So we don’t have violins or cellos, clarinets or flutes but we have got lots of random bits and pieces around the house that we get creative with to make our own instruments! and thats what Ashton and I have done!
We have started by making our own shakers with different containers and different mediums to go inside. We have used dry wheat inside a peanut butter jar, an old bead necklace cut up into a Body Shop Body Butter container, and some colourful pegs put inside an old CD container. Each shaker making its own unique sound when it Ashton shakes it. (There are obviously lots of other options that you can do to make different sounding shakers and if your child is older you could even take it a step further and decorate your shakers with paints or stickers.)
Ashton really enjoyed getting all of the shakers on his high chair tray all at once and banging the shakers up against each other, making an array of shaking sound! We did make a point of exploring each shaker one at a time and listening to the unique sound each one made.
I’m rather excited about using these shakers for more musical exploration and have already got lots of ideas for other instruments I want to try and make with Ashton to explore different sounds. If you have any ideas or experience with making musical instruments with materials that are lying about the house… please share!
The question is on everyone’s lips. Polkadots Podules are a new and innovative approach to teaching and learning for pre-schoolers and their parents. All of the music, books activities and activity materials, based around a specific curriculum area, are in one place, ready to use at your convenience. Podules can be bought in a downloadable or hard copy format.
You often want to have meaningful and educational interactions with your children but the ideas aren’t coming to you, or you don’t have the time to organize everything! Polkadots has done a lot of the preparation for you by assembling learning resources on a specific topic, in the one place (a Podule), so that precious time with your pre-schooler can be more interactive, more fun and more educational, giving them a real head start on their formal education.
At first glance, there is so much material available in a Podule that some might shy away from it with the thought of “too much to take in!” What parents using the materials have found, and is our intention, that you can use small amounts like songs or just the storybook when convenient or use the entire lesson plan for really comprehensive learning. It’s as relaxed or as intensive as you want it to be . . . or as your child demands. You might be surprised at how they respond to a complete lesson with your full attention and at what they talk to you about afterwards as you continue to play songs and build on activities. Repetition lends to retention and children actually will say and do extraordinary things . . . when they are given extraordinary things to do.
Watch our PODule Promo video at www.polkadots.co.nz then follow the link and instructions and you will be up and running in no time!
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So we don’t have violins or cellos, clarinets or flutes but we have got lots of random bits and pieces around the house that we get creative with to make our own instruments! and thats what Ashton and I have done!
