Rise Up Singing: Morningtown Ride

I am sharing this version of a favourite childrens' song, for a few reasons.
I enjoy the videos made by this young Montrealer. His determination to record all the songs in a song book called Rise Up and Sing is inspriring, I think. I also enjoy his down to earth approach to recording.

Matthew is of my son's generation, and I feel a connection to his songs somehow. I like that several Raffi songs have been chosen by Matthew, because I think he is a wonderful children's songwriter and performer, and has had a tremendous influence on the lives of children in Canada.

This song is a lullaby but also seems fitting for the Christmas season. I believe it is featured on Raffi's Christmas cd for children, although not written by Raffi.

I think you will enjoy this. I do plan on sharing one or two Hanukkah songs, this week, from this young man's recordings.

Cheers!
To view this You Tube video, just click on the words "Read More".

Santa Lives Here

 The Christmas spirit is alive and well, in my small group of young children at the Daycare center where I work.

This is where Santa hangs up his working clothes every day, when's he's finished with them.

These clothes also get put into service, when one young boy in my group chooses to be "Mr. Grinch"..

 This well loved book has been read every day, by request, and as well is often taken off the bookshelf by the children throughout the day. As you can see this book is quite worn. I've been reading it to my young children in day care, every Christmas season for about 21 years now.

This "Thanksgiving" story has returned to our bookshelf by special request. It had been taken home by me, after our Thanksgiving, back in October, but my children suddenly began asking for "Gobble gobble, wibble wobble - Do the Noodle Dance" (the first lines of each page).

I'm  pleased my children are enjoying stories. Storytime is one of my favourite times. I've learned over the years, that it is counter productive to be too formal with story time, or to expect all the children to come and sit together as a group. My children are just 2 years old, and I find that I need to read stories when the best opportunity arises, and to accept that some of the children will prefer to be moving around, or playing nearby. However, I've learned that the children are listening, and enjoying in their own way...and within a few months even those who were least interested in coming to sit for story, start to come sit for longer and longer periods.

This book is the most requested and looked at book right now in our small room. We usually start the day at 8:00, just sitting quietly, with our new Beta fish, named Danny. We then have been reading this book - and this happens EVERY morning, like a small needed routine - for over a month now. Although I borrowed three Rainbow Fish books from the library, this is the one my children are fascinated with. I have a mixed age group in the early morning, and everyone enjoys the story.

We made some paper plate fish back in early November, when our fish Danny came to live in our room.

    We also made some paper plate Santa's in early December - they look very jolly I think.

We made this handprint wreath together, and had lots of fun using our thumb prints to make the berries.


Next week on Wednesday Hanukkah begins and we'll be enjoying some beautiful Hanukkah stories. We'll learn "The Dreidal Song", and play with a dreidal. And we may get to making some candle art.

I'm glad we have these wonderful celebrations in December - to provide us merriment and light.

Just hanging out together

Just hanging out together: I had a great day with the children, in my small group, at the daycare center where I work. We went outside to play in the morning, and so spent the afternoon just hanging out together. I always sense a time in the year, when I know my children are truly feeling comfortable with me, and one another. It's like a small turning point.

Suddenly the emotional climate becomes more relaxed, and the children start really playing together in small groups, sometimes barely noticing that I'm in the room with them. Now and then one or two, or a group will join me, and we'll work on a puzzle together, or read together.

This is a floor puzzle we've been enjoying this past week.

This is what I've been working towards all fall, the moment when I can almost hear a gentle "humming" in the air, of young minds working, and growing, and becoming themselves.It is my reward, for all the planning, and room arranging, and coaching of my kids.

So, today in the afternoon, my children and I spread out throughout the room - three playing a game involving the "Grinch" (a small boy in a small Santa suit, considers himself to be the grinch when dressed this way); two children and I working on puzzles; one child playing farm animals; one building blocks; and one playing cars. And we really played in a focused way like this for about 40 minutes!



Now and then a child might go to the table to draw, and another might go to open a book, and "read" it. It just does my "teacher's" heart so good, to see my children playing in a relatively "civilized" way with one another, and making choices for themselves, to go and read or draw, and then return to the more active play. I think they are "self-regulating" - an important skill every person needs.(I don't mean to be derogatory about my children when I say that they were playing in a "civilized" way, but in a way the play of very young 2 year olds sometimes feels abit "uncivilized". They tend to be self centered, and it is hard for them to learn to see others as people with rights like themselves - so there can be hitting, and other aggression. but as the children mature, it does seem more "civilized".)



Sometimes it seems that my groups of children tend to come together, and feel like a "family", after some kind of event, or challenge. Sometimes this might be an outing to the museum; or to the water spray park, in the summer. We had a small Christmas party on Friday - nothing big, but just special enough. I feel that may account for the group feeling more cohesive today.

My children enjoyed putting their own marshmallows in their hot chocolate :)

Mullin Avenue Workshop: Gifts and Play

Over at my other blog, I have shared pictures of the gifts my children have been making this season. To read please feel free to just click on the link.

Mullin Avenue Workshop: Gifts and Play: At the daycare center where I work, my children have been busy creating gifts for their family. We used acrylic paint, and sparkle pai...

Mullin Avenue Workshop: Getting into the Christmas spirit - slowly but sur...

 I wrote a small post about how my children and I have begun to celebrate Christmas, at my other blog, and decided to just share it here. Just click on the link if you would like to read.
I plan to share more of our activities and art work here in the next few days as well.

Mullin Avenue Workshop: Getting into the Christmas spirit - slowly but sur...: At the daycare center where I work, we have started to celebrate the season of Christmas. We decorated a small tree with small (unbrea...

Nature art, and a Favourite Song

Yesterday, I went into work on my room, at the daycare center where I work. It was a beautiful day, with the temperature at about plus 4, so I walked from my home to the daycare, about a 50 minute walk.

I noticed some interesting pieces of nature art, on the university campus, where the daycare is situated,  and took these photos.

I think these may have been created by fine art students, or education students. I think art made from natural materials and displayed on trees, outdoors, helps it's viewers to take another look at what is around us. It certainly caught my eye .I would like to do some art like this with my children.












Last Monday, I posted a song by Kenny Loggins,  from his cd Return to Pooh Corners, and this week I'd like to share another one of the songs from this collection that I enjoy with my children. The song, The Rainbow Connection, was written by Paul Williams, and Kenneth Ascher, in 1979, for the whimsical little frog, Kermit, in The Muppet Movie. It was nominated for Best song, at the Oscars, and The Golden Globe, and was named the 74th Best Song of all time, by the American Film Industry.

Although I love Loggins' version of this song, I thought it would be interesting to share this video of Willie Nelson. I haven't been very familiar with his music, but after listening to him here, I found that he is a performer I'd enjoy to listen to in the future.

A Song of Thanks

I want to wish my American friends a very Happy Thanksgiving this week. I am very thankful to have met you.
This is childrens' songwriter, and performer Raffi,and his song Thanks Alot.