Author: Donna Green

Family Songs at Home

#Sway7 #SingatHomeFC

Let’s get creative and sing into Spring with a wonderful traditional nursery rhyme, our YMI tutor Laura sings “Humpty Dumpty”. Our speech and language therapy friend Evelyn shares the Makaton signs. Some children may want to make a Humpty Dumpty and build a wall or act out the rhyme through play.

Shhhhhh our next song is a favourite of many children Claire our YMI tutor sings “Sleeping Bunnies”. Children may wish to be a bunny and curl up and go to sleep…could an adult sing to you and then you wake up and start hopping, jumping, skipping etc. Maybe the children would like to sing it to their family, teddy or dolly. Have fun singing, sleeping and moving together.

Thank you to YMI tutors Cameron, Gareth and Pat for playing the musical instruments to accompany the songs and making the video to share.

We have a lovely little version to share of “Bubble Bee” this is a favourite little rhyme with many of our ELC settings. It’s never too early to start singing with babies. Look how (YMI) Susanne’s baby responds to the words. Songs are also a wonderful way to sooth and comfort babies and young children.

Can we please all promote this sway in ways which adhere to guidance (therefore not in large groups indoors) and provide lots of provocations for children to sing during play and particularly outdoors to support the many benefits singing, rhymes and movement experiences have for children. Can we also be very mindful of the importance of singing as a means to comfort our young children and this is something we can continue to do.

Use this link to access our seventh Family Songs at Home sway- https://sway.office.com/qNhnhiQBrFOmTWhv?ref=Link&loc=play

Please send the link to your families to join in at home.

If families wish to share photographs and videos of them taking part in the Sing at Home songs that would be lovely as we are hoping to collate these as examples to share on our Falkirk Froebel approaches to literacy blog, we would love to show the singing happening at home #FabFalkirkFamilies.

You can share these with us on twitter by tagging @FalkirkFroebel and using the #SingatHomeFC

We would love if you can join in!!

      

Gratitude to all for making: Family Songs at Home possible. And to all the #FabFalkirkFolk helping to spread the joy and benefits that singing, rhymes and movement brings to children and families.

#wonderisers

Family Songs at Home

#Sway6 #SingatHomeFC

Let’s get creative and encourage as much singing and chatting as we can, our YMI tutors Yorick and Cameron share “Chatter on the Children’s Train” with two wonderful versions via a video and audio.

 

I wonder how many of us can do the Makaton signs?

Teresa shares some key signs to help us learn to share with children and families and ELC settings.

 

Our second song is a lovely finger play song and Kirsty and Gareth our YMI tutors have made a fabulous video of:

“Five Little Peas”

 

Could we all promote in our ELC settings by saying the words along with the Makaton and provide lots of provocations for children to sing during play particularly outdoors. At home it would be wonderful if families could sing at home.

 

Use this link to access Family Songs at Home, Sway 6- https://sway.office.com/QVBR2ndfXgDjFeiJ?ref=Link&loc=play

Please send the link to your families to join in at home: https://sway.office.com/QVBR2ndfXgDjFeiJ?ref=Link

 

If families wish to share photographs and videos of them taking part in the Sing at Home songs that would be lovely.

You can share these with us on twitter by tagging @FalkirkFroebel and using the #SingatHomeFC

We would love if you can join in!!

  

We would like to say thank you to all for making: Family Songs at Home possible. And to all the #FabFalkirkFolk helping to spread the joy and benefits that singing brings to children.

Family Songs at Home

#Sway5 #SingatHomeFC

Team Falkirk as we welcome our children back are we ready to join in to help spread the joy and love of singing with our ELC families?  

You may already know we have a special friend called Dug eSgoil in Falkirk this week who loves music and singing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We hope our first song will bring smiles and joy: as our YMI tutors Laura and Cameron share “Sing a Rainbow” with two wonderful versions via a video and audio.

I wonder how many of us can do the Makaton signs?

Our second song will get arms, hands and fingers moving as Kirsty and Gareth our YMI tutors “Wind the bobbin up”.

 

Maybe we could say the words along with the Makaton signs at ELC, especially if we are outdoors and see a rainbow. At home we can encourage families to join in as we learn together in unity with children and families.

Use this link to access the  Family Songs at Home sway-

Please send to your families to ask if they would like to join in at home

If you wish you can share with us on twitter by tagging @FalkirkFroebel and using the #SingatHomeFC

  • We would love if you can join in!!

The following family poster is also available on glow if you would like to personalise to your setting and share.

We would like to thank all our wonderful ELC settings and families for joining in with Family Songs at Home sways. #FabFalkirkFolk

Thank you also to everyone who contributes to putting the Family at Home sways together including YMI mentors and Susanne Bell, Evelyn Anderson from FV speech and language therapy for Makaton support, Nikki Kirkwood for sharing this sway Makaton signs, Helena Mac Phail for creating the Sways, Donna Green for co-ordinating, Lisa Boa and a few of our wee people for the wonderful illustrations created.

We believe #Collaboration is key and when we all work collectively together amazing things can happen for our children whom all this is for.

 

 

 

 

Falkirk Family Songs at Home

#Sway4 #SingatHomeFC

Team Falkirk- are we ready to join in to help spread the joy and love of singing with our ELC families #SingAtHomeFC? 

 

As we move onto the month of February let’s get creative and  spread some love through music

 

We start off by singing a Scottish Gaelic song called Madainn mhath pronounced: Mateen-va, which means Good morning

We then move on to explore a fun song about love called Skinamarinky

 Before Reaching the fabulous creative winter poem written by Lisa McCabe ELC Service Manager, inspired by the weather and transformed through music by Jaclyn Connington, Falkirk High School, Music teacher. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our children could creatively voice their words to create their own poem or songs.

Use this link to access the forth sway– 

https://sway.office.com/kzpBzXckxwbDNezs?ref=Link&loc=play

Send the link to your families to encourage them to sing together at home.

  • Send the sway to ask families to join in. If they wish to share photographs and videos of them taking part in the Sing at Home songs that would be lovely. You can then share this with us on twitter by tagging @FalkirkFroebel and using the #SingatHomeFC
  • We would love if you can join in too!! Learn the Makaton signs. Listen to the music and songs. Why not get your own family to join in and share your fabulous singing and Makaton signing with us.

 

We would like to thank all our ELC settings and families for joining in with our Family Songs at Home sways. So far we have had 1406 views in our first sway , 432 views in the second sway and 851 views in the third sway.

Thank you also goes out to everyone who contributes to putting the Family at Home sways together including Lisa Boa for the wonderful illustrations she creates.

We believe #Collaboration is key and when we all work collectively together amazing things can happen for our children whom all this is for.

 

 

Block Play Guidance for Practitioners using Building the Ambition

Experiences which:

  • Encourage the child to wait their turn with their friends, for example, having the patience to wait for a turn whilst sharing the blocks and accessories at the blockplay.
  • Develop physical skills by building with blocks, strengthening muscles by moving in and around objects inside and outside.
  • Provide interesting objects to touch which encourage questions and language.
  • Help the child to see how things work, how objects can be moved and transported around; how similar blocks can be grouped together; how things balance.
  • Give the child time and space to be involved in their own schematic play and adults who support this.
  • Highlight a growing awareness of the need for some rules and why this is important and being able to respond to basic structures e.g. we wear our shoes in the blockplay area.
  • Allow children to use their imagination with role play, making models, constructing and designing.
  • Help children remember how they have solved a problem in the past and how this learning links to a current challenge.
  • Give time for children to find out similarities and differences in simple problem solving activities.

Adults who:

  • Understand the child’s own needs and preferences; for example, when the child is in a bigger group and how they may react, or when there are too many people around or it is too noisy.
  • Encourage children to initiate conversations and who extend these by asking well thought out questions.
  • Explain and model new words with the correct level of challenge to extend the child’s grasp of language.
  • Observe sensitively and intervene when necessary to extend the child’s thinking without over-direction and who do not interrupt moments of intense concentration.
  • Use techniques such as wondering aloud, explaining what is happening but all the time allowing the child to find out for them self what will happen next.
  • Encourage the young child to think, helping them to solve problems and giving the child time to come to a satisfying conclusion from the child’s view and then taking time to discuss this together.
  • Recognise differences in starting points of the individual child and encourage them at the appropriate level.
  • Encourage children to see another’s point of view through joint projects and cooperation in play.
  • Praise the child’s growing physical capabilities and challenge them to take the next step.
  • Pose questions which encourage inquiry such as, I wonder if, why do you think that, to extend the young child’s ability to verbalise their thoughts and actions.
  • Ask children I wonder what happens if… to help children make sense of what happens when you try things out.
  • Provide a range of resources to talk about which encourages children to be creative.
  • Help model techniques and strategies with children and encourage this new learning in the child’s new challenges or suggest a new context.

An environment which is:

  • Aware of providing materials and resources for children to use to find out how they move or what they are used for.
  • Provides resources which are interesting and stimulate questions and encourage children to communicate with each other.
  • Gives space to build, construct and take things apart and time to practise these skills over and over again.
  • Is organised to promote physical development, movement and spacial awareness inside and outside
  • Encourages inquiry and invites discussion and exploration with interesting objects to talk about and explore, stimulating curiosity.
  • Is supportive of giving time for the young child to persevere with their thinking and inquiries, to test their own theories out over several days or re-examine the same experience again over time in a variety of ways. For example, how to build a bridge across an area of the playroom using different materials without being constrained by overly formal routines of the day.