Small, Slightly Scattered

It took a little while to get all the kids into the room at the same time this week, so they tended to gradually filter in throughout the class. Though they always participate wholeheartedly when they arrive, I’ll make a point of highlighting the importance of everyone starting on time and parents being present throughout the class (there were fewer parents this week and they didn’t arrive until 10 or 15 minutes in). All in all, the class went well, but hopefully next week things are a little more timely in terms of attendance, as I wouldn’t want anyone to miss anything!

Two to Tango!

Today I had a gentleman with his young child in my class. He brought an acoustic guitar and was eager to play along with me. Although he didn't know the chords I was playing, he noodled along and enjoyed himself immensely. The kids enjoyed having two guitars in class as well!

Kitchen Party!

This week our normal room was occupied, so we had class in the upstairs area next to where everyone has dinner. Because it was more central in the shelter, there were lots of passersby who came to join in singing or clapping along to the songs. Despite the more open location, the kids were really focused and well behaved this week, remembering even more songs and passing the bean bag around the circle with ease.

Let's Dance Today!!

The class was small today, but quite excited and antsy, so I got everyone up on their feet and we did lots of dancing and movement songs. I introduced the class to the This is my Trunk song, where the kids learn about the different seasons and what happens to the trees during these seasons. We practiced making a yoga tree together as well.

Walk and Stop!

One of our favourite active songs with this group is when we sing "Well you walk, and you walk, and you walk, and you STOP!" Our group is great at walking around, and are always keen to STOP at just the right time (and giggle!). We also did some tiptoeing, marching, and gliding, and it's great to see the kids learn how to use their bodies in different ways as we move to the beat of our song!

Feels Like Fall!

On the day after Halloween, I thought it would be appropriate to start the class with the 5 Little Pumpkins song from last week. To my pleasant surprise, many of the kids remembered the lyrics word for word, even going so far as to preemptively blurt out the next lines! This week everyone seemed quite excited by the songs with stops and starts, such as the Bicycle Song, Walk Walk Walk and Stop, and Shake it Baby Shake It. When one of the kids referred to one of these songs as being a game, all of a sudden some of the more reluctant ones started participating more eagerly. Framing them that way seems to be quite effective, and I’ve made a mental note as such. The children are also getting much better at sharing and putting away instruments during jam time, and it was all smiles by the end of class (as opposed to the occasional bickering over who gets which drum). Wonderful improvements!

Pumpkins and Witches!

We really got our Halloween groove on today by singing lots of songs about pumpkins, witches, wind, howling, costumes, and sleeping bats! Our little singers were especially great at sleeping upside down like bats, and then flying around once night came.

Halloween Fun!

I brought some Halloween fun to Birkdale today. I taught them some Halloween themed songs and brought the spooky-sounding thunder tube for the special instrument of the week. We even attempted to do some Michael Jackson Thriller moves during movement time, which the caregivers enjoyed.

Happy Halloween!

We had a fun and productive class at Ernestine this week. All the children were ready to sing when I arrived, and were excited to show off their Halloween costumes! The Halloween theme ran throughout the class, with Creepy Crawly Spiders, and Sleeping Zombies (instead of Sleeping Bunnies). I brought the thunder-tube as a spooky surprise instrument, and after practicing sharing with the bean bag, the kids were incredibly conscientious of each other when passing around the thunder tube. I can see they’re getting much better at sharing from week to week, and are ready for even more instruments of the week.

Sharing is Caring

Today I challenged the kids to work on their sharing skills. They did really well. We passed around the ball, then I introduced them to the special number of the week, which we also took turns holding and passing around. Then I brought out two chime bars and had the children practice hitting to the beat of songs and passing them around the circle. I was impressed by how well they did.