Musical-aesthetic education is primarily about offering our children the opportunity to express their perceptions. With musical-aesthetic forms of expression, our thoughts, feelings and interpretations become visible in our engagement with the world. Children give these a form, colour or sound.
At Villa Luna, our pedagogical staff accompany and support your children in their development and own perception in a diverse and individual way through appealing materials and go on a journey together with them to get to know new and unknown forms of expression. Together we discover different types of music or deal with pictures by artists.
Art
Art and creative design are an important part of the cultural education area and developmental goal. The early, playful introduction to aesthetic tasks is very important for the children’s development. They learn how it feels to create their own works and to use their own creativity. Just using a wide variety of materials such as paint, paste, sand, cardboard, clay, soapstone, etc. offers a variety of experiential opportunities to express ideas, feelings and thoughts. The children can be creative on the floor, at the easel, on the table, lying down or sitting down.
It is hard to imagine elementary education without artistic projects and they are a daily occurrence here, e.g.:
- egg dyeing at Easter
- painting projects in the summer
- autumn crafts with natural materials
- designing Christmas activities for the winter season.
Even the youngest children have a lot of fun getting creative. They get excited about the thing itself, like to experiment with colours and use all their senses to experience art.
Literature and language promotion
Especially children younger than three years experience a rapid development of their own language. Support from our educational staff is indispensable here, because in addition to the home environment, the foundation for later language skills is laid here. Reading aloud breathes life into the language. Looking at books promotes
- endurance,
- memory,
- and the ability to concentrate.
The visual stimuli alone capture the attention of the very young. Our professionals contribute to the boys and girls discovering the fun of cultural education and culture-related activities. Without language, cultural exchange would be impossible. Through stories, reading aloud and discovering exciting tales together, language is brought to life. Valuable learning processes are initiated through rhymes, songs and finger games.
Two of our professionals have also been active for years as reading mentors on a voluntary basis for the City of Cologne within the framework of the Reading Foundation in order to support language and reading promotion as early as possible. Our “reading boxes” in the entrance area are very popular – here, in addition to the professionals, parents also offer small reading sessions for the children.
Music
Musical education in early childhood has a lasting impact – not only on musical skills but also on social and communicative skills. This promotes the development of intelligence and the performance of the child’s brain. Rhythm and music create a connection between body, mind and soul. From their own bodies to various instruments, using them alone or together with others, a rich palette of forms of expression is available to the children at our Villa Luna.
Our educational staff offer the children a variety of instruments and songs in English and German to join in with. The aim here is not to provide “real” instruments or songs, but to offer the children a variety of experiential opportunities, such as:
- loud and soft rattles or drums
- light and dark sounds
- songs to sing, hum, clap or dance to.
Every fortnight, we also intensify our experiences with the help of a music educator who supervises age-appropriate small group activities and additionally challenges and encourages the children.