Episode 30 is Part 3 of our Preschool Dance Party Series! We have a very special guest with us – our preschool director Ms. Jenni! She is responsible for so much preschool fun, we consistently get her feedback for Twirl and she is a regular contributor to our Camp Confettis and much more! She's celebrating her 16th season with us at Rhythm!
Her top 4 tips for running a successful preschool class:
1. Be flexible - be ready to change your plan at all times
2. Creativity - give them a visual for everything you are describing
3. Patience - all kinds of patience! Connect with each student, have a question of the week, get them talking
4. Be comfortable with some controlled chaos and have your methods for reeling them back in
5. Consistency and structure
She talks about how Twirl inspires her creativity and her favorite themes in Twirl are fairies, space, 50s and 70s, dinos (she uses plastic eggs with a big gem in it and they go for a dig and earn a gem for performing a step). Dino Foot Prints: laminate them so they last longer
Planning our Twirl Season: Track in Google Doc, usually one per month, hold round tables, the week before sends reminders and details to teachers and assistants with details about props, sets up early on the first lesson of the week. Week before send email reminder to families of theme, what to wear. Week after send recap email with fun photos.
How she formats a Twirl class: Start in tap shoes, warm-up center, then across the floor. If activity is tap, bring books out earlier; if ballet, later. How we handle the books depends on the class - either inspiration or read whole thing. Let them find the page, review, put books away. Keep the same elements of the theme throughout the class even after done with the Twirl activity.
Favorite props: Technical - hula hoops, color dance dots (teach jazz square), ballet barres, parachutes, footprints; Fun Props - Flashie Cards, light-up wands, finger lights, ribbon sticks, light machine, scarves.
Organizing Props: Books are kept in magazine racks, uses closet rods to hang some items, baskets/bins to store like props. If you are moving from one studio to another, keep a set in a bin to take with you. Sort items that "work" from those that "don't work"
She uses some of the Twirl activities/themes every week mermaids, flower stretches, rainbows, unicorns, not just on Twirl weeks.
Check out our #rhythmtwirl hashtag for pics of all the Twirl fun at Rhythm!
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