K 4/5 CLASSES
Team leader Rachael Varblow
| 1st Hour | 2nd Hour | 3rd Hour |
| Beginning Ballet (K5 only) | A la five in a Row | Hands on Music! |
| Creative Gifts | Storybook Stew | Twelve Great Americans |
| Gym America on Wheels | | |
| Violin Group Class Books 1-2-Two Grenadiers | | |
1st hour (8:55-9:55)
EXPLORERS' PROFESSIONAL CLASS DESCRIPTIONCourse Title:
Beginning Ballet
Discipline:
Dance
Grade Level:
Ages 5 through 10 (Younger with permission from instructor) Instructor:
Darlene Morin
Tuition:
$70 plus $10 costume fee (per semester)
Class Size:
6 – 15
Class Length:
Two semesters, new students may join second semester
Curriculum:
Classical Ballet
Homework:
Minimal practice
Prerequisites:
None
Class Description:
Students will learn the beautiful art of ballet. Classes include the ballet positions, steps, and terminology of ballet, good posture, ports de bras, demi pliés, point and close, balancing & eye focus, Also the ballet walk, group dancing, creative movements, rhythm, fun exercises, centre work, and combinations. Students should wear ballet shoes, leotard & tights or cotton shorts and t-shirts, with hair up and tidy. Students will perform in the Extravaganza. Children will keep their costumes.
Instructor Bio:
Darlene Morin is an Education graduate of EMU specializing in early development education. She trained in Classical ballet at the Randazzo studio in Ann Arbor. Darlene has been a member of the Ann Arbor German Park Traditional German Dance group since the age of 10 and spent several years as their instructor of the Klinekinder group of dancers. Darlene enjoys working with prospective young ballerinas.
EXPLORERS' PROFESSIONAL CLASS DESCRIPTION
Course Title:
Creative Gifts
Grade Level:
K4/5-2nd
Instructor:
Jenifer Andrews
Tuition:
$15, material fee: $40
Class Size:
4 minimum, 12 maximum
Class Length:
12 weeks
Homework:
none (unless they want to add embellishments to their project at home)
Class Description:
The students will learn how to make the simplest projects into the neatest gifts. Some project areas to be included are coffee cups, fabric painted bags, Christmas ornaments, wooden ships, cards, candy, wreaths, & center pieces.
Instructor Bio:
Jenifer Andrews is a sophomore at EMU and was homeschooled her whole life up until she entered EMU. She is a graduate of Explorers and has taught previous Explorers classes including some in art.
EXPLORERS' PROFESSIONAL CLASS DESCRIPTION
Course Title:
Gym America on Wheels
Discipline:
Gymnastics
Grade Level:
Ages 3, 4 and 5
Instructor:
Brian Zook
Tuition:
$90.00
Class Size:
7 minimum, 12 maximum
Class Length:
45 Minutes—See note below in class description
Class Description:
Students will gain strength, flexibility and confidence as they work with specialized equipment including tumbling mats, balance beams, mini training bar, wedges, octagon and vaulting stations.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a 45 minute class. It will begin at 9:05 and students will need to be picked up at 9:50.
Instructor Bio:
Brian Zook is USA Gymnastics Safety Certified and CPR Certified. He is a USA Gymnastics National Certification Instructor. Brian has been teaching for over 20 years. He has a BA in Elementary Education.
EXPLORERS' PROFESSIONAL CLASS DESCRIPTIONCourse Title:
Violin Group Class Books 1-Book 2—Two Grenadiers
Discipline:
Music-instrumental
Grade Level:
Elementary, MS
Instructor:
Julie Toshach
Tuition:
$42 first child/$30 all other siblings /$10 materials
Class Size:
4-12
Class Length:
1 hour
Curriculum:
Suzuki Violin Repertoire Books 1-2
Homework:
Practice —there will be two concerts scheduled outside class time
Prerequisites:
Permission of instructor/must be enrolled in private lessons
Class Description:
Group violin class emphasizing ensemble playing, music theory, reading and rhythm games. Fall semester working toward a Christmas concert; Spring semester ending with a group performance— joined by the advanced violin class. The group concerts will be outside of class time.Instructor Bio:
Julie Toshach holds a BA in Music from SUNY at Plattsburgh and is certified for Suzuki Books 1- 10 by the Suzuki Assoc. of the Americas.She has taught violin for over 25 years.
2nd hour (10:00 - 10:55)
Grade Level:
K4/5
Hour:
2nd
Course Title:
A la Five in a Row
Instructor:
Ann Weber and Jane Bonanni
Class Fee:
$12
Class Description:
Each “A la Five in a Row” class will start with a great book suited to the season. For example, an October book might be Jeanne Titherington’s Pumpkin, Pumpkin. The book will be read aloud and then a variety of activities applicable to the book will ensue, from dissecting seeds and discussing their form and function, to harvesting seeds from a pumpkin and saving them for planting next year. A November read might be Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton. Activities could include recreating the town described in the book by drawing the street map on a mural-sized piece of paper and then recreating the town buildings with Legos placed on top of the map. Holiday books, including Louisa May Alcott’s An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving and Tomie de Paola’s The Legend of the Poinsettia will be included.
Grade Level:
K4/5
Hour:
2nd
Course Title:
Storybook Stew
Instructor:
Pam Flack and Amy Hernandez
Class Fee:
$12
Class Description:There’s nothing like a good meal and a great book. Each week we will make a tasty treat and read one or more favorite children’s picture books that mesh with the meal. From gingerbread houses to stone soup our kindergarteners will have good edible fun. This class is not recommended for vegetarians or people with food allergies.
3rd hour (11:00 - 11:55)
Grade Level:
K4/5
Hour:
3rd
Course Title:
Hands on Music!
Instructor:
Robin Evancoe and Lisa Carpenter
Class Fee:
$6
Class Description:
Active and fun! Students in the Hands-On Music class will learn about rhythm, rudimentary notation, music vocabulary, instruments of the orchestra, and other concepts in an interactive atmosphere. Students will be actively involved in listening to, interpreting, and performing rhythms, folk songs, and symphonic music. We will also read music related stories and create simple instruments.
Grade Level:
K4/5
Hour:
3rd
Course Title:
Tweleve Great Americans
Instructor:
Cheryl Fogerty and Suzy Knickelbein
Class Fee:
$10
Class Description:
An easy introduction to great people who helped shape our country. From Pocahontas to Martin Luther King Jr. We’ll read simple picture biographies and have activities and crafts that help make the person real. We’ll build assembly line cars out of vegetables as we learn about Henry Ford, make “coon skin” hats with Davy Crockett, and make our own first aid kits as we learn about Clara Barton.