Mrs. Wishy-Washy
An annual kindergarten production
“Mud, mud, beautiful mud, how we love you LOVELY mud!” the ducks, cows, pigs and chickens sang. And in the audience, during dress rehearsal, the first graders sang right along with them. Most of them knew all of the songs – just last year it was them on stage.
Meadow Pond’s kindergarten production of Mrs. Wishy-Washy is a highlight of the school year, and a memorable rite of passage for kindergarteners and their parents.
It’s also a multi-disciplinary unit that combines reading, music, movement and fun. What seems effortless has been months in the making.
Starring cows, chickens, ducks & pigs
Kindergarteners perform for school
Interdisciplinary fun and learning
“We use her books in class to teach the children to read and we bring her story to life on stage!” said kindergarten teacher Jackie Kovatch, who plays Mrs. Wishy-Washy. “It is a wonderful collaboration.”
They’ve also been singing the production’s songs since January with Melissa Richardson, the music teacher who adapted the Mrs. Wishy-Washy books into an original musical for Meadow Pond Elementary School nearly twenty years ago.
After the dress rehearsal, kindergarten teacher Marisa Donaghy, who is the narrator of the play, gathered her students on the classroom carpet and asked them what their favorite parts of the show were. “Our singing.” “The pigs rolling in the mud.” “The bow.”
Brings school community together
Later that day, the students would receive letters from the first graders congratulating them on their performance. “Hearing my first graders sing along and share memories of their roles from last year was so sweet!” said teacher Christina D'Ambrosio. “It was delightful to read their praises and see what the connections they shared with the kindergarteners.”
“My favorite moment was when the final curtain closed,” said kindergarten teacher Lina Foncello. This is her first year at Meadow Pond, and her first Mrs. Wishy Washy production. “The students’ faces beamed with pride and excitement – and shock - of what they just accomplished.”
