Group Hug!

We had a smaller crowd this week, but just as much fun. There were 11 children and six adults singing and clapping this week. While it's nice to have newcomers - five - it's worth noting that two children and one adult have been there all four weeks. Songs this week includedSticky Bubblegum, Two Little Blackbirds, Alice the Camel, and What are You Wearing? We also did some marching to Mama Don' Allow- with the appropriate warning issued - and Oh When the Kids. Everyone was fascinated by the Rainstick, our Instrument of the Week, and rocked in the jam session, which included Jamaica Farewell. The Good-bye song was done with several kids in my lap. It was easier for them to do the 'mob' hug at the end.

Dazzling at Massey!

This week we learned some Halloween songs to prepare for a spooktacular Halloween class next week. We sang about pumpkins and very scary spiders before leaving Halloween behind...until next week! There were several new participants, so those who already knew the songs sang extra enthusiastically, and those who just joined learned as we went along. We did songs with a lot of actions as well as some lap rides, which are always a favourite of the babies, though tiring for the moms as the babies grow! All the babies loved the parachute as the colours and motion dazzled them.

Hallowe'en is in the Air

Blog Highlights: All the children were very excited to learn some new Halloween songs. We started off doing some finger counting songs before launching into Five Little Pumpkins". Next we sang one of my favourites, I'm Dressing up for Halloween, complete with loud and energetic howling. Nothing like 18 children howling away at the same time. We also sang the game song, I'm a Little Witch. The children absolutely loved adding their own special ingredients in to the stew and stirring it up with a big wooden spoon. After the Halloween portion of class was over, I took the children on a trip to Jamaica. We did a series of transportation songs before landing on the Caribbean island singing Baby Shark andJamaica Farewell.

Giggles and Ribbits

Our group was a little bigger this week than last which made singing together all the more merry! We kept up with our songs that involve sign language, like the Hello Song, the Rooster Song and Clean-O. Our Instrument of the Week was a big hit with our three differently-sized frogs. I'm glad others enjoy the frogs because they are definitely my absolute favourite instruments to play with at Rainbow SongsFoundation! We did the song Little Green Frog, and giggled as we stuck our tongues out and sang our "la di da di da."

Worth It at Robertson House!

Unfortunately we started class a tad bit late this week due to low attendance but we were able to round up some families to sing and got to work!

I reviewed some Halloween Week material (I Shut The Door, Pumpkin Pumpkin, Five Little Pumpkins, and I'm Dressing Up For Halloween). I also taught them a funny version of The Itsy Bitsy Spider that is sung in the voice of Count Dracula, The Very Scary Spider.We then sang some animals songs together, Listen To The Water, Little Green Frog, Baby Shark, Six Little Ducks, and Elephants Marching.

At this point in time we had several people going in and out of the class so I tried to keep things focused by Rolling the Ball, which helped slightly, but ultimately decided that jamming would be a better way of getting the group to sing together, rather than bringing out theinstrument of the week. We sang Stand By Me, Three Little Birds and I Feel Good. Luckily my plan worked and by the end all the moms were singing and dancing! Whew! Sometimes it can be a lot of work to get them there but it’s always worth it in the end.

Small and Mighty at Massey

We had fun singing songs we had already learned, as well as some new ones. It is great seeing how well the participants (and in some cases the young baby!) remembered the songs we had done before. Even though they are sometimes shy to sing, the actions give them a way to participate as they gain more confidence in singing. The baby we had with us loves lap rides and being lifted into the air, so we concluded several animal songs with some animal lap rides and chances to fly! Using the chime bars, the participants jammed along with new songs as well as familiar songs using patterns they had been taught or their own rhythmic ideas. This was a great introduction to playing pitched musical instruments as a group.

Birkdale Dog Pile!

Well, no hugs today, even though the kids were happy to see me. And they must have been telling their friends, because by the end of the class there were 26 parents and children there. It made for a delightfully crowded rug as 17 of them were children. Of that group, 10 had been once before, and three had been all three weeks. There were also five parents who were back for their second week, and one who had attended all three classes.

The singing was again very spirited as BINGO, Allouette, Mama Don' Allow (with appropriate warnings), Corner Grocery Store, and Sleeping Bunnies had the room ringing. Parents and children enjoyed getting the Cabasa to makes its "ch-ch-ch-ch" sound.

 With the kids having enjoyed themselves so much, I figured I'd be in for lots of "high-fives".  WRONG.  Instead I got buried by a massive group hug.

First Day Back at Jessie's

I had a very warm welcome back to Jessie's Centre today after a lengthy hiatus over the summer. It was wonderful to see the staff at Jessie's again and hear their excitement for Rainbow Songs Foundation! We also have a whole new group of young women and babies and toddlers to get to know! We spent some time this week going over songs with sign language so that the moms and babies can start using sign language in their everyday lives. It was a great start to what is certain to be a great fall!

New songs at Robertson House

It was a busy week at Roberton House as I began preparing the class for a special theme week known as Halloween Week.

With a small, yet active, group of participants we set off learning some new songs: I Shut the Door, Pumpkin Pumpkin, Five Little Pumpkins, and I'm Dressing Up For Halloween. We were also able to review some familiar tunes: Roly Poly, I Wake Up My Hands, Horsey Horsey, Old MacDonald and The Itsy Bitsy Spider. I also made sure to give everyone a chance Rolling the Ball, hoping that it would encourage the little ones to share with one another.

When I brought out the instrument bag I made sure to review all the rules and also went over how to play the Clave Sticks as ourinstrument of the week. We sang All De' Children Like Bananas, singing a verse to each child which always creates a special moment. I also sang to the grownups as this is a great way for them to feel comfortable. We finished with Stand By Me, which is a great song that encourages participation as many people know most, if not all, the words. We ended with the parachute and one mom exclaimed, "I remember doing this when I was a little girl!" It was nice to hear that she could have a child-like moment once more and bond with her little one at the same time.

Brand New Faces at Robertson!

What an amazing class at Robertson House today! Lots of brand new faces who seemed excited about taking their "first" music class with RSF.

After the Hello Song, I decided to teach a couple of tunes to the group to get us in the spirit for Halloween Week. I Shut The Door, Pumpkin Pumpkin, and Five Little Pumpkins are some of my favourites, and although doing three new songs back-to-back is a bit risky I was able to keep the group completely engaged and praised the grownups for their participation. I also made sure to teach them some songs off of the RSF CD and corresponding lyric sheet (I Wake Up My Hands, Sticky Sticky Bubblegum, If You're Happy and You Know It, Wheels on the Bus, Row, Row, Row Your Boat, and Zoom Zoom Zoom). 

For the instrument of the week I demonstrated how to play the Clave Sticks while singing along to All De' Nations Like Bananas. To get to know the children's names a bit better I changed the lyrics to All The Children/Grownups Like Bananas, and many people seemed to like having their name sung aloud.

Jamming with a new group of people for the first time is always a cool experience. Sometimes people are shy while other times they surprise you with their excitement and energy. I led them through I Feel Good and Three Little Birds, and luckily these song choices seemed to compliment the group nicely as they sung loud and clear!

Overall it was a great "start" to the session with a great group of families, and I hope to keep the momentum going next week!