What is on your plate?

This is a great way to teach kids of all ages about different foods. The song can also be used to teach children about world wide dishes. Regardless as to whether the kids call out the foods that they know or are learning about foods from different cultures, they are using their verbal and cognitive skills to play the game and sing the song. Once they get the hang of it, they love hollering out their favourite foods.

Two four six eight, Tell me what is on your plate!

Spaghetti!!!

Even the smallest kids will attempt to pronounce that word.

Here is a sample of the song Jelly, Jelly in my Belly

Maria

Tags: Cognitive Skills, Different Cultures, Different Foods, Jelly Jelly

Feel the beat

Kids have an intrinsic feel for the beat of most music. To start off the very little ones, ages 18 months to 3 years, hand out percussion instruments such as wood blocks, maracas, drums, jingle bells, tambourines, etc. Show them the beat by playing a 4/4 bar.

1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4. Sing a familiar song such as “The Ants Go Marching”, “The Grand Old Duke of York” or “Itsy Bitsy Spider”, playing the beat on a drum to show them how it should sound. They will learn visually as well by watching you play. After they can play a steady beat they may enjoy marching to a couple of these songs. Their hands and feet go together, 1, 2, 3, 4, as body movement is an extra aid to the memory process.

Check out my sample of “Six Little Ducks” which is also a great one for keeping a steady beat.

Maria

Tags: Percussion Instruments

Two-year-old fun!

While handing out percussion instruments with my two-year-old class a few weeks ago, I wondered if they would be able to play the rhythm to “I Am A Fine Musician”. It goes like this.

Ta, ta, ti-ti ta.  Ta, ta, ti-ti ta.

The ta(s) are twice as long as the ti-ti(s). I asked each child to come up to the front with me for help with the rhythm. As the children came up one by one, I noticed the other kids were practicing the rhythm on their instruments by themselves.  Who would have thought? They did not consider it practicing, of course, I imagine they just got the rhythm in their head as other children were being helped. Although this technique may not work with every group of two-year-olds due to size of class, level of gross motor development, etc., it is certainly worth a try and can work in many situations. They love coming up to the front of the class, allowing the teacher to take their hand to show them the rhythm.

This hands-on activity acts as a learning aid as it is an extra aid to the memory process (Muscle memory). We use muscle memory in our everyday lives without even thinking when we brush our teeth, drive a car, throw a ball, ride a bike, go bowling, and so on. Even our speech has everything to do with muscle memory. You don’t think about forming each word, the words just come naturally if the language is your native tongue. It is said that it takes the brain 740 repetitions to learn an activity almost perfectly.

Maria

Tags: Gross Motor Development, Muscle Memory, Percussion Instruments, Repetitions, Rhythm, Two Year Olds

Poem contest winners

Time has come to reveal the name of the winners of our poem contest that was announced on January 15, 2010. There are 4 winners. Although their name and poem are given in a sequence below, all poems are equal winners. They are all number 1.

You’re my crazy valentine

It’s a sunny day

You thought you had a talking teddy

You’re my crazy valentine

Go to school little boy

You are at school, stay at school today

by Hayden Berry

Valentine oh valentine

You go to valentine

Why do you have long long hair

You’re sitting on a chair

Daddy you take me to school today

You are at school, stay there today

by Julia Berry

Oh my little valentine

you are sweet and you are kind

and there is no need to wonder

we will be best friends forever

bright as bright our friendship shines

will you be my valentine

by Zorian & Xara Alley

We can make patterns of hearts,

Cupid will you shoot your dart,

You are mine mine mine mine mine,

Will you be my Valentine,

I love you and you love me,

Pinky pinky little heart.

by the Play to Learn Preschool

Congratulations to Hayden, Julia, Zorian & Xara and the Play to Learn Preschool. They will be sent a CD of the Do Re Me and Maria collection at home. All other participants will receive an email with a link to the downloadable song “My Valentine”.

Thank you all for having participated to this poem contest.

Maria

Tags: Contest Winners, Crazy Valentine, Little Valentine, Poem Contest, Will You Be My Valentine

Beethoven

Beethoven has always been one of my favourites as one of the great composers. He crossed over the classical period into the Romantic era with his compositions and for that reason, among others, he is seen to be quite versatile. I love to introduce the kids to Beethoven’s music via Beethoven Lives Upstairs, which has Ludwig van Beethoven moving upstairs in the house of a bereaved boy, Christoph, and turns his life upside down.

Christoph has just lost his father and is in no mood for the tail-spin his house has been thrown into by this mad composer. Initially he resents their new eccentric tenant, Mr. Beethoven, but slowly he comes to understand and admire the genius of the man, the torment of his deafness and the beauty of his music. In the end, he is won over by the music and true incidents from the great composer’s life.

What kids will learn:

Biography, introduction to classical music, grieving, responsibility and caring, learning about disabilities, and recognizing one’s Talent through it all!

Bio

“Ludwig van Beethoven was baptised on December 17th 1770 at Bonn. His family originated from Brabant, in Belgium. His father was musician at the Court of Bonn, with a definite weakness for drink. His mother was always described as a gentle, retiring woman, with a warm heart. Beethoven referred to her as his “best friend”.”

For more on Beethoven’s bio, click here.

Here’s the Moonlight Sonata from Beethoven Lives Upstairs for your listening pleasure.

Beethoven composed this Sonata in 1801 and dedicated it to his pupil, Countess Giulietta Guicciardi. Shortly after their first few lessons, the two fell in love. After dedicating the Moonlight Sonata to her, it is believed that Beethoven gave his proposal of marriage. Although she was willing to accept Beethoven’s proposal, one of her parents forbade the marriage, probably due to Beethoven’s rank in life and temperament, and it did not come to pass.

Strangely enough, the original title of the sonata was not “The Moonlight Sonata”. It was “Quasi una fantasia” (almost a fantasy). The popular title of Moonlight Sonata actually did not come about until a few years after Beethoven’s death. In 1836, German music critic, Ludwig Rellstab wrote that the sonata put him in mind of the reflected moonlight off Lake Lucerne. Since then, Moonlight Sonata has remained the “official” unofficial title of the sonata.

Maria

Tags: Beethoven Biography, Beethoven Lives Upstairs, Beethoven Music, Moonlight Sonata