Kiddie City Receives A Grant From Cuyahoga County Arts and Culture

Hassan Rogers with Jennifer Boger, Kiddie City Director and Dayna White, Kiddie City Assistant Director.

Kiddie City preschool students had the outstanding opportunity to participate in an artist in residence project over the past 16 weeks, thanks to a grant received from Cuyahoga County Arts and Culture. Hassan Rodgers, artist and story teller led the students in the creation and performance of "Folktales are more than a Story". In this experience the students learned various yoga movements and postures, beginning acting skills, and art concepts. Some of the students also made homemade musical instruments from recyclable food containers.  Hassan put them to good use by having the children play them during a music activity.  He separated the children into sections by types of instruments and taught them about percussion and strings. The students also participated in healthy cooking activites that related to the folktales that they created.

Teachers at Kiddie City say that this experience really got students to come out of their shell! We had students who barely were able to have conversations with their peers now able to go on a stage and perform. Students who would never eat their veggies are now drinking a smoothie full of veggies and trying new things. Problem solving occured in the experience as well. One student when stacking berries asked for a smaller one because the one she had kept rolling off. This was a new skill for her, before this experience she would have just been frustrated and would have given up. The arts have such a benifit to children in all areas! Our students are well on their way to an appreciation of the arts.

The tales, Why Rabbits Hop? and Why Fox Has Orange Fur? were performed by the students at two public performance on June 16th and June 23rd.

Jennifer Boger

Director of Kiddie City Child Care Community. Mother of two.

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Volume 8, Issue 7, Posted 11:11 AM, 07.07.2017