Zoo Train

Family Time Zoo Train starts tomorrow afternoon and I am so excited! I've been busy putting the studio together, getting the craft kits ready, singing the songs and brushing up on my ASL. I know these families will love this class! Here is a little sneak peak of some of the activities for our first day:

We will visit the monkeys! A silly thing that monkey's will do is copy you! Turn to your grown up or a friend and tap your nose-see if they will tap their nose back! Now blink your eyes and watch them blink their eyes. Now jump up and down and they will copy you!
Sing together- The monkey taps taps taps his nose. The monkey taps taps taps his nose. Monkey see. Monkey do. The monkey does the same as you! This
Instrument Play-We will pass out rhythm sticks and practice our steady beat and monkey copy cat. Play your sticks on the floor, tap them together, now tap them to your partners sticks too! Steady beat is an organizer for a child, purposeful and calming. Studies show a positive correlation of steady beat with reading, vocabulary, math, music, and physical coordination. It seems to help in these areas because it contributes to a child's ability to concentrate, understand space and distance and have better control of physical movements.

Now it's time for a visit to the Lions! This is a fun little finger play for a lion.
I'm a great big cat with whiskers (draw whiskers from your nose out with your fingers.)
I have big feet and claws (make big claws with your hands.)
I have a long and furry tail (shake your tail.)
I make a lion's roar! (pretend to roar like a 'nice' lion.)

I like to crawl and prowl around (crawl around on all fours)
and then when I am done
I stretch myself out oh so long (lay down and rest )
and lie down in the sun.

Thyme and Vocal Play helps your little one solidify the meanings of new words. Kindermusik carefully selects songs, poems, and rhymes with accompanying movements to emphasize the word meanings knowing that this is particularly effective in helping little ones gather and retain new words in their vocabularies. Include some finger plays with your favorite nursery rhymes. We LOVE to do this in the car, sometimes and church, and Always at the check out line at Wal-mart :) My kids love them!

And time permitting we will then take a ride on a carousel! Every kid loves the carousel and we have hoops, a large parachute, blankets, animals, so many ways to enjoy this up and down and round and round activity!