Archive for January, 2010
Do your ears hang low?
Do they wobble to and fro?
Can you tie ‘em in a knot?
Can you tie ‘em in a bow?
Can you throw them over your shoulder
like a Continental Soldier?
Do your ears hang low?
Do your ears Flip Flop?
Can you use them as a mop?
Are they stringy at the bottom?
Are they curly at the top?
Can you put them in a shower
With a giant daisy flower?
Do your ears Flip Flop?
Does your tongue hang out?
Can you shake it all about?
When you try to tuck it in,
does it just hang out?
Can you roll it to the ground,
with a clunk and a pound?
Does your tongue hang out?
Everybody pauses and stares at me
These two teeth are gone as you can see
I don’t know just who to blame for this catastrophe!
But my one wish on Christmas Eve is as plain as it can be!
All I want for Christmas
is my two front teeth,
my two front teeth,
see my two front teeth!
Gee, if I could only
have my two front teeth,
then I could wish you
“Merry Christmas.”
It seems so long since I could say,
“Sister Susie sitting on a thistle!”
Gosh oh gee, how happy I’d be,
if I could only whistle (thhhh, thhhh)
All I want for Christmas
is my two front teeth,
my two front teeth,
see my two front teeth.
Gee, if I could only
have my two front teeth,
then I could wish you
“Merry Christmas!”
Incy wincy spider
climbed up the water spout,
Down came the rain
and washed poor Incy out,
Out came the sun shine
and dried up all the rain,
And Incy Wincy spider
climbed up the spout again.
Baa, baa black sheep
Have you any wool
Yes sir, yes sir
Three bags full.
One for my master
And one for my dame
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane.
Recommended Products:
Animal Carnival
Mike Jackson Bedtime Songs (All Ages)
Play School – Sing-A-Long Songs
Chorus:
Peanut, peanut butter, jelly!
Peanut, peanut butter, jelly!
First you take the peanuts and you pick ‘em, you pick ‘em,
You pick ‘em, pick ‘em, pick ‘em
Then you crush ‘em, crush ‘em,
You crush ‘em, crush ‘em, crush ‘em
Then you spread ‘em, spread ‘em,
You spread ‘em, spread ‘em, spread ‘em…
Then you take the berries and you pick ‘em, you pick ‘em,
You pick ‘em, pick ‘em, pick ‘em
Then you crush ‘em, crush ‘em,
You crush ‘em, crush ‘em, crush ‘em
Then you spread ‘em, spread ‘em,
You spread ‘em, spread ‘em, spread ‘em…
Actions:
Pick: pretend to pick berries
Crush: squish something between your hands
Spread: use one hand to spread pb/jam over other hand
Recommended products:
Hot cross buns!
Hot cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot cross buns!
Hot cross buns!
Hot cross buns!
If you have no daughters,
Give them to your sons!
From Child-Building: Brain Games for Babies by Jackie Silberg
“Peekaboo, I see you.”
When you say these words to a baby, thousands of cells in the child`s growing brain will respond. Some brain cells will make new connections. Some existing connections will grow stronger. These connections form part of the complex circuitry that will remain largely in place for the rest of a child`s life.
The more you play Peekaboo and other games, the better chance for a baby`s brain cell connections to become permanent. On the other hand, connections that are rarely used may not survive. For example, a child who is rarely spoken to or read to in the early years may have trouble talking, thinking, reading, and writing later. A child who is rarely played with may have trouble getting along with people. A child`s brain thrives on feedback from the environment. The brain wires itself with thinking and emotional patterns laid down from experiences.
Every time you sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star or play Pat-a-Cake, you are strengthening and expanding the brain`s wiring. Chances are a child submerged in language from birth will learn to speak and think well. A baby, whose coos are met with smiles, rather than a lukewarm glance, will likely become emotionally receptive.The early care children receive has long-lasting effects on how they will develop and learn, how they will cope with stress, and how they will learn to manage their emotions. Infants and toddlers thrive when they receive warm, responsive care. Infants and toddlers can learn a lot through simple, everyday activities. Here are some easy games you can play to encourage that learning:
Games that develop trust and security
Brain research says that holding and stroking a baby stimulates the brain to release important hormones that allow the baby to grow.
Bouncing rhyme – 6 months and older
Seat the child on your lap facing you and say the following rhyme:
I went down town to get me some butter (bounce the baby gently on your knees)
And when I got there,
I fell in the gutter. (Open your knees and, while keeping a firm hold, let the child gently slip through.)
Games that develop language skills
Brain research says that the more words children hear, the more connections their brains will make.
Where`s the Chick? – 15 months and older
1. Hide behind a door and say “cheep, cheep, cheep.” Ask the toddler to find the chick.
2. If the child has trouble, stick out your head or foot so that you can be seen.
3. Hide in a different place and play the game again.
4. Change the chick to a duckling, calf, or other baby animal. Each time make the sounds appropriate to that animal.
5. After a few times, the child will want to hide and make the animal sounds. Note: This game develops listening skills in addition to language skills.
Games that develop fine motor skills
Brain research says that small-muscle exercises stimulate brain growth. Researches have verified the positive effects of finger and hand movements on the brain.
Flashlight fun – 12 months and older
Here`s what you need:
-flashlight
1. Shine a flashlight on different places in the room. Shine it on the wall, the door, the floor, and under the covers, for example.
2. Each time you shine the light on an object, say what it is: “This is the wall.” “This is the doorknob.”
3. Show the child how to turn the flashlight on and off.
4. Let the child shine the flashlight on an object and tell you what it is.
5. Give directions: “Shine the light on the ceiling.” “Shine the light on the window.” The child will understand what you are saying even without being able to say the words.
6. Make a bird shadow on the wall. Cross your wrists with your palms facing you. Extend your fingers (the wings) and touch the fleshy part of the thumbs to form the bird`s head. Move your hands to make the bird “fly.”
7. Look at pictures in a book or a magazine using the flashlight.
Having fun games
Laughter reduces stress, which enables a child to learn better. Brain research says that laughing changes the chemicals in the blood and helps to boost the chemicals needed for memory.
Knees Up – 10 months and older
This is a great diaper changing game.
1. As the child lies face up, say the following English rhyme and do the actions.
Knees up Mary Muffet. (Bend the child`s knee up and bring it back down.)
Knees up Mary Brown. (Do the same with the other knee.)
Knees up Mary Macaroni. (Bend both knees at the same time.)
Take my hand around the town. (Take the child`s hand in yours and move it in a circle.)
2. Repeat the rhyme and change the body parts.
Toes up….
Fingers up…
Arms up…
Games for stimulating vision
Brain research says the neurons for vision begin to form around 2 months.
Stimulating vision will help make the visual connections.
What do you see? – Newborn and older
Stimulate the baby`s vision in a variety of ways. Place a mirror in the crib, or wear a brightly colored scarf when giving a bottle. Hold the baby in your arms and walk around the room touching and naming things: “Here`s a furry teddy bear. How does that feel?” “Here`s a shiny doorknob.” “Look at this blue blanket.” If you spend lots of time holding, cuddling, and playing games with the children in your care, you will be richly rewarded with babbles, smiles, and squeals of laughter. You will also give the children the important learning experiences they need.
You can truly make a difference in the lives of young children.
It’s official, longer working hours, the decline of extended family and other demanding commitments have taken over crucial time modern families spend together. As a result, according to the Australian Institute of Family Studies less than 50% of children are read to by a family member on a daily basis and one in 5 children are not read to at all.
The trend is alarming. Apart from the social changes in the family structure and the increased work load, ‘fast’ children’s literature/music/toys and other merchandise – cheap, sometimes low quality and tied in to popular children’s TV characters, – continue to flood the market. Unfortunately, these products do little to fire children’s imagination. Children’s psychologists and educators can’t emphasise enough the importance of developing language, imagination and vocabulary of young children as they are the building blocks of reading and writing. They also promote school success in subjects like social studies and science. Reading and storytelling play a vital role in helping children become lifelong readers and learners and most importantly feel part of the ‘intellectual’ world later in life. So it’s time for parents and schools to get serious about providing young children with literacy opportunities that help them achieve the full participation in modern society in the age of visual display. Here are some ideas, practical tips and food for thought:
Children should be exposed to both, story reading and storytelling, as they were found to produce positive gains in oral language development. A US study indicates that young children who heard stories told demonstrated improved story comprehension in their retelling, while children in a story reading group improved their language complexity.
Rhyme books are particularly valuable as they form pattern recognition and early phonics skills. Interestingly, UK research found that schools with a consistent and structured programme of teaching phonics did best. The report also found that the quicker children were taught sounds, the better.
Great Books to check out:
There was an old lady who swallowed the sea
There Was an Old Lady
Our Cat Cuddles By Gervase Phinn
Five Little Men in a Flying Saucer
One Odd Old Owl
The House that Jack Built
Ten Little Monkeys
I am the Music Man
This Old Man
Bringing stories to life with toys, music, puppets, craft/art ideas and games is a versatile method that turns reading from a chore into something pleasurable and exciting. The possibilities, in terms of design, objectives, target audience and ‘ingredients’ are truly limitless. Using Braille, smells, and even tastes, for instance, helps children with additional needs visualize and get involved with the stories. Check out our collection of puppets, books and storysacks.
Consider choosing books and stories that stimulate further discussion and are relevant to children’s currents interests and hobbies.
Complementing stories with nonfiction books expands knowledge and understanding of the topic.
Going hi-tech with storytelling/reading by using weblogs (instead of paper diary) and forums to communicate, share and exchange relevant links can appeal to many technology savvy parents and kids and is suitable for older children.
Don’t underestimate your local librarians’ expertise and advice when planning on your next reading list. The best part of it is it’s FREE.
Organising reading and storytelling around one topic per week allows gaining knowledge and understanding of particular concept/topic/period/place in greater depth. Suggested topics for early childhood:
Colours and Shapes
Sharing
Friendship
Food
Family
Space
Dinosaurs
Creepy Crawlies
Community helpers
Animals
Countries
Transport
Health and Fitness
Fairies, Magic & Fantasy
Your own child’s up-to-date interests.
Engaging with other children-focused families to share kids’ favourite books/stories helps you stay within a budget and have access to children-tested resources.
Setting up a reading/learning center in the playroom where children can relax with a book, listen to a story on the CD creates consistence with your effort to help your kids learn.
Numerous research proves reading parents contribute to children’s interest in reading.
Starting ‘learning diaries’ to record child’s progress will provide parents with structure, purpose and reflection opportunities.
Staying in touch with the school reading programme and expanding on it is a perfect combination leading to sparking an enthusiasm for reading for purpose and pleasure.
Subscribing to a periodic children’s publication, online or hard copy, turns reading into a natural anticipating habit. There are a few note-worthy magazines published in the USA and the UK, as well as Australia. Check out:
http://www.littleears.com.au
http://www.tibbidy.com.au
http://www.cricketmag.com/ProductDetail.asp?pid=2
http://www.bayard-magazines.co.uk/gammebox/index.jsp
http://www.carouselguide.co.uk (for parents and educators about children’s books)
The time families spend together and the quality of this time are crucial. Even though many parents do experience time pressure, slowing down, assessing the situation and revaluating the priorities in families’ current arrangements/commitments have a long term benefit for children and parents as their first teachers. As a recent Centre for Community and Child Health study suggests ‘there are very strong links between literacy, school performance, self-esteem, and life chances. Poor literacy skills are associated with generally lower education, earnings, health and social outcomes as well as being linked to high rates of unemployment, welfare dependence and teenage parenting’. Including regular reading and storytelling for learning and pleasure creates a ‘thinking’ generation capable of making a difference.
Learn more about reading initiatives:
http://www.letsread.com.au (Australia)
http://www.rif.org (USA)
http://www.readtogether.co.uk (Scotland)
http://www.bookstart.co.uk (UK)
MUSIC IN YOUR CHILDCARE/KINDERGARTEN/PRESCHOOL “Almost all children respond to music. Music is an open-sesame, and if you can use it carefully and appropriately, you can reach into that child`s potential for development.”
Dr. Clive Robbins, Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Clinic
Children and music. A marriage made in heaven. They are so natural with it from the very start. Modern children tend to spend more of their time in childcare and it is obvious that they are taught a lot of new skills by their child care workers and teachers who are responsible for providing enriched stimulating environments. Many of them may be wondering where music can fit into their programmes. Literally everywhere. It can make such a difference if you add a song, a dance, a rhyme or a funny finger play to your everyday activities. There are so many ways to introduce music into your day in childcare. Here are a few ideas, recommendations and tips for you to consider:
Personalise a chant that can turn routine into a fun game.
Use a special welcome song or tune for easing the transition from home to childcare.
Bridge home and your centre by inviting parents to share music from their family or culture.
Calm overtired kids with a soothing melody or song.
Use a particular song or tune for a transition from one activity to another.
Play musical games. They are fun and especially handy for rainy days.
Finish a day with a song containing a positive message.
Do a craft project with music to stimulate imagination and creativity.
Set the scene or draw kids into your topic by playing a particular tune or a song.
Using beautiful music in your office or staff room helps concentration and eases tension.
Early childhood educators recommend for children to listen to different music styles: jazz, reggae, multicultural, classical, pop, traditional, calypso etc.
Linking particular songs or tunes with your teaching makes it more meaningful and relevant for them. Great titles and songs to check for your theme based teaching:
Farms – On The Farm With Ronno
Pets – Don Spencer The Wonderful World Of Pets
Space – Journey Into Space; Songs From Outer Space
Australia – Songs For Aussie Kids; Don Spencer Thumbs Up! Australia; A World Of Kids: Australia; Ian Blakeney A To Z OfAustralia For Kids
Africa – African Playground
Safety – Safety
Transport – Cars, Trucks & Trains
Teddy Bears – Teddy Bear Tunes
Colours And Shapes – Songs About Colours & Shapes
Insects – Incy Wincy Spider; Songs About Insects, Bugs & Squiggly Things
Dinosaurs – Once Upon A Dinosaur; Dinosaurs
Oceans – Oceans; What`s In The Sea?
Science – Sing & Learn About Science; Science Songs
Christmas – Love To Sing Christmas With You; Raffi`s Christmas Album
Alphabet & Counting – Counting & Alphabet Fun
Community Helpers – Ronno People In Our Neighbourhood
Have even more fun while cooking with music.
Don`t be afraid to sing. It`s not a performance; it`s a musical communication children understand the best.
It is possible to choose appropriate CDs or adjust available music for children with special needs. A tip: choose CDs with children singing, the songs performed by kids are usually of slower pace.
Creative movement expands children`s imagination. Instrumental/classical pieces are great for this (ideas: a falling leaf, a butterfly, a bumblebee, animals, flowers, etc.)
Experts say children are primarily kinesthetic learners and recommend songs that afford fine-motor opportunities such as finger plays.
It`s a good idea to tie in a song with some of the best in children`s literature.
Presenting information in a multisensory way (a combination of visual, auditory and kinesthetic elements) strengthens learning.
Choosing age appropriate music with lyrics capturing children`s hearts and souls enhances learning as well. They remember it and truly believe it if this or that song touches their emotions.
Encouraging children to join singing/dancing/playing music builds their self-esteem and self-confidence.
Teach and practice new skills with a song. What a better way to explain basic safety rules, for example, using a song with simple recommendations children will sing, act and follow.
Introduce action time between activities for children to distract, exercise a little and wake up the muscles. Variety in activities is vital for children as they are still learning to learn.
Add music activities and games to your parties or fund raising events. It will definitely brighten up your day.
Consider a good CD as a gift for your stuff members or as a graduation present for children and they surely enjoy it for many years to come.
Whatever you do with music in your child care/kindergarten, enthusiasm and fun are the key elements, you just can’t go wrong with music that motivates and creates fun for everybody. Do you have any other ideas? Write to us and we`ll add it to the list for everybody to benefit from it.
Have you ever thought why these old fashioned, known to everybody nursery rhymes that lost their magic with us, adults, long ago are loved, enjoyed and remembered by many generations of children? Because they are a real treasure from many points of view: linguistic, historical, educational and entertaining. There is literally nothing in children`s literature and music that comes close to these unique pieces of literature. So what appeals in nursery rhymes to children?
· The variety of subject matter and mood in nursery rhymes: animals, insects, holidays, counting, people, farms etc., etc. Nursery rhymes can be a game, a finger play, a riddle or a tongue twister.
· The rhyme itself, definitely, makes them easy to remember.
· Fascinating memorable characters to tackle your imagination.
· Musical quality. They can be read and sung again and again.
· Unexplainable entertaining silliness loved only by children. Children can laugh at the mere sound of some words in them
· Simplicity of the language and sentence structure.
· Action aspect of the rhymes. There is always something happening in them.
· Their brevity that makes them acceptable even by very young kids.
As parents and childcarers it`s important to pass along this valuable resource to our children. Let`s take the time and share our favourite rhymes with our children and let them have fun along with teaching them a lot of skills:
· Language skills. They teach vocabulary and speech patterns
· Maths skills. An easy way to learn counting to ten with a fun song where everything rhymes.
· Listening skills. The only way to learn a rhyme for young children is to be all ears.
· Literature skills. Nursery rhymes introduce classical literature to children
· Creative skills. A rhyme can inspire children to draw, paint or create a rhyme of their own
· Motor skills. They can move to a rhyme.
· Music skills. They provide a fun way to learn a song.
· Social skills. Children involved into playing with a rhyme together develop communication and cooperation skills.
· Thinking skills. They teach sequence and order.
· Self-esteem and confidence. Children gain pride and satisfaction while they learn with the rhymes whatever the activity is.
You can maximize the learning/teaching aspect:
· Learn the movement / finger play activity based on a rhyme with your children.
· Present the rhymes in connection with something: day of the week, weather, vegetables, animals, insects, etc.
· Do a project basing on a rhyme. You can ask children to colour/draw/paint a character from the rhyme. It may be even more interesting when groups of kids are asked to illustrate different episodes from the same rhyme then you can put them together and discuss what can be next in the verse.
· Play with the rhyme. Children are asked to finish the rhyme. You can also involve all children present to repeat different lines of the rhyme.
· Sing a rhyme. Fun for everyone to memorise the rhymes set to music.
· Play a game with a rhyme. Prepare the pictures describing a rhyme and ask children to put them in the right order and retell them to you. Discuss the picture describing a rhyme. Mix pictures from different rhymes and ask kids to sort them – which rhyme they belong to and in what order. Teamwork is encouraged.
· Perform a rhyme. You may discover an actor/actress in your children
· Organise a trivia night/day “all about the rhymes” with children and grown ups involved. A good idea for a party too.
· Play rhymes on simple musical instruments.
· Create a snack with basic ingredients based on the rhyme. Spiders or stars are ideal for this sort of activities.
· Play charades. Children act the rhyme without words and others have to guess the rhyme.
· Create a calendar together illustrating each month.
· Create a book together with nursery rhymes and use children`s illustrations.
· Don`t be afraid to return to the same rhymes from time to time. Children like returning to familiar loved activities no matter how many times.
We recommend the following compilations of nursery rhymes:
100 FAVOURITE NURSERY RHYMES & SONGS
100 FAVOURITE ACTIVITY SONGS AND RHYMES
50 GREAT NURSERY RHYMES
50 GREAT NURSERY RHYMES VOL. 2
HUMPTY DUMPTY
HUMPTY DUMPTY (AGERANGE UP TO 6 YEARS)
LOVE TO SING NURSERY RHYMES
OLD MACDONALD
POP GOES THE WEASEL
SONGS FOR KIDS (VOLUME 1)
SONGS FOR KIDS (VOLUME 2)
TWINKLE TWINKLE, LITTLE STAR
WHEELS ON THE BUS
Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, aest
