When I get older, I will be stronger. They'll call me Freedom, just like a waving flag...

O how our voices, and hearts, have sung through this study of dance. We have learned about different parts of the world as we immersed ourselves in the Russian folktale, Firebird, and witnessed a dramatic and incredible West African dance and drumming performance, Balafon. 

We have learned so much about our bodies and the movements we can make. We have done some biology too as we learned about what is inside our bodies, thanks to Tiffany and her "blood mobile" song and flannel story. We measured our feet and some of us studied a human form as we tried a very challenging "Draw What You See" using a wooden model.

We learned about many kinds of dance and about the importance of music. We played extra hard in Capoeira and we tried some ballet, tap and swing too! We learned about expressing ourselves through our movements and our singing.

Some of us even made our own tap shoes using our ubiqiutos baby jar lids, a hammer, a nail, a rubber band, and some good ol' ingenuity.

As in all our studies, we played, played, played. And through this intensive pretend play we grew in many ways. A duo of tumbly boys one day pretending to be superheros, found themselves signed up for a ballet class. There, as in all dramatic play, they had to subvert their immediate impulses and, controlling their behavior and body, work towards a larger, more collaborative goal. And that's how Batman learned to pirouette!

We really dived into rich mathematics this unit with a sub-study on patterns. Patterns are the essential mathematical concept and recognizing, understanding and ultimately being able to continue or change them forms the basis of algebraic thought. We sought out the patterns in music and stories and we studied the patterns in dance. Right, left, Rock-back, Right! We made patterns in art and the blue group took a special trip to the Building Museum to immerse themselves in more pattern work...

As always, the small bits of info we learned, were but vehicles for the larger habits of mind we are working to cultivate: persistence and flexibility in the face of challenge, working together and on our own, and working towards clarity of thought and communication. Of course we also had a great time, danced our 'badunkies' off and enjoyed the beauty of life! Till next time...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------For more on Mathematics and young children, you can check out a parent guide from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
 http://illuminations.nctm.org/FamilyGuide/FamilyGuide_FullText.pdf#search=%22importance of patterns young children%22