Imaginations Soar With
Christine Petrell Kallevig

HOW? Christine relies heavily on her background as a former classroom teacher and music therapist when she selects material that's appropriate for various ages and settings. Teaching creative writing and audience participation in simple origami techniques is a part of every Storigami session, but she also likes to donate more elaborate origami models to the schools she visits.

The Origami Dog Sled Team pictured here is a sculpture she designed specially for a school in Alaska during a visit in April 2004. She's also folded origami safari animals like this lion, giraffe, and African elephant. Other gifts to schools included falcons, wolves, bears, eagles, tigers, elk, and bison as special origami mascots for school media centers, principal desks, or lobby showcases.

The most unusual origami sculpture Christine Kallevig made in 2007 was a Ceramic for Crooksville K-8 School (Crooksville, Ohio). Their mascot is a man at a potter's wheel. An interesting origami challenge in 2008 was designing an origami Railroader for a school in Garrett, Indiana. 2009 introduced two design opportunities: a Redford, Michigan St. Valentine's Volt (she created a spinning three-dimensional flash of blue and white lightening) and a Smethport, Pennsylvania Hubber, which she constructed out of twelve interlocking origami smiles in alternating school colors.

WHY? Storigami is good for our brains! When a story is illustrated by progressive origami folds, recalling the events of the story is the same as recalling the steps necessary to create the origami figure. Short-term memory is greatly enhanced, the whole brain is activated, and everyone has fun while learning exciting, new paper folding skills. Download more information about the educational, developmental, and emotional benefits of combining origami and stories.

WHO? She presents literary programs and storytelling workshops at schools, libraries, museums, churches, festivals, and conferences throughout the world. Although her audiences are usually young authors themselves, she loves to speak to "young at heart" adults as well, especially at holiday banquets, art festivals, storytelling events, or association meetings. Creative writing techniques, such as how to research, edit, and develop characters are included in every school program and author visit. See photos of:

• Origami Adventures at the Akron, Ohio Art Museum
• Storytelling at a Pennsylvania elementary school
• Berks-Mont Newspaper article about Storigami
• Christine Petrell Kallevig accepts the Florence Temko Award in New York City

WHERE? Save travel fees by booking Christine Petrell Kallevig when she's traveling through your area. She appeared in several regions throughout the world during the last few years and is currently accepting bookings for visits internationally and nationwide for 2010 and 2011.

Many private and public schools, art organizations, storytelling associations, and libraries have enjoyed special discounts and saved money by joining together to sponsor several Storigami presentations throughout a region or entire country.

Christine Kallevig is touring Southern Pennsylvania during the week of Jan. 25, 2010. Call 440-838-4881 immediately to add your school or library to her schedule that week.

Send your request to foldalong@.att.net immediately to reserve your preferred date! There are almost always last-minute openings for schools within driving distance from Cleveland, Ohio, especially in Western New York, Western Pennsylvania, Southern Michigan, Eastern Indiana, and anywhere in Ohio. Contact Christine Kallevig ASAP and she'll try hard to fit an author visit or spontaneous Storigami performance into her travel calendar.

Interested in Christine Kallevig's new presentations about Ohio public art? She believes in the educational values inherent in all art forms, so she's written wonderful new student workbooks and teacher guides called OUR SCULPTURES OURSELVES. They reveal the hidden and often forgotten facts about historical Ohio monuments and sculptures, such as the amazing Guardians of Traffic and Sailors' and Soldiers Monument in Cleveland, Ohio. It's easy to involve your children or students in this new public art curriculum. Simply order individual workbooks or classroom sets with a credit card at the Storytime Online Store. Do you need to be reimbursed by grant, discretionary, or PTA funds? You can also download a purchase order form to submit through your district's official purchasing channels.

SPECIAL NEWS FOR OHIO ART TEACHERS: Christine Kallevig is presenting the workshop, Northeast Ohio Public Sculptures: The Stories They Tell, Nov. 12, 2009 at the Ohio Art Education Association Conference in Cleveland, OH. There will be three 50-min. sessions: 11 am, 1:30 pm, and 9 pm all located in the Severence Room. This is a great opportunity to get a hands-on look at this exciting new program!

CONTACT: Click HERE for complete descriptions
of Christine's school visits, conference presentations, and other storytelling programs, including fees, recommended ages, group size limits, and references - or keep reading and then follow the PRESENTATION DETAILS link near the bottom of the page.

Call (440) 838-4881 or send an E-Mail to foldalong@att.net for references and availability.

Christine's Amazing Fabric Origami Hat Band:
See close-up photos of the eight fabric origami models on her hat band.

Christine's Awesome Origami Crane Necklace:
She usually wears a silver crane necklace along with her fabric origami frog necklace when she tells Storigami tales during school author visits in Ohio and nationwide. It's become almost as popular as the origami stories! She's always asked where it can be purchased. Well - all you have to do is click on the Amazon.com link above to buy a similar crane charm to wear with your own silver chain.