17 Month Old Re-Enacts WeJoySing at Home -AMAZING!!

“Bounce, Bounce, Bounce….STOP…SHHH,” directed little Elliott as she re-enacted her WeJoySing “Heart Strings” class at home. Mom grabbed her camera, captured these delightful memories and shared them with Mrs. Karen, Elliott’s WeJoySing teacher, and Mrs. Jo, WeJoySing’s President.  They were thrilled to see the tremendous amount of language development and sequencing of thought emerging during Elliott’s musical play.

The power of music during our play time with our children extends far beyond smiles, giggles and bonding. While the child is actively involved in the work of playing; his/her musical, mathematical, language, and emotional intelligences are all being ‘wired’ in the brain.

 Language Development:
*Elliott’s use of the ‘B’ sounds as she bounces teddy and her use of the ‘T’ sound while she taps her leg demonstrates her phonological awareness and approximations towards the words ‘bounce’ and ‘tap’!
*The rhythmic bouncing, stopping and shushing show Elliot’s sequencing skills which will assist her in future sentence construction as she gains more language skills.
* Bouncing an infant or toddler provides an ideal experience of steady beat. “The child must be rocked, patted, bounced to develop a feeling of the beat. Meter and beat are often used in early rhymes and favorite books which will assist in expanding language development.” (Music and Movement for Infants and Toddlers: Naturally Wonder-Full.  By John M. Feierabend, Ph.D.
*Elliot is clearly in the transitional stage of learning where she can now transfer to her teddy bear the things we once did to, for and with her! The class bouncing activities have been internalized by Elliott and she can now ‘do it herself’!

*The exposure to a variety of vocabulary, both in the action words Elliott is using and in the lyrics she will begin to repeat soon, will enhance Elliott’s future repertoire of vocabulary. “For if you wish for children to develop a sophisticated spoken vocabulary, they must also hear a sophisticated vocabulary.” (Music and Movement for Infants and Toddlers: Naturally Wonder-Full.  By John M. Feierabend, Ph.D.)

 The sheer number of words a baby hears affects his language ability later in life. Notice the graph here as it relates to vocabulary development in children who are talked to and within their formative first years of life.

GRAPH from pg. 40 in WeJoySing manual, From article: Inside Your Baby’s Brain

Elliot’s videos clearly reveal that she is ‘talking’ excessively to her little baby! Wouldn’t you love to know just what she is saying so vibrantly and lovingly to her teddy?  Obviously, her WeJoySing musical experiences have made a lasting impression on this 17 month old little life!

These early impressionable years are extremely important in our little ones’ development. The amazing, joy-filled moments of music and play in their lives have far-reaching effects on their overall development and are happily disguised as play! So Bounce, Bounce, Bounce awaaaay!!

Joyfully
Mrs. Kristi!
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6 WAYS of JOYFUL LEARNING CAUGHT ON VIDEO

The More We Get Together - AT HOME!!

You won't believe this!!  These 2 videos were sent to me RIGHT AFTER I READ "What Does Joyful Learning Look Like!" (Oct. 28 post) Mrs. Megan's blog is all about the little ones who don't look like they are "participating" in class...you know, the children that sit in Mom or Dad's lap and just watch.  Parents often ask themselves, "Is my child "getting anything out of the class?' 

Well, TAKE A LOOK at these 2 videos.  This little fellow literally sits on Mom's lap throughout his whole WeJoySing class. His facial expression is intense and he hardly smiles. He rarely reaches for an instrument when offered. But look what he DOES HOME!!  EVERYTHING!!! 

Two Little Apples - AT HOME!!

I am deeply grateful to this Mommy because here's the proof that there is valuable learning taking place as the child sits and observes the class.  Observation is HOW this child learns, processes and internalizes the plethora of information experienced during class.
Research in early childhood development indicates that if the adult "steps in" and tries to manipulate the child or force "participate," the child's learning process is literally interrupt and the child will most often "shut down!"  During class, JOYFUL LEARNING can LOOK LIKE OBSERVATION!!  
  
These two videos bless my heart to pieces because:
1. Music continues at HOME!  THAT'S what WeJoySing is all about! - repetition in learning;
2. The music "play" was initiated by the children.  Mom had to run upstairs to "capture" these magical moments;
3. The little guy was joyfully "DOING" everything - down to the minutest detail - ON HIS OWN! 
4. The learning was experienced with someone he values, his sister.  
5. Sister is in an older WeJoySing age group, BUT knows all of brother's WeJoySing songs and activities, therefore is able to initiate the play-filled learning!  
6.  JOYFUL LEARNING at HOME!! 

La La's and Hugs!
From a Happy MRS. JO!!

DON'T GIVE UP!! Patience is the Key!!

Look at those eyes!! What's going through this little one's thoughts??!!

Have you ever been at the end of your rope? Has your little one's behavior made you want to leave WJS class early, or not attend class at all? Read on for a story that lets you know you're not alone.
At the start of my classes this session, I met a wonderful family at Arts in the Alley.  They enjoyed playing with the instruments and discussing how our WJS classes are structured for fun and fostering all of the skills that our little ones are developing.  Mom and dad understand how an early childhood class like WJS can ignite the desire for joyful learning, for years to come. The dad was super excited to bring his son to WJS, as music is a huge part of his family's lives.

Rhythm Sticks SAVE THE DAY!!

Dad and son came to their first 2 - 3 year old's class, where the little guy proceeded to joyfully "squeal" and run around non-stop for the first part of class. Dad felt bad and tried everything to help his son to calm himself, but he just couldn't keep his excitement contained! After dad took his son out in the hall and he still couldn't calm himself, dad was about ready to give up and take him home. 

Luckily, right at that moment, I was ready to pass out rhythm sticks. I popped my head out and told the little guy that Jack and Jill needed help getting up the hill, and we were going to help them with our sticks, and could he pleeeease help us? He said yes, and bounded back into class. I could see the look on dad's face, of "ok, we'll give this one more try" and he followed his little guy in, where he participated joyfully for the rest of class. He still squealed and ran around some, and he also focused and joined in too! 

Dad didn't give up and now we play our Sticks at home!  

After class, dad and I talked about how it gets better each week. I assured dad that all the parents have "been there" and most of the children didn't start out sitting and participating right away. Many are observers, some have to be moving constantly....every child learns differently. Because dad was patient and didn't give up that first class, I am so happy to report, as you can see in the picture, that dad and son have continued playing in my class, and are even playing "Jack and Jill" at home with their own sticks!!   The message here?  "Don't give up!!

With love and la-la's,
Mrs. Kelly

"Getting to Know You" - PART I

 "Getting to know you. Getting to know all about you!"  These familiar lyrics from "The King & I" are a great way to introduce  our newest WeJoySing Instructors.  Part I of "Getting to Know You" will feature Kristi Frazier. Her Granville and Childhood League children and families have already begun to bond and share together the delight of learning and growing through musical play.  Enjoy Part I as Kristi shares her life, family, love for education and music!  She writes:

I grew up in rural Knox County, outside of Gambier, Ohio on a small farm adjacent to my grandparents. I attended Mount Vernon City Schools for my education and obtained my first teaching job there in 2000 after attending OSU-Newark for my Masters in Education. My dream to work as a teacher started with a position as an itinerant preschool teacher where I traveled to pre-school facilities and homes to transition children from Help Me Grow to our District Special Education program. I then served as the teacher and director for our district special needs pre-school which was an incredible journey! I spent one year as a Kindergarten teacher, four years as a First-Grade teacher and four years as a Second-Grade teacher. Each grade level I taught brought about new discoveries about children at that age level and I loved it!

During my childhood, my mother made a point to get me in piano lessons, which I dreaded at the time, but am most grateful for now. I went on to play in the band; clarinet for concert season and trumpet for marching band season. My choral experiences started in the church setting, singing in children’s choirs, soloing and eventually leading the children’s choirs. Choir, praise band, local theater, and belting out songs in the car kept my musical skills fresh. When I taught in the public schools, music was a constant in my classroom, whether it was a transition song to get the kids to line up or the classical music I played for its calming effect; music was ever-present within my classrooms.

I lived in and taught in Mount Vernon for 11 years before meeting my husband-to-be. He owns a business in Pickerington, so Granville happened to be a great middle ground for both of us. Living just outside Granville makes access to the eastern outskirts of Columbus a breeze, while still providing us with the small-town feel. We currently live on 3 acres with about 2 of it under pasture. We are only pasturing sheep right now, but have had chickens, goats, ducks, cows, rabbits and pigs on our mini farm. Once our daughter Lila, who is just 22 months now, gets older, we intend to bring more chickens onto our mini farm so she can help collect their eggs and tend to them. My favorite animals we have cared for thus far are the goats because they are rambunctious and playful; but chickens come in at a close second.

            Joining the WeJoySing community with my daughter when she was just 6 months old was an incredible experience. Not only did it provide me with several new songs, bounces and finger plays to do with Lila; it also provided a sense of community with the other moms. We all looked forward to our weekly “La-La” class as the children came to call it! Now when my family visits, my daughter Lila has started passing out instruments to everyone in the room for sing time…perhaps another teacher in the making?!

La La's for ALL!!
Mrs. Kristi

North Canton 2017 Summer Schedule

We Move to Another BIG DRUM!!

Hip Hip Hooray!! The North Canton Summer 2017 Schedule is now available on the website.  Don't miss the SUMMER MUSIC FUN with your child and friends!