3859 & 4200 Wheeler Street Houston, TX 77204 PH: 832/842/0500

Music & Dance

Transition

Open House

CLC Calendar

Early Dismissal

School Supplies

Research Project

Special Points

of Interest:

Music and Dance with Children

August 1, 2014

Newsletter Volume 13, Issue 8

Playing with Music at Home

Young children love to sing, make music,

and move to the beat. They feel competent

when they learn a new song, powerful when

they pound a drum or shake a tambourine,

and proud when they invent a new dance.

As children explore and enjoy music, they

can develop skills in math, literacy, and

social studies.

Young children explore music through play. They make discoveries

through trial and error—"If I hit the tambourine lightly, it makes a

soft sound. If I hit it hard, it makes a loud one.” They listen to the

musical beat and dance along with it. They make up new words or

add choruses to familiar songs. They ask parents and other family

members to sing with them or, in some cases, ask to perform a

solo.

Here are some tips on how your family can play with music and

connect it to learning at home. http://families.naeyc.org/node/18

Play music made for children: Many musicians write and sing

about topics of interest to young children. Their songs’ lyrics

and melodies are catchy and easy to learn.

Develop reading readiness skills through rhymes: When

children listen to, repeat, and create rhymes, they learn to

match the sounds of language. As you listen together, repeat

the rhyming words and encourage your child to do the same.

Sample music from around the world: Play classical, salsa,

jazz, and folk. Chat about the music you like. Ask questions: "I

hear horns. What instruments do you hear?” Listen for details.

Make and play instruments: Find rhythm sticks outdoors.

Use pan lids as cymbals, and march around the house. Try a

slow march first, then a faster one.

Expand vocabulary: As you listen to music together,

introduce and talk about new words like rhythm and note.

Listen for new words in song lyrics and talk about what they

mean.

Recognize and repeat patterns: Children can develop this

math skill while listening to music. Take turns copying patterns

in your favorite music, and then create your own. Start with

five or fewer beats before moving on to longer patterns.

CLC offers a music and dance onsite

enrichment program for children ages

2-5 years old.

Please pick up a flyer at the front desk

for details and enrollment costs.

Using a theme as a springboard,

participants explore drama, dance, music,

and visual art as they journey through a

one-of-a-kind learning experience. All

ARTS ALIVE! lessons include a wide range

of skill development: Movement, Creative

Drama, Social, Motor, Language,

Cognitive, and Affective Self-Regulation.

http://www.artsaliveinc.com/

Volume 13, Issue 8 CLC Newsletter

Tips for Transitioning to Kindergarten

Please join us for a

Preschool Open House

Tuesday, August 12th

4:00-5:00 p.m.

CLC Wheeler Library

Introductions Questions & Answers Classroom Visits

Starting school can be scary and exciting for both you and your child. Below are some things you can do to prepare

yourself and your child for kindergarten.

On the first day of school:

Be positive. Give your child a smile and a hug, tell her you love her, and wave goodbye.

Help your child say goodbye. Saying goodbye in a new setting can be frightening for

some children. When you say goodbye, reassure your child that you will see her later.

Wait to ask the teacher your specific questions. Trust that the teacher is a

professional who will make your child feel welcome and help her feel like a member of the

classroom community.

During the first week of school:

Be supportive. Adjusting to school may take time. Ask, “What was the most fun thing you did in school today?” Then

ask, “What was the hardest thing for you?” (Only ask this after you have discussed what was fun.) Don’t expect your

child to tell you every detail.

Instill a sense of confidence in your child. Celebrate your child’s successes. Tell her that you are proud of the way

she got on the bus and sat down all by herself, or the way she tried to print her name. Don’t dwell on how many friends

she has made during the first few days. This is too abstract for most 5-year-olds and their friends change by the minute.

Instead, ask, “Tell me about some of the children in your class.” It takes time to adjust to new people, new activities, and

a new environment. Don’t expect perfection.

Set aside a time, each evening, to share your child’s day. See if your child has brought home any drawings,

paintings, or scribbling. These papers may be very important to your young student. If there are no papers, don’t assume

that your child didn’t do anything worthwhile. After a few weeks have passed and your child has gotten used to school,

ask her about what she played with in the classroom, what stories the teacher read, if she went outside, etc. Listen for

clues about your child’s strengths and challenges. If you have concerns, contact the teacher and set up a time to talk.

Read everything the school sends home. During the first weeks of school children

bring home a wealth of information about school routines, important dates, and

meetings that you will need to know about. Make sure to check your child’s backpack

every day. Also, you may want to go over with your child, in a positive, calm way, the

information you have supplied to the school on the emergency card (who may pick your

child up other than you, where she can go if you’re ever not home, etc.).

Enjoy being the parent of a kindergartner! This is your child’s first step into

primary school and a unique time in childhood.

For the full article, please visit: http://families.naeyc.org/learning-and-development/child-

development/transitioning-kindergarten

CLC Preschool Open House

Checklist

Before school starts:

Visit the school and

meet the teacher

Start your school

routine early

Label everything

Early Dismissal Calendar

Volume 13, Issue 8 Page 3

Note from the editor:

Greetings! This is the 8th installment of the CLC’s E-News for 2014. For your convenience, an archive of all E-News is available at www.uh.edu/clc. If you would like to be removed from this distribution list, please email your name and email address to ccenter@uh.edu. Thank you and enjoy reading!

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CLC August 2014

Early

Dismissal

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Please note that the 2014-2015 CLC Weekly Tuition Rates

become effective August 25, 2014. To view the new rates,

visit: http://www.uh.edu/clc/enrollment/tuition.html

CLC will close at 12 noon on:

Friday, August 15, 2014

Friday, September 19, 2014

Friday, October 24, 2014

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Friday, December 19, 2014

Friday, January 16, 2015

Friday, February 13, 2015

Friday, March 13, 2015

Friday, April 3, 2015

Friday, May 8, 2015

Friday, June 19, 2015

Friday, July 17, 2015

Friday, August 14, 2015

Operation School Supply UH Research Project

CLC is hosting a donation

box to support Greater

Houston elementary schools.

Your donation will help provide school

supplies to thousands of local children

who would otherwise lack even the

most basic supplies on the first day of

school.

Last year, with your help, nearly

20,000 items were given to students

at 25 different schools, all but one of

which was in HISD. All of the schools

were those in which over 90% of the

students qualify for free lunches.

Operation School Supply will run

through August 13th.

This is a project spearheaded by UH

Professor Dr. Bott’s chemistry class.

The Texas Obesity Research Center

at UH has an exciting project focused

on developing healthy eating habits of

preschoolers. Dr. Tracey Ledoux,

PhD, RD, is working under a grant

from the Academy of Nutrition and

Dietetics Foundation to create an

educational video for parents of

preschoolers. The video highlights a

parenting class attended by moms

and led by Donna the Dietitian.

As part of the video, a brief scene

depicting Donna giving a lesson to a

class of preschoolers will be included.

Filming will take place at CLC on

August 14th.

A participation consent form

will be distributed to

classrooms via email.

Dance

Performance

Preschool

Open House