Rainy Day Rainbow Songs

Though the weather was mucky this week, the kids were so excited for the return of RSF that they quite literally screamed at the top of their lungs when I arrived. What a wonderful welcome! The kids were extraordinarily jumpy and hyperactive this week, so there were lots of moving songs, including a great version of Elephants Marching, where all the kids held hands around the circle. Instead of a big jam session this week, I decided to pass one drum around the room, to start off the session with sharing the instruments. It went quite well, and I think it will set a good precedent for upcoming weeks. Unfortunately, no parents showed up this time, but I spoke with the shelter supervisor who said she would stress the importance of parental attendance for next week.

Reunited and It Feels So Good!

Today was our first session of the new year, and it was wonderful to see friends, both old and new! We got right down to business, moving our bodies in all kinds of ways, with some friends showing off their spectacular dance moves. When I brought out a vibraslap to share with the group, everyone eagerly awaited their turn with this silly instrument – even the grownups!

Jingle Bells

Today, for our final class of the year, we sang a bunch of our favourite songs and got out the bells and did some jingling all the way! PIA wanted to have a little party for us, so we sang a bunch and then finished off by eating some goodies all together. It was a great ending to a great season.

Jingle Bells!

The kids were filled with hyperactive holiday spirit for our final class. We were re-located again to a room in the shelter library, which was so small that, unfortunately, many of the parents opted to sit out the class. However, the enthusiasm of the kids was in full force today, with some of them almost literally climbing on the walls. There were many requests, and we concluded with a big jam-time version of Jingle Bells. The kids were delighted with their end-of-session clappers and recorders, and went running around the shelter to show off their new instruments. Looking forward to another session in the new year!

A New Year, A Fresh New Start

It was nice to return to Birkdale after a long break. I had one returning mom and child, and the rest were brand new to the shelter and very excited to be there. We did a lot of dancing and movement as the children had lot of energy. We enjoyed singing Five Little Monkeys, Sleeping Bunnies, and Elephants Have Wrinkles.

Last Class!

We had a good turn out for the last class, and a new caregiver and child joined us. The kids were very excited about the end of term certificates of completion and the body bell gifts. We used the bells to do a special Jingle Bells jam session with the big bag of instruments.

New Joiners!

Today we had three new kids join us for our class! One was keen to get singing and dancing right from the get-go, but our other two got into the dancing, in particular, about half way through. It was a real movin' and groovin' class today, with kids who wanted to be dancing, hopping, or "swimming" the whole time!

Parachute Fun!

Today we had a small but mighty class. They were super excited about the instrument of the week (the Agogo from Brazil) and did a great job sharing the beanbag and special number of the week. But it was when we brought the parachute out that they truly came alive! I played different songs that spanned the 1970s-2000s to get the adults excited.

RSF in the Playroom

This week’s session was re-located to the playroom, which initially gave me misgivings (there were lots of toys and books that could potentially distract the kids), but it ended up being one of our best sessions yet. The kids were very focused and engaged, and the traffic-patterned carpet made for some great interactive versions of Wheels on the Bus, and I Have a Little Bicycle. Depending on how things go, I might suggest moving to this room for future sessions, as the additional space would make it more inviting for parents.

New Energy!

We had some new participants join the RSF class today, and it was really nice to have new energy in the group. One of the older kids had seriously good rhythm and the ability to pick up lyrics and melodies quickly. It was really fun to watch how excited he was to sing and dance with us.