ABC Music & Me = Fun *and* Learning!
November 15, 2006 by Merri Williams
This week completes our semester of ABC Music & Me at the Church of the Apostles in Buckhead. We have visited the Carnival of Music , ridden the carousel, played with Barley Bear, and learned all about “Shoo-Fly Pie“. We have hopped with Little Frog, stomped with Elephant, and rolled all *over* our room with Pig in Animals A-Dancing. We even had Mama Frog visit us in class!
Along the way, we have developed our inhibitory control by learning to stop playing our instruments when the music told us to stop. “Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, aaaaaannnnnnd *STOP*! (That helps you out, parents, when you need your children to respond to your voice in an situation that requires immediate obedience to avoid injury, such as in a parking lot or grocery store.)
We developed our listening skills by listening closely to examples on our CD’s and identifying what kind of animal it was or what kind of sounds we heard at the carnival. This skill is called “attending” and, as a parent, I know that I want my children to “attend”, or, listen closely, to what I say. You might try extending these activities at home simply by listening with your child to one of the CD’s and asking him or her, “What did you hear just then? Did you hear the roller coaster?”, or “Was that the big elephant or the little elephant?” I have loved each and every minute spent in class with the children. Their imagination is only exceeded by their energy! 
For your enjoyment, here are some photos that were snapped in class.
It is my hope that you all have a blessed holiday season, filled with awe and wonder. See you on January 15th!
