Our Time Spring 2012

WCF Symphony Conductor, Jason Weinberger and son Ben bond in their hoop. 

Hello, Our Time Families!
We are well underway with our Spring unit, "Away We Go"---all about things that GO GO GO!  We have been trains, horses, and cars!  What's next?  Stay Tuned!  :)

BALL PLAY
The opening of every class starts with ball play.  Creating routines really helps toddlers know what to expect and aid in transitions.  These kids know they come in and take shoes off---then BALLS!  Yippee!  When the balls go away, we sing hello!  All these opening routines help your little one to succeed in class.

I didn't take any pictures, but usually after the Hello song, we do a lap poem.  So far, we have done "This is a Choo Choo Train" and "Giddy Up Horsey".  I am sure you do not need visual aides to remember what to do!  Here are the words:

This is a choo choo train

Puffing down the track!

Now its going forward

Now its going back!

Now the bell is ringing

Now the whistle blows!

What a lot of noise it makes, 

Everywhere it goes!

Giddy up, Horsey!

Giddy up, Horsey!

Giddy up, Horsey, GO GO GO!

Giddy up, Horsey!

Giddy up, Horsey!

Giddy up, Horsey,WHOA!!!!!

(Then repeat with Giddy-Down Horsey, and Giddy-Whoops Horsey!)

EGGS

The egg shakers have been great for making the chugga-chugga sound of the train on the tracks.  They are great for hearing and FEELING the beat of the music!

 

LISTENING and DOING

Some classes have been doing an activity where we listen for an instrument cue and then play that same instrument.  Think of all those neurons firing---listening, matching, finding, playing!  It is awesome to see those minds at work!  Here the kids have made an "instrument house", which is just an organized placement of instruments so that they can find the correct sound/instrument more efficiently.

HOOPS

"Alabama Gal" gave us a fun song to work on maneuvering the hoops---jumping in and out, going round and round, crawling through quickly, slowly, and then in a big tunnel! 

 

RIBBONS!

Creative movement is so important for little ones.  Using the ribbons really gets them moving!  They love to see how their movement makes the ribbons swish, float, and wiggle through the air!

SHINY DINAH

"Choo Choo!  Choo Choo!  Dinah, Dinah, Dinah, Dinah!  Shoo Shoo Shoo Shoo!  Shin-a, Shin-a, Shin-a!"   Is that phrase stuck in your head?  Mine too!  Those repetitive phrases are so good for your child's early literacy development.  Not only do they give the child a repetitive phrase to memorize and read along with you, but it also teaches inflection and prediction. 

RHYTHM STICKS

Tapping along to the beat is helping our little ones to establish STEADY BEAT, the underlying pulse of the song. 

SLEDS

Another way to feel the beat is by doing pathways in the sleds---smooth, bumpy, zig-zag, and circling.  By bumping along to the beat, they can feel the rhythm of the song!  Here we pretended we were going on a trip---"This little car is going on a trip!  Trip, trip, trip-trip-trip!"  Then we altered our pathways making for a fun ride!

 

JINGLE JINGLE JINGLE

A favorite little ditty is the Car Keys Song!  This is a fun little hide and find game that seems to be a "hit" every time this unit comes around!  Keep playing this at home---the repetition is great for kids and they just never get tired of it!!  Take turns hiding and finding!  :)

BUBBLES

Routine IN and Routine OUT!  Our end of class routine is triggered by the beloved BUBBLES!  This, combined with the goodbye song and the music note stamp tells us class is all done---Until next week!  :)

Village Spring 2012

A Dance Between Hadley and Daddy....Too Sweet.

Hello, Village Families!

It has been a great start to the semester with all our little ones!  This first part of the semester, we have been doing the unit "Cock a Doodle Moo!", a unit about the early American farm!  We hope you have enjoyed hopping like a chick, galloping like a horse and rolling like a pig! We have also been moving to audio cues---eggs=twist, bells=swoop, sticks=march.  So many ways to move!

 

BALL PLAY

We have also loved ball play!  So much is learned through reciprocal ball play--- near and far, hand-eye coordination, cause and effect, visual tracking, turn taking.....and more!

MAKING MUSIC

Making music is so much fun---especially when babies can hear and feel the beat.  Egg shakers are perfect for this---just the right size, weight, and volume.  These little ones really get their groove on when they get a pair of eggs in their hands! 

FEELING THE BEAT

Feeling the beat on the big bouncy balls is so much fun.  We can rock and sway (stimulating the vestibular system) to the beat, or bounce right along to the rhythm.  Here we are pretending to ride a horse!

PEEK A BOO!  I LOVE YOU!

Scarves are such a magical little object to the baby---lightweight, somewhat see through, colorful--the works!  We like to use scarves for peek-a-boo play (great for cause and effect AND for object permanence), swishing, floating, and visual tracking of high and low sounds. 

BABY YOGA/EXERCISE

Yoga provides so many benefits for baby!  Increased circulation, digestion, and muscle memory are just a few of the benefits!  Even though they sometimes want to squirm away, it is good to try to fit in a few minutes here and there.  First thing in the morning or during a diaper change can be a good time to do a few little exercises!

The Guppy--Great for opening up the lungs and clearing lung congestion!

The Roller Coaster--Great for gas and easing digestion

The Headstand!

Stretching!

BUBBLE TIME!

The end of class is a special time to build routine.  Bubbles are filled with benefits---from visual tracking to cause and effect!  And let's face it---they are just plain fun.