s Magic!
Reading can provide children with information, spark their imaginations, and nurture a love for language. In this fast-paced reading motivation program, Bob, a Professor of Reading Education and author of six children’s books, http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whspress/series-young.asp creatively uses storytelling, juggling, and magic to inspire kids to read. Bob promotes books related to birds and nature, history, biographies, magic, juggling, poetry, and fiction. Kids are guaranteed to want to read the books highlighted in this program.
Tales of the Amazing Dr. Seuss
It took Dr. Seuss nine months of failed efforts before he stumbled upon the two rhyming words that launched The Cat in the Hat. When he forgot to close his window, the wind blew a doodle of an elephant on top of a drawing of a tree which resulted in the idea for Horton Hatches the Egg. Hear inspirational tales about the life of Seuss, delight in his play with language, and find out where many of his ideas originated.
Shel-a-Bration: A Silverstein Extravaganza!
Celebrate the rich life and playful poetry of Shel Silverstein with this blend of biography and verse. Hear tales about the man who was interested in everything and created for the sheer joy of it. Listen to poems about Homework Machines, Hippo Sandwiches, Crocodile’s Toothaches, and stories about Runny Babbits. Find out about the “what if” principle behind Silverstein’s creativity.
An Outrageously Good Time
If you want to reward children and bring laughter into their lives, host this show. Drawing material from thirty years of experience performing comedy as a family entertainer, Bob presents an entertainment extravaganza guaranteed to tickle audiences’ funny bones and spark their imaginations. Bob uses storytelling, juggling, magic, and everything but the kitchen sink to “make em’ laugh.” Like the termite who was a comedian, Bob guarantees this performance will bring the house down.
MaGicEnergy™
MaGicEnergy is a live, 30-minute energy/environmental education program for elementary and middle school students. The show is adaptable for both elementary (K-5) and middle school (6-8) audiences. The fast-paced program combines a strong environmental and energy message with juggling, humor, magic, special effects, storytelling and plenty of audience interaction. MaGicEnergy was created in 2002-2003
by Madison Gas and Electric in collaboration with Bob Kann. “We Need Energy” is the major theme of the program with environmental subthemes woven throughout it to demonstrate the relationship of responsible energy use and environmental quality.
Bob Kann Recent Library Performances
Wisconsin
Athens, Bangor, Cedarburg, Colby, Cobb, Elm Grove, Edgar, Elroy, Fitchburg, Fond du Lac, Glendale (North Shore), Green Bay (Brown County), Greenfield, Hatley, Holmen, Lake Geneva, Lomira, Lone Rock, Madison (Hawthorne Branch), Menasha, Merrill (T.B. Scott), Middleton, Monona, Monticello, Mosinee, Neillsville, New Berlin, North Lake, Norwalk, Onalaska, Orfordville, Oshkosh, Palmyra, Plainfield, Port Washington, Poynette, Randolph, Rothschild, Shorewood, Shullsburg, Soldier’s Grove, Spencer, Spring Green, Sun Prairie, Trempealeau (Shirley Wright), Union Grove, Vesper, Waunakee, Wausau (Marathon County), Wild Rose, Wisconsin Rapids (McMillan), Wilton
California
Berkeley: Claremont, South, & West Branches; Castro Valley, Fremont, Newark, Pacific Grove, Sunnyvale, Woodside
Illinois
Bourbonnais, Grayslake, Hampshire (Ella Johnson), Mundelein (Fremont), Niles, Poplar Creek, Round Lake, Villa Park, Yorkville
Iowa
Decorah, Estherville, Lansing
Minnesota
Austin, Fairmont, Grand Meadow, Lake Crystal, LeRoy, Mankato, Mapleton, Rochester, Sherburne, Truman, Winona, Zumbrota
