Become an Explorer!

Hello everyone - and welcome to term three! We had a fantastic first class for the term this morning, and are very excited to welcome Sarah & Tiki to our Kindermusik family :)

Did you know that babies who are allowed to explore within safe limits generally become eager and flexible learners? Finding new ways of using objects is great food for young brains :)  When our children are investigating objects, they're creating Action Schemes in their minds - what it looks like, feels like, tastes like, the sound it makes when you shake it, what happens when you bash it on something, all of that wonderful stuff. 

Do some investigating at your house! You could use a store bought instrument, something you've made, or even something from the kitchen (Jarvis is a big fan of the potato masher!). Think outside the box - what fantastical ways can you find of using it to make music? What sounds does it make?

I'd love to hear about your explorations - your comments always make me smile :) 

Have a musical week! Kath & Jarvis 

Long & Short

We had an action packed class today! Playing with sponges, exploring egg shakers, and swinging in a hammock...busy busy busy.

Our focus today was Long & Short - in sounds, and in movements. When we sang 'Come Follow' and used long & short steps we were helping our babies to experience long & short with their entire bodies! When we sang it in a round it sounded wonderful - what a fantastic group of mums :) 'Blow Away the Morning Dew' used long & short blowing, and 'Come My Little Darling' focussed on the long slow swaying of the hammock. Be sure to try that one at home!


Your Dewdrops Journal activity for this week is centred around blowing. Our little people don't know how to blow yet, their lungs & diaphragm are still developing, but we can teach them about it by blowing gently on them, and blowing safe small items in the air for them to watch. Feathers, cellophane, tissue, cotton balls...so many things to choose from! This is great for working their little eye muscles, which will eventually help with learning to read!

Let your baby touch you to work out what you're doing when you blow - he'll feel your mouth, feel the warm air coming out, and think it's all very interesting indeed! Make sure to be careful with any little items you're blowing on, you don't want them to be eaten...

Share your blowing activities & baby's reactions - we love your input! It's so wonderful reading about what other families are doing at home, sharing ideas is so beneficial to all of us.

Have a musical day!
Kath & Jarvis

Stop & Smell the Flowers

Our babies are amazing! Everything is a new experience, and every new experience fills baby's senses with new sights, sounds, smells, feelings, movements, positions in gravity, & tastes.

The brain is constantly organising these new sensations, integrating them to create a fuller understanding of the world around us. In little people this is so important!!

Not only are they learning about their environment, but within the brain these sensory messages are converted into electrical impulses which travel to the spinal cord & brain, are combined, and produce some very important things - posture, movement skills, co-ordination, emotions, thoughts, memories & learning. The brain really is a fantastical place!

The sensory system doesn't just develop by itself, it needs to be stimulated. This happens every time a child has a sensory experience! By the age of ten, the growth of sensory connections in the brain is mostly finished with - which is why is it so very important to offer loads of sensory opportunities to our little people. In a child under 7, the brain's primary job is as a sensory processing machine - over 80% of the nervous system is totally dedicated to organising the many sensory experiences had!

Find ways to offer your baby a variety of wonderful sensory experiences!

A favourite around here is holding Jarvis above the oregano and letting him dance on the leaves...his toes feel the texture & coolness of the plant, his eyes see the green shiny leaves, his nose and mouth are filled with the aroma of the herbs, his vestibular system is being stimulated by being upright, and these are only a few of the wonderful things going on!

Check back in a few days for more interesting information about the importance of the senses in our wonderful babies, and pleeeeeease feel free to share any of your ideas, I really would love to hear them! Sensory experiences are infinite & limited only by the imagination!

Have a musical day!
Kath & Jarvis