Dancing, singing and making music are part of a child’s process of growing up and learning what their bodies can do. Arts-integrated teaching taps into children’s natural desire for active learning through the senses. By dancing, imagining, and connecting their bodies and minds, children learn how to interact with other people, objects and the world around them as well as learn to coordinate their bodies and help develop spatial awareness.
In the 10h episode of the educational series Pieces of Eight, Jacqui Berkeley introduces Sheila Callaghan and pupils from Mossley Primary School. In this programme they make dancing movements which look like wheels turning and moving. This time the music is all the same speed and it is left up to each dancer to change their speed and levels throughout the dance. The children are encouraged to make a wheel dance of their own, make one with a partner as well as a group wheel dance.