STARTING THE YEAR WITH A SONG - AND CMN!

Ms. Brigid here, from Merit School of Music  in Chicago. Thank you for joining me.

Drum roll, please for two announcements:

1. For those in the Chicago area, the Children’s Music Network (CMN) is hosting a Regional Gathering at the Evanston Library this Saturday, August 22, at 1:30pm. Sanna Longden, internationally renowned folk dance expert and teacher, is the keynote, and both Susan Salidor (a Chicago treasure) and I are doing a brief presentation. We’ll end with a song-swap – always a treasure trove of delightful ideas, songs, books and movement activities to learn then share with your kiddos. Please come!

2. The annual Children’s Music Network Conference, is being held in Zion, Illinois, from October 16-18. This year’s theme is Open the Circle. Musicians, teachers, songwriters, librarians, families, and friends from all over the U.S. and Canada will come together to raise their voices in song, share resources, celebrate the life of Pete Seeger, and attend engaging and relevant workshops on the shores of Lake Michigan. Lots of special events are going to be offered, including nature walks, yoga, a barn dance, and more. If you’re new to CMN, we’ll even match you up with a “buddy” for instant connection! Come for the music – and stay for the laugher and fellowship. Connect on Facebook for more information. 

Sing, Sing a Song….

The summer is hurtling toward its end, and teachers everywhere are either back teaching already (!) or preparing their classrooms for the start of the new academic year. This week, I am attending the Teacher Institute for an early childhood center I teach at – a true pleasure. The visionary leadership and Reggio approach have touched my heart in profound ways, and the association with this special community has greatly contributed to my joy of teaching.

@ChildMusicNetwk

Today’s session touched upon mindfulness, and how the simple practice of purposefully identifying something to look forward to the next day can positively improve wellbeing. We were encouraged to close our eyes and think of a future event that would give us pleasure. When I closed my eyes, I “saw" a group of children singing together. I felt my whole body soften. My thoughts skipped to a recent William James quote, tweeted by the Children’s Music Network social media goddess, Alina Celeste. To wit: “I don’t sing because I’m happy. I’m happy because I sing.” Truth encapsulated in 11 words.

@ChildMusicNetwk

Music, especially singing, contributes to the delicate alchemy required to create a positive and engaging classroom environment – but where to start? With a hello song, of course! In this and next month’s post I’ll be sharing favorite songs to start your year off  happily and musically. All are classroom tested, kiddo approved – and two examples use words piggybacked onto melodies you already know!

Mary Wore Her Red Dress

I initially found Mary Wore Her Red Dress in Ruth Crawford Seeger’s American Folk Songs for Children. If you do not own a copy, run, do not walk, to your preferred bookseller and get one! In print continuously since 1948, the scope, sequence and developmental whys and hows are as fresh pertinent as any current early childhood research. I feel so strongly about the book that I requested my music school purchase a copy for every one of our early childhood and general music teachers – and they did! Thank you, Merit!

The melody of Mary Wore Her Red Dress is simple, but not simplistic. The lyrics are open-ended, and can be adapted to a host of purposes beyond singing hello. The end use is only limited by the imagination of the singers. Here’s the inimitable Pete Seeger singing the song. Here’s another version, with an unexpected twist:

The original lyrics:

Mary wore her red dress,

Red dress, red dress.

Mary wore her red dress,

All day long.

To turn the lyrics into a hello song, rock gently side to side on the beat while singing:

Hello to the children,

Children, children.

Hello to the children

This fine day.

Details: The first several times I meet with the children, we sing hello to everything in the room, the sun or trees or rain outside, and whatever body parts we want to acknowledge. The repetition makes it easy to introduce new vocabulary.

Once the kiddos are comfortable with the song, I introduce other languages, e.g., Hola to the children, Bonjour to the children, Shalom to the children, etc. I recommend that you sing the new greeting two or three sessions before moving on to another language.

Bonus: Mary Wore Her Red Dress is a great vehicle for gathering children for Storytime (Time for a story, story, story…). It’s even been made into a book!

Time to Say Hello! / Down By the Bay

Down By the Bay is a fun and engaging echo song – with lots of rhyming opportunities. I highly recommend the whimsical “Raffi Songs to Read” version.

At some point, years into singing the song, it occurred to me that the melody was the perfect vehicle for using different languages to say hello. Making language substitutions is easy, and the echoing makes the song immediately successful. Eventually your kiddos may sing both parts – with or without you, as has happened in some of my kindergarten classes…and isn’t that what we want, for our kiddos to delight in and take ownership of what we share with them?

Time to say ni hao* (kiddos echo)

Time to say joon san,

Konnichiwa

and guten tag,

Jambo and hola,

Hi and hello,

It’s time to sing –

And so let’s go!

*Bonjour (French), Dia dhuit (Irish), Pree viet (Russian), Bom dia (Portugese), Shalom (Hebrew), Merhaba (Turkish), Jambo (Swahili), Namaste (Hindi), O’siyo (Cherokee).

Pat the beat while singing the song. When the children are comfortable, sing the song while clapping the rhythm. Ask the children to echo. I use the term “rhythm hands.”

Thank you for reading. Next month will bring more songs – with movement elements. Until then, keep on singing, because as Ella Fitgerald says,...

@ChildMusicNetwk

Merit School of Music, Chicago

Call on Merit School of Music! Our onsite school is in the West Loop. We work in the schools throughout the area providing band, orchestra, percussion, choir, early childhood, and general music instruction with project based units including Recorder, Music and Storytelling and Songwriting. We do great work! YoYo Ma is a supporter!

Chicago Families

Please come to Merit’s Storytime sessions It’s free, fun, and facilitated by singers and storytellers Amy Lowe, Irica Baurer & Brigid Finucane. Stories and songs start at 11am, and we end with instrument exploration and family networking. The next session is August 24. Starting in September, Storytime is going to be offered once a month on the 2^nd Monday.

I am continually inspired by the Children’s Music Network (CMN) community. an international group of socially conscious musicians, educators, librarians, families, songwriters and good people, who “celebrate the positive power of music in the lives of children by sharing songs, exchanging ideas, and creating community.” Please visit CMN, and find a gathering in your region.

©2015 Brigid Finucane  * 847-213-0713 * gardengoddess1@comcast.net

http://prekandksharing.blogspot.com

@booksinger1

Blog History

July 2015. Transitions: Unsung Heroes of the Musical Classroom

June 2015. Summer Songs

May 2015.  Crescendo II! Chants & Games for Music Foundation

April 2015. Crescendo -And Sites to Sigh For: edWeb & CMN

March 2015. Piano and Forte! Songs and Books for Investigating Music Fundamentals

Feb.2015. Chinese New Year – Looking for Year of the Sheep & A Good Friend

Jan.2015. Multicultural Children’s Book Day - The Lions of Gir

Dec.2014. Singing a Storybook – Wintertime / A Winter’s Tale

Nov. 2014. Singing a Story – The Magic of Musical Books: Part II

Oct.2104. Singing a Story – The Magic of Musical Books: Part I

Sept. 2014. Educators Who Care, Share. Singers, Sites & Songs from the Heartland Part III: From the Midwest & Great Lakes Regions (Listening Locally)

Aug. 2014. Educators Who Care, Share. Singers, Sites & Songs – Part II: Midwest & Great Lakes (Listening Locally)          

July 2014. Educators Who Care, Share. Singers, Sites & Songs Part I: Midwest & Ontario (Listening Locally)

June 2014. Garden Lessons, Typographic Art Apps and Thank You Notes

May 2014. Spring! Songs, Chants & Apps to Welcome the Season

April 2014. Part II. Dancing, Singing & Drawing Legato and Staccato

March 2014. Part I. From “Hush Little Baby” to Yo-Yo Ma – Using Books, Apps and YouTube Videos to Introduce Legato and Staccato

Feb.2014. Pete Seeger – A Time to Thank

Jan.2014. Gung Hay Fat Choy! Stories, Books & Apps to Celebrate the Chinese New Year

Dec.2013. Singing Time! Embracing Appadiction

Back To School with Excitement - and MUSIC!

Miss Carole's back to school - in the 60's!

   “Back to school” – what do you think of first?  Miss Carole here, of Macaroni Soup!  I think of the new outfit my mom always sewed for the big day – in my end of Massachusetts it was the first Wednesday after Labor Day.  I was so excited to find out who my teacher would be for the year – we didn’t know until we lined up to go into the school building!  Would it be that “old, tough” lady?  Would it be someone new?  It was almost as exciting as Christmas morning!  Then it became less about the teacher, and more about seeing kids I hadn’t seen for three months, wondering if anyone would still like me, and seeing if there were “new kids” (read new cute boys!)  A new school year equaled excitement about the unknown.

    Can we still create that for the children we work with?  In many towns school begins in mid-August, or never ends in year-round schools.  I've seen children become a bit jaded about school at younger and younger ages .  I talked with a 2^nd grader recently who was not looking forward to returning to school.  Eight years old, and the thrill was gone!  She said she wasn’t looking forward to all the work (learning should be fun, right?) and homework (at least 90 minutes per night) and no time to play until next summer. (Really?  Yup!  Her school has done away with recess!)

STOP THE MADNESS!  At least WE can bring the excitement back to the Early Childhood classroom. Here's a few gentle reminders before I turn on the tunes:
     If you teach K – remember that for at least the first 2 months your students are still in a Pre-K brain.  Getting self-organized, planning, finishing tasks independently and following what seems like a zillion instructions takes time and practice.  Their bodies are still begging for movement, freedom to explore their new environment and action! 

    If you teach PreK - remember that those 3’s are still in the Toddler brain (touch it, taste it, throw it – figure it out through exploration), and the 4’s are still in the 3-year old brain (watch, imitate, and explore through trial and error.)  They ALL need time and tasks to make the transition to preschoolers who can be independent AND dependent at the same time!

Bring on the MUSIC!  Singing and dancing can be a wonderful distraction from the stress of back-to-school.  Just yesterday I did a concert at a daycare where there was a toddler struggling with her second day there.  As soon as I started to sing she peeked from her caregiver’s lap.  By the third song she was nodding and smiling.  By the time we were up and dancing her hands were in the air and her feet were prancing!  Now I know that music will not solve all the problems of humanity, but in my little world, it’s magic sometimes!

    Here are a few of the songs I’ll be singing with the bright, shiny faces in front of me this September!

Pointing to selves, "I May Be Little"

I May Be Little   (by me!)                  For PRESCHOOLERS             

     Hear it HERE, or on my Parents’ Choice GOLD Award-winning cd “Polka Dots!”  It’s a scale song- going down from Do to Do.

I may be little but I can do lots of things, you can, too!

Clap my hands, one-two-three

Clap your hands along with me!

1-2-3-4-5-5-6-7-8!

Turn around, turn around, 

Don’t be late!

"Stretch my hands way up high!"

(Additional verses:  stamp my feet, stretch my hands way up high, sit back down and tap my knee – or add you favorite motion)

"Sit and tap my knee"

Everybody Clap Your Hands!    

(learned from Ella Jenkins, author unknown)

     Hear it HERE, or on my “Stinky Cake!” recording.  PRESCHOOL 4’s and K - and younger children with help.

Everybody Clap Your Hands!

This great little zipper song will get everyone moving and giggling!  Just zip in the next activity and sing it again!

Everybody clap your hands!

Everybody clap your hands!

Everybody, come on and clap your hands!

v.2  Stamp your feet

v.3  Jump up high

v.4  Turn real slow

v.5  Wiggle around

v.6  Clap and stamp

v.7  Clap, stamp and turn

v.8  Everybody sing along (with tongue sticking out - see picture below!)

Dancing Scarf Blues  (by me)    KINDERGARTEN and PRESCHOOL 4’s

 Hear it HERE in it's entirety, or on my “Dancing Feet” cd.  You will need scarves – I use these colorful, durable scarves from BearPawCreek. A 13-pack is only $22 and comes in a great mesh bag - be sure to put MacSoup in the coupon code box for a special discount!

V.1:      Put your scarf to the side, then back the other way

            Keep your scarf a-movin’ now you can sway!

Chorus:

You’ve got the blues – you’ve got the dancing scarf blues, Yeah!

Just keep your scarf a-movin’, you’ve got the dancing scarf blues.

V.2       Put your scarf to the front, and then to the back

            Careful, keep it movin’, don’t you give me no flack!

Chorus, Bridge:

Turn your scarf around, your head around, your hips around, too.

Then FREEZE!  It’s called the Dancing Scarf Blues!

Then jump up’n’down and up’n’down and up’n’down, FREEZE!

Don’t move a muscle, I’m watching you!

V.3       Shake your scarf way up high, then shake it down low.

            Shake up’n’down and up’n’down – look at you go!

Chorus

DIRECTIONS:  Follow the directions built into the song!  Put some “attitude” into the “Yeah” each time.  Encourage children to stand with enough space between them that no one gets hit – although that’s why scarves are one of my favorite manipulatives – they’re soft!  As a "big finish", toss your scarf high into the air and say "YEAH!"

Everybody Sing Along - with your tongue sticking out!

     Now, get the serotonin and adrenaline flowing in your students’ brains and bodies to start the school year off with smiles and laughter.  Let me know if it works!

      One more thing - need inspiration to go back to school and be awesome - watch this video.  This kid says it all!

Yours for a Back-To-School Song!

“Miss Carole” Stephens

Macaroni Soup! Active Music for Active Learners!

Montessori-Inspired Ambulance Activities Using Free Printables

By Deb Chitwood from Living Montessori Now  

A community helper theme is especially great at the beginning of the school year. You could do a big community helper unit study or focus on one career at a time. 

Whichever way you organize your unit, medical workers would be a natural part of it. And, for many children, an ambulance is a high-interest part of the medical community. 

I shared a list of free ambulance printables in my post today at Living Montessori Now. Here, I'm sharing some Montessori-inspired ambulance activities using free printables for preschoolers through first graders. You'll find many activities for preschoolers through first graders throughout the year along with presentation ideas in my previous posts at PreK + K Sharing. 

You'll also find ideas for using free printables to create activity trays here: How to Use Printables to Create Montessori-Inspired Activities. At Living Montessori Now, I have a post with resource links of Free Printables for Montessori Homeschools and Preschools. 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you. 

Ambulance Lacing Activity

Free Printable: Ambulance Lacing from Zoomin' Movin' Alphabet Letter Aa at Royal Baloo 

The tray is a Multicraft tray. This activity just requires printing out, laminating, and cutting out the ambulance; punching holes around the ambulance; and using tape to create an end on a piece of yarn for lacing. Older children could use yarn threaded through a needle. 

"Dial 911" Song  

 

Free Printable: “Dial 911″ Song from DLTK’s Crafts for Kids 

The "Dial 911" song is a fun way for young children to learn about calling 911. I would definitely include this song as part of a community helper unit study. 

I would use this printable for a tabletop or shelf display that's part of the medical or community helper theme. I simply printed it out, laminated it, and added it to a tabletop easel. 

Ambulance Cards and Counters

Free Printable: Numberline – Police and Ambulance Theme from City Teacher Goes Country at Teachers Pay Teachers

This is a cute printable for placing numbered ambulances in order from 1-10. I used the printables as number cards for Montessori-inspired cards and counters with an ambulance theme.

I used 55 red glass gems for counters and a glass candle coaster to hold the counters. 

 

I used a Montessori Services rug for my layout. I like to lay out my numbers and counters in the traditional Montessori layout of rows of two counters with a left-over counter centered below the bottom row. This gives a visual impression of odd and even. 

For more about creating DIY numbers and counters and a link on how to present the lesson, check out my DIY Cards and Counters post. 

Aa is for Ambulance Activity  

Free Printable: Aa is for Ambulance Do-a-Dot Printable from Zoomin’ Movin’ Alphabet Letter Aa at Royal Baloo 

I used a large plastic tray from Montessori Services. I placed only the number of glass gems in the dish that are needed to complete the activity for a control of error. 

I also added quick sticks from Montessori Services to include a fun fine-motor activity. I sometimes use a sugar tong from Montessori Services instead of the quick sticks. 

3-D Paper Craft Ambulance

Free Printable: 3-D Paper Craft Ambulance from The Home School Zone This is an advanced cutting activity and fun craft that would work well for kindergarteners through elementary-level children. 

Elementary-level children might like to make the ambulance for a younger sibling. I used Fiskar kids' scissors.

Here's the link to my favorite laminator ... inexpensive and great for almost any activity that needs to be laminated!

More Free Ambulance Printables and Montessori-Inspired Ambulance Activities

Go to my post at Living Montessori Now for links to ambulance freebies from around the blogosphere: Free Ambulance Printables and Montessori-Inspired Ambulance Activities.

You'll find more ambulance activities and ideas in these Living Montessori Now resources: 

• Talking with Children about 9/11 – Ideas and Activities 
• Free Police Printables and Montessori-Inspired Police Activities 
• Community Helpers Activity Trays and Sensory Tubs 
• Free Fire Safety Printables and Montessori-Inspired Fire Safety Activitie
• Community Helpers Pinterest Board

If you'd like to focus on manners with children, please check out my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to Teach Grace and Courtesy! It's written for anyone who'd like to feel comfortable teaching manners to children ages 2-12. I'm also one of the coauthors of the book Learn with Play – 150+ Activities for Year-round Fun & Learning!

Have a happy new school year!

Deb Chitwood is a certified Montessori teacher with a master’s degree in Early Childhood Studies from Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England. Deb taught in Montessori schools in Iowa and Arizona before becoming owner/director/teacher of her own Montessori school in South Dakota. Later, she homeschooled her two children through high school. Deb is now a Montessori writer who lives in San Diego with her husband of 40 years (and lives in the city where her kids, kids-in-law, and toddler granddaughter live). She blogs at Living Montessori Now.

4 Things to Help Children Dream BIG!

I watched my grandparents work every day of their lives, doing what they became good at and because it paid the bills. Whenever I tried to talk to them about what it might be like to do the work they REALLY loved, they would tell me that was what hobbies were for; a outlet for what you loved to do.

During his prime, my grandfather was a carpenter and

worked for a hard-to-please boss on a crew that built houses. When he wasn't slaving away for that task master, he loved to work in his basement workshop, being creative with wood. Of the many things he made by hand, the most beautiful were the hand carved ships wheels. He only made them for those he was close to and he never accepted money for them. I feel fortunate that I have one of those huge wheels mounted on the wall of my office and I think of him every time I look at it.

What do you dream of doing if you didn't have to go to work each day to make your living? Is there something that you love to do and wish you could do it full time? Have you already found it and spend your leisure time working on? Wouldn't you want your children to find that one thing they feel most passionate about and do it full time? Here are four things you can begin doing immediately as a parent to help your child DREAM BIG.

Let them explore. Encourage your children to try new things by giving them opportunities to try them out. Avoid putting pressure on them to succeed and focus more on the experience of different activities.

Speak of abundance and avoid scarcity. You want your children to know that anyone can do anything they put their minds to. Avoid mentioning that your family doesn't have the means, supplies or money to do things. Allow them to help you come up with ideas for doing the things they love to do.

Create a vision board or dream book. Purchase composition books for yourself and your children and have them draw pictures in the book that represent what they want to acquire or experience. Allow them to cut out pictures from old magazines to paste into their dream book. Teach them to add a new entry in images or text whenever they have a thought about something they dream of.

Find movies and books that illustrate someone who dreamed big. Watch movies with your children or read books to them in which the main characters dreamed big and made it all happen. You want them to know that anything is possible if you dream it, think about it, illustrate it and see it often enough.

They say that those who dream big and then follow those dreams will live longer, live happier, and attract healthy, supportive people into their lives. What parent wouldn't want this for their children? Now you know what it takes to help your child begin their journey toward dreaming big!

Bill Corbett has a degree in clinical psychology and has been chosen to deliver the keynote address at a large education conference in Holland this Fall.  He is happily married with three grown children, three grandchildren, and three step children, and resides in Connecticut.  You can visit his Web site http://billcorbett.com for further information.