Toys Lesson 11

Hi folks, hope you all had a good week. Mine has been quiet, except for the news that my mum's car was stolen last night! Parked in the basement of the condo's car park. My hubby lost his handphone too, partly due to negligence on his part. He left it in the cab, but cab driver wasn't honest enough to return it. Sigh....My two older kids are finally starting school again after 2 1/2 months of summer holidays. Amanda ( 15 years) is starting her last year of school before taking the 'O' levels. Very soon, she will be leaving home. I don't know how I am going to cope with that :-(

Alright, here we go...Lesson 11 of Toys. Time really flies. This semester has been really good. Though we have many new kids joining Imagine That for the first time, they have adjusted so well and I didn't feel I had to adjust the standard of teaching to accommodate them.

We are moving into Choo choo land this week. Yup, the train series...Lots of fun songs and movements to do. We are going to start with building a train, using the song Sarasponda. In this activity, we are focusing on challenging the kids to listen consciously, anticipate, predict and respond to the repeated 'ret set set' rhythm/word pattern in the song.

After the train is built, we have to test out all the different functions of the train which brings us to Choo Choo Train activity. We will combined different body movements, an activity that focuses on pretend play. After that, we will use different instruments to represent the different sounds of the train: the whistle, the bell, the tracks, going forward and backward on the tracks.

Apart from the train, we have to learn about train station. We will read a book entitled Down by the Station and learn about the different things that happen at a station. We will then use the song Down by the Station to learn about different voices: our speaking, shouting, singing and whispering voice as the station master shouts All Aboard Now!

We are going to do a spot of map reading, to see the different places where the train goes, using the song Choo Choo Choo. Map reading can help with pre-reading skills such as:

* understanding the concept of picture symbols.
* doing things in a set order ( sequencing)
* following a path

Lastly, we will dance to a folk song Jubilee, traditionally used as a square dance tune. This activity enhances the fact the music is a social activity and there is benefits in learning music in a group because the kids get the opportunity to accept each other's ideas, learn to take turns, learn to play instruments as a group, and having loads of fun along the way!