Jumping & Freezing

Family fun in the fellowship hall at the 40th Anniversary celebration for an amazing program that celebrates all of the Arts in the lives of young children: Sing. Dance. Sign-language. Paint. Sculpt. Build. Paper Mache. You name it: the whole enchilada!! I think you can see in the enthusiasm photographed here that there was an amazing attendance of dads who joined our fun -- and grandpas too!!! Inter-generational fun is the very best kind.

These initial photos are of the group performing my sing-a-long of alliteration: "Jumpin' Jiminy Jamboree" which is one of the ditties from my fifth collection: "Debbie's Ditties 5: Jump, Jam, Jive!" This particular several minutes of fun includes 30 seconds of jumping (every child's favorite component) followed by 30 seconds of: freezing, frozen, fantastically..... which then is quickly elevated to every child's favorite part, as I ask them to make the funniest face possible and then freeze it.

If you have a chance to scroll back thru the photos above, you'll see that there is another game going on within all of the freezing frozen fun. You'll see that the kiddos [AND THE DADDIES!!!] are also working on their 'balancing skills' as the dittie continues to unfold. By splicing in the invitation 'to balance', I've sculpted a whole-brain-integration opportunity under the column of proprioceptive integration fame. Yet the children think the equivalent of a banana split's worth of fun!!

***A tip to fellow performers. I include this number in every concert. As I am introducing it to the audience, I invite every adult to get out there camera/cell phone with-a-camera in preparation for the fun about to unfurl. I've noticed that this is such a welcome interaction between the adults and the kids. I literally turn the children 'around' and have them face the parents. They really get to be the 'performers' at this point. I love watching the parents clicking away with zeal as their kids get goofier and goofier in their face-making. Frees everyone up. Mid-concert this gives the children a real reference point to be playful for their parents.

***In the classroom setting this song makes a perfect active number to interject in between some focused/sedentary time on the classroom rug and provides oodles of opportunity for active brain cells getting plenty of oxygen all while getting rid of the wiggles at the same time!!

And here's one of the several grand finales of the unfurling afternoon. Everyone gathered for the parents to share a rendition in sign language to my classic, "You're Wonderful" where there were indeed tissues for the mommies-in-wonderment over the concept that their little baby is about to leave the preschool nest and head to the big time!! Those are the dreams unfurling in sign language. Your finger starts at your head (where you store all of those dreams & ideas) and then they travel out into the bigger world. Click here to watch a 'Wonderful' 26 second version from my YouTube vault.