Teaching Kids to Work Together

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Childrens Music

We live in a very selfish society. More and more people are looking out for themselves and not their fellow man. It’s understandable at times, I’m not trying to be judgemental.

The economy is struggling,  the personal touch we used to receive at so many businesses has been replaced with a voice robot or someone who lives in another country.

We live in a global society and so much of our contact is now online due to technology. You literally can live a pretty normal life these days and hardly interact or talk to anyone for days.

This is the world kids are now growing up in. I realize that is more convenient to use technology for so much of life’s task, however, I don’t think its particularly healthy in the long run.

Which brings me to my point.

I think it is crucial to teach kids to work together in our classrooms as much as possible. Learning how to interact with different kids, resolving conflicts, being patient with one another, learning from one anothers talents and gifts and just the pure joy of accomplishing something as a whole rather than just an individual is an amazing lesson that will lead to a more fulfilled and successful life.

Even when kids go out for recess, I think it is important to organize a sporting activity that they can do together. Sometimes kids do this on their own, which is a good thing and gives me hope for the future.

I don’t want to give away my age, but I remember when we would go outside to play (this is before video games), we were forced to use our imagination.

I became RacerX or Speed Racer in my mind and played that role all day (now I have given away my age) as my other friends would become my mortal enemies or superhero sidekicks. Sometimes it was a good game of kickball or we would go and find twigs and make homemade bow and arrows (now you know I’m old…but not really).

I just think that sometimes kids have too many options with technology and sometimes lose the art of working and imagining together.

So as teachers or parents, make sure as you introduce kids  learning songs, educational games and kids learning tools, you also develop activities that encourage our future citizens to work together.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Bring in the Laughter

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Childrens Music

This is a serious time in the world and in the educational community. Schools are closing, kids are struggling and teachers are sometimes over worked and battling against so many distractions that kids are facing.

Teachers bring all of that to the classroom, especially those that care so much about turning things around and helping as many students as they can to face the educational challenges of today.

So it is more important than ever to introduce a good dose of laughter in the classroom.

Not just fun but laughter specifically.

Laughter is good for the spirit, mind and body. There is something magical about it if used in the right way.

Make it a point to make fun of yourself as a teacher, either through a personal story, a photo or a funny phrase or saying. It draws the students closer to you as a human being and not just a teacher.

Of course you have to maintain a certain line of respect and discipline, however, kids need to know that their teacher is as normal as them, they struggle with life and problems and they have other interest besides what they see in the classroom everyday.

There is nothing that brings a classroom of kids closer together at a given moment, than something they can laugh at together. Also, if kids know there will be lighter moments in the classroom as part of their learning experience, they are less likely to bring on their own form of silliness that may not be as welcome.

Educational games, educational contest and educational learning music are all good tools to use to invite a fun atmosphere also.

Give your kids time to laugh, smile and yeah sometimes  be a little silly, we all could use a break in the day and a little sunshine in a sometimes cloudy world.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

Parents: The Backbone to Learning

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Childrens Music

In my opinion, you can have a bad teacher and a bad school, but a bad parent is ten times worse.

While I believe most teachers, schools and parents do a good job or at least try to, I believe the most important element to a child’s education is the environment of learning that is created by a parent.

That’s not to say that teachers don’t have major influence and that if a child has a bad parent that they cant achieve, but their is no greater influence on a child’s education than that of parents who makes learning a high priority.

When a child is in class and is exposed to great teaching by a teacher who is top notch, once they go home, a great percentage of that learning can diminish if they are then not required to do any homework or follow up and also stuck in front of a TV for hours and hours with no supervision.

Also the structure, love and concern and discipline level at home is crucial in most cases to what happens at school.

Just think about it,when you have great teaching at school and great parenting at home, that is a fantastic combination and statistics show a high percentage of success.

I look at it this way, when you’re making a cake, you can have the finest ingredients, flour, sugar, eggs and milk (I like to lick the spoon), but if someone doesn’t mix it and bake it, you never get a finished cake, and frosting really puts it over the top.

Well, teachers provide the ingredients, but parents are the four star chefs that mix and bake it in the oven for the final product.

So parents, read to your kids, go over their homework, cut down the amount of television they watch unless educational, buy them educational music and learning Cd’s and watch your cake (your kids)…. be ever so sweet!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 113 Comments

Teachers: Take a Break

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Childrens Music

One of the most under appreciated occupations in society is our teachers.

Many of them buy materials on their own dime while underpaid, spend long hours going over lesson plans, then once in the classroom they do multiple jobs at once including, mentoring, counseling, coaching, being a mother or father figure, social worker and sometimes, depending on the environment, security guard.

I find it fascinating that a person that can shoot a great jump shot can make millions, but those that shape the future of our country and society are compensated far far less greatly.

Don’t get me wrong, if I could shoot like Steve Nash in the NBA, I’d take the money too, but you get my point.

Many teachers work right through the time that is allotted to them, thinking of the next class and never recovering from the last session.

Likewise, many of them on the weekends are correcting papers or buying supplies or developing lesson plans to introduce the following Monday.

While most of them would never think to complain or even sometimes enjoy these things, these task can be energy draining over the weeks and months of instruction.

I just want to remind teachers it is OK to take a break. Most people believe they’ve earned it and also it would be more beneficial for them to be fresh and rested, than to have all the  classroom materials in the world but worn out.

So teachers, while your thinking about the next classroom activities, buying Cd’s for kids or investigating websites for kids, make sure to add rest, relaxation, vacation time and yes..taking a break.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 771 Comments

Throw the Change Up

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Childrens Music

If you like baseball as I do, the game is more interesting when a pitcher can throw 95 miles an hour three times in a row but can also throw a 75 mile an hour change up.

We all know that kids need structure, organization and lots of repetition in their learning cycle. These things are extremely helpful to learning, especially to kids that are missing structure at home. Great classroom management dictates that you have all three of the above mentioned.

However, as time goes on, things can get a little a mundane and stale. Every once in a while its OK to change things up or give a little surprise. It’s a great way to break things up a bit and keep the kids interested in class.

A surprise guest speaker on a subject, a surprise recognition prize or even just a special project they can do that they weren’t expecting, are just some of the examples that a teacher can do to keep things interesting.

We have to remember that kids are human first and not just “students”. Teachers benefit from this idea as well and this will keep things fresh for them too.

So as you use creative teaching tools, learning activities and kids music, remember not to be so predictable and change it up a little.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 795 Comments

Kids love Colors

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Childrens Music

Yellow usually means slow down and of course red means stop and purple means… Prince? OK, bad joke, but my point is colors have meaning, they set the mood and can be very useful in the classroom and with helping kids learn.

Just like our brain reacts to smell and touch and music, colors help kids brains to connect the dots in so many ways. There is a reason why television commercials are so effective using colors. Too many times I’m on the couch and not a bit hungry until a TV ad shows the yellow cheesy grilled cheese sandwich with the golden brown toasty bread.

OK now I’m hungry but I hope you see what I mean.

When teaching kids in the classroom, add as many color references as you can while teaching stories or children’s songs. When teaching math, a subject that many kids struggle with, colorize the numbers and equation symbols. It’s an excellent way for kids brains to make the connection to the right answer.

You can also set the mood in your classroom with soft colors on the wall that will help kids that have hyperactive issues to slow down a bit and mixed with soft music can do wonders for classroom management.

So when using creative teaching techniques as a teacher or parent incorporate kids music, learning songs, interactive games and lots and lots of color.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 940 Comments

Kids Love Rewards

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Childrens Music

We all want to be validated in some way and kids are no different, in fact, they need validation even more than adults.

A great way to validate their efforts especially in the classroom is to reward them. This doesn’t always mean something physical like a small trophy or a candy bar, although those work well also.

Simple things like giving  a kid a gold star on their paper or a special position in the classroom for a week does wonders for a kids self esteem and gives them motivation to do well again and again.

Class competitions are always a great way to drive excellence as kids are naturally competitive.

When you put these carrots in front of students, remember to put them in the best position to succeed as well.

Review the material as much as possible and make sure that all the students understand what has been taught. The last thing you as a teacher wants is to add incentives and you have students who never can win.

Try to have more than one reward so even those students that struggle have a chance, also have a class wide competition that requires the whole class to work together to achieve a goal, such as extra recess time or a special party.

Use the leverage you have as a teacher to tap into kids natural need for validation and the hunger to win, this makes kids learning a winning experience.

Posted in Uncategorized | 914 Comments

Teach with the Senses

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Childrens Music

We all learn through touch, sight, hearing, taste and smell. When you enter a room with cookies baking, the sense of smell immediately takes over, then you see them coming out of the oven, then you touch the warmth of the cookie and taste it in your mouth..Oh the Joy!

Now that I have your attention and your nice and hungry, just imagine if you could introduce kids to all five of those senses with learning and creative teaching.

We all know that it is much easier to remember a subject the more five senses are introduced in teaching it.

When teaching math, science or states and capitals, make sure the students have something to touch or smell and of course visualize.

Thats why educational music for kids is so exciting also, due to the hearing of the music and the feeling of the beat and along with that you can introduce colorful characters.

Let’s make sure when teaching that we engage our students and kids with all of the senses.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 1,094 Comments

All Kids are Smart

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Childrens Music

What do we mean? All kids are smart? All kids? What about the kids that get poor grades or those that struggle in class?

Well, if the only criteria of smart is what a kid does in school,your really missing the point.

We all have a genius within us. We all have a gift within us.

Kids that struggle in the classroom setting are sometimes the “smartest”. How can that be? Again, they struggle in that setting , it doesn’t mean their not smart.

I was one of those kids.

I struggled in the classroom and on test all of the time. I got an occasional C or B, but that was the exception not the rule.

However, while I was not doing very well in the classroom and seemed unfocused, I was imagining a whole new world of spaceships, aliens and the latest laser beam weapon that could destroy my enemies. I would draw them all of the time on my desk as I heard the teacher way in the background, a skill I’m sure helped me develop the DL characters and story lines.

After school I would run right away to the drugstore that sold the latest comic books, Spiderman, Thor, The Fantastic Four, I had hundreds of them! (I kick myself now..If I had kept those books I would’ve been rich!)  Anyway, what I didn’t know at the time during third and fourth grade was that those books that I was told were wasting my time and distracting me from learning were on a seventh grade reading level.

My reading level was off the charts! And everyone knows if you can read, you can learn.

I tell this story to say this, kids all have imagination, some more than others. They all have something that they are interested in or gifted at.

Kids will always need to learn Math and science, English and social studies. Let’s just make sure that we don’t judge those kids too quickly that struggle in the classroom.

With creative teaching methods, technology, children’s music and games, arts and crafts and out of the box teaching and thinking, we can find everyone in the classroom a place in the galaxy of learning.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 994 Comments

The Safety Song

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Childrens Music

Discover and Learn has a fantastic fun tune called “The Safety Song”. The song features a character called “Dr. Discover”, who will be revealed in cartoon form at a later date, and his sidekick “Aynton”, who happens to be named after the son of the creator of DL.

It reminds kids and parents of some basic safety issues that we have all heard but still need to be reminded of constantly such as: washing your hands, tieing your shoes, locking your doors, never go with a stranger, looking both ways across the street, don’t play with matches, always chewing your food real good and being careful while walking in the dark.

All of these safety concerns are covered in the song with a smooth slick beat and a fun exciting groove.

With so many dangers lurking for our kids these days, we wanted to remind parents and kids of safety but in a fun way, without sounding depressing.

We think we have accomplished that goal with this song.

So the next time you are looking for children’s songs, children’s music or educational songs for children, look for the Safety Song, we want our kids to grow up safe.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1,123 Comments