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ADVENTURES

daily activities

NEXT DAY

Circus At Home

Balance + Acrobatics Bootcamp

Things are about to get wobbly at Camp Kinda Circus School. You'll be testing your balance with stilts made from household items. You'll walk the “tightrope” and engage in exercises that focus on control, core strength, and balance. You'll even try leaping over an "invisible box"—a trick of athleticism and focus that you’ll work on for hours. (Trust us, it’s harder than it looks.) Get ready for balance and acrobatics bootcamp!

DAY 3

what you’ll need

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FOR PARENTS

Ask About Today

If the Cirque du Soleil auditions come to town, which part would you like most to try out for? What do you think the hardest part might be?

Dinner Discussion

What would it be like if our family joined the circus? What would each of our circus acts be? What would be fun about traveling the world together to perform—and what would be challenging?

Skip the Ads

Unfortunately, online videos often start with short advertisements. Remind your campers to click the "Skip" button as soon as they can to move ahead to the video.

explore

60-90 minutes

01

Join the Circus School

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See what it takes to get into circus school by watching this preview of "Big Top Academy." What would you want to learn if you were a circus school student?

Remember: Online videos often start with advertisements. (Annoying, we agree!) Click the "Skip" button as soon as you can to move ahead to the video.

02

Into the Air with Cirque du Soleil

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Cirque du Soleil is home to some of the most talented acrobats on the planet. Their performances require strength, flexibility, rhythm, balance—and courage! Take a look at some of their most impressive acts in this 50-minute video.

03

Day in the Life of an Aerialist

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Meet Silvia Dopazo. She's an aerialist, or a person who performs acrobatics high above the ground, with Cirque du Soleil. This is a day in her life.

04

Training with Young Acrobats

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Check out these talented young circus stars from Guinea as they train. Many of these kids have been practicing the circus arts for most of their lives!

Stay Safe: Remember, these performers learned in a safe environment with cushioned mats and spotters. Do not attempt these tricks at home!

05

Mime Your Own Business

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Ever wanted to become a mime? Mimes are circus performers who use their bodies and expressions to communicate and entertain without words. Watch this video to learn more about how it's done. Then, without talking or making a sound, start practicing your miming. Quietly entertain your entire family with your mime skills.

06

A Historic High-Wire Walk

In 1974, French aerialist Philippe Petit walked across a wire 110 stories above ground. He planned this illegal undertaking for months before shocking the world. Read more about him in this article from Biography.com.

create

30 minutes

Today, you'll be growing by a few inches...you're going up on stilts! But before you can learn to walk (or dance) on them, you'll need to make your own.

01

UniverSoul Stilt Walkers

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Have you ever seen a person dance on stilts? The UniverSoul Circus stilt walkers are pros at it. Watch this quick clip to get pumped for what you’re about to create today: Your very own stilts!

02

Make Your Own Stilts

The stilts you see in the circus are usually very tall, but beginners start with lower ones to build their skills. Follow these step-by-step instructions for how to make your own stilts out of sandcastle buckets and rope.

move

30-45 minutes

You're ready to take the tightrope challenge! Okay, it's nothing like walking between two skyscrapers, but staying on the “rope” is harder than it looks

01

Tightrope 101

To start, tape a straight line on your floor (about 5 feet long) to create a "tightrope." You could also use a jump rope, a long piece of string or yarn, or anything long and straight that you can lay flat on the floor.

Start by walking sideways across the line. Can you keep your feet on the line the whole way? If that's too easy, try walking forward on the line, placing the heel of one foot in front of the toes of the other foot.

02

Advanced Tightroping

Still too easy? Add new ways to walk across your tightrope: slow, quick, backward, on tiptoe, whatever you want to try. You can also place obstacles—like a toy or a pillow—on your tightrope. Can you hop over them and land perfectly on the line? If you know how to do a cartwheel or somersault, try doing one while staying on your line. Now imagine you're hundreds of feet in the air. Would you have stayed balanced? Or plummeted to the ground?

03

The Invisible Box

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For some fun that is surprisingly athletic, try the Invisible Box Challenge. Texas high school cheerleader Ariel Olivar was considered the #1 Invisible Box Challenger back in 2017 and teaches us how to do it. Now it's your turn.

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