BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP
Staff Writer
Myra Neugeboren, of Ann Arbor, Mich., and her amazing puppets visited Kids Workshop in Millstone on Jan. 26 to teach children about recycling MILLSTONE — All the litter strewn about in the Land of Oz made it anything but wonderful.
Students at Kids Workshop, a child-care center in Millstone, learned the value of reducing, reusing and recycling from Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion — all main characters from “The Wizard of Oz” — during a puppet show on Jan. 26.
Myra Neugeboren of Myra’s Amazing Puppets in Ann Arbor, Mich., visited the Sweetmans Lane school to present a show called “No More Litter in Oz,” which was sponsored by the township’s Clean Communities Program.
According to Kids Workshop owner Donna Napolitano, the township recently received a grant for recycling education.
“After having the puppeteer perform at township schools,” Napolitano said, “the township had some grant money left over and extended the program to my school.
During the puppet show by Myra Neugeboren (l), a class at Kids Workshop in Millstone learns about how to protect the Earth’s oceans. “I felt so good about it,” she added.
Napolitano said her students, ranging in ages from 2-5 years old, were thrilled with the presentation and learned a lot.
“They learned that they shouldn’t litter,” Napolitano said. “They also learned about what can be made out of recycled products.”
Neugeboren showed students that her papier mâché puppets and most of her props were in fact made from recycled materials, according to Napolitano.
The youngsters also got to see what actually goes on behind the curtain of a puppet stage, Napolitano said.
“[Neugeboren] chose a few children to help her set up,” Napolitano said, “and she showed the children how she puts on a puppet show.”
The puppet show complemented another learning center activity the children had just completed, according to Napolitano.
“One of our teachers helped the children build an igloo out of recycled cardboard,” Napolitano said. “We were learning about the polar regions.”
Kids Workshop offers students many different kinds of theme-related crafts. The school is a state-certified early learning center that has been in operation for the past 15 years.
The center, which offers classes to 2- to 5-year-old preschoolers, aims to provide children with a stimulating environment and a creative curriculum, enabling positive scholastic, social, emotional and physical development, Napolitano said.
In addition, it holds a before- and after-kindergarten class, according to Napolitano.
For more information, call (732) 446-8656 or visit www.kidsworkshop.biz.