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Craft Me a Story™

ABOUT THIS CLASS

This 45-minute class offers the perfect mix of education, creativity and fun, developing children’s listening and literacy skills through interactive, hands on learning. Each class will begin with a book being read to the children, followed by songs and activities as well as a craft related to the story. We will explore various ways of creating art, including dot art, finger painting, oil pastels, chalk and more. Enrollment is limited to 8 children per class. All children must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver. For ages 1.9 to 3 years old.

Biography

Andrea Schaefer has always had a passion for books and theater as well as a genuine love of working with young children. Andrea’s overflowing bookshelves attest to her having worked in the publishing industry for several years. In addition, she taught English and Theatre as a Visiting Instructor at Middlebury College for two years, where she also performed the role of Blanche DuBois in the college’s Bicentennial production of A Streetcar Named Desire. She has professional acting experience that includes three seasons with the Potomac Theater Project (now PTP/NYC). Her work in New York includes productions in the Fringe Festival and American Living Room Series at HERE. She has also coached individual students in all speech categories of forensics. More recently, Andrea was an Assistant Teacher at The Church-in-the-Gardens Nursery School for three years (2008-2011). The school’s Director invited her to teach there, having observed Andrea reading stories and doing other Circle Time activities with toddlers. Andrea has two children of her own: a 13-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter. Andrea’s participation in her own children's classes cemented her desire to work with toddlers, doing what she does best: entertaining and educating them through storytelling, creative work and imaginative play.

Education

Andrea was born and raised in Queens, New York. She first honed her acting skills at Stuyvesant High School, where she competed in Dramatic Interpretation, winning numerous awards as part of the nationally recognized Forensics (Speech and Debate) Team. As an undergraduate at Middlebury College, Andrea appeared in more than a dozen student and faculty-directed plays. A double major in English and Theatre, Andrea received a Bachelor’s Degree in both subjects from Middlebury, graduating summa cum laude. She was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was the recipient of the Phi Beta Kappa Award, among other academic honors. She also received a Master’s Degree in English from the University of Virginia. Andrea is the author of “Julia Alvarez” in American Writers: A Collection of Literary Biographies, Supplement VII, edited by Jay Parini (Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2000). As an Assistant Nursery School Teacher, Andrea attended various professional development workshops including Interactive Storytelling and Emergent Literacy for the Early Childhood Classroom by the CUNY/Creative Arts Team.

Philosophy

I have seen with my own children how much joy they get from hearing a story or acting out one of their own. Yet the time for play in our schools is increasingly limited. The demands placed upon children from the moment they enter Pre-Kindergarten are more exacting than ever. Having taught nursery school, I know what skills will be expected of children in that setting. My goal with Leaping Larks™ is to offer an enriching, enjoyable mix of activities that will stimulate, inspire and educate a child – preparing them for nursery school and beyond.