Kids step into story as ‘Wild Things’
Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Saturday, June 11, 2011
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Parents and kindergarteners joined in the fun acting out "Where the Wild Things Are" at Lexington Children's Theatre. It was the first event in the summer series of Countdown to Kindergarten activities.
Youngsters explored “Where the Wild Things Are” during the kickoff of Countdown to Kindergarten – discovering how to use their bodies, voices and imaginations to act out the popular children’s story.
“A lot of what we do is literature-based, so a lot of it ties into the curriculum the schools teach,” said Jeremy Kisling, associate artistic director for education at the Lexington Children’s Theatre, which is an active partner with Fayette County Public Schools. “We can use drama as a teaching tool to help promote literacy, socialization and problem-solving.”
Thirteen local organizations, including the children’s theatre, have teamed up for the inaugural Countdown to Kindergarten. This summer series spotlights the importance of early-learning activities and family involvement in education and provides residents with a range of entertaining programs. Kids who have registered with FCPS to start kindergarten this August are invited to bring their coupon to the public library for a free T-shirt and to participate in any or all of the Countdown events.
Kevin Waters, whose son will attend Veterans Park Elementary, said Aidan was eager to check out Saturday’s “rumpus” at the children’s theatre, where he saw his first show at age 3.
“He sat mesmerized the whole time,” Waters recalled. “We’ve been to a couple of plays here, and he absolutely loves it.”
They joined nearly two dozen other kids and parents in fun warm-up exercises, creative mask-making and an enthusiastic performance of “Where the Wild Things Are.”
Kisling noted how drama, art, music and dance help teach youngsters the difference between fantasy and imagination, and enable them to interact positively with other kids their age, which can smooth the transition to kindergarten.
His wife, Amie, is the theatre’s associate education director. She led the group through the “Wild Things” rumpus starting with energizers to prepare the kids for playing various roles and props in the story. They pretended to be bumblebees and chickens, practiced walking at different speeds and echoed her directions to adjust their speech and movements.
The kids also broke into small groups to stretch their imaginations – each armed with only a 12-inch plastic ruler, deemed the coolest toy ever. As one boy said, “It can be anything!” from a baseball bat to a toothbrush.
After coloring and cutting out their monster masks, the children and adults came back together for the rumpus finale.
“As I tell the story, you get to act it out,” as Amie Kisling explained.
And act they did – rolling their eyes and gnashing their teeth and showing their claws and roaring around the room like wild things!
“It’s great that they get to actually experience it,” said Jana Callahan, a kindergarten teacher at Veterans Park and parent of an incoming kindergartener. “The children’s theater always does a phenomenal job pulling the strengths from different kids.”
Callahan said there’s a buzz in the community about Countdown to Kindergarten, which she sees as a real boon for families – especially those with shy youngsters.
“This is wonderful because it gives the incoming kindergarteners an extra boost in confidence as they embark on a new journey: coming to the ‘big school,’” she said. “Interacting with other 5-year-olds will ease some fears and get them excited about learning.”
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