Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness throughout the world.

Special Treat – Ellie Braun Haley

January 24, 2008

I SHARE WITH YOU
Ideas from Ellie Braun-Haley, author of the two books of Creative Movement for young children (Casey Caterpillar and Muttering Moths)

ON MY SPOT (Rhymes for small children)
On my spot I can wiggle, I can bounce
I can reach up high and down low.
I can stand up and swivel all around,
I can move my hands fast and then slow.
On my spot I can wiggle, I can bounce,
I can reach up high and down low.
I can leave my spot and march all around
Then quietly return on my tip toe
Ahead of time prepare a laminated colored circle for each of your students. Give each child a circle (a spot). Ask them how we could use it ? (Pretend it is a steering wheel?. Can you drive around the room? Use it as an umbrella. Are you shivering in the rain? Pretend it is a waiter’s serving tray, or a mirror. What else?)

Ask the children if they can sit on the spot and move only their hands Challenge them with other isolation moves while they sit. (Can they move their right foot? How slowly can they move their left arm and hand? How high can they reach both hands while remaining seated? Can they bounce their body, even while they are sitting? Can they bounce but not let their seat leave the circle?)?

Ask the students if they can stand on the spot, on one foot like a stork? Can they swivel? (pivot, rotate).
Read the rhyme and ask the children if they are able to act it out
Though this rhyme sets the stage for investigating high and low, fast and slow, turning and marching, it also sets the stage to advance to an entire new activity, one where the children will sharpen their listening skills. The rhyme does aid in examining movement at levels and movement within a space and then searching out a new space. This new activity will promote listening, understanding and following a sequence of moves. .
Advancing
Have the children return to sit on their spots. Suggest: “When the music starts can you leave your spot and march anywhere in our work area. When the music stops can you tip toe back and sit on the spot?” (Either pretape something appropriate or use drums, shakers, or tambourine).
Next: “Can we leave our spots when we hear the music and this time can we walk sideways? When the music stops can we skip back to our spot and place our hands on the spot? Each time you send the students away from their spot, provide a new way to move and soon ask the children for ideas.” What body part should we place on the spot when we return?”

Looking for more ideas when working with young children?

Ellie presents workshops for adults who work with young children ages 4 to 9.
SHE spent a number of years as a resource person in Creative Movement for Kindergartens, taught specialty classes for both city dance programs and a college program (for preschoolers) and formerly taught both Jazz dance and Ballet classes for children.

For more information or any requests regarding her books please contact Ellie at: shaley@telusplanet.net or see her books by visiting evrcanada.com (and going to eaglecreek publishers

HELP FOR PARENTS & TEACHERS OF YOUNG CHILDREN
Parents and schoolteachers are always on the lookout for fresh ideas in working with young children. When you can pick up a Resource book for as little as $8.00 and find it brimming with ideas, that is a book you wish to share with others.

The two books MUTTERING MOTHS and CASEY CATERPILLAR
ARE BOOKS you will find on the recommended reading list for a number of colleges. Both books are easy to follow with fresh ideas on each page!

The book Muttering Moths is filled with exciting material, which has proven itself with children of many ages. You will discover movement rhymes, songs to act out and move to, unique directions to guide students through Creative Dance, and unusual but stimulating ideas for creative movement activities. As you work with the material you’ll soon discover your own creative side emerging. Then you’ll be noticing the posture, energy, and artistic expression of your young students. Gradually you will find it easier and easier to take the children on expeditions of exploration where they will investigate movement and actions, abilities, relationships, vocabulary and space. It is on this expedition that you will need the book to guide you through the rhymes, songs, dances and other activities found in this book.

Author of Muttering Moths, Ellie Braun-Haley provides guidelines to help you work with the material in each of her books. For Muttering Moths she offers 7 simple rules:
1. Choose your space wisely. Avoid cluttered areas, gymnasiums or other large rooms. Plan for a cozy room.
2. Consider the pace of your class. Begin a class with something that calls for little or no moving around. Try for a balance of activities that call for strong quick moves and then others that require pauses and gentle soft actions. Use a piece that calls for music and others that do not.
3. Know your material. Don't keep a book in front of your nose. Have the class planned but be flexible and willing to explore new directions, especially if your child has a new idea.
4. Be interested in what the children are doing and be interested in what your students think. Respect their point of view. Listen to what they are saying (and use eye contact when you listen).
5. To achieve closeness, get down on the floor with the children. Get involved. Dress appropriately and you too can roll on the floor. 6. Avoid giving commands. Ask instead, "How would you do that?"
Encourage the children by telling them what you liked about their action or reaction, but be specific. Don't just say, "Oh that was good." Tell them why you think it was good. How did it make you feel?
7. Don't overwork a single rhyme, song or activity. Change to something new while everyone is still having a good time. This will almost guarantee the popularity of that same rhyme song or activity, later.

Now you are ready for any lesson plan!

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT TO DISCOVER
WHEN YOU LOOK THROUGH the book, MUTTERING MOTHS?

In Muttering Moths we will analyze WHAT we move. When we move the body and isolate one part, what is that single part capable of? The children will be stimulated to understand the capabilities and limitations of movement for their respective body. There is much here to encourage bending, twisting, folding, and turning.

Participants will be encouraged to look at WHERE we move in a restricted space and in an open space, taking into consideration patterns, relationships, levels and other specifics.

You will discover many opportunities within the pages of Muttering Moths to explore HOW we move. Included are activities that encourage the child to pay attention to dynamics, with some activities remaining constant in a study of mild and gentle expressions, others with ongoing energy and still others with an opportunity to study an ever-changing quality of movement.

There will be opportunities to illustrate the words of rhymes and songs with specific and creative movement. You will also discover opportunities to examine relationships and movement.

In the first section of the book, Muttering Moths you will locate the Movement rhymes. These rhymes set up situations for the children to interpret, explore and express. With the rhymes “Moths” and “Stretching” the author has provided two versions of the rhymes, the shorter one is designed especially for the 3 to 5 year old children. Don't let this be a barrier though. If you wish to try a more advanced version for your class, experiment.

Toy-maker, a rhyme for 4 to 9 year old children, is outstanding and quite unique. It is a rhyme that will assist the youngsters in increasing vocabulary with emphasis on body awareness, on ever changing dynamics, space awareness and more. Add music to the activity and it can quickly become a creative dance. Construct over sized cardboard keys, then tie these on the children with nylons or elastic belts and you may use the Toy Maker as a springboard for an entirely new activity. All of the students at a school for children with mental disabilities enjoyed wearing the wind up key and they were creative in presenting their ideas on the movement of whatever toy they were portraying.

The second section of Muttering Moths introduces new songs, four of which are ideal for use at the beginning of a class for children who are feeling shy. An action song is a wonderful way to begin a class. A number of the songs were designed first especially for children with mental and physical disabilities and were later tried out with other children. Ricochet was one of those songs and later proved to be popular with all children and adults.

It can be a challenge to find ways to encourage children to dance yet not provide all the steps. The author of Muttering Moths believes children have a natural ability to choreograph and many times this is taken from the children as they enter into classes, which are solely structured by an adult. The Creative Dance section of the Muttering Moths book is meant to provide a few ideas for directions to take with the youngsters. It is meant to stimulate you in ways to assist the children to continue utilizing their own ability to choreograph. Your imagination will take over from that point and so will theirs!

Author, Ellie Braun-Haley, urges parents and teachers to provide opportunities for children to become observers and public speakers. Muttering Moths is set up to help with this. Here’s how. Each time you break a class in half and suggest that one group perform while one observes, give the watchers something to do. They learn through watching, but they need to be able to express what they see. Give them opportunities to present constructive remarks. (I liked Susan's actions because she jumped so high). In giving them opportunities to offer comments we are demonstrating that we respect what they have to say.

The most important part of an activity is the entertainment factor. If it is not enjoyable, learning slows down and everything becomes a chore. Muttering Moths is filled with excellent and workable material. Now it needs you, the teacher to introduce it with enthusiasm. In order to do that you need to take time to read over the material. If you are worried about not remembering some segment then make yourself two large cue cards and place them on two different walls in the classroom. Don't carry a book around with you.

Do you want a copy of Muttering Moths or Casey Caterpillar? Do you have copies in your school library? Order your copies by visiting evrcanada.com (and clicking on EagleCreek Publishers, or contact the author, Ellie Braun-Haley (shaley@telusplanet.net).
If you have a conference coming up, book the author to present at your conference.

WHY not take your children on expeditions of exploration where they will investigate movement and actions, abilities, relationships, vocabulary and space?

Ellie Braun-Haley
Shaley@telusplanet.net
Author/Motivational Speaker