Little Green Frog

It's always wonderful to watch the kids that regularly attend Rainbow Songs Foundation classes grow and learn. This week one of our regulars showed off her impeccable skill at sticking out her tongue during the song Little Green Frog. This is a group favourite (in fact, one of the Jessie's Centre staff members says she sings it all the time with her grandson, too!), so we sing it almost every week. And now it's not just the grown-ups sticking out our tongues at the right time – our little ones are catching on (and making the grown-ups laugh with delight!)

Hurry, Hurry!

What a gorgeous day, outside and in! Another big turn out today meant lots of singing and fun. After all those Halloween songs last week, it was easy for the kids and grown-ups to sing along as we went back to the familiar classics, like Baby Shark and Wheels on the Bus. The instrument of the week was the small chime bars, and everyone got the chance to play them for the "ding-ding-ding-ding-ding" during Hurry, Hurry Drive the Firetruck. As always, jam time was a slam dunk for all.

Sticky Sticky Bubble-fun!!!

This week's class at Robertson House was even more impressive than the last. With a couple new recruits joining us, the kids who had been to previous classes set a great example by singing and doing the actions loud and proud! I was so impressed with this week's rendition of Sticky Sticky Bubble Gum. The kids seem to have a great sense of rhythm and never hesitate to get up and dance. It fills me with joy to see them moving to the music! I look forward to more great classes as we enter the latter half of the session!

Little Spooky, Little Silly!

Last week's class at Gooch was a Halloween hoot! I was dressed as a construction worker and was joined by all sorts of witches and other silly characters. We had so much fun stirring up our witches stew and throwing all sorts of ingredients in! The kids also enjoyed a special Halloween version of Roly Poly, which ended with a big, scary "BOO!" I wish every week were Halloween!

Dynamic Dazzlers

Yesterday's class at Robertson House was a dazzle to the eyes. The kids were so engaged with the music right off the top of the class. They did a great job of playing along with certain dynamics during songs (i.e. switching between soft and loud). They also had a great time trying to count 8 beats in time, first really slow, then really fast. I was so impressed with the focus. I'm looking forward to more great classes!

Ten Little Pumpkins

We were back up to our usual big, exciting class size today at Birkdale, with 10 children joining in to sing all about Halloween. We sang all of my favourite Halloween songs, including The Very Scary Spider, I'm Dressing Up For Halloween, and Five Little Pumpkins. Funny sounds and funny faces got lots of laughs. Our instrument of the week was the Cabasa, which we passed around and played as the "ch-ch-ch-ch" sound in Brush Your Teeth (an important part of every child's candy-filled Halloween!) Everyone called on The Ghostbusters during jam time, and a super fun time was had by all.

Shake It All About!

Last week's class at the Gooch Family Drop-In Centre was a blast! It featured the Steel Pan Drum as the instrument of the week, and a lively version of The Hokey Pokey, which was enjoyed by kids and parents alike. It was great to see the children and parents getting silly together when doing The Hokey Pokey and shaking it all about! It was a great turnout, and the children seem to be more and more responsive to the class as the weeks go on.

I'm in the Mood

We were all in the mood for singing as we gathered together at North York Women's Shelter! A couple kids came in, saw me, and immediately started signing the Hello Song. It's wonderful to work with a group of children who have so much enthusiasm! One of our jam songs was I'm in the Mood for Singing, and we replaced singing with shaking, banging and playing so that we could shake tambourines, maracas and bells, bang on our drums and play all our instruments together. We also jammed to The Alphabet Song, by request!

Getting Set for Halloween!

I was greeted by some very ghoulish decorations at Jessie's Centre today! They have put up spider webs, purple lights, ghosts and skeletons, and some really spooky artwork! So, of course we had to make sure to sing some Halloween songs in preparation for next week. We got out our witch hats for I'm Getting Dressed for Halloween, our pumpkin fingers for 5 Little Pumpkins and our spiders for Itsy Bitsy Spider. There was some great howling today! The kids are definitely ready for October 31!

Rain and Parades!

This week's class at Robertson House was full of rambunctious fun and peaceful reprieves. With a smaller group than previous weeks, it was much easier to keep the attention of the room. The kids and parents seemed to really love the instrument of the week, the Rain Stick. I was very impressed at how well they shared and passed it around the room. The movement songs also went over really well – it seems like we're getting much better at making circles and parading around the room! Looking forward to more great classes.