Small but Mighty

Nobody had shown up by the time I arrived at Birkdale, so the staff made a couple of rounds of announcements until we had some latecomers. Despite the extra effort needed to get people to come out, the ones that did were enthusiastic from the start and were very clearly engaging with their kids, and not just watching from the sidelines. We had a slightly older sibling in the group, and his energy and participation set a great example for kids and grown-ups alike. Sometimes the older siblings are a bit apprehensive about engaging with the material, but this one came ready to sing, and the enthusiasm was infectious. Hopefully we have a larger group next week!

A Real Success

This week was a real success in connecting to some of the older children who are in the Redwood class. About half the class is over six years old, and I tried to really engage them this week with questions and participation. For example, I asked them to explain to me why the cowbell (our "instrument of the week") is called a cowbell. They were stumped until one very bright girl explained it perfectly! It was a wonderful moment that let her intellect shine. We also got creative in Down By the Bay when I asked them to come up with funny rhymes, and the older kids kept making rhymes about "T-rexs" and giggling. A mom even chimed in with one as well, saying "Have you ever seen a T-rex, driving a car?" It was a big hit and such a step forward having a mother participate in this way! It made me feel super happy that she felt comfortable to join in/speak up. Another sweet moment in the class came when a child who is usually quite distracted and likes to do his own thing got really into dancing in the Hello song, and then encouraged another shy child to stand up and turn around. Woohoo!

New Languages!

We had a great group at our CultureLink class this week. With a variety of ages and lots of parents, the group was very engaged and singing enthusiastically. Since most of the participants speak Arabic, I had a lot of fun asking them to sing our counting songs in Arabic. This was a great way for me to learn something new and for participants to further engage in the class.

Happy Hands

This class felt seamless, as the kids were focused and engaged and encouraged by an attentive group of grown-ups. The parents seem to be getting more involved the more they remember the songs. It’s still a bit difficult to get everybody making hand signs for songs like Mr. Sun and Bath Time, but when it comes to identifying body parts and clapping, the kids respond immediately. Sharing was a breeze, and we followed the colour of the bean bag with some colour identifying around the room for What Are You Wearing, with lots of calling out and enthusiasm from the kids. Looking forward to the next one!

That’s What It’s All About!

What a joy! In contrast to last week, we had lots of parents this week, and they were truly enthusiastic and happy to be there. It’s amazing to see parents light up when they see their kids singing along, and even more amazing to see them singing together. Everything was jovial, and even when things got a bit noisy they didn’t take too much time to calm down. The big hits this week were Put Your Finger in the Air and The Hokey Pokey. There was zero fuss during our sharing activity and the post jam clean up. I hope every week can be like this one!

Valentine's Day

What a fun class we had on Valentine’s Day at the Redwood!! The energy was high and spirits were up. People were feeling festive (and dressed the part in pinks and reds), and it was also one boy's 6th birthday! The moms in the class were more energetic than I've seen in the past, and it was a real pleasure to witness. One mom danced throughout the whole jam with her daughter and one of the Redwood staff, and another mom joined her children under the parachute by lying down next to them on the floor. We also finished off by singing Happy Birthday to the 6 year-old in several different languages. What a great class!!

Hello! Hello!

We had a great start at CultureLink this week. A small but mighty crowd of eager young ones and parents greeted us with lots of singing, right from the start of class. A few former participants set a great example to our newcomers, especially when asked to share turns with our instrument of the week, the Ocean Drum. Lots of fun, and I look forward to more classes!

Great Actions!

We had a great class at Robertson House this week. It was mostly a baby crowd, with a few older kids as well, and the oldest participant set a great example for the rest of the class. I was very impressed with our grown-up participation, as well. I noticed that they were doing even more actions then the kids at one point during our rendition of Three Green and Speckled Frogs. It was great to see their enthusiasm and engagement with their young ones. I look forward to more great classes!

Black History Month

This week at the Redwood we had the most moms present for a class so far! And although they were sometimes in and out of the room, it was definitely an improvement from the previous weeks. The moms who did come all have multiple children, so the parent to child ratio was well represented. Another highlight of this week’s class was bringing in a song for Black History Month, at the suggestion of the volunteer coordinator. We sang Follow the Drinking Gourd and I researched and spoke a bit about its meaning in relation to the Underground Railroad, as well as why we celebrate Black History Month. Other favourites were Sleeping Bunnies (they request it every week!) and singing about different zoo animals in Going to the Zoo.

On Our Feet

This was a great session at the Plaza, with a good amount of engagement from the grown-ups. I find that the more I can get the group on their feet, the more the parents engage with the directions of the songs as they try to get the kids to organize themselves in a circle and move around the room. Elephants Marching was particularly good for that this week. Though it took a bit of time to get everybody back in a circle on the carpet, we still had time for a serious jam. The kids love bringing out the instruments so much that I don’t even have to help them anymore!