Jonathan Mincks
Monkey Breath
Lesson description
Monkey Breath is a lighthearted children’s story that introduces and reinforces behaviors of safe practices, distancing, and hygiene.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Develop new and reinforce existing safe practices for play in social settings regarding distancing, hygiene, and crowd interaction.
- Explore and associate animal characteristics by recreating them in pantomime.
- Develop fine and gross motor skills through movements.
Lesson Resources
- Monkey Breath by Jonathan Mincks – The Book
- Monkey Breath – Teaching Artist Lesson
- Games at a Distance – Classroom Extension
- Recall the Story – Classroom Extension
- Artist Bio
Artist Bio
Jonathan Mincks
Actor – Producer – Showman, Wolf Trap Teaching Artist
Performing professionally since childhood, Jonathan Mincks’ career has run the gamut from street theatre to major film and television productions and everything in between. His own productions have taken him around the world and won him three world championship titles for performance. Mincks is also the creator of two of the longest-running public shows in Arizona history—both still running today, some 30 years
later.
His passion and lifelong study of the performance arts has led him to inspire and educate students for more than 20 years. As a Wolf Trap teaching artist, Jonathan has seen how powerful “learning by doing” is in early childhood dducation. His Play a Book series, for example, has inspired teachers to help their young students learn on their feet,
creating rather than witnessing with recall, social awareness, problemsolving, and real emotion naturally integrated in the lessons.
“Just commit and let go. They’ll come along.”
— Jonathan Mincks