Pathways - in the air and on the floor

What's the difference between a pathway in the air and a pathway on the floor?

Floor paths can be traveled on (walking, skipping, etc) and air paths can go from high to low in the air around us.

Floor paths are what we walk on or drive.  We walk in a straight line down the block, we follow an S-path on a road beside the river, we make a diagonal path across the playground to be the first one on the swing set.

Pathways in the air we know less about.  When we stand up and sit down our head goes on a vertical path.  When we do from sit on the couch to lying on the couch, our head goes on a diagonal path.  In dance class we explore many different pathways in the air.

Ask your child to demonstrate the following traveling paths through your living room:
              * S-Paths
              * Circle Paths
              * Diagonal Paths
              * Zig-Zag Paths
              * Arching Paths
Next, have your child draw in the air the same paths listed above.  They can experiment with drawing with different parts of the body (drawing with fingers, elbows, head, knees, belly-button).  This should be done while staying in one spot on the floor.

The basic lesson is this: What's the difference between dancing in place and dancing while traveling through the room?  This is not easy stuff for a 5, 6, or 7 year-old to understand, but we're on our way and we will continue this next week :)