Boogie Woogie Babies!

This week we put the results of our Percussion Factory event together with bubbles, music, and a parachute for some Boogie Woogie Fun. Event description follows:

(You are welcome to use this event/description for your own group with credit given; links back to our blog are appreciated!)

Boogie Woogie Babies

We'll play some jammin' tunes, the kids can play the instruments we made during our Percussion Factory, and we can have some bubble and parachute fun, too!

What better way to pass some time than in stimulating all five of the kids' senses- they can SEE the bright colors on the parachute, FEEL the beat, HEAR the music, and- well, they're little kids- they TASTE and SMELL anything they want!

We all know that early exposure to music is fun and also (somehow) helps our kids learn a host of other things like math, and this interactive music time will also help them build social skills as they share their positive reactions with other moms and kids!

Again, some results. All of the kids participating normally like recorded music, but once they were all together, they only cared about the music if we (the moms) sang along, so pick a CD of singalong songs that are likely to be very familiar to all the moms in the group. Also, they had a fairly short attention span for any one activity, so it's probably best to dance and Shake It for a song or two, then do the parachute for a song or two, go back to Shakin' it, and then follow up with bubble fun.

Parachute Fun My parachute came from Oriental Trading Company and was around $10 plus shipping- they have a variety of sizes and price ranges. ( You can find Parachute Game instructions here, although smaller children mostly like to play with the fabric and sit under the waving parachute.) Bubble Fun I got my Gymboree Bubble Oodles via Amazon.com as part of this box set, which says it is for ages 3+, but contains many activities appropriate for babies and toddlers, too. (At right.) The bubble solution is non toxic, and can be used indoors without staining upholstery or other fabrics. Plus, it makes hundreds of small bubbles that the kids really love.

In summary, for best results with this activity:

1. Don't overcrowd your space. Be sure there's enough room for everyone to move and groove.
2. Choose familiar songs and let the kids see the parents engage with the music to hold their interest.
3. provide plenty of percussion toys so the kids can shake, rattle, and roll, and
   
4. keep activities short and varied so the kids don't become bored.
   

Children's Percussion (More Make Your Own)

A while back, the Joy Troupe did an event we called "Percussion Factory," where we got together and made percussion instruments out of recyclables and found objects. It turned out to be our loudest playdate ever and was a blast- just be sure you can keep the super glue away from the little ones. The event description and some photos follow:

(You are welcome to use this event/description for your own group with credit given; links back to our blog are appreciated!)

Percussion Factory

In preparation for Boogie Woogie Babies (TBA) let's get together and make some kid-freindly instruments! **This is the easiest, no skill required craft project you have ever seen! The kids can have a fun playdate while we "work."

We'll make kid friendly percussion items from things you'd find in a recycling bin. Please collect and bring with you any of the items on the list below. (Please wash them and let them dry first.) If you can't make it this day, feel free to drop a few things (except water bottles) off in advance of the event.

small water bottles with lids
wide-mouth plastic beverage bottles (eg, vitamin water)
plastic eggs
empty bubble bottles
plastic coffee cannisters
plastic pill bottles
vitamin jars
plastic spice containers
empty trial size cosmetic containers
formula cans
wipes tubs

We will remove all labels to make sure there is no confusion with real pill bottles, etc, so if you want to work ahead, that's great!

gravel
beads
dried beans
sand
cous cous or other small pasta
bottle caps
jingle bells
plastic bread tabs
cable ties
metal pop tabs from soda cans
marbles or ball bearings
short cut offs of PVC pipe- any size

Us moms can take turns on the project while the kids play. These items can cost hundreds of dollars to buy- our guys will have hundreds of dollars of fun for pennies!

This week, we had Boogie Woogie Babies, and subjected these instruments to rigorous testing by our independent review panel, and we have some clear winners from the above bunch. (That'd be ten toddlers, a very rigorous bunch indeed!)

Clearly favored by these children when they played with these items as a group were the eggs, the baby ibuprofen bottles, prescription bottles, and the drink or vitamin bottles in 1 cup size or smaller. We had some coffee canisters (plastic) for drumming on, but even the kids who normally like to bang preferred to shake it with their friends.

The eggs, however, couldn't quite stand up to the normal wear and tear a group of small children inflicted on the instruments, and a few popped when they got stepped on, spilling the contents. It also turns out that some items (like marbles) make very loud instruments that are maybe okay for one kid, but overwhelming in a group.

The favorites among the "fillers" were cable ties, pop tabs, bread tabs, cous cous, rice, elbow mac, and black turtle beans. Close runners up were things that had one or two pennies or small pebbles.