Weathers Lesson 9

Hi all, as I am sitting here writing, the weather outside is NOT sunny! It is raining cats and dogs, it's 5pm in the evening on a working day and I am sure there will be many people sitting in their cars stuck in traffic! Actually the weather lately has been just like what we are talking and singing about in class - so the kids have no problem envisioning rain and thunder and storm eh?

Wasn't the parent sharing time a blast last week? Thank you for being so sporting!

This week, we are going to review all the sign language that we have been learning for the past few weeks. In fact we will 'sign' our hello song! Will try to get the kids to sing in their heads while we sign using ASL for rain, wind, rainbow etc.

What instrument can we use to make the musical wind sound? We have been using the slide whistle for the past two weeks, this week we will examine the use of glockespiel and talk about the musical concept of glissando ( a musical effect obtained by playing a rapid series of ascending or descending pitches in a continuous sliding movement)

We are going to do some music listening ( Funiculi, Funicula) and explore how to analyse music - what it means? who is singing? The focus here is to discriminate between hearing and listening.

Hearing is a process involving nerves and muscles that reach adult efficiency by age four or five. Listening is a learned behaviour, a mental process that is concerned with hearing, attending, discriminating, understanding and remembering. It can be improved with practice.

( Early Childhood Experiences in Language by Jeanne M. Machado)

Last week we explored the dynamics of an excerpt from Beethoven symphony no. 6 using the puppet Ernie and this week we will see how the dynamics look like ( remember relationship between sound and symbol). If time permits, we will get each kid to draw what they hear. This music explores a large range of dynamics, from very quiet to very loud. Just as an artist may use contrasting colours to prove expression, many composers of classical music use dynamics to provide contrast.

Will be introducing a new song All the Day long and using this song to introduce different rhythm pattern. We will be using hand movements and instruments to bring awareness of the different rhythm pattern in different parts of the song. If time permits, we will also try doing the song in an ensemble .

Parent sharing time: will give you a hint. We will do a synchronized dance and analyse the musical form of a song through this dance.

Hope to see you all in class....

Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary

Hi all,

Just want to share with you a terrific place we found in Pahang recently. Kuala Gandah is about 2 hours drive from Kuala Lumpur - off the Karak Highway. Turn off at Lancang, then after the toll, turn right and just drive straight till you see the sign for the Elephant Sanctuary. The program starts at 1pm with a video show by National Geographic on how elephants are relocated from their original habitat as theses areas are being used up by people for planting crops etc. Then at 2pm, elephants are taken out ( adult and baby, the baby elephants are so so cute - like Dumbo!) and we get to feed them with fruits upclose. My kids had a wild time...we can either put the food on near their trunk and they will scoop it up or put it straight into their mouths and you'll get to feel their tongues!

Then we get the ride the elephants around the sanctuary, of course there will be trainers walking along side with each elephant. Then the fun part - you will get the bathe the elephants and bathe with the elephants in the river. Now this is not for the squeamish.....the river is not that super clean and there will be elephant poo floating about ( yes...poo poo) but it is really a chance for a lifetime. The elephants are smart. They will carry a load of people on their backs and then dunked them in the river! of course my hubby and kids are not the squeamish type unlike yours truly here so they got dunked and had a whale of a time. Adam was standing in the river when a poo floated right in his path. Hubby managed to carry him out of the way just in time while mummy was screaming her head off!

We never knew of a place like this in Malaysia and it is FREE! You can of course give a donation. Go, I highly recomend it. If you can find time to go on a weekday even better because it won't be so crowded with tourist.

Nearby, there is a place called Deerland. Worth visiting as well. The kids get to feed deers ( one deer stepped on my foot in its haste to get fed...OUCH!), ostriches ( do you know they eat petai plants?), bears ( yes...the bears are tame and the kids fed them Milo from a bottle!) and even kancil ( mousedeer). You don't get this experience in a zoo and the entrance fee is just 5 rgt!

It's a nice day outing....two hours each way....highly recomended....bring sunlotion, change of clothes ( there is shower facilities at elephant sanctuary), have lunch first before going as there is a small gerai selling food that may not be too appealing to the kids.

Want to know more....? Call me or email....