The Water Bell Reindeer

Mother Goose Time has a wide variety of activities throughout the month to engage in different skills. We always call the lessons, activities because it seems less strenuous and boring than actually having to learn something. The other day we were straightening a few things up before getting to the fun stuff. My almost 3 year old, Mr Z, yelled out Because we going to do activities!? after I had told him to help clean up. He had excitement in his voice and I was excited about his enthusiasm. I'm not sure if he actually participated much though since he's in his own world without a schedule.

Before I go any further also, I have to admit that I've been having trouble personally the last several months. I am a Libra and am really about balance in my life. I've been having a difficult time with many things tipping my scales, including the boys MGT homeschool activities. I've been overwhelmed, frustrated but mostly depressed and therefore have been extremely absent from several priorities. All I have the motivation for is sleep because when you're sleeping, you don't have to deal with anything else. But, I'm trying to get my scales back to normal and its hard. Anyway, that's why my posts have not been consistent and pretty boring. I will get there, back to normal. I need to. Sometimes I guess to take care of the kids and everything else, I need to take care of myself.

Because I haven't been prepping the lessons properly lately, Mr A has been choosing to combine days and picking and choosing activities from the packets. Our days have been all mixed up. First he chose to put together his Reindeer Headband from the day about Animal Tracks. He enjoys the headbands. Then we went on to the science experiment from the Bells day.
Mr A loves the science experiments from Mother Goose Time. There are usually 2 or 3 throughout the month that correlate with the unit/topic. The cards are easy for him to read using the pictures. The steps are simple and it also explains what is happening in the experiment. At first I didn't think we'd be able to execute the Water Bells because I didn't think I had glasses that would work. But, I dug around and found some that were perfect. Mr A helped with set up. He decided how much water to put in each glass. We tested how each glass sounded. He noticed the glass with the most water had the lowest tone. We tapped on the glass where the water was, then tapped on the empty part to see if it made a difference in the sound.

But, Mr A needed color in his glasses.

So playing music with water turned into a color theory experiment also. He decided which colors would go where and watched what happened happened when he mixed a few of them. As we progressed through the experiment he continued to mix the colors... you can see how they change.

We also found that using a small spatula helped with the sound. The metal spoon didn't make a good noise and he was able to tap on the glass a little harder with the spatula. After a little bit, Mr A also moved the glasses apart a bit and began tapping in between two glasses making a few notes at the same time.

Mr A spread all the glasses and tapped between each pair while listening to the noise the two made. 

This is so neat. I didn't know you could make music with water like that.

Patterns with Drums

The Sights and Sounds of Winter with Mother Goose Time

The holiday season brings out more instruments during festivities, parades, outings, and parties than you usually see the rest of the year. With the unit this month with Mother Goose Time, we are diving deeper into some of the sounds we hear in the winter. Week one is instruments.

While talking about different instruments that we hear in music and songs on the radio or in our MGT cd, we explored some of the ones that we have here at home. Mr A actually dragged all of their instruments out after he saw the drum set in a different spot. They tested the symbols, maracas, rain-stick, triangle and all sorts of others for quite some time.

Then, we got into the drums.
A few days earlier we had gone to a Christmas parade and watched several local school marching bands play their instruments down the street. My personal favorite is listening to the drum corps of the band as they pass by. So, before beginning, we remembered the different drums that the kids carried as they played and marched.
Mr A pounded on his drums for a few, then he wondered what the stars were for on each of the drums or symbols. So, we played a game. I pulled a paper square from a cup and he played the drum/symbol that correlated with that color. He used the stars on the drum set to know which to play. I set them out for him to see. After I pulled a new square, he played the entire sequence again. It was like the game Simon... but with drums.

He was able to look at the squares then play what colors he remembered. And it was usually in the right order. For awhile we did random sequences, but then we did a few patterns. Mr A was able to remember simple sequences. Drums are tricky... there's so much to remember... what stick do I use to hit that drum, don't hit that symbol with the stick & use the foot pedal instead.

The pattern for the month is an AABB pattern. So, we did a few of those too. I called out colors and he played them. This time he had to listen to the pattern and play it instead of looking at the pattern. It actually seemed to be a bit easier for him since he didn't have to look at the squares, then look at the drums to find where that color was. He could just hear it then find it. We had fun, but it was exhausting. Patterns can be found everywhere in music. The beats, melody or harmony always repeat themselves and Mr A is starting to recognize that. By making his own patterns and beats he can now hear that the songs he listens to have repeating patterns in them as well.

Each month we also get new name tags to write. Mr A gets a little creative with his sometimes while Mr Z usually wants nothing to do with them. I was wondering what Mr A was up to when he was writing his name... and he wrote his name backwards... and correctly too. It was interesting. I find it fascinating when the boys do something out of the blue and your only thought is "I had no idea you could do that."

Woodwind Instruments

December with Mother Goose Time has been about the Sights and Sounds of Winter. The days of week one included different instruments that you hear more often with the holiday season all around us. So, we explored the instruments we have stashed on a shelf in the office.

I didn't realize that we had so many woodwind instruments here at home. We really don't get them out that much... usually only during the holidays. Its pretty sad actually. But, when the instruments do come off of the shelf, the boys are so excited! I do love how MGT allows us and encourages us to explore things and connect with real objects in a fun educational way.

My clarinet is always a good one for the boys to honk and squeak on for a few minutes.

I showed Mr A the proper way to have your mouth on the piece and got my finger bit in the process. Mr A realized it takes bigger hands and fingers to cover the holes and that it is hard work to blow into the mouthpiece to make a nice sound come out.

Their daddy played the alto saxophone for years and so that made an appearance. Mr A quickly found out that since it was a bigger instrument it took a lot more air to make sound come from the instrument.

I always forget that the flute is a woodwind instrument... and I also always forget that we have one. Mr A was super excited that we had almost all of the instruments on the daily topic poster. He matched up the flute, clarinet and soprano saxophone. The only one we don't have is the oboe.

Wetting the reed is not always a fun task.

We talked a little bit about how they are similar and different too; they have buttons or holes, wooden reeds or a blow hole, different colors, shape.
Their daddy played Christmas songs on the alto sax in the meantime. I only played my clarinet in middle school, so I don't remember enough to teach much or just play for the joy of it. But music always has a way of making someone feel better.

Music

The boys are overloaded with music from several different sources right now... and its awesome.

We go to Sound Beginnings to sing and dance together. Because of music class Arai has learned to count to 30, learned the order of the days of the week, knows a major scale, is learning basic sign language and so much more. Zaide sings in his own way here at home, but cuddles on my lap during class. He likes to do the nursery rhymes with motions.

Arai is in the play Peter Pan and so hes busy with rehearsals. We listen to the music cd several times a week... mostly in the car.

We have music cds from Mother Goose Time. This month its several different beats and instruments from around the world. The boys have a great time dancing to it.

Yesterday Arai had a first vocal lesson from Nana Bright. He came home excited to show me what he learned and had stickers to put on the piano. He plays the notes and sings a major scale.

Most days i have music playing on my cd player. Arai usually gets a choice of what he wants to hear. It sure is fun having music on all the time. He is remembering words to songs and singing them throughout his day.

You can never be too overloaded with music. right!?

...now for intro classes for learning an instrument. :-) ... well maybe later.

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