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Nesbit – With a big
bright smile and a sincere love for children.
Lori Reeves is following a special dream that uses simple rhymes
and songs to make a lasting impression.
Her vision?
Finger Plays
with "Miss Lori".
Using traditional rhymes
that have been passed through centuries of generations.
Miss Lori’s Finger Plays help children acquire skills that are
essential to early development and learning.
With a little imagination and a lot of fun, children everywhere
are learning the joy of finger plays.
Reeves, who released her
first educational video about two months ago, said that by interacting
with children through finger plays, the child’s memory and language is
improved, hand-eye coordination is advanced and motor skills are
enhanced.
Reeves has been an early childhood
educator for 25 years, which has involved directing and starting
preschools and learning centers, and she most recently worked as a
parent educator with the Desoto Family Resource Center.
Finger plays have always
been a part of early childhood education, Reeves said, but she said her
goal is ultimately to reach as many children as she can by being a
positive role model.
There is really no human mentor for children to look up to.
Children really want to be apart of human interaction, Reeves
said, I’m not just promoting the finger play video, I’m trying to
sell the concept of Miss Lori too.
From the finger plays
concept, Reeves and her husband, Sean, have created an entire production
company of their own. Sqedunk Children Productions. Sqedunk pronounced
sqeee-dunk – is a childhood nickname given to Reeves by her
grandfather, who Reeves said was a major influence on her life.
Since her finger plays
video was released, Reeves and her husband have been working non-stop to
publicize this basic but exciting concept.
Two distributors have picked up the
video and it is on sale at The Memphis Children’s Museum, The School
Box and The Learning House.
Since Finger plays appeal to children up to 8
years of age, Reeves said her main market will be educational stores,
churches and preschools.
Reeves
said she is also working on producing her video in Spanish and French,
and she is coming out with books as well, representing all the
characters on the video.
Not only that, but Sqedunk is also
putting out a children’s tye - dye clothing line.
When Reeves is not
promoting her new video, she is usually performing live or touring
different areas with her family. Since her son Clark Richard is home
schooled, she said the entire family is able to hit the road at the drop
of a hat.
This is a family business; I would not
be able to do this without the support of my family.
As for the material
Reeves uses for her plays, it can all be found in the public domain of
the US Library of Congress in Washington, meaning that anyone can freely
duplicate the work.
Most of the rhymes that Reeves uses, such as Hickory Dickory Dock can be
traced back to the 1700’s and Reeves used her research at the Library
of Congress to prepare for additional volumes of Finger Plays.
Her Husband Sean said,
“It is amazing how well the finger plays catch children’s
attention”.
These were some of the earliest forms of entertainment, when children
had to use their own imagination, he said, and they are not only US
traditions but they have International significance as well.
And Reeves said, “Most importantly, the children love it.”
“I’ve always been able to keep children’s attention and the
finger plays are repetitious, like telling a story and living it out,”
Reeves said. They use their
motor skills to do the plays and eventually learn them buy heart, which
ultimately gives them higher self-confidence.
Though Reeves is still
unsure of what the future holds as she follows her quest to educate
children, she said that she already counts her blessings and thanks the
Lord for giving her the strength to see her vision through.
I try to be an example, especially to children,
and that is my gift back to the Lord”. Reeves said, “I just want to
give the respect and happiness that children deserve.”
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