Prep for Earth Day!

It was a smaller class at Robertson House today and so I decided to take an extra week to prep the participants for Earth Week.

I began by reviewing some material from the previous week (Mr. Sun, Trees Need The Sun, The Tree Song) and took some time to teach a new chant, Thunder Pounding. The rain continued to pour down as we sang The Itsy Bitsy Spider and I explained how this song was a great way to illustrate the water table cycle. By using the hands we do actions that help demonstrate how the rain comes down from the clouds, pools on the ground, and is then evaporated by the sun back up into the atmosphere. Sensing a need to stretch the legs, we stood up and did another animal song about Elephants Marching. We then sat down and practiced Rolling The Ball. 

I brought an Ocean Drum for the IOTW and as we passed the large frame drum around the room I showed the grownups the actions to Listen To The Water. We saw a bunch of animals by the waterside mainly ducks, frogs, crocodiles, lions, birds and bugs!

After putting away the popular instrument we brought out the jam bag and sang a couple of songs together (Down In The Valley and I Can See Clearly Now). For me, the jam was the highlight of the class as many of the grownups closed their eyes and seemed to lose themselves in the music. Sometimes I can tell that they come to class stressed and tired but by the end its amazing to see the smiles on their faces and I can only hope to have made a difference in their day.