Introduction

This webquest was created to give parents and caregivers activities emphasizing the importance of rhymes and music to do with their preschool age children.

     Music helps

• children manage their feelings
• foster cognitive development
• develop physical fitness and motor skills
• and develop an appreciation of one's cultural heritage.                                                         

(The Very Young: Guiding Children from Infancy through the Early Years, George W. Maxim, Merrill Publishing Company, 1989.)  

One goal of this webquest is to help your child begin to develop phonological awareness by participating in rhyming games. (Illinois State Board of Education: Division of Early Childhood Education, Learning Standards, Language Arts Goal 1.B.ECc)  This webquest will also ask children to participate in music activities.  (Fine Arts Goal 26.A.ECc)

The Task

It is your job to learn about music, rhythm, beat, and rhyming.  Parents and children can work together to accomplish this goal.

The Process

Click on the red buttons below to link to websites related to nursery rhymes and songs.

Select a nursery rhyme      to print and color.

Read some all time favorites   with your child.

Read the Mother Goose story, Hey Diddle Diddle, with your child.

Practice locating body parts while singing along.

Click on this website to print out a dot-to-dot to practice number skills.

Evaluation

Click on the blue word link to find a fill-in-the-bank nursery rhyme quiz to do.  Evaluation

Click on the red box to find a quiz about nursery rhymes. 

Conclusion

Through rhyming and singing activities, the human brain is stimulated to grow in new directions.  Many academic, pre-readiness learning areas are addressed by the concepts in     songs and rhymes.

The source for all the graphics was "The Print Shop ProPublisher 2000".

Web sites links:

            http://www.niteowl.org/kids/

            http://w3.up.net/~jolove/Nursery_Folder/nursery.htm

            http://www.candlelightstories.com/D001/spoon1.htm

            http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/cottage/3192/headshoulders.html

            http://www.alphabet-soup.net/goose/oldwomandot.html

            http://www.quia.com/tq/153654.html

Other sources:

         The Very Young: Guiding Children from Infancy through the Early Years, George W. Maxim, Merrill Publishing Company, 1989.

         Illinois Early Learning Standards: Illinois State Board of Education: Division of Early Childhood Education, Draft June 2000