Wolf Trap Field Trip Fridays

Wolf Trap Field Trip Fridays are performed and recorded by Wolf Trap Teaching Artists to provide children and their parents/caregivers the opportunity to experience stimulating live arts experiences from the comfort of their home. These interactive performances are accompanied by a handout that has been created to serve as an educational tool to enhance the child’s experience.

New performance videos and handouts will be added every Friday from June 12 through July 24, 2020. Performances are recommended for preschool through elementary-aged children but appropriate for the whole family.

Wolf Trap Teaching Artists are professional performing artists who are central to Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts’ services and are selected based on their arts expertise and receive extensive professional development from Wolf Trap on early childhood education.

Thank you General Dynamics for supporting this program.

Check out the Parent Resources page for more digital content.

Pernilla’s Amazing Inventions, by Melissa Richardson

This performance, by Wolf Trap Master Teaching Artist Melissa Richardson, is a dramatization of an original story. Pernilla Gorilla loves to invent, but the other animals in the rainforest don’t always appreciate her creations. Through Pernilla’s determination and creativity, children will learn about the value of learning from mistakes, being willing to try again, and believing in themselves.

Handouts have been created in order to assist you in replicating this performance in your own home, and can be found below.

Pernilla's Amazing Inventions handout

Grandmother Moon Tells a Tale! by Deborah “Spice” Kleinmann

This performance, by Wolf Trap Teaching Artist Deborah “Spice” Kleinmann”, is a story that emerges from an original myth about how the moon found its place in the sky. Grandmother Moon is a nurturing, kind keeper of the story and weaves music and myth together. She brings her audience on a journey where nocturnal animals collaborate to solve a big problem and then rejoices with a lullaby about her favorite friend, the moon.

Handouts have been created in order to assist you in replicating this performance in your own home, and can be found below.

Grandmother Moon handout

New Beginnings, by Valerie Branch

Wolf Trap Master Teaching Artist Valerie Branch, known as Ms. V in Wolf Trap classrooms, performs several dances, including “Change,” “Explore,” and “Fly”. Ms. V’s interactive dances encourage children to dance along as she explores feelings and emotions surrounding change, exploration, and chasing after your dreams.

Handouts have been created in order to assist you in replicating this performance in your own home, and can be found below.

New Beginnings handout

Little Miss Muffet Goes to the Opera! by Mary Gresock

This performance, by Wolf Trap Master Teaching Artist Mary Gresock, is a mini-opera about a special day in the life of Miss Muffet. Through song, acting, dance, costumes, and scenery, Miss Muffet meets someone who loves curds and whey as much as she does. Through Miss Muffet’s dilemma and choices, children will learn about the kindness and joy of sharing and making new friends.

Mary’s songs use melodies from the following operas:

Strauss, Johann, 1825-1899. “Die Fledermaus”.
Humperdinck, Engelbert, 1854-1921. “Hansel and Gretel”.
Rossini, Gioacchino, 1792-1868. “Il Barbiere Di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville): a Comic Opera in Two Acts”.
Bizet, Georges, 1838-1875. “Carmen: Opera in Four Acts”.

Handouts have been created in order to assist you in replicating this performance in your own home, and can be found below.

Little Miss Muffet Goes to the Opera! handout

Sights and Sounds of African Music, by Kofi Dennis

Kofi Dennis, Wolf Trap Master Teaching Artist, performs several songs, including the “Birthday Song” and “Agoo Amee.” Kofi’s interactive songs encourage the use of musical instruments such as triangles, bells, drums, and rhythm sticks. Children will learn about the months of the year, as well as sequential patterns, while singing and dancing along to the beat of Kofi’s drum.

Handouts have been created in order to assist you in replicating this performance in your own home, and can be found below.

Sights and Sounds of African Music handout

Billy’s Bridge, by Penny Russell

Performed by Penny Russell, Wolf Trap Master Teaching Artist, Billy’s Bridge is a short puppetry piece about Bill, Nan, and The Kid – three young goats. On this particular afternoon, The Kid builds towers from the rocks on the hillside, and Bill and Nan decide to find a way across the stream to get to the sweet grass on the other side. They learn a bit about the engineering method as they plan, build, test, and redesign to solve their problems.

Handouts have been created to serve as an educational tool to enhance the child’s experience at home, and can be found below.

Billy's Bridge Handout

Deep Earth, Deep Ocean, by Terry Leonino and Greg Artzner

Terry Leonino and Greg Artzner, Wolf Trap Master Teaching Artists, perform two original songs, “Deep Earth” and “Deep Oceans,” that are a study of contrasts in nature. One is a rollicking good time song about the living ecosystem of deep, dark caves, the other a soaring meditation on the beauty and mystery of oceans and their importance to life on Earth.

Handouts have been created to serve as an educational tool to enhance your child’s experience at home, and can be found below.

Deep Earth, Deep Ocean Handout

Visit wolftrap.org/education/parent-resources for additional Parent Resources or wolftrap.org/education to learn more about Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts.

Small Bites^® is a unique arts experience modeled on original programs from Arts Centre Melbourne, Australia.