Animal Week Fun!

We celebrated Animal Week at Birkdale today with tons of animals, big and small. I was dressed as a raccoon for the occasion, and the kids were most excited by my striped tail! We said “Hello” to Mrs. Turtle, a turtle puppet with a very funny voice, with the song Turtle in My Shell. We then found our elephant wrinkles all over our bodies and said hello to the entire frog family with the Thai Wooden Frogs, which were the instrument of the week. With that, we all got the chance to "La-di-da-di-da" with Little Green Frog. An animal themed jam and parachute capped the theme week off nicely.

Rain or Shine

Last week's class at Robertson House went very well. The class had a great turnout from parents and kids, and two staff members were on hand to help out, rather than the usual one. The kids loved the sounds and feeling of the rainstick. As the stick was passed around the circle, I was very impressed with the patience the kids showed and how quickly they got the hang of slowly tilting it to make the rain sound. I was also so happy to see kids sharing instruments during the jam. It was overall a great class and I look forward to the remaining classes.

Chanting and Dancing

This week's class at Robertson House was a great success. The moms were so involved and seemed to be enjoying themselves a lot. The kids had such a fun time "standing up, turning around and dancing" for our rendition of What Are You Wearing? The class had a nice peaceful moment as we sat playing the Tibetan singing bowl and performed the infamous Buddhist chant "Om Mani Padme Hum." The kids were very keen on trying the singing bowl for themselves, and the moms were mesmerized by its mysterious sound. I look forward to more great classes!

Getting Ready for Animal Week!

We probably could have sung Little Green Frog a hundred more times at Birkdale, since all the kids and grown-ups were so into it! The receptionist told me many folks could hear our "Ladi-da-dee-da's" from their offices, and it made many smile. We also prepared for Animal Week with Elephants have Wrinkles and The Lion Sleeps Tonight. Instrument of the week was the Tambourine, which lots of kids and grown-ups were able to master. There was a buzz of excitement in the air as we gave the giant stretchy band all we had. All are looking forward to Animal Week!

The Sun Came Out to Play!

It was a sunny, lovely day both outside and in at Birkdale today. Lots of familiar faces came together to sing and play. In the song Snowflake, Snowflake, we sang about the sun melting all of the snow, as well as the very cold spider in Itsy Bitsy. We also learned a fun new rhythm that we played all together with the instrument of the week, the Tarbouka/Doombek. Jam and parachute time were super fun as always!

Stop... and Go!

Today's class at Robertson had a great turnout, and we were lucky enough to have some newcomers join us. Participants new and old were not shy to jump in and sing right from the start. The group's energy was very high, which made the movement pieces extra fun – especially stopping and starting for I Have A Little Bicycle. We finished, as we did last week, with a lullaby followed by the Goodbyesong. This was a nice way to end and gave the parents a nice quiet moment with the kids. Looking forward to more great classes!

Busy Centre!

Today was a bustling day at Jessie's! We had a number of children and mothers join us – some right from the start and some joining as they arrived during the class. It was particularly lovely for me to see one mom and her son who I hadn't seen since the spring of 2015! It's always awesome to see the babies grow and to see that the moms – even when they haven't been around in a while – still remember the words to most of the songs.

Sweet Dreams

Today's class at Robertson House was a true joy to teach. The kids and parents had such positive energy and were more engaged than ever. One highlight from the class was the impromptu lullaby right before we sang the goodbye song. Parents and kids each found a spot to lay down on the mats while we softly sang Hush Little Rooster. We even stayed laying down as we sang the Goodbye song. The vibe was just right, and the group really seemed to enjoy themselves. Looking forward to more classes!

Welcome Back, Birkdale!

Fabulous first class back at Birkdale for the Winter 2016 Session! Agency staff, parents, caregivers, and children alike were excited to see me back – and the feeling was mutual! We successfully harnessed all of that positive energy into singing, dancing, playing and lots of laughs for the first class. We had an amazing turnout as we sang some classics like Roly Poly, I Wake Up My Hands, and Zoom, Zoom, Zoom. Instruments of the week were maracas and marachitas, with which we sang Shake it Baby and Shake Your Sillies Out. Special guest, Rainbow Songs Foundation’s Programs Chair Sherry, paid us a visit and sang along with us wonderfully. We were so pleased to have Sherry there!

Shake It Round and Round!

The winter session at Robertson House has officially begun! We had a great turnout for our first class with some returning and some new faces. After singing through some familiar favourites such as Sticky Sticky Bubble Gum and Johnny Works With One Hammer, we brought out the very popular maracas. I was so impressed with how well the kids followed along while I was playing some simple rhythms. They also had a lot of fun shaking along to Shake It Baby Shake It. I look forward to a great session at Robertson House!