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June 2007
Camp WeJoySing... Here We Come!
Mrs. Donna
If your summer’s been anything like our family’s, even already it’s been packed with vacations, sleep-overs, play dates, ball games and barbeques. You’ve had many great adventures, with even more in store. The break from the school routine has been much needed and greatly deserved, but you can’t help but wonder, have I done enough to keep my child sharp for next year?
Moms and Dads, take heart! The summer experiences you’re providing for your children are preparing them for school. Teachers have long attested to the fact that children with more “life-experiences” perform better on standardized tests (test questions often assume a level of understanding of the world outside the home). Even if you’re not traveling a lot this summer, you can still provide great adventures for your child that will add up to something that counts for the school year.
WeJoySing parents are especially well-versed at making music a joyful part of every family adventure, and MUSIC can be a wonderful springboard for science, math, and language activities. Equipped with a great repertoire of songs and games, you can turn every day of summer break into a learning experience for your children.
Are you ready for “Camp WeJoySing!”?
Music can help enhance your pre-k to 3rd grade child’s math, science, and language skills.
Something Fishy:
At your local library, find a recording of Saint Saens’ Aquarium, from “The Carnival of the Animals.” Listen together for short and long phrases, ascending and descending patterns. Ask your child to draw pictures of short fish or longer fish, depending upon what she hears. Cut out fish shapes or use a stuffed sea creature to swim uuuuup or doooown according to movement of the notes. Visit a real aquarium or go fishing together to learn more fishy facts.
Remember these great WeJoySing folk songs? “At the Bottom of the Sea...” “Oh, I wish I were a fishy...”
Physics in the Kitchen:
Make lunch together, and find out why certain things mix well and others do not. What makes something burn? What keeps it from burning?
Kitchen songs and games: “No one’s in the kitchen but Dinah” (insert your child’s name...); “Peas Porridge Hot”; “Chop, Chop, Chippitey Chop” (learn about fractions!); “Mama’s Little Baby Loves Shortenin’ Bread”; “Stone Soup”.
Gardening Goodies:
Children can water and tend flower and vegetable gardens. You say your thumb’s not so green? Go berry picking and talk about weight and measure. Or ask a neighbor or relative if you can help out a few days over the next month. Make a growth chart for the plants.
Whistle while you weed! Sing: “I’ve been workin’ in the garden” (instead of “on the railroad”); try the finger play: 5 Little Peas in a Pea-Pod Pressed”.
Time Management:
Ensure that your child gets adequate rest. Plan for “down time” activities such as sleep hours, reading time, and quiet activities like puzzles and games, as well as limited t.v. and screen time. Help your child create a bar graph showing the hours spent on these activities, fostering critical thinking and healthy independence.
Sing: “For everything, Turn, Turn, Turn, there is a season…”
Relax, Parents.
You still have thirty-some days before school starts, so live it up this summer vacation, but skip the guilt trip. Don’t worry about your kids being sharp for school. Just do what you do naturally....sing, play, and share your knowledge of the world. Your children will be right in-tune this fall.
A Note From Mrs. Jo
Music provides a JOY-FILLED approach to early learning. These early musical experiences also lay the foundation for later musical studies and participation. It is amazing to watch our school age children in the
MUSIC & ME program develop the skills of sight sing and read music. It’s so much fun! Give us a call for more information about MUSIC & ME.
"Sing"cerely,
Mrs. Jo
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