Backyard Fun!

This week was truly special. The beautiful weather meant that we were able to have a class outside on the back deck during sunset. The kids loved it, and we sang lots of songs about the sun, trees, and frogs. I think the excitement of being outside made the kids more engaged, rather than distracted, and it was a nice change of scenery for the grown-ups as well. We had a couple new kids in the class (who were very curious about my guitar), and some older siblings from previous sessions joining in. Hopefully we can have class outside every week, weather permitting!

Cozy Day

It was a bit rainy today, so the kids were a little sleepy when I arrived at the Plaza. The group was a bit small, so there wasn't as much energy bouncing around the walls, but they started to have fun around the Little Frog song. Once we were making funny faces and up on our feet for Head and Shoulders, things started to perk up. We finished with 5 Little Monkeys, which seemed to be the thing that they needed all along. Bouncing will always bring the energy back into the room!

Scrunch Your Face Up!

Another fun class at Robertson House this week! After being new and a little shy last week, we had a mom and her two daughters show up with a lot of enthusiasm this week. Always great to see people getting more comfortable with singing and participating. It was so fun to sing Little Green Frog, scrunching our faces up and sticking out our tongues while making rhythmic frog sounds. We added some real spice to the song by adding rain sticks as well. It really felt like we were in the rainforest! Looking forward to next week’s class!

Guiro Madness!

It was great to be reunited with the kids and caregivers after having a week off. Today I brought different types of guiros – a traditional one made out of a gourd, and one that was shaped like a crocodile. The kids quickly picked up the down-up-up rhythm, and we sang songs with that rhythm and they enjoyed dancing around to it. 

Until We Meet Again

This week marked our final program together for this session, but it didn't dampen the mood at all. I asked everyone what they wanted to sing, and we went through some classics, from Twinkle Twinkle to Sleeping Bunnies, and finished off with everyone's favourite: parachute time! We then spent some time saying good-bye and getting feedback. I've enjoyed my time at Redwood greatly, and want to thank all of the staff, volunteers, and of course, the residents, for welcoming Rainbow Songs Foundation so warmly, and playing along with us for the past few months.

A Family Affair!

Today the kids were connecting a lot with their parents during the class, more than in previous weeks where they were a bit more excitable and running around the room. Today they were on their best behaviour and all smiles. It was nice to be back in our regular room with the colourful carpet that the kids love. It’s also in a more central location of the shelter, which meant that today we had a few new kids and parents joining us towards the end after hearing the music down the hall. The excitement is infectious!

Speedy and Silly

This was a very fun class, as the kids seemed to find places for laughter in most of the songs. Put Your Finger in the Air was a big hit, with an extended "let it lingerrrrrr" at the end. We did lots of songs on our feet today, and the kids seemed to love the ones that speed up (like the bicycle song and the train songs), so I incorporated the speediness into a few others. We finished off with ABCs under the parachute, and a big jam with Peas Porridge Hot (a perfect way to end the class on one of the first hot days of the year).

Sing High! Sing Low!

A big crowd at Robertson House this week! Everyone seemed very happy to hear the Hello song. We did an awesome rendition of the Grand Ol’ Duke of York in which kids and parents belted out the lyrics “so high” in a really high voice and “so low” in a really low voice. They all seemed to have lots of fun with this. There were also lots of giggles as we all tried to play a scale on the Boomwhackers together. It was a great time!

Rain Rain Go Away

We had a full house on this rainy Thursday, and we let the rain inspire us a bit. I'm trying to get the older kids in our group more involved and to throw out lots of suggestions, so I had them choose what foods our raindrops / snowflakes / sunbeams became in All of the Raindrops, as well as giving fun animals for Listen to the Water – from catfish to giant squid! The big hit this week, though, was Down By the Bay, with everyone coming up with silly rhymes. They were really excited to come up with new combinations, and we almost went over time getting to everyone!

Can't Stop the Beat!

Because of construction, it looked for a moment like we might not have anywhere to have music at Ernestine this week, but Samantha found us a great room with lots of space once we moved out the coffee table. We’ve had classes in lots of different rooms around the shelter at this point, which is actually unexpectedly helpful, because being able to sing familiar songs in a new setting keeps everything focused. It’s nice to learn which songs and subjects really resonate with the kids (one of whom perks up so much whenever any kind of vehicle is mentioned). Others connect to rhythm, and even some of the littlest ones are repeating certain words back to me. There are so many ways for the kids to connect with the music, and they all do!