Growing Together

At Redwood, there are a few families that have been coming consistently, and we've been able to see their children grow and develop. Our smallest friends showed off how they've learned to jump and dance, while the older kids were beyond sweet – wanting to help with everything, passing instruments around to everyone, as well as looking out for the little ones in the circle. It's always a great feeling to see our participants grow and change, and I think it's also a wonderful testament to what Redwood does and the progress made by their families.

Spring Forward!

Today was a joyous one at Ernestine. Not only did we have a couple of new friends join the group, but we also had participation from some slightly older siblings who used to come out last year. The older kids displayed a ton of enthusiasm, and even helped the youngest ones with movement and dancing! There was also more singing than usual from some of the parents today, especially during a parachute rendition of Baby Beluga. The kids are getting better with their clapping and sharing every week. Looking forward to the weeks ahead!

All Smiles!

Everyone was very excited for RSF at the Plaza after a week off for March break. The kids this week reacted to the humour in a lot of the songs, especially when exaggerating their signs and gestures. I brought a thumb piano as the instrument of the week, which received a lukewarm response, but that was turned upside down by the instrument bag. The kids tended to gravitate to the drums this week, and their sense of rhythm is astounding.

E-I-E-I-O!!

Such a fun class at Robertson House this week! Loved seeing all the young ones singing along to Old MacDonald! There was one boy in particular who has not yet begun to talk but was singing very clearly along to the lyrics “E-I-E-I-O!” It’s always great to see music transcend age and language. Lots of fun with the clave sticks as well, singing All The Children Love Bananas. Looking forward to our last class next week!

March Break Extravaganza!!

It was so nice to be reunited with the kids and caregivers today at Birkdale. Many kids who are usually in daycare or school were able to attend and participate today. It was nice to see them and have a nice big class again. We worked on more complicated rhythms today and everyone had a great time clapping out the beats.

March Break Madness

Our session this evening was a real mixed bag of songs. We started out with some favourites, then, because it was snowing, we got some requests for Jingle Bells and Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, and I'm not one to deny! There was also a new family joining us tonight with some hearing impairment, so we moved into songs with some sign language and universal actions. We finished it all off with a bit of celebration, as we had a birthday in the room. I'm always so honoured to be included in these moments, though I don't envy having to get everyone calmed down for bed after the cake!

Music is Magical

Our group was smaller than usual tonight, but that didn't mean there was less enthusiasm. We made our way through songs that have lots of motions and actions, but the best part of the night started when I brought out our instrument for this week: the bar chime. We decided that it sounded like something magical was about to happen, and I think that was right. We ended up having a wonderful, extended jam session – with extra dancing, of course!

The Babies Sleep Tonight!

Great attendance at Robertson House this week! We had a lot of fun, with a pretty even split of babies and older kids. For the most part, the older kids (4-5 year olds) were very careful around our newborn participants. We made sure to have a “quiet jam” when jamming to Lion Sleeps Tonight, to make sure the babies weren’t too startled. One mom came in with a newborn in her arms asking if I recognized her – she was pregnant just last week! Nice to see that her child is getting exposed to music as early as possible!

Rhythm of Life

We had a fortunate coincidence today: a djembe workshop that was scheduled for another day was changed, and we still had a dozen of the drums at the centre during our session. I took full advantage, getting everyone to play in rhythm together, a few chants, and we even used them to accompany our parachute time. Our Goodbye song morphed into another jam with some of the moms getting up to show us their dance moves. Everyone was full-body into this one! It was so exciting and so much fun – I don’t think we’ll ever be able to top it.

Sugar Rush!

This was a particularly high energy week at Ernestine, as I saw some of the kids wolfing down chocolate bars before I arrived. Our group was a bit smaller, as a number of families have moved out of the shelter, but those who attended were still excited and eager to take part. One of the staff members was particularly excited that one kid who often doesn’t attend the shelter programming was present for the first time all year. So, even though some friends have had to say goodbye, there are still new friends to be made!