Performing Arts Class December

The Pre K three and four are looking forward to a great performance at the upcoming Holiday Sing on December 19th.  The children have been practicing some songs that will be sure to please and impress!  If your child does not attend school on Friday, or you are taking you child to the program, please be at Harris Hall by 3:45.  The Pre K will be performing first in the program.

December is full of songs, instruments and holiday traditions from around the world.   We enjoyed dancing to the Nutcracker Suite and leaping like Russian dancers and Sugar Plum Fairies.

Native American Performing Arts

    Naturally, preschool students are curious about Native Americans when the subject of the first Thanksgiving and the pilgrims is discussed.  We explored these native people and their culture through songs, dances, art, instruments and movement.

    The Pre K went outside to experience a circle made out of small rocks.  Native American cultures have common beliefs in the circle of life and many native symbols are circular. When we gather in a circle, everyone is focused to the center and an equal part of the whole.  We can talk or just have a quiet moment to listen to the sounds that are a part of our natural world. Pre K listened to the sounds of birds, the river flowing nearby and snow falling off of a tree.

     Students performed the Bear Dance from the Ute Tribe, listened to Native American flute music by Nakai (which reminded them of and eagle soaring high in the sky) and played wood flutes, drums and other rhythm instruments used by Native Americans in a drum circle.

 Pre K completed a sheet in which they expressed what was important to them in their circle of life.  Students used colors to express feelings or small pictures.  We first looked at a Circle of Life Native American Blanket (see below).

The Circles can represent the change of seasons, life, death, birth, healing and many other natural ideas and aspects of the outside world.

November Performing Arts

November in Performing Arts Class is filled with songs and activities about the season of Thanksgiving.  Students are also going to listen to and play Native American instruments, perform a Drum Circle, and perform a Native Dance.

Songs                                                               
5 Fat Turkeys                                                     
Over The River and Through the Woods           
Harvest
Thanks for Thanksgiving
We Give Thanks
10 Little Turkeys
Native American Flute (listening)
Native American Bear Dance and Song


Instruments this month

Handbells (we are practicing for the upcoming Holiday sing)
Wood Flutes
Drums
Sleigh Bells
Wood block
Tambourines
Triangles
Boom Whackers

Take a look at the Native American Circle of Life Wool Blanket that is displayed in the commons.  The Native Americans that once occupied our area were called the Ute.

October Songs & Fun in Performing Arts Class with Kim & Win

October is full of fun and songs about the fall, holidays and the anticipation of dressing up in a costume!

Songs Include;

Where is Pumpkin?
10 Little Pumpkins
Miss White had a fright
The Wheels on the Bus
The Spooky Wheels on the bus
Pumpkin, Pumpkin
Halloween Night
Apple Tree
Blue and Green
My Old Black Cat

Instruments this month:

Hand Bells
Triangles
Maracas
Tambourines
Rhythm Sticks

Dramatic Play this month:

Fire Safety
Riding on a Bus
Acting like Halloween creatures
Sound Effects with literature
Loud and quiet sounds
Facial expressions- scared, happy, excited

Performing Arts 2014-2015

Dear Parents,  Kim and Win are looking forward to a great year!  We will be presenting a play this year, performing on stage, and having fun!  Dates and times for upcoming events will be posted here and in the Pre K classrooms.

Instruments this year include;   Dramatic Props include;      September Songs;

Hand Bells                                Scarves                                  Blue and Green
Large Foot Piano                      Stars                                       Roll Over
Tambourines                             Hats                                       ABC
Wrist Bells                                Costumes                              The Bear/Mountain
Recorders                                  Puppets                                  Finger Play Songs             
Kazoos                                      Felt boards                             The Wheels on the Bus
Cymbals                                    Fruits/Vegetables                   Head, Shoulders .......
Triangles                                   Animals
Xylophones
Maracas
Rhythm Sticks
Boom Whackers
Castanets
and More!

The Benefits of Dramatic Play in Early Childhood Education

by Sarah Punkoney Posted on June 27, 2013

An increasing amount of research continues to support play in early childhood development, and there are five primary forms or types of play in which children engage: locomotive, social, object, language and pretend play.  Each type of play has its own benefits for the developing mind of a young child, and while each is important, pretend play (otherwise known as imaginative or dramatic play) is becoming an increasingly popular component in toddler and preschool education.
Dramatic play is defined by experts as a type of play where children assign and accept roles and act them out.  For example, child who pretends to feed and rock a doll to sleep is engaging in dramatic play, or a child who pretends to fix a leaky faucet in the play kitchen is engaging in dramatic play.  This is a time for a child to pretend to be someone or something else, and while pretending may just look like “playing”, it is integral to the developmental learning process.
There are four primary areas under which children learn and develop through pretend play.  They include:

• Intellectual – increase in skills such as problem solving, negotiating, creativity, organizing and planning, retelling familiar stories, application of newly gained knowledge, and mathematics
• Physical – increase in skills such as gross and fin motor development, fitness, strength, and coordination
• Social – development of skills such as sharing, taking turns, cooperation, negotiation, impulse control, delay gratification, and deal with disappointment
• Emotional – increase in self esteem, pride and accomplishment, feeling of safety and protection, development of sense of self and individuality, and feelings or purpose

Experts agree that dramatic play is an integral part of a well rounded preschool program as it is healthy for early childhood development.  Through dramatic play, children learn a myriad of skills.  In fact, the Association of Childhood Education International has stated that play is a natural part of childhood development.  So, let the children pretend!

 

For further reading

 

The Vital Role of Play in Early Childhood Education by Joan Almon

The Benefits of Dramatic Play by Ellana S. Yallow, Ph. D.

What is Dramatic Play and How Does it Support Literacy Development in Preschool? by Scholastic.com