Halloween movement ideas, a dance story, and a short Halloween story!

Hello and Happy Fall,

Here is a playful movement lesson plan based on the classic picture book Barn Dance! by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault, along with a Halloween-based warm-up and a very short original story!

Halloween Warm Up and the

Barn Dance! Dance Story

WARM UP

The children will make up movements for the Halloween characters below. Ask them to stand in a circle. Begin with "Bat,"  ask the children to move away from the circle like a bat, and then back to their spots in the circle. Continue this same exercise through the list:

Bat

Scarecrow

Rolling Pumpkin

Robot

Black Cat

Falling Leaf

Outer Space Alien
Spider

Take suggestions from the children for more ideas, and continue this activity as long as the children are engaged.

 BARN DANCE! DANCE STORY

*A special thank-you to Kathleen Smith, fellow creative dance teacher, who introduced the ideas for this lesson plan to me.*

Materials:  

• The book Barn Dance! by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
• Lively musical selections, such as a classical piece, and blue grass instrumentals
• Optional props (1 per child): 
• Sparkly/swirly streamers (crepe paper or fabric)
• Bandannas
• Orange paper plates

Instructions for presenting the dance story:

Read the book aloud to the children. Ask the children to spread out in the space.

Retell the story through movement, using the following movement prompts. Allow the children to explore each one until you move on to the next one.

It is a very quiet, clear night. Lie down and listen to the night sounds. Now wake up, stretch, tiptoe to the window, and sneak outside.  (Note:  remind the children this is a pretend story, and they should never sneak out of the house!)

Now let's dance about the night: the sparkly stars, the floating clouds, and the wind!  (play classical music selection, and pass out swirly streamers if you have them)

Listen!  The scarecrow is calling all of the animals with his music. How does a scarecrow move? Let’s move like the scarecrow. Can you play a pretend fiddle, like the scarecrow?

Now move like the animals who were following the scarecrow to the barn!  There were horses, sheep, cows, pigs, raccoons, foxes, rabbits, chickens, skunks, and crows!  (play a bluegrass piece)  

Help the children put on bandannas, give everyone a "pumpkin" paper plate, and instruct the children to go to a corner of the room to hide (like the little boy in the story), asking the children to cover their faces with their paper plates. One by one, call the children's names. When you call a name, instruct the child to put her "pumpkin" down, run and jump over the apple barrel, and go back to her hiding place.  

Now ask them to all come out together and spin around like the pigs (play another bluegrass piece). Finish this section by asking each child to make a shape like a dizzy pig, and turn off the music.

Now grab a pretend apple!  It's time to go home! Do you hear the rooster crowing? That means the sun is coming up.

Walk quietly up the stairs, and sit on your bed. Take a bite out of your "apple." Was it a dream, or did the barn dance really happen?

And now, for a short (97 words!) Halloweensie story:

                     

             

                Prelude

Oh my deary, time to get ready.

What shall I wear to the Hallow’s Eve Ball?

My crookedy hat,

my raggedy gown, 

my tappity boots

for my clackity dance. 

My face will be painted a ghastly green,

with lumpity warts on full display. 

My scraggledy “do” I’ll primp and prime, 

with cobwebs twisted and tangled and tied.

And what shall I bring?

My cleverest spells, 

my gnarliest broom,

my trickedy, terrible, powerful wand.

The finishing touch:

My stinkedy, horrible potion perfume.

A little dab here, a little glop there, 

and I’ll be the smelliest of them all!

Choosing a Creative Movement Class for your Child

What exactly IS creative movement? 

What should I look for in a creative movement class?  

How can it benefit my young child?  

Over the years, many parents and teachers have asked me these and similar questions.

And they are important questions.  There are so many activities available for young children.  Parents must be choosy, given time constraints, expense, and overall benefits, when looking for classes for their young children.  I would like to give my perspective from my long career of teaching dance to young children.

Creative movement serves many of the important developmental needs of children ages 3-6.  Children love and need to move.  Children's imaginations should be allowed to roam freely and not be constrained by too much structure at this age.  A movement class may be one of the first times a child is in a class with peers, and many times it is their first experience without a parent with them in the classroom.  The teacher must be aware of how to help ease little ones through this transition.

My definition of creative movement (or creative dance; the terms are interchangeable) starts with my definition of dance:

DANCE is an art form whose medium is the body in motion and stillness.  Dance crosses many boundaries; it is a creative art as well as a performing art.  It is also a visual art.  It is an athletic endeavor as well as an artistic pursuit.  

CREATIVE MOVEMENT embodies a little bit of all of these wonderful aspects of dance.  It centers on the fact that dance is a creative art, and its medium is the body in motion.

Here are my Top 15 (I just couldn't keep it to 10!) reasons that I advocate for every child to have the opportunity to experience creative movement:

 1.  Nurturing the imagination
 2.  Working on basic locomotor skills, such as hopping, marching, galloping, tiptoeing,  skipping, turning, crawling . . . while developing strength, flexibility, and body control
 3.  Learning to be aware of and control the speed at which they move; learning to slow down and stop
 4.  Awareness of direction and level in space
 5.  Learning to solve movement problems individually
 6.  Learning to solve movement problems as part of a group
 7.  Moving to rhythms, music, and sound
 8.  Learning the concept of personal versus shared space
 9.  Becoming aware of the idea of taking turns, and other classroom etiquette
10. Opportunities for dramatic play
11.  Learning early literacy skills (dancing to stories, learning new vocabulary words, sequencing)
12.  Learning early math skills (patterns, counting, number sense)
13.  Developing the skill of listening to instructions
14.  Following those instructions and responding through movement
15.  Being part of an experience where the important thing is the process, not the finished product



I could go on for quite a while, but I think this gives a good glimpse into the many joys and benefits of a creative movement class.

So, how does one go about choosing a quality creative movement class for children ages 3-6?


Here are the Top 8 things to keep in mind when choosing a creative movement class:

1.  Teacher Background

• Does the teacher have a solid dance background (at least several years of training)?  
• Does the teacher have experience working with young children?  
• Does the teacher have a college degree in dance education or some other dance education certification?  (For example, NDEO, the National Dance Education Organization, gives courses that lead toward dance teacher certification.  Visit National Dance Education Organization -- They are a great resource)  

At least two out of three of the above are highly recommended.

2.  Space

Is the space for the class free of obstacles?  Is it big enough for the children to move around freely?

3.  Number of students

I have found that no more than 12 young children in a class is optimum.  If there are more than 12, the teacher will often have an assistant or co-teacher.  I have had more than 12 in my classes over the years, and many teachers do a good job with more, but I think it is best to have 12 or less per teacher. 

4.  Mix of ages

I have had experience with some older two-year-olds wanting to join the class for three-year-olds.  Generally, this is not a good idea.  At this age range, even a few months can make a big difference.  I would look for a class that sticks to a minimum age requirement, so that a child is three years by the time the session for three-year-olds begins.

Three and four-year olds do well together in a creative dance class.  As the children get older and approach age six, the mix of older fours, fives, and six-year-olds is usually fine.  They learn from each other, share ideas, and interchange leadership roles throughout the weeks of classes.

5.  Length of class

For children who have just turned three, a class that lasts 1/2 hour is plenty.  As children get older and more comfortable with the class, four, five, and six year-olds can easily handle a 45-minute class.  

6.  Length of Session

There are many different settings for creative movement classes (private dance studios, recreation departments, YMCA's, summer dance camps, etc.) , and each will have different session lengths.  In order for your child to really get a feel for the class, I would recommend at least a six-week session.  I have had many students in my classes who are reluctant at first, and it takes several classes for them to feel comfortable participating.  And often the ones who are most reluctant are the ones who are the most enthusiastic by the end of the session.  So make sure to give the teacher, the class, and your child a chance to become familiar with each other!

7.  Sample a Class

If this is an option, it is a great way to go.  You can keep this checklist in mind as your child tries the class.  However, remember what I said in #6 above.  Your child may be reluctant at first.  If you are happy with the general feel of the class, encourage your child to try a few more.

8.  Parent Observation

Parents should be allowed to view the class, but it is better if they are not physically present in the classroom once the class gets underway.  Doing so divides the child's attention and distracts him or her (as well as the other children) from the activities and learning that is happening in the classroom.  The best possible situation is a window so that the parents can peek in from time to time.

Most teachers will invite parents to attend observation days scattered throughout the session, when parents and friends are invited to visit the class.  The children are told ahead of time that they will be dancing for guests.  This is a fun chance for children to get their first taste of performing!

I hope I have answered many of the questions and addressed some of the concerns parents have when looking for activities and lessons for their children.  

I hope you will give creative movement a try!

Note:  All the photos on this blog post are of creative dance classes I have taught over the years in Ohio and Michigan

MOVING IS LEARNING!

Keep on Dancin'!

Connie

What Educators and Parents Should Know About Neuroplasticity, Learning and Dance by Judith Hanna, PhD

Happy Fall!

Since this PreK and K Sharing blog began in November 2011,  I have written many posts on the subject of dance and its countless benefits to children.  I came across this article, written in January 2016, that I wanted to pass along to early childhood educators.

I don't usually reprint entire articles for my blog, but this one is easy to read, succinct, and really shines the spotlight on the importance of dance as a vehicle for learning.  Please take a few minutes to read this fascinating article by Judith Lyne Hanna, author, dance educator, and California-certified teacher.


Keep on Dancin',                                    Connie with Dance Students

Connie

MOVING IS LEARNING!

What Educators and Parents Should Know About Neuroplasticity, Learning and Dance

By: Judith Hanna, PhD

Dance. Is it merely art?  Is it just recreation?  Think again.

Dance is now being studied as a pathway to enhance learning.  And, scientists say, educators and parents should take note of the movement.

Recently at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, more than 6,800 attendees paid rapt attention to renowned choreographer Mark Morris as he answered questions about the relationship between creativity and dance.

Scientists are turning to dance because it is a multifaceted activity that can help them—and ultimately educators and even parents– demystify how the brain coordinates the body to perform complex, precise movements that express emotion and convey meaning. Dancers possess an extraordinary skill set—coordination of limbs, posture, balance, gesture, facial expression, perception, and action in sequences that create meaning in time and space. Dancers deal with the relationship between experience and observation.

The brain hides from our sight the wondrously complex operations that underlie this feat. Although there are many secrets to unravel about the power of the brain and dance, advances in technology– such as brain scanning techniques and the experiments of dancers, dance makers, and dance viewers– reveal to us the unexpected.  Research shows that dance activity registers in regions of the brain responsible for cognition.

More than 400 studies related to interdisciplinary neuroscience reveal the hidden value of dance.  For instance, we acquire knowledge and develop cognitively because dance bulks up the brain. Consequently, the brain that “dances” is changed by it. As neuroscientist Antonio Damasio points out, “Learning and creating memory are simply the process of chiseling, modeling, shaping, doing, and redoing our individual brain wiring diagrams.”

Dance is a language of physical exercise that sparks new brain cells (neurogenesis) and their connections. These connections are responsible for acquiring knowledge and thinking. Dancing stimulates the release of the brain-derived protein neurotropic factor that promotes the growth, maintenance, and plasticity of neurons necessary for learning and memory. Plus, dancing makes some neurons nimble so that they readily wire into the neural network. Neural plasticity is the brain’s remarkable abil­ity to change through­out life. (As a septuagenarian, I’m dancing—flamenco, belly dance, jazz, and salsa!)    As a method of conveying ideas and emotions with or without recourse to sound, the language of dance draws upon similar places and thought processes in the brain as verbal language. Dance feeds the brain in various kinds of communication.

Through dance, students can learn about academics—and themselves–including sexual, gender, ethnic, regional, national, and career identities. Moreover, dance is a means to help us improve mood and cope with stress that can motivate or interfere with concentration and learning. Influenced by body senses, environment, and culture, the brain “choreographs” dance and more.

Fodder for the Brain

The brain is comprised of about 100 billion electrically active neurons (cells), each connected to tens of thousands of its neighbors at perhaps 100 trillion synapses (the spaces between neurons where information transfers can occur). These atoms of thought relay information through voltage spikes that convert into chemical signals to bridge the gap to other neurons.

All thought, movement, and sensation emanate from electrical impulses coursing through the brain’s interconnected neurons. When they fire together they connect and reconnect, and the connections between them grow stronger in impacting our perception, our comprehension, and different kinds of memory.

If a pattern is repeated, the associ­ated group of neurons fire together resulting in a new memory, its consolidation, and ease of retrieving it. Neurons can improve intellect, memory, and certain kinds of learning if they join the existing neural networks instead of rattling aimlessly around in the brain for a while before dying.

Brain research has given us many insights for dance and other kinds of knowledge. Illustratively, we can apply what psycholinguists have found about learning a second or third verbal language to learning more than one nonverbal language—that is, another dance vocabulary (gesture and locomotion) and grammar (ways movements are put together), and meaning. Children who grow up multilingual have greater brain plasticity, and they multitask more easily. Learning a second or third language uses parts of the brain that knowing only one’s mother tongue doesn’t. Students who learn more than one dance language not only are giving their brains and bodies a workout; they are also increasing their resources for creative dance-making.

Connection for Education

So, what is the relevance of dance for educators and for parents? First, if one of the goals of education is to enhance procedural learning, then dance certainly helps. In traditional (blocked) approaches, the learner is encouraged to focus on mastering a particular dance movement before moving on to new problems. By comparison, varied practice (interleaving) that includes frequent changes of task so that the performer is constantly confronting novel components of the to-be-learned information is more effective.

Second, dance can be offered in multiple venues to promote cognitive growth, including arts magnet schools and academies, regular secondary schools, universities, and community and recreation centers. Venues may have their own dance faculty. Performing arts organizations, nonprofit operations, and dance companies offer dance education, often as partners with academic schools. Illustrative dance programs, some established in the last century but continuing to develop, show how dance education promotes skills for academe, citizenship, and the workplace. Principals can reach out to those offering dance classes and establish invaluable partnerships.

Obviously curricula and assessment vary in school settings. Dance may be a distinct per­forming art discipline with in-depth sequential exploration of a coherent body of knowledge guided by highly qualified dance teachers. Or dance may also be a liberal art, complimentary to or part of another subject. Brief introductions to dance may fill gaps in school curricula. Historical serendipity, leadership, teacher interest, parent involvement, and economic resources affect how youngsters experience dance.

Society privileges mental capacity—mind over matter and emotion. Talking, writing, and numbers are the media of knowledge. However, we now know that dance is a language, brain-driven art, and also, a fuel for learning subjects other than dance. In short, dance is an avenue to thinking, translating, interpreting, communicating, feeling, and creat­ing. As a multimedia communication that generates new brain cells and their connections, dance at any age enriches our cognitive, emotional, and physical development beyond the exercise itself and extends to most facets of life.