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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Welcome Megan Davenport - Getting to Know You Part II

I was born in Shelby, Ohio and lived in the country where my 3 younger siblings and I loved to play outside.  When we were inside, our favorite pastime was singing and making up dances to songs (and convincing our dad to videotape our dances!)  We moved to Stow, Ohio when I was 9 and I quickly got involved in softball, tennis, choirs, marching band, and community service.  My parents still live in Stow.

Mom sang to me ALL THE TIME and took me to the library story time, where I learned more songs. I have never stopped singing.  I started playing piano and sang in choirs at 5 years old.  I played trumpet, French horn, and mellophone in middle and high school and was involved in concert, marching, and jazz bands throughout that time.  In college, I pursued my interest in singing and was fortunate to be a vocalist in an all-female a cappella group and a bluegrass band.  Currently, I sing with my worship band at church once a month (and with my son every day!)

My husband, Remington, and I are high school sweet hearts who stayed together while attending separate colleges and finally came together in Columbus.  We love living in Columbus!  Brecken, our 2 year old son, is our little miracle and the light of my life.  We all love spending time together playing outside, cooking, reading, singing, and just being silly.  We also have two adorable and loving adopted dogs named Mason and Claire.

I hold a Bachelors degree in Psychology and Educational Studies, as well as a Masters in Early Childhood Education and a Masters degree in education from Kent State University. Over the past 9 years I have been a classroom teacher for students ages preschool-2nd grade at Chapelfield Elementary in Gahanna. Teaching is absolutely my passion and my calling.  I currently stay home with our son and am so blessed to get to teach and learn from him every single day. I am so blessed to get to spend each day with my funny, curious, spunky little boy. I am also LOVING teaching WeJoySing and getting to use my teaching background in a brand new way.  

 My husband and I were heavily involved in CrossFit and Olympic Weightlifting prior to Brecken.  I have always been interested in fitness and joined a gym where I could nurture that interest and pursue some personal fitness goals.  In 2014, I competed in Olympic Weightlifting at the Arnold Classic and qualified to compete in a National Olympic Weightlifting competition in Washington D.C. later that year!  It’s still surreal to think that I got to compete at that level, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to have had the experience. 

I love to cook and wanted to share that passion with friends and loved ones through my recipe blog: Don’t Worry Live Healthy . Although I am not currently active on the blog, I have quite a large collection of recipes already shared and plan to start working on it again in the future.  It’s a fun creative outlet and a way for me to share my recipes with the world! 

Can't wait to get to play with you and your child at WeJoySing!  We'll have a delightful time singing, learning and playing together!
La La's!
Mrs. Megan