SARASOTA, FL – Fans from near and far are well aware of the Circus Arts Conservatory’s reputation for presenting world-class circus performances and its work to preserve the cherished legacy of the circus arts. What they may not realize is how the Circus Arts Conservatory (CAC) is using the circus arts to teach thousands of area students about science and prepare them for state-mandated assessments in a way that’s fun and that they will retain.
Since 2012, CAC has educated more than 20,000 students through its Circus Science Program, explaining concepts such as cause and effect, force, gravity, friction, inertia, mass and Newtown’s Law of Motion in a way that makes abstract concepts memorable. The Circus Science Program is currently engaged with 35 area elementary and middle schools, who enjoy school visits by circus arts educators and free access to an annual demonstration of the enormous and complicated “Marvelous, Miraculous Circus Science Machine” under the big top on Bahia Vista Street.
In an effort to expand the reach and resources available to its Circus Science Program, CAC is hoping to raise $50,000 during the upcoming 2018 Giving Challenge. Donations will help fund the circus science education outreach program, The Marvelous Miraculous Circus Machine. The curriculum for this arts integrated teaching program engages fifth-grade students using an exciting adventure in physical science. They learn about balanced and unbalanced forces, cause and effect, gravity, friction, potential and kinetic energy while working as a team to build their own machine using dominoes, balls, matchbox type cars, ramps, string, imagination and more.
Community members can see for themselves the wonder of the CAC’s arts integration program during the Giving Challenge: on Tuesday, May 1, from noon – 6 p.m. at the Mall at UTC, the life-sized Circus Science Machine – complete with Sailor Circus youth performers – will be set up, for demonstrations at noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Performers will be doing acts including low wire, juggling, skating, lyra, unicycle and globe. Additionally, there will be tables set up for Mall visitors to make their own Rube Goldberg-style machines.
“The Circus Arts Conservatory is committed to delighting, inspiring and educating students about the importance of science and technology in their world,” said CAC Executive Vice President/COO Jennifer Mitchell. “They experience cooperative problem-solving, learning from both success and failure, they apply abstract principles to real-world engineering challenges, and they use the kind of teamwork that will help prepare them for the workplace of the future.”
For more about CAC, go to CircusArts.org or call (941) 355-9335.
About Circus Arts Conservatory
The mission of the Circus Arts Conservatory is to engage and educate students using unique and innovative learning programs; to measurably improve the quality of life for individuals in care facilities; and to advance the extraordinary legacy and heritage of the circus. The CAC is home to world-class performances, excellence in training the circus arts, and community-based education and humor therapy outreach programs. Go to CircusArts.org or call (941) 355-9335.