Can The Right Learning Environment Make A Difference?

It does if they know your child's name!! A welcoming environment where children are greeted every day by hearing their name called out with a smile can make a big difference in how your child approaches going to classes.

At Move-N-Learn Academy, all staff members work to make your child as comfortable as possible from the moment they walk in until the time they walk out. Greeting each child by their name as they come through the door is important. It let's them know that that their arrival is important and that we are happy to see them each and every time that they come. A smiling face that says "welcome to class" is comforting and supports their need to be recognized.

Each class starts with "I'm so happy to see....., I'm so happy to see....." while children smile and move to  music with the teacher. Every child is called upon to participate at the level they are comfortable with and no one is pushed beyond their level. Instead we help them to grow to a higher level of participation.

Catch them doing it right! Yes, every time! Teachers watch for the children to complete their skills correctly and catch them with high praise instead of always pointing out what they are doing wrong. This brings smiles and helps them to continue working hard because it is fun when the teacher knows they are in class and trying to do their best.

A proper learning environment is important. It is something all parents should take time in making their decisions as to what facility their child will attend class at.

A Typical Day At Move-N-Learn Academy

What is a typical day at Move-N-Learn Academy? First of all it is filled with exploration and learning fun from beginning to end! Parents are amazed that their child meets them in the lobby with a smile on their faces and stories to tell of what all they did during their time at Move-N-Learn Academy.

Because we believe in the body and mind connection, class time never starts with sitting at the tables working on papers. Instead, they enjoy fun learning on the computers, tablets, music keyboards and more.

From there, students then move to circle time to learn about many different things such as days and months of the year, holidays, counting out loud, letter and number recognition, color recognition, loud and quiet, hard and soft, sing songs and more.

Dancing and music making are a part of each day too. Here the students learn about left and right, high and low, vocal toning and pitch, cooperation with others, spatial awareness as well has hopping, skipping, jumping, dance technique.

Academics that are age appropriate and  meet core standards takes place at the tables. Learning to write, read and do math situations, cutting, gluing and working with shapes are just a few things that the students experience and learn from.

We have the greatest play yard! Actually, it is our gym where students participate in physical activity and gymnastics. The greatest thing about all of this is that our students receive physical activity each day they are in class because the weather is never a situation to deal with!

Summer brings great fun in the form of swimming lessons! That is right! The summer session is a splashing great time in our pool ant learning to swim safely.

** Swimming lessons and gymnastics is only offered in our Woodward location at this time. Enid location will include tumbling and physical activities.

There is More To Education Than Pencils and Paper

We have always said that there is more to education than pencils and paper, thus our school program name, Move-N-Learn! Children learn better doing and having fun in a playful environment than sitting at a desk all day. Take a moment and think back to your favorite teachers. I bet they did not have you just sitting at a desk with pencils and paper.

You might find this article interesting:
  http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/12/29/christakis.play.children.learning/index.html

Registration On Line

For our very busy parents, they can always register on line at www.academyoffineartsok.com

Preschool or Daycare?

Lately there are a lot of daycare centers that are calling themselves preschools because they dedicated a couple of hours a day to learning situations. The teachers for the preschool tend to be the employees/caregivers of the preschool. And so, parents are left trying to figure out what it is that they really want and need for their children's educational needs.

The word preschool is actually meant for an early education before attending formal school. In that case, every parents home is already a preschool, because your child is learning from birth. And Pre-K stands for before kindergarten, so again, your home is also a Pre-K. Silly thinking? Well, maybe and maybe not.

Today's busy parents may just be that, too busy and hurried to truly research out what a preschool and pre-k program should look and feel like. Too busy to find out what the "school" teaches. And so they opt for a daycare that offers a couple of hours of preschool training that includes cutting, gluing, tracing, filling in with a pencil or crayon, social graces, some life skills and call it good.

But parents may really want to slow down and takes some time to truly think about what they want for their preschool age child. Maybe take a vacation day to tour and interview the facility directors and teachers. Not sure what to ask? You might find this link helpful for questions to ask. http://www.babycenter.com/0_preschool-director-teacher-interview_1450420.bc

The other thing thing a parent may want to sit down and figure out is the true value of a program versus the fees. Some half time places may seem a bit pricey when compared to the daycare/preschool combos, but the value of the actual education may be much higher and therefor your child will be better prepared and experience. Truly ready for private or public Kindergarten. Never make your decision on tuition price. When the others are cheaper, ask why. Are the government funded? Supported by a church? Supported by an organization?

Be sure you have all of the facts to make the best decision for your young children, because it is their early education that sets the stage for the rest of their education.

Fall Registration Set For August 5th-7th

We will be accepting fall registration on site, August 5-7th at our Woodward location. Ages 2-3 yrs and 4-51/2 yrs may register in person Monday through Wednesday from 4-8 pm at 609 Main Street in Woodward.

Please be advised that our arts based preschool and pre-k/ jr kindergarten is a private, half time education program. It does meet the state common core standards.

We DO NOT OFFER DAY CARE SERVICES nor do we offer scholarships at this time.

Join us for a great year! Visit our Facebook page to see more information regarding our program.

***On line registration is available at www.academyoffineartsok.com

From The Mom's and Dad's Guide....Check it out!

The Many Benefits of Participating in Pre-school Gymnastics

Most people think of gymnastics as �the star� of The Summer Olympics. What people don�t know is that it is one of the most beneficial activities for children of all ages and abilities with fitness, academic and social benefits.

Fitness/ Sports Readiness Benefits:
Gymnastics requires strength, balance, flexibility and coordination. These are the cornerstones to sound physical fitness and athletic performance in all sports. Core strength is the �buzz� word in fitness and sport specific training these days. Core strength in childrenpres can help maintain proper posture while sitting in a classroom. Gymnastics is all about core strength. The simple skill of performing a forward roll requires core strength in maintaining a �rounded body� throughout the movement. Walking across a 4� beam requires balance and an ability to use the core muscles to maintain that balance. What seems like the simple task of running and jumping onto a springboard to vault onto the table requires the coordination of combining running, jumping and squatting onto a raised surface. Hitting a ball, kicking a soccer ball are both enhanced with improvement in balance and coordination. These are all elementary skills that are repeated over and over in a 45min pre-school class.

Academic Benefits:
Movement can be the architect of a child�s brain. Bilateral movements commonly found in basic gymnastics activities help in the communication between the left and right hemisphere of the brain. Reading is a balanced coordination of the left and right hemisphere. The left hemisphere sees the letter and the right side comprehends what it sees. Gymnastics requires a similar coordination of building simple movements into a complex skill or routine. This early learning transfers to the classroom helping your child with sequenced instruction from a teacher.

Social/ Organizational Benefits:
Participating in a class environment at an early age is crucial to helping a child adapt to a school setting. Gymnastics participation is no different. Your child will learn to move from station to station in a sequence without getting lost. They are required to sit and listen while getting instructions. Children are taught how to wait for their turn and that they are now always going to be first in line. Learning a new skill helps to show a child that success requires repetition. The joy of mastering a skill after multiple repetitions is the ultimate benefit in helping a child gain the confidence needed to succeed.

So the next time you see high level gymnastics, remember that it is the basics of rolling, jumping tumbling and running and swinging that will help your child build a foundation for a strong future in whatever they do.



Leo Doren operates Mass Gymnastics Centers. For more information on their preschool gymnastics program, visit them online at: www.massgymnastics.com or contact them via email at: leo@massgymnastics.com

Can Music Lessons Make Your Child Smarter?

This is an interesting article on the benefits of music for your young child. We though it might be informative and that you would enjoy it! More information id available from the website that we borrowed this from at  http://www.raisesmartkid.com/all-ages/1-articles/16-the-effect-of-music-on-childrens-intelligence


Studies after studies are showing that learning music can make kids smart.  When your child learns to play a musical instrument, not only does he learn how to make tunes, but he also enhances other capabilities of his brain as well:

• A 10 year study involving 25,000 students show that music-making improves test scores in standardized tests, as well as in reading proficiency exams (Source: James Catterall, UCLA, 1997). 
• High school music students score higher on the math and verbal portion of SAT, compared to their peers (Profile of SAT and Achievement Test Takers, The College Board, compiled by Music Educators Conference, 2001). 
• The IQ’s of young students who had nine months of weekly training in piano or voice rose nearly three points more than their untrained peers (Study by E. Glenn Schellenberg, of the University of Toronto at Mississauga, 2004.)
• Piano students can understand mathematical and scientific concepts more readily.  Children who received piano training performed 34 percent higher on tests measuring proportional reasoning – ratios, fractions, proportions, and thinking in space and time (Neurological Research, 1997). 
• Pattern recognition and mental representation scores improved significantly in students who were given a 3-year piano instruction (Dr. Eugenia Costa-Giomi study presented at the meeting of the Music Educators National Conference, Phoenix, AZ, 1998).
• Music students received more academic honors and awards than non-music students.  These music students also have more A and B grades compared to non-music students (National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 First Follow-Up, U.S. Department of Education). 
• More music majors who applied for medical school were admitted compared to those in other majors including English, biology, chemistry and math. (“The Comparative Academic Abilites of Students in Education and in Other Areas of a Multi-focus University,” Peter H. Wood, ERIC Document No. ED327480; “The Case for Music in Schools”, Phi Delta Kappan, 1994)
• Another study has found that music lessons for kids make their minds sharper when they grow older. According to study researcher Brenda Hanna-Pladdy, a neurologist at the Emory University School of Medicine,"Musical activity throughout life may serve as a challenging cognitive exercise, making your brain fitter and more capable of accommodating the challenges of aging. Since studying an instrument requires years of practice and learning, it may create alternate connections in the brain that could compensate for cognitive declines as we get older."