By LYDIA EARHART

Staff Writer

Tech's department of human ecology is preparing to present sessions on music, art and building literacy at the Pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten Conference today and tomorrow in Baton Rouge.

Tech students will present to teachers, paraprofessionals and administrators working in pre-kindergarten and/or kindergarten programs on music and art.

"We are very proud and happy to give a presentation at this conference because it benefits our students by opening job opportunities, and it is also good for Tech," Dr. Janie Humphries, a professor of human ecology, said.

The conference applicants must compose a proposal that is sent in to the Louisiana State Department of Education and approved.

"Before we sent in our proposal, each student tested out the material we would present at the conference to one of my classes," Laura Chestnut, director of the Early Childhood Education Center, said.

Tramania Alexander, a senior family and child studies major; Abby Callicott, Emily Matthews and Jamie Mikalajczyk, senior family, infancy and early childhood majors; Claudia Wagner, a senior family and child studies major; and Emily Watts, a senior family, infancy and early childhood education major, will give a presentation on music.

The students' session on music is called "Helping Children Enjoy the Magic of Music." The presentation will offer tested material that will help teach students in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten music.

"Our students that are presenting researched different types of music such as classical, Latino, and Indian," Chestnut said.

Chestnut; Mimi Nilsson, a senior family, infancy and early childhood education major; Julie Haddox, a graduate student of family and consumer science; and Stephanie Gravener, a senior family, infancy and early childhood education major, will give a presentation on art called "From Preschool to Picasso: Teaching Young Children about Fine Art."

Humphries will present "Building Literacy Through Science Stories".

Each of the sessions will give demonstrations and handouts to other educators attending their sessions. The handouts will be on ways to implement music and art into their classroom.

"I'm excited to be participating in this conference," Callicott said.

The conference will help provide ideas for educators through break-out sessions, vendor make-and-take sessions and one general session.

The break-out sessions are sessions in which Tech will present their material along with 50 other presenters. The vendor make-and-take will give teachers games, art activities and puppets to take back with them to the classroom.

The general session will have Marcia L. Tate, national educational consultant and CEO of Developing Minds Inc., with a doctorate in education, present the keynote address on "Increasing your Students' Brain Power."

Haddox said, "I am looking forward to getting contacts for a job next year and information to put to use in a classroom."