Week of May 25th, 2015

FUN WITH WINDCHIMES!

We really enjoyed having fun with wind chimes today in music class!

I  made a string of wind chimes using plastic boomwhackers, metal xylo-tubes, small wind chimes and bamboo wind chimes! We hung up the strip in the toddler classroom for the infants and on the playground for the twos and toddlers. It was fun to explore the different tones by hitting them gently with wooden rhythm sticks, and we were even able to play a tune or two!

Due to the holiday weekend, classes normally held on Monday (three's and four's music) will be moved to Wednesday morning. We are looking forward to learning all about chimes together in the dome play yard. Make sure to check out the extender questions below so you can "chime" in on your child's musical learning! =)

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD

1.) What instrument hangs outside and makes noise when the wind blows? A wind chime!

2) What types of wind chimes did you see in music class? Plastic, metal, wooden

3) Did you use a tool to make noise with the wind chimes? Wooden rhythm sticks!

Week of may 18th, 2015

Grandma’s Feather Bed!

We got some energy out this week in music class while listening to a classic favorite by John Denver—“Grandma’s Feather Bed!” The kids learned that John Denver was a famous singer who played guitar and had round glasses (check out the video below to see them making pretend glasses with their fingers!). We also read the book “Grandma’s Feather Bed”, a book adapted and illustrated by Christopher Canyon! The children enjoyed the colorful illustrations, and they helped me with sound effects by “oinking” each time the lyric “…and the piggy we stole from the shed” popped up, as well as helping to repeat the phrase in unison: “Grandma’s Feather Bed!”.

We then had a blast by pretending to jump on the “bed”, or stacked mats from the rec room, along with partner dancing. There were plenty of giggles and lots of tired munchkins after our activity!

Don’t miss out on the cute video below and make sure to ask your child about the extender questions. Have a wonderful week!

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD

1) What kind of animal did they steal from the shed in “Grandma’s Feather Bed?” A piggy!

2) Do you remember what John Denver wore on his face? Round glasses

3) Did you jump on the pretend feather bed? Can you show me how?

Week of May 11th, 2015

“Ding for Spring!”

This week in music class, we practiced our listening skills. Using the book, Wake Up, It’s Spring! by Lisa Campbell Ernst, we listened for every time the word “spring” was mentioned. 

We attempted to ring our deskbells and resonator bars each time we heard it! Listening was tough, but so was using self-restraint to press the bell only once! In fact, for this age, it’s darn near impossible to resist the urge to bang away with the mallet, haha! Still, we gave it our best shot. We also practiced playing together to a count, and clapping our hands when we hear auditory cues!

Our younger students also enjoyed the butterfly song (see the cute video of the infants below to hear the song and see their reaction) and all of the students had a great time doing the “Kitty Hokey Pokey” where we put our paws, whiskers and tails in, and wiggled them all about. =

See the extender questions below to keep the musical conversation going at home with your child!

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD

1) What word did you listen for in music class? Spring!

2) Did you play a deskbell, or a resonator bar?

3) What animal did you pretend to be during the hokey pokey? A kitty!