We had tons of fun singing about animals this evening for Animal Week! There was a lot of action on Old McDonald's farm, and we were put to work with Who Fed Chickens. The sleeping bunnies woke up in time for Elephants Have Wrinkles, and to play with the wooden frog, our instrument of the week. It was so much fun that I had one boy come up to me at the end of class saying, "Listen to me - doo doo doo-doo daddy shark..doo-doo-doo. I love that song!" So do I :)
I was greeted with excitement and hugs this evening as I set up for class at Robertson House. A brother and sister were returning with their mom and couldn't wait to sing! Class was full of smiles and giggles all around, and there were a couple new moms that joined too. Drums were the instrument of the week, and everyone did an awesome job jamming out to Somebody's Knockin' At My Door.
Another fun class at Robertson House this evening! There were a couple new moms and a group of returning moms. I began class with Roly Poly, to review opposites, and had a little boy sitting front row centre as I led the song. He applauded me as I sang "up, up, up" and slapped the floor after "down, down, down". I was glad there was such a strong Roly Poly enthusiast in the class! We then took a journey with The Fire Truck Song and The Wheels on the Bus. We ended up at Old McDonald's farm and saw a bunch of animals there. I did tambourines for the instrument of the week; the moms picked them up quickly and were rockin' away for Down in the Valley. We ended class with the parachute and, as always, the children had a blast lying underneath the canopy of colours. Can't wait to go back next week!
We had a fun start to the winter session at Robertson House this evening. It was nice to hear moms exclaiming they were excited I was back, as I passed them in the hall. The class tonight was a mix of returning and new participants. Some of the songs we sang were: Roly Poly, Hands Together Hands Apart, Sticky Bubblegum, Bath Time and Sleeping Bunnies. The maracas were the instrument of the week, and everyone did an excellent job of shaking them. Class was moved to the front part of the family planning center for this session and the door was kept open. This allowed moms to hear the program as they walked by – a great advertising tactic! A few got wooed in by our voices and they stayed for the whole class. Everyone had a lot of fun today and it was a strong start to 2015 at Robertson House. I'm looking forward to the rest of the session!
The last week of the fall session. Always a sad time as you know that you won’t be seeing some of the residents again. And that’s particularly true when you have seven children and three adults come out for the first time, and really enjoy themselves. And there were three adults and four children who were making repeat appearances. There were a lot of song ideas, it being Request Week. Actually, there were a lot of requests about animals. Old McDonald and Listen to the Water were satisfactory responses to those ideas, as well as Allouette, BINGO, and Six Little Ducks. To fit in with the holiday season, we shook the body bells and sang Jingle Bells. Then the kids had the fun of receiving their certificates and goody bags. A fine way to end the session.
It was a small group of only three children today. That didn’t deter us from having fun as we sang If You’re Happy and You Know It, Alice the Camel, The ABC Medley, Mama Don’ Allow, and When the Kids Go Marchin’ In. And, since everything sounds better with a cowbell, we rang that as the instrument of the week.
This evening’s class was great! There was a true celebratory feel. Moms were excited to be back and had their requests ready. We sang The Little Green Frog, Old McDonald, BINGO, Sticky Sticky Bubble Gum, and even some Jingle Bells. I brought the Chinese gong for the instrument of the week, and everyone loved it. The older children were really good at hitting the gong strong and loud! For the jam we sang two requests – De-oh and Three Little Birds – and all the moms were singing so loudly I barely had to lead them! There was truly a light and happy feeling as everyone sang in unison. It was great having Jo come visit to participate and help with handing out certificates and the donated gifts to the moms. I was happy to hear Candice tell me after class that she already had a bunch of requests from moms to get their certificates laminated. They were very proud, as they should be! It's been a wonderful session at Robertson House this fall, and I'm excited to return in the new year!
There was one adult and 11 children, only one of whom was new, in attendance today. The enthusiastic group sang Clap Your Hands, Now Sing 1, 2, 3, Funga Alafia, Sunday Monday, Corner Grocery Store, Apples and Bananas, and What Are You Wearing? We combined some geometry with our singing by clanging on the triangle as the instrument of the week.
It was the last class at Gooch today, and boy did we have a long list of requests to make our way through! One of the moms made the comment that we should just start at the beginning of the Rainbow Songs Foundation CD, and I agreed that it was a GREAT IDEA! I started at the beginning and sang song after song. We also tossed in some favourites from Halloween Week, as well as Five Little Pumpkins and I Shut The Door. We had some extra jam time today as well, playing through a couple of my own favourite tunes (Rockin' Robin, Stand By Me, and Twist And Shout).
Some of the little ones had to leave before the Goodbye Song, but most were able to stay to receive their certificates, along with a hug and a high five. I chatted with a couple of the moms and they seemed very grateful for the RSF experience, and gladly filled out some evaluation forms.
As always, I was sad to say goodbye to my friends, but happy to bring some music into their lives. I hope to return to Gooch one day, where the staff and families have been so good to me!
Class was surprisingly quiet at Robertson House this evening. At the beginning of class only one mom had made it, with her two month old, but by the time we were done singing Hello, two other moms had shown up – one with a newborn and one who is currently expecting. I took this opportunity to cover some material more suited to babies, as I don't play this material much because of the wide age range of the children that usually come to class. The moms seemed to really enjoy it and I think it will be useful for them. The moms especially enjoyed doing the dance for All Around the Kitchen, and it rocked the two newborns to sleep. They were then awoken by the tingsha bells which were the instrument of the week. It was quite an interesting turn of events! At the end of the jam, another mom had shown up with her toddler to catch the tail end of class.
It was a fun, intimate class, however, I'm hoping more moms and children show up next week as it is the last class of the session. There are quite a few moms who have been coming regularly each week and I really want them to receive their certificates. Here's hoping!
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