Shake, Rattle and Rhyme provides children's music, movement and literacy sessions for 9 month-4 year olds.
Little Sprout's Music Studio combine instrument exploration, nursery rhymes and modern children's songs to promote literacy, self confidence and independence. We strive to encourage children to sprout by providing a safe environment for parents and their young children to sing and be silly together. These activities help to cement bonds that will last a life time.
I am trying to make a "playlist" section on YouTube that will include songs to play along to. I will also add our rhymes and other activities to keep you busy while we stay inside. I will post new links as I build up the Channel and Playlists on Facebook so you know when to have a look. Thanks everyone! Make sure to share and like my posts so that others can see our site in Facebook. Facebook only features accounts that have engagements and it is the only way for you to keep seeing my updates. See you all soon.
Shake, Rattle and Rhyme at the Kirkgate Centre, Shipley
Hi everyone,
I am trying to do a different theme every month this year for our extra activities. Last month we learned "Animals on the Farm" by Super Simple Songs. This month we are learning "Big Red Bus" by Spud and Yam. There is a sample of the song on their web page at http://www.spudandyam.co.uk/?q=node/33
Sessions run at Kirkgate Centre in Shipley every Wednesday at 10:30. There is no need to book, just show up.
This is a little guide of what to expect when you come to a Shake, Rattle and Rhyme session at the Kirkgate Centre. I have included links to some of the songs we use.
Shake, Rattle and Rhyme follows a structure that I have found to work well with children 18 months to 4 years old. I have a predictable format so that children know what to expect and feel like they are a part of the "club" (so to speak). I also do it this way because it has a social evolving effect where the child plays with their parent, then does an activity they can do with the group, and finally an activity that calls for individuality and bravery. I know that sounds over the top, but watch a kid for about four sessions. If the child has had no preschool experience, they will usually sit at the back in their safety net for the first session (they may not make it through the first session at all), eventually the safety net stretches a bit and they go back and forth from parent to props. Finally their safety net envelops the whole group and they join in the middle, independent from their parental unit.
Shake, Rattle and Rhyme format:
Hello Song
Instrument Exploration- this section is pretty much the same every week. Children get to choose a percussion instrument that is placed in the middle of the floor.
Movement-the activities in the section change every 3-4 weeks so that the activity is learned.
"Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.
Movement song of the month.
Parachute time
Magic Bag- It never ceases to amaze me how much children love "Magic Bag." This activity is much more than singing and memorizing ageless rhymes and songs. The "Magic Bag" is filled with items that represent a common nursery song. In order to pick from it, the child must sit quietly and wait their turn. This is where you really get to see the kids who have profited from coming to sessions. You get to see the child in the back who is clinging to their parent become an individual as they slowly creep closer and closer so they can have a go. "Magic Bag" can also help children experience disappointment when they don't get the item they want or they don't get to choose first. I feel it is also good for the parent because they can observe and let their child be an individual and allow them to choose, solve conflict or ease their disappointment for themselves.
Goodbye Song
Come by and see me wednsdays at 10:30 at the Kirkgate Centre, Shipley
I personally believe in providing sessions regardless of school holidays. Summer is the only exception. Shake, Rattle and Rhyme will continue to be on Wednesdays 10:30-11:15 at the Kirkgate Centre until July 24th. September 4th will be the first day back.
It's that time again, a chance to get our rhyme on.
This year we have some new rhymes that even I have to learn. The Rhymes this year are:
One Finger, One Thumb
5 Speckled Frogs
Frere Jacques
Jack in a Box
Star
To get started, I will add some links to the songs for you to learn at home. You can also go to the Bradford Libraries Rhyme Challenge website to download the songs and certificates if you are choosing to do the rhymes at home.
One finger, one thumb keep moving
One finger, one thumb keep moving
One finger, one thumb keep moving
We'll all be happy and bright
One finger, one thumb, one arm keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm keep moving
We'll all be happy and bright
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg keep moving
We'll all be happy and bright
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head, keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head, keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head, keep moving
We'll all be happy and bright
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head
Stand up, sit down keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head
Stand up, sit down keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head
Stand up, sit down keep moving
We'll all be happy and bright
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head
Stand up, turn round, sit down keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head
Stand up, turn round, sit down keep moving
One finger, one thumb, one arm, one leg, one nod of the head
Stand up, turn round, sit down keep moving
We'll be happy and bright
3 Little Speckled Frogs
Three little speckled frogs
Sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs. Yum! Yum!
One jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool
Then there were two speckled frogs
Two little speckled frogs
Sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs. Yum! Yum!
One jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool
Then there was one speckled frog
One green speckled frog
Sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs. Yum! Yum!
He jumped into the pool
Where it was nice and cool
Then there were no speckled frogs
Frere Jacques (Are You Sleeping?)
Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques,
Dormez vous? Dormez vous?
Sonnez les matines, Sonnez les matines
Ding Ding Dong, Ding Ding Dong
Are you sleeping, are you sleeping?
Brother John, Brother John?
Morning bells are ringing,
morning bells are ringing
Ding Ding Dong, Ding Ding Dong.
I am happy to announce the return of Little Sprout's Music Studio under Shake, Rattle and Rhyme. This time we will be running from a different location: Kirkgate Centre in Shipley BD18 3EH, Beginning November 21st at 10.
Our space is HUGE! There are also bathrooms, a place to store your prams and a cafe so after the session you can sit and talk and have some food or drink.This group will be the same as Little Sprout's Mini Music Makers. We will have instrument time, movement time and Magic Bag time. The new space allows us to expand activities and space for parents to talk. Besides finally having a bathroom, the Kirkgate Centre will open their Cafe to us and you are allowed to stay until 12:30.
Cool Beans! I am so excited.See you November 21st at 10:00 Kirkgate Center
In the United States there is a children's show called Sesame Street, and I miss it so much. On thing that is great about it is it's integration of music education with fun.
I just loved this
And Katie Perry:
Then you might as well look at the songs I grew up with
We are into the third week of the challenge. I had better catch you up on the first two weeks.
The first week we focused on "Big Red Tractor." Since we know this song well, I decided to use it to focus on steady beat. As we recited the words, we used our instruments (and bouncing) to keep the pace of the song starting off at normal pace and then performed it fast and slow.
Here are the lyrics. The colour changes as you please.
Bouncing up and down on a big red tractor
Bouncing up and down on a big red tractor
Bouncing up and down on a big red tractor
Bringing in the hay! YEA!
The great thing about this song is that it focuses specifically on rhythm by having the child bounce on a lap or by themselves as the song is sung. Also, on the "YEA!" at the end is emphasised by lifting the young child in the air, giving the end a bit of a oomph. I bet you just thought this song was about colours.
Last week we focused on Itsy, Bitsy, Spider. We didn't really do anything interesting with the poem except use our fingers to help us emphasise the words. Although nothing special was done, I love the children during this song. Everyone loves it and it is one of my personal favourites.
The Itsy, Bitsy, Spider went up the water sprout.
Down came the rain and washed the spider out.
Out cam the sun and dried up all the rain.
The Itsy, Bitsy Spider went up the spout again.
Itsy, Bitsy Spider is a great poem to practise fine motor movement and improve dexterity when the poem is accompanied by the hand movements.
In case you are interested, here is a little blip about the history of nursery rhymes.
I hope everyone had a great Christmas Break. We will be starting up again this week, beginning with the baby Mini Music Makers at the Owlet Children and Family Centre.
New Songs for Winter Sessions.
I would like to introduce a new hello and goodbye song for the group this term. The songs will be introduced slowly, by using the old songs too, but eventually we will be using the new songs as our official hello and goodbye songs.
Don't worry, the songs are still easy, but have a bit more to them. Both songs come from the book "Kids Make Music, Babies Make Music Too" by Lynn Kleiner. This is an excellent book and the songs can be downloaded from Amazon.co.uk
The Super Simple Learning website is really awesome and I use it sometimes for learning tunes to some of the songs. It also has loads of Halloween and Christmas songs.
There is a lot of repetition in this song, which makes it easy to learn even though it seems long.
Here are the words:
♫ Dem bones, dem bones, dem dancing bones. [Skeleton dance.] Dem bones, dem bones, dem dancing bones. [Skeleton dance. Move to the right.] Dem bones, dem bones, dem dancing bones. [Skeleton dance. Move to the left.] Doin' the skeleton dance. [Skeleton dance.]
The foot bone's connected to the leg bone. [Point to your foot, then to your lower leg.] The leg bone's connected to the knee bone. [Point to your lower leg, then your knee.] The knee bone's connected to the thigh bone. [Point to your knee, then your thigh.] Doin' the skeleton dance.
The thigh bone's connected to the hip bone. [Point to your thigh, then your hip.] The hip bone's connected to the backbone. [Point to your hip, then your back.] The backbone's connected to the neck bone. [Point to your back, then your neck.] Doin' the skeleton dance.
Shake your hands to the left. Shake your hands to the right. Put your hands in the air. Put your hands out of sight. [Put your hands behind your back.]
Shake your hands to the left. Shake your hands to the right. Put your hands in the air. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle...wiggle your knees. [Wiggle your whole body, moving your hands all the way down your body until they reach your knees.]
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dancing bones. Dem bones, dem bones, dem dancing bones. Dem bones, dem bones, dem dancing bones. Doin' the skeleton dance. ♫
Today we had 41 children at Mini Music Makers! I am so happy to see returning music makers as well as welcome the new children and I hope that everyone will make Mini Music Makers a part of their weekly routine.
Today we focused on noises our body makes. We discovered different noises our hands, feet, mouth and voice make. We had an excellent round of Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. We also sang the first five versus of This Old Man.
These activities helped us to be creative, get comfortable with our bodies and helped to discover rhythm through touch.
I hope to see everyone again next week. These big turn outs will help the community realize that we need more Music and Movement sessions in our community.
Also a small reminder to people who took a form for the free session at Yorkshire Music Scool to return their forms next week, as the session will be Tuesday September 24th at 10:00. If you cannot make that session, please leave you information so that I can contact you when we have another session.
The start of September means new beginnings and endings. It is the end of Summer and the Summer holidays and many of my Mini Music Makers are entering into nursery school next week. It is an incredibly exciting time. But it is also a sad time because some of my Mini Music Makers will no longer be able to attend Mini Music Makers any more.
I will miss the children who will be leaving and I hope that they come to visit me during their holidays. I will be posting new classes as they come on this site and on Little Sprout's Music Studio. I hope that they continue on their musical journey as music is an important aspect to life's many roads.
On the other side, Mini Music Makers tends to receive many new children to our troupe in September, and it is with great enthusiasm that I welcome all new comers and that I hope they enjoy our session.
