Do That Again! 
Using Humor and Creative Dramatics to Inspire a Love for Reading

A lecture/workshop that truly entertains in the style of a performing artist and never fails to enlighten those who work with children.

Diane demonstrates the ways in which humor and creativity, imagination and pretend can generate an active interest in exploring the world of books and reading, simply by introducing educators to the non-threatening aspects of play and fun.  "As an arts educator, I share a responsibility to help parents, administrators, and colleagues understand the intrinsic value of creative play and the formative power it can have over a child’s perception of education.”

Many states nationwide now identify and mandate standards that make up every language arts school curriculum.  While the standards provide a long list of challenges that must be executed by teachers, support for creative play and spirited arts-based lessons are all but gone.  And yet, it is exactly this spirit of curiosity and play that attracts the attention of children.  Children are eager to learn.  They have a sense of pretend we, as adults, tend to lose.  Meeting children in their world of pretend helps to engage them in what can be a most stimulating learning process both academically and socially.

Do That Again! Inspires new teachers and reminds seasoned educators to respect the innate power of pretend in a young child.  This 90-minute lecture/workshop presents an entertaining, high-energy combination of well-crafted, anecdotal material on a storytelling performance level, interspersed with games and activities to naturally create ‘innocent’ play among adults.

Session  (Active participation)

  • Introduction

  • Anecdotal evidence on the effects pretend and spontaneous play have on the social and cognitive development of young children

  • Simple theater games that evoke a sense of release, aiding in the understanding of a young child’s simple, yet complex needs. 

  • Introducing activities that correlate to the Language Arts Standards

  • Exploring creative drama techniques for the classroom.

  • Conclusion