Big, Warm First Class: Big, Excited Smiles

What an amazing first class at Birkdale to kick off the Fall session! Attendance was like a slow trickle into a water fall – initially we only had two children in the class – but as we sang the Hello song, child after child kept arriving and joining us on the carpet. Eventually the group rounded out very nicely to a whopping 13 kids! Since not all moms could join their kids in the class, moms, staff and big sisters were exceptionally supportive and helpful. Each child had the necessary support to enjoy the music and activities. Even a member of the kitchen staff showed her support by grabbing a couple of maracas and joining in for the jam! It was heartwarming and lovely to see this community supporting each other so much.

As a first timer to Birkdale, I felt warmly welcomed by the group. The kids were energetic, attentive, excited, and knew many of the songs. One highlight was singing I Wake Up My Hands, which was especially fun. To wake up our noses, I asked the group what sound their nose makes, with answers ranging from a high-pitched "beep beep", a low, grumbly "honk honk", all the way to a wild and loud "aaaah-oooooo-gah!". The instruments of the week were the maraca and marachita, which the group mastered quite well. Our jam songs were Shake It and Twist and Shout, and the jam overall was especially loud and fun. One baby slept through the entire class, including the very loud jam session, and woke with a huge smile on her face only just before our Goodbye song! This was an impressive feat. Lyric sheets were handed out to the entire group. As I departed, the most noticeable thing I left behind were smiles on all faces.