S-t-r-e-t-c-h-ing Boundaries

Somewhere in the blogosphere, I read a post once about Mr. Eric Litwin (of Pete the Cat fame) and his music program, The Learning Groove. (If you've never heard of this amazing offering, check it out here:  http://www.thelearninggroove.com/) As if creating the beloved Pete the Cat wasn't enough, Litwin is a multi-talented musician and lyricist. I use his songs frequently in my movement-based story time, Bounce 'n Books. I'm glad he shares his gift with the world!

One afternoon, while I was perusing YouTube in search of new songs and rhymes, I came across Mr. Eric's videos. They are a virtual treasure trove of how to perform successfully in a story time group. Not only did I learn new songs and new ways to present old songs, I learned so much about crowd control and timing--I highly recommend his videos if you present story time to groups.

But it was this video that really got me fired up:

 



 

I emailed Mr. Eric immediately after viewing to find out what this magical fabric band was that mesmerized me from the moment he proclaimed, "There's something in the bag, man." His assistant promptly and courteously informed me that this incredible prop is a Stretchy Band found at Bear Paw Creek:  http://bearpawcreek.com/199/stretchy-band-fun/

I think I placed an order for the extra large band within two days.

Our Stretchy Band arrived last week, and I knew it would be a good fit for my Toddler Time story time. My group of toddlers right now are a little on the young side, so I saw a grand opportunity for parents and caregivers to hold their children in their laps and participate together in some stretchy songs.

Here are the songs I used with the Stretchy Band:
"Row, Row, Row Your Boat" so we could get the feel of the band; once we sang it through a few times, I used Bob McGrath's sweet recording.

"Shake It Up High," by Brian Funshine. I'm using this song a lot lately, as it works well for ribbons, scarves, egg shakers, and now the Stretchy Band!

"Sticky, Sticky, Sticky Bubblegum," a traditional song that I led with parents, and we stuck the band to different parts of our bodies.

Fun stuff.

Not only was it a good fit, it presented a welcome opportunity for grown-ups to focus on songs and rhymes and really be in the moment with their children. It was an energizing and engaging activity for my group. We were all performing with one another, sitting in a circle together, and laughing for the better of 15 minutes.

The Stretchy Band:  that's me s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g my boundaries and crossing my mid-line this week.