Another delightful visit with the preschoolers at Third Street Alliance. They pick up on everything: today they wondered where was my hat. I asked for some favorites and I got Five Little Monkeys as a warm up and it was delicious, with great back and forth conversation, figuring out different ways of putting up four, five fingers on one or two hands. They were right there. I followed with John Brown’s Baby, a simple song that has hand motions, and as the singing part dissolves over the course of the song, the hand motions continue. The tough part is at the end with the “Yuck”. The younger kids really attach themselves to it, while the older kids get the silent part. We tried but it didn’t quite fly – though the older kids took pride in knowing the trick, and the younger kids just having a good time. Not a failure by any means.
I worked on the “I Like School” piece but it’s not gelling. So it goes. I reprised Bear Hunt and Jelly in the Dish (with scarves) and, in both cases, I invited various students to come up lead the class. It was a hoot! The kids really take to being up next to me, and some really take charge. That’s simply marvelous.
I have one more visit next week and then, in May, we’ll do something together for the parents. I’m really having a good time with these kids, gaining ideas and material for future gigs. Welcome to my laboratory!