Jean Piaget said: “Every time we teach a child something, we keep him from inventing it himself…That which we allow him to discover by himself…will remain with him.”

Discovery is the key word from Piaget that we need to keep in mind when dealing with the learning process in young children. Children are open to learning in different ways on different days, however, providing repetition in order to promote learning is key. The repeated experience must be carefully thought out for its learning to be most beneficial for children. At Workshop, we observe children at “work.” We use our long-range observation as a yardstick of development in supporting individualized growth.

Literacy develops as a result of careful listening and modeling. Children need to have experiences before they attach words to those experiences. They need to know that language belongs to them and to communicate (non verbally and verbally) before they tackle formalized tasks of reading.  Before reading, children need experiences with wind, soil, water, sand, animals and their care, textures, music, concepts of pattern, counting, transportation, community, libraries, grocery stores! They need freedom to DO storytelling through drama, creative dress-up, open ended play. Giving them these foundational blocks with a broad background in language expression and exposure to many genres of literature not only benefits the children but those working with them! Learning together means laughter (and sometimes tears) as much as it is sharing of good books, making beautiful drawings, singing songs.  It is a sense of playfulness that we all need to bring into the process of our everyday learning together.

It has been identified that what we really need in our schools is a sense of belonging, a sense of safety, and to have fun. Retaining our own sense of playfulness  means that we will impart in our next generation of children a stronger sense of optimism about life and living–a sense that we are surely needed, that we belong–a purpose.We think of this at “Workshop” as purposeful, fun play with a high regard for each individual–a respect for each individual contribution. We give children plenty of opportunities to talk–to share their experiences, to summarize their thoughts. Problem solving is a process of learning to listen to one another, to take turns, to converse together, to make friendships.

Experience is, indeed, the central core of the learning process shared by both children and the adults who they love!

Members of Learning World are setting up “Workshop”–a specialized weekday series of programs designed for preschoolers ages 2-5. We hope you will contact our Learning World branch in Capitol Hill to explore with us. We look forward to sharing experiences with you.   Send contact information to Angela@learning-world.org for detailed information–ask about “Workshop!”

Our Mission

Learning-World was incorporated in 2012, in St. Louis, Missouri. Our mission is to provide literacy programs through music, story sharing and movement for the young and the young at heart.  Our international focus utilizes literature and music from around the world. We foster personal growth and enjoyment through participation as we play and dance to international musical themes. 

In addition to our classes, we sell handmade items including dolls from third world countries supporting families with young children in their efforts to get an education. Proceeds from our products is reinvested in the promotion of educational activities and products that promote literacy for our young people. We believe that everyone, regardless of ability or talent, is musically literate and capable.

 Building academic and musical literacy skills in families begins with listening and communicating with one another. We believe strongly in  fostering relationships within the family community by creating fun, shared experiences, and that both the individual, the family, and the community benefit. 

I came across this quote from Doug Floyd today, “You don’t get harmony when everybody sings the same note.”

I’ve been thinking about the delightful repertoire of harmonies we sing together in our classes and how each voice contributes such breadth and depth to the melody.  It is just SO MUCH FUN learning together!

A good book that I’d recommend adding to your summer (adult) reading list: MIND IN THE MAKING: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs. It was written by a long time faculty member of the Bank Street College of Education, Ellen Galinsky.

Ellen Galinsky is a leading authority on work-family issues and a former president of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (the largest professional group of early childhood educators). One of her many activities as codirector of WHEN WORK WORKS–a project on workplace flexibility and effectiveness–has led to insightful research on how to best meet the needs for today’s family members.  Learning and adapting to each other’s needs is crucial for today’s young families.

In her book MIND IN THE MAKING, Galinsky explores the “essential life skills” that children need to achieve their full potential, take on life’s challenges, communicate well with others, and remain committed to learning. Those life skills are:

Focus and self control

Perspective taking

Communicating

Making connections

Critical thinking

Taking on challenges

Self-directed, engaged learning

These life skills are consistently put into practice during our weekly music classes together as parents and children ages 0-5 are learning alongside one another making beautiful harmony.  We, at Learning World, encourage you to join our Saturday morning classes this Fall, 2015. A free demonstration class will be on August 29, 2015 at  Faith DesPeres Presbyterian Church-11155 Clayton Road, St. Louis, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Come and join our circle of friendship, fun, and harmony in the making!

A few favorites to start the summer reinforcing the delightful singing and rhyming classes we’ve just concluded include:

Jane Cabrera’s Row Row Row Your Boat and If You’re Happy and You Know It!

Bill Martin, Jr. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

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and for older children Dennis Linn’ What Is My Song?

many more titles follow:

Eric Carle’s Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Busy Spider, Pancakes, Pancakes and The Very quiet Cricket

Doreen Cronin’s Click, Clack, Moo…Cows That Type and Giggle, Giggle, Quack

Anna Dewdney’s Llama Llama Red Pajama

Mem Fox’s Koala Lou, I Do Love You

Audrey Wood’s Silly Sally

to name a few!

The May/June 2015 READING TODAY published by the International Literacy Association has an inspiring account of a community wide reading initiative. In her article One Community, One Book, author, Elisa Mayo asked: “Encouraging students to read at school is one thing but can a school encourage reading inside the home with positive, sustainable results?” She told how the school, the homes, the businesses–the entire community bonded by communicating through email, social media, paper brochures, newspaper, and visual arts forming book clubs and discussions at the work place, parks, playgrounds, at schools and community centers. It was a great example of the power of literature to bring people of all ages together and of helping to boost literacy in their community.

What if we could share a song this way? Or a favorite rhyme?  We recently concluded our music classes that started families on a pathway of music development allowing them to embrace, enjoy, and express the musicality expressed by each of us.  Grandparents in the class told me how they loved the bonding. Our youngest children responded to music with recurring gestures (bouncing the torso and waving arms to the beat!) The nurturing of each child’s potential to make music occurred in our rich music-making environment through the tender dispositions–attitudes and life habits–learned from parents and grandparents in class.  Continuing the singing and movement activities done in class gives families multiple opportunities to confidently participate with joy and ease in music experiences for the rest of their lives!  One Community, One Song– ahhh, the Love of Learning!

One of my goals with classes through Learning-World is to be able to help parents recognize their child’s language and musical responses from the very start of the child’s life! Singing, moving and communicating with little ones begins early with music behaviors such as cooing! Recognizing the child’s earliest attempts at expression, we imitate their sounds, their movements, their communication–which validates and stimulates babies to create more!

Begin with listening for your little one’s vocal responses during play activities–gurgles, vocables, and pitches. Model communication by echoing their sounds! This reinforces  and validates conversations!

This month we’ll be focusing on Dr. Seuss books with rhymes and nonsense words to say!

“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!”

Help us build our musical literacy classes! You can find us at Kirkwood United Church of Christ, 1603 Dougherty Ferry Road, Kirkwood on Friday mornings at 9:30 a.m.  AND our  Saturday class at 11155 Clayton Road, Frontenac, begins at 9 a.m. Both classes are for mixed aged groups (Babies-age 5)

Classes begin in January and last for ten weeks. Each class is 45 minutes long and  includes songs, rhythmic patterns, dance and instrument play for all to participate–regardless of musical ability!

Families receive a beautiful songbook, a CD and their individual code as a part of the Family Music Zone. The Zone supports your downloading of the current music song collection. This semester we will sing from the BELLS repertoire. Families are encouraged to check out additional song-story books each week from our extensive library.

More information about our literacy launch with sing-a-long story time is forthcoming! Its an exciting time for emergent literacy explorations!

Our Mission

Learning-World was incorporated in 2012.  Our mission is to provide literacy programs through music, story sharing and movement for the young and the young at heart.  Our international focus utilizes literature and music from around the world. We foster personal growth and enjoyment through participation as we play and dance to international musical themes. 

In addition to our classes, we sell handmade items from third world countries supporting families with young children in their efforts to get an education. Proceeds from our products is reinvested in the promotion of educational activities and products that promote literacy for our young people. We believe that everyone, regardless of ability or talent, is musically literate and capable.

 Building academic and musical literacy skills in families begins with listening and communicating with one another. We believe strongly in  fostering relationships within the family community by creating fun, shared experiences, and that both the individual, the family, and the community benefit. 

Certified Music Trainer and Play Along Editor, Susan Hoffman makes a legitimate argument in support of mixed-age classes.

She posted this question, in a recent newsletter, “I can see that mixed age classes might be great for families with two or more children, but I have only one child. Wouldn’t he do better in a class with children all his own age? Her response was in support of how older children learn empathy and an awareness of others and develop leadership qualities while younger children in the group learn by modeling after the older ones. She applauds that children are encouraged to develop musically at their own pace–with minimum comparisons, in a natural, family-style setting.

AT LEARNING WORLD we support and nurture emergent literacy activities–expressed with language and with music.

In our program we endeavor to provide a rich literary environment in order to fully realize musical potential among our participants. We see the unfoldment of musical ability because of the direct experiences through our play as the children express themselves through musical experiences. The opportunity for improvisation, small and large movement, instrument exploration and play combined with a variety of musical genres and tonalities brings forth in children a delightful array of positive musical behaviors.  Just observing infants coo in the tonality of the song we are singing is convincing proof of the advantages of playing together with the language of music.

Get ready to ring in the new year with the Bells repertoire! To find out more about our program, you can click here.

If you’d like to join us on Friday mornings or Saturday mornings we’ll be warm inside dancing, singing and exploring the wonderful world of rhythm together.

Contact Angela for more information at 314-359-2161 or email angela (at) learning-world (dot) org

We hope to see you there!