Happy Valentine's Day!

We had fun playing this game in class this week:

Love Somebody

Yes I do

Love Somebody

Yes I do

Love Somebody

Yes I do

Love Somebody, 

but I can't tell who!

Can you guess who?!

Like "Button, Button, Who's Got The Button." I hold a candy heart between my hands. The children place their hands palms together in front of them while I slide my hands between theirs to the beat of the song. I secretly drop it in one child's hands and the rest of the class gets to try to guess who was so special and loved to get the candy heart! They get SO excited, Love it! Of course, they're all so special and loved ;)

Practicing Our Steps!

We had fun making use of the staff in the back of the Red Balloons manual and some Christmas candy! 

Carson really had fun playing notes from the staff! He's learning the relationship between the steps on the staff and the up and down of the bells. And he's having fun doing it! Music is fun!

Who Took the Cookie!?

We played a fun game on the last day of Red Balloons! And of course it taught us to chant to a rhythm to the steady beat of our "pat-clapping" hands! Who took the cookie from the cookie jar!

We played a little pretend as they took the cookies while my back was turned. Oh the delight!

We liked how each gingerbread boy had its own personality. Above... the dancing boy.

Hand-Clapping Songs Improve Motor and Cognitive Skills

Remember those hand-clapping songs you played on the playground? Well, they show up at just the right time in a child's development in emotional, sociological, physiological and cognitive areas. Here's a cute one I remember doing in about 3rd grade.



http://esciencenews.com/articles/2010/04/28/ben.gurion.u.research.confirms.hand.clapping.songs.improve.motor.and.cognitive.skills?=

Hand-Clapping Songs Improve Motor and Cognitive Skills
A university in Israel conducted studies of hand-clapping songs which revealed a link between those activities and cognitive skills development in children, young adults, and university students. Practicing motor skills while singing and staying on beat helps develop auditory processing, visual processing, and attention. Children—particularly those in first through third grade—who participated had neater handwriting, better writing skills, and made fewer spelling errors, too! One researcher stated, "There's no doubt such activities train the brain and influence development in other areas." Even adults benefit by becoming more focused and less stressed. Who knew the songs weren't just for fun? Read the article in the link above for more!