Black Spiders Lesson 9
Our Black Spiders semester is over half-way done! I can’t believe it–it seems to have flown by!
I mentioned this to a few of you, but it bears repeating: Don’t be alarmed if your child appears to lose interest in coming to music class occasionally or even says he/she “doesn’t want to come.” This is very normal for children of this age. Their “preferences” can change as fast as their moods sometimes! Just continue to show confident, calm enthusiasm for coming to class and participating, and they will catch on again.
In Sound Beginnings, we love to celebrate the many benefits class has to offer your child. But, did you know that your adult brain is benefitting, too? When you laugh, sing, and play along with your child, your brain releases the “bonding hormone” oxytocin, the chemical known to help us relax and counteract the effects of stress, anxiety, and fear!
Why do we dance to classical music during class?
Inspired by the Let’s Play Music puppet shows, Sound Beginnings’ Smart Moves dances are designed to involve the whole body in a classical music experience. Students and parents learn choreographed movement following the themes, motives, and form of a short excerpt of classical music. Some of the Smart Moves follow a story line while others are solely movement that matches the music.
Language development is at the forefront of the toddler’s developing brain. In fact during the toddler years, a child’s brain is wired to acquire up to 10 new words per day! It stands to reason that the more language a child hears, the more his vocabulary expands. Nursery rhymes allow a child to hear vocabulary in a way that catches and holds his attention, and some research indicates that learning and memorizing these simple rhymes improves reading ability later on.
optional home fun activity
Lesson 9: Make the Little Miss Muffet puppets on page 33 in your student workbook
(Remember, these activities are optional but can be a great bonding experience to do with your child during the week.)
explore & connect
“There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” is a silly folk song. Some parents may be concerned because the character dies at the end. Be sure to stress to your child what a SILLY song this is and help your child see that it is not a real story. Read other versions of this story to your child and find some fun extensions here.
For my convenience, I have preloaded content for the whole semester. I will update each future post with specific time-sensitive info before I send the link each week. If you choose to read ahead you might see details that don’t apply to your child’s class. For this reason I do not recommend reading ahead. Thank you!