Has it really been over a month since I last posted? Oops. It isn't that we haven't been doing any activities - it's just been difficult to find time to post about them! Directly after finishing (and posting about) our zoo week, both T and I battled a nasty cold. For T, the cold was followed by a bout with Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease. I felt so terrible for the poor guy. Anyway - the end of September was rough. Once everyone was feeling better, we started off October with a "Movement and Music" theme. You may see now why it was so imperative to save this for a time when no one was under the weather! Read on below to see what did to explore movement and music this week.
Toddler Yoga
T has developed an obsession with our yoga mat recently - even though he has no clue what it is for. So we tried to take advantage of that obsession this week to give yoga a try. We used "Cosmic Kids Yoga" on YouTube, but there were a wide range of "toddler yoga" videos to be found. While my almost two year old didn't quite "get it," he started to pick up on copying the movements as we did them too. I think as time goes on this is an activity that he could enjoy and get better at with practice.
Toddler gymnastics class
At the moment, we don't have T involved in any organized activities besides a weekly story hour. We wanted to investigate some options for the fall, and thought that a gymnastics class might be a fun option. The toddler gym near us offers free introductory classes, so we tried one out. T had a blast! From the ball pit to the balance beam, indoor jungle gym to the swings - it really was a great time for him. It was a great way to get him moving and trying new things.
"Dance Party"
This was nothing new for us this week - but dancing is a major favorite activity in our house. This week, we amped it up with some new songs and included scarves to add an extra fun element to our dancing.
Making Music
We made all kinds of music this week.
- We played music using T's instrument set - maracas, a drum, bells, a harmonica and a tambourine all added excitement to any song we listened to.
- We broke out whatever "real" instruments we could find - a guitar, a trombone, a drum set. We talked about what they were called and listened to songs that featured those instruments, along with making music on them.
- We made music using every day objects such as bowls, pots, spoons, and more. My toddler even managed to turn a gravy separator into a sort of didgeridoo (I was impressed).
Movement and Music Books
Movement and Music Songs
The great thing about Movement and Music week was that ANY song could fit the theme! But I did pull out some favorites this week that were specifically about singing, dancing, moving your body, or simply making music.
- Me and My Energy - Laurie Berkner Band
- Shake My Sillies Out - Raffi
- Balance Beam - Laurie Berkner Band
- I Really Love to Dance - Laurie Berkner Band