Curriculum Overview
The Ohmies uniquely focuses on the physical health and well-being of preschoolers and early elementary children. The Ohmies recognizes that physical health and well being is crucial for social, emotional and cognitive development. The Ohmies organically infuses interactive movement and healthy nutrition practices into great characters and story-telling. This focus is the perfect vehicle to help children ages 3-8 develop emotional and social competence. Young children learn through play. And during the preschool and early elementary years, one of the primary means of expression is through movement. In particular, The Ohmies use interactive movement and dance inspired by a number of physical disciplines including yoga, pilates, dalcroze eurythmics, and others, as the primary means by which to help preschoolers express their thoughts and feelings. The Ohmies strive to model the importance of daily activity and the importance of engaging in healthy eating patterns to provide energy for the body.
Knowing that emotions are the basis for the human experience, The Ohmies teaches the audience how to navigate their developing emotional world. Emotional development is the ability to understand a full range of emotions and to deal with them in a socially appropriate manner. During the preschool years, children learn how to display their emotions, to name their emotions, to think about their emotions, and that emotions are transitory. Through understanding and learning to label their emotions, preschoolers learn to control their emotions by separating impulsive behavior from purposeful action. By controlling their emotions, preschoolers learn socially appropriate behavior, as well as the ability to experience empathy for others. In this way, understanding the emotions of ourselves leads to understanding the emotions of others, which makes social interactions more predictable.
Social development is affected by the ability of children to use their emotional understanding to further their social goals; such as getting along well with siblings and peers, making friends, entering the play situation and behaving in a socially appropriate manner. Playing imaginatively and interacting with The Ohmies will afford our audience the opportunities to explore a variety of roles and social situations, learn social rules and to practice conflict resolution. In this way, The Ohmies help our audience practice their social skills in order to have positive social interactions with their families and peers.
“How do I make friends?” “My sister won’t let me use her toy!” “I’m scared of the dark”.
These are issues that preschool children face. And now, there is a brand to help young children learn how to manage their physical health, their emotions, their social world – their overall well-being.
The Ohmies serves as a safe space for our preschool audience to explore the issues of everyday development: understanding emotions, making friends, getting along with siblings, overcoming fears and anxieties and learning to make healthy choices. Through our unique, interactive curriculum, our preschool audience get to explore the intersection of physical health and well-being, emotional development, and social development as they travel through adventures with our characters.
The Ohmies features Bella Butterfly and her little brother, Carlin Caterpillar, two spirited, fun-loving creatures who allow their curiosity to spark adventures. These adventures are created in a manner that requires the audience to play along in order to surmount obstacles and advance the plot to complete the mission. The obstacles are designed to teach the audience about such things as understanding their emotions, making friends, getting along with siblings, dealing with anxiety and fears and being healthy by engaging in physical activity. As children play along with The Ohmies curriculum they explore the intimate connection between physical health and well-being, emotional development, and social development.