Nov 08, 2023
Advice from Wolf Trap Teaching Artists on How to Set the Stage for Arts Learning Arts integration is a powerful tool that can be used to create deeper, more meaningful learning experiences for young children. Research indicates that it can build stronger child-teacher interactions,1 increase language development,2 support social-emotional development,3 expand math learning,4 and improve teacher practice.5 But for some teachers, incorporating the arts into...
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Nov 08, 2023
Long-Standing Partnership Provides Backdrop for Central Indiana Wolf Trap and Its Work with Indiana Head Start Educators Ploi Pagdalian, senior director of programs for Arts for Learning Indiana, was first approached by Indianapolis-based Family Development Services (FDS) to bring children’s performances to its schools 20 years ago. What began as a one-year engagement has expanded to a multi-year partnership that each year helps support more...
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Nov 08, 2023
It’s a familiar refrain among early childhood providers, whether they are brand new to the profession or in their tenth year: “How can I meet the needs of a classroom full of active students?” Providing guidance for a classroom full of busy young children can be challenging–especially at the start or end of a school day, snack time, nap time, outdoor playtime, or during transitions....
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Jul 06, 2023
Culture Queen Makes Her Triumphant Return to Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods to Create Magical Memories, This Time as a Performer Family music artist Jessica “Culture Queen” Hebron is no stranger to Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. From attending her annual summer “family field trips” as a child to see Filene Center performers like Diana Ross and Ziggy Marley to bringing groups to Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods as...
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Jun 22, 2023
Michael Hearst and His Band Promise a Curious, Unusual, and Extraordinary Adventure for Families at Wolf Trap’s Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods this Summer Imagine a TED Talk for kids, but with live music. Family music artist, author, and Wolf Trap’s Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods performer Michael Hearst is on a mission to captivate the hearts and minds of young audiences with educational performances dedicated to only the world’s most...
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Jun 20, 2023
Jazzy Ash and The Leaping Lizards Will Perform on the Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods Stage Sunday, June 25 as Part of the Out & About Festival at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts It’s hard to imagine that family music performer Jazzy Ash (née Ashli St. Armant) ever has a bad day. From spirited playground rhymes to soulful lullabies and classic New Orleans-style melodies, Jazzy...
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Jun 14, 2023
Spanish and English-speaking music duo Musiquita is fresh on the family music scene with a mission to celebrate diversity and nurture different cultures and languages with their music, performed in both English and Spanish. Musiquita is comprised of husband and wife duo Blanca Cecilia González, a Juilliard-trained violinist and Colombia native, and Jesse Elder, a professional pianist and the former Music Director of the band...
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Jun 01, 2023
“Kindie” Performer Marsha Goodman-Wood Uses Music to Teach Complex Concepts─and Draws Inspiration from Surprising Places Marsha Goodman-Wood knows her science! She’s a trained cognitive neuroscientist, and she uses this knowledge as a foundation for her work with children. Goodman-Wood is a teaching artist with Arts for Learning Maryland and Maryland Wolf Trap, and is also the lead in a “Kindie” (kids + indie rock) band,...
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Jun 01, 2023
What does the “A” in “STEAM” represent and why is it so important? Hedda Sharapahn, an early childhood education advocate who is well known for her work with Fred Rogers Institute, has likened STEAM learning for young children to “appreciating the world around us”: science nurtures a sense of wonder and curiosity in young children; technology teaches them about tools; engineering encourages creative problem solving;...
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May 04, 2023
Teaching Partners from Greenbelt Children’s Center Share the Lessons They’ve Learned after 40 Years of Working in the Early Childhood Classroom For many young families with children at Greenbelt Children’s Center (GCC), located in Greenbelt, MD, preschool teachers Donna Bell Nance and Christine Grabisch aren’t simply educators and caregivers, they are their trusted partners. In fact, that partnership is a key part of GCC’s mission,...
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