I wasn’t sure how my four-year-old would react to seeing The Nutcracker performed on stage. Although this was actually his second viewing of the production, I don’t think that at two-years-old he really understood what he was seeing. As it turns out, my preschooler was able to understand much of the story in Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece.
Before we arrived, I prepared my son by letting him know that we would be watching ballet dancers perform a story set to music. I sang the tune to a few of the songs with which I knew he would be familiar, and I let him know that there wouldn’t be any words in the story. He would have to pay attention in order to let the dancers show him the story. My son let me know that he was excited about watching the dancers since he also loved to dance, but that he didn’t want to be a ballerina.
During the performance, he was completely captivated by the motion on stage. He loved the Nutcracker and, as a typical boy, thought it was cool when the rats and the soldiers had their battle. He was excited when he recognized the music, and he even enjoyed the ballet dancing, and I think he was a little shocked to see how good the male dancers were. He did note, however, that he still does not want to be a ballerina. He would rather do flips. (I am envisioning Cirque de Soleil.)
Overall, it was a wonderful experience. My preschooler learned more than I will ever know about the performing arts, and he enjoyed the live production. I am hoping to make The Nutcracker an anual event for our children. It will be interesting to listen to what they discover and like about the performance as they grow older.
Read MoreNo Comments
Digg
Delicious
Favorites
Blogmarks
Magnolia
Google
Newsvine
Reddit
Technorati
Written by Laura on December 16, 2011
As your child is learning to recognize various shapes, challenge her to find them in her world around her. Here is an easy to make game that your child will enjoy at home or in the car.
Create a set of Bingo cards using the generator available at http://www.mathworksheetwizard.com/kindergarten/shapes.html. Each time you click on “Make Worksheet”, the program will create a new Bingo c
No Comments
Digg
Delicious
Favorites
Blogmarks
Magnolia
Google
Newsvine
Reddit
Technorati
Written by Laura on December 14, 2011
In our family, we have a list about about a dozen or so chores that our children help with when assigned to them for the week. One of the chores our kids actually fight over is setting the table. Our boys love this job because, if they are table setter, they get to decide which color plate each child receives and who gets which color of cup. These are very important decisions in the lives of yo
No Comments
Digg
Delicious
Favorites
Blogmarks
Magnolia
Google
Newsvine
Reddit
Technorati
Written by Laura on December 12, 2011
I recently read about an activity that I am going to try with my children this year for Advent. It is called a “Good Deeds Chain”. Due to the fact that our children are so young, I am going to change it a little bit to better meet our needs. I am hoping it will help make my children more aware of the actions they are taking and how they are treating each other.
No Comments
Digg
Delicious
Favorites
Blogmarks
Magnolia
Google
Newsvine
Reddit
Technorati
Written by Laura on November 25, 2011
Putting pictures or events of a story in order is a skill that takes a bit of practice for children to completely grasp. Usually, kids do not have difficulty understanding the progression of events, but rather, they may not have already memorized the names for the numbers used to put those events in order.
No Comments
Digg
Delicious
Favorites
Blogmarks
Magnolia
Google
Newsvine
Reddit
Technorati
Written by Laura on November 21, 2011
If one container is taller than another, it must be bigger and hold more juice…right? That is pretty much how the mind of a young child processes the concept of volume. Although you may not spend hours teaching them how to convert liquid ounces into milliliters or how to determine how many milliliters are left in a given container, you can introduce your preschool child to the concept of v
No Comments
Digg
Delicious
Favorites
Blogmarks
Magnolia
Google
Newsvine
Reddit
Technorati
Written by Laura on November 11, 2011
Patterns can be found in many places throughout the day in the life of a preschooler, although many of them may not be obvious. As you go about your day together, try to help your child recognize patterns in some of the following activities:
No Comments
Digg
Delicious
Favorites
Blogmarks
Magnolia
Google
Newsvine
Reddit
Technorati
Written by BRWI Staff on October 21, 2011
When I was doing my student-teaching in a developmental kindergarten, I was asked to begin the year with a unit on apples. It is a very common theme, and there are a ton of activities you can find while searching this topic on the World Wide Web. One of my favorites is a counting lesson that was often used as a classroom activity, but can easily be changed to be completed with a single child.
No Comments
Digg
Delicious
Favorites
Blogmarks
Magnolia
Google
Newsvine
Reddit
Technorati
Written by Laura on October 3, 2011
Our local fair is about to begin, and my children are very excited about all of the food to eat and the animals to see. They are much more excited, however, about the games that they get to play. As I thought about some of these carnival games, I realized that many of them allow children the opportunity to practice their motor skills. Here are some ideas for setting up your own carnival in your
No Comments
Digg
Delicious
Favorites
Blogmarks
Magnolia
Google
Newsvine
Reddit
Technorati
Written by Laura on August 15, 2011
Each year when I taught elementary school and preschool, one of my students’ favorite lessons was when we would make butter. Typically, we did this lesson in coordination with a unit about harvest-time or Thanksgiving. However, it could be enjoyed any time of the year.
No Comments
Digg
Delicious
Favorites
Blogmarks
Magnolia
Google
Newsvine
Reddit
Technorati
Written by Laura on July 22, 2011
« Older Entries
