I was just telling my husband that we have to take Christian on his first Train ride very soon...  has your child been on a train before?  or a bus?

We had a great ride on a bus a few weeks ago.  I had decided to go for a walk to the shop and on our way home Christian, being the 20 month old toddler that he is decided he didn't want to sit in his pram!  As many of you would know,  it took awhile to coax him into getting into his pram and as I was putting him into it his eyes lit up and he called out "oh wow! a bus!"

It was getting dark and cold.  We decided to make it a teachable moment... so we took the bus home.  I was amazed and relieved because it didn't have stairs and the bus driver lowered the bus so that I could take the pram on it ... I hadn't taken a bus home since high school! 

We were the only passengers so we sang "the wheels on the bus" all the way home!  It was so much fun.. and the look on Christian's face was priceless.

Can't wait for the next bus ride!  

Here is the week one parent Perspective:

AWAY WE GO PARENT PERSPECTIVE

Regards

Tina

Our circle dances are a very special time in Our Time. A circle is a symbol of community, and in it we all contribute equally. For your toddler, our circle dances give him a chance to see everyone and be part of our community. There is no beginning or end to our circle, just as there are no leaders or followers; we all create our dance together.

At home this week sing, listen, and dance to all of the circle dances we’ve enjoyed as a group this semester. Whether you’re in a circle of two or many, your toddler will experience the vital feeling of belonging.

As you saw in class, there is no limit to the ways a drum can be made. This week play with your homemade drum together, and see what else you have that can be a drum.

I bet it “beats” any other activity you can think of!

...comes down with a bounce—and lots of laughter!

It’s all about learning something new the toddler way, which means challenging and inspiring that natural sense of wonder. And this week, it was about having a ball.

Toddlers don’t always realize the physical properties of a ball, and may be surprised and thrown off balance when a ball bounces back up. But, by practicing bouncing and rolling balls in class, she will learn to predict what the ball will do and move as she needs to maintain her balance and keep control of the ball.

She can use these balancing skills when learning new moves, like skipping and jumping. Rolling and catching the ball improves hand-eye coordination, which will help her with many activities as she grows.

The weekend will roll by quickly, I’ll see you Monday!

A bumpy sound is called staccato. It sounds “choppy” like popcorn popping. A smooth sound is called legato, and it may sound more “flowing.” These different musical styles give music emotion, excitement, and expression.

By listening for and moving to these sounds, your toddler is improving his listening skills and developing a strong sense of music appreciation.

Hope your week goes more legato than staccato, and I’ll see you next week.

Routines such as the Our Time “Hello” song, rocking time, circle dancing, and good byes form a solid structure for your toddler. These are activities she can look forward to each week.

Throughout your week at home, notice the rituals you have formed as a family and take care to preserve them. Just as in our classroom, they will bring a sense of security to you all.

See you next week, same time, same place.

Running and jumping into the arms of an adult is a favorite game of young children. It allows children to practice and master the skills of running and jumping and/or leaping. It also has meaningful emotional content. Knowing that Daddy or Grandma will catch him when he jumps is a display of trust and represents a level of emotional security in the relationship.

Children need time to be stimulated and engaged, and they need time to be at leisure. This down time is physically necessary for the brain to process the learning that occurs during structured activities and interaction.

So this week, feel free to do nothing!!

By moving our bodies, arms, and fingers up and down, listening to music with up and down melodies, and exploring our voices as they glide up and down, we not only hear the words, we can feel what these words mean, both in music and motion.  

Doing this, we’re learning in a multi-sensory way. People learn best in so many different ways. Experiencing and experimenting with our senses and how we learn best by using them means your child can discover the way she learns best.  

We’re up and out of here ‘till next time!

Listening to musical cues is an important skill if your child ever belongs to a musical ensemble, and being a good listener is essential for whatever he chooses in life. 

Keep listening to your At Home CD and I’ll see you next week!

We use these muscles when we’re “walking” fingers, shaking eggs, rolling hands, wiggling thumbs, playing the sandblocks, even giving tickles! These activities help your toddler learn to use hands and fingers, which will lead to skills like stringing beads, turning the pages of a book, cutting with scissors, and gripping pencils.

This week have some fun with your fine motor skills.

See you next week!

The sudden “stop” in the middle of bouncing, walking, or running teaches self-control through fun, active play. It’s fun and full of giggles, but you know the real secret: she’s getting ready to follow directions in school, wait for her turn, and more.

 Ready, set, go…the week will race by and I’ll see you soon!    

Parents, when you offer your child a variety of musical genres to listen to, you are stimulating their brain in a variety of ways as well as widening their taste in music.  By giving them a "hook" of a song they recognize, you're also providing a way to encourage them to listen to a type of music they might not be familiar with.  Be sure to check out the Sonific Songspot in the righthand column for another different jazz version of "I've Been Working on the Railroad." 

 This evening in our second Away We Go class the entire group of children and their parents were so engaged and having fun. Our 'train' zoomed and crawled and stopped and started and whistled and dinged it's way around and around. Even the shy ones became so involved. I must get the camera out again to capture some of this fun! During music and movement storytime you would have thought Shiney Dinah was right there in the midst of our class. The children were mesmerized during the story and already many of them are choo, chooing and tapping the beat to our train rhythm on every page. We hid and found egg shakers, car keys (specially made for class) and jingle bells over and over. I hid the keys on top of my head and wouldn't you know that was a favorite place for all the keys to be found! Dancing was also fun! This is going to be a great semester!