Teeny Tots of Jolly

A picture's worth a thousand words. Even in the midst of the unknown, life goes on. Songs are sung. Snowflakes are danced. Guitars are strummed. One foot in front of the other. This is what I look like 4 and a half hours before I learn that I have officially been diagnosed with cancer, the second time around.

Monday, Pre-Diagnosis

Here I am amidst my little friends, singing my heart out on Monday morning -- at the beginning of this week, wondering when my surgeon will call with the pathology of my biopsy. It's good to stay busy. It's good to have responsibilities. It's good to have a routine that doesn't require a whole lot of excess brain cell energy. Sing, dance. Live in the moment. Focus on the children. Don't allow your thoughts to go leap-frogging beyond the song at hand.

When I saw my mamo up on the screen last week..... I knew. It didn't take a trained eye to point out the obvious. The biopsy was a formality, or sorts, at least in my heart. All I had to do was wait for the confirmation from the pathology and sing some songs with my wittle wonders in the interim. On a snow covered day, it's a fun distraction to pull out the laminated snowflakes. I LOVE throwing dozens into the air and watching their excitement. That last picture is my "big kids" singing along with my new 'Tall Giraffe" book, singing, "Happy lappy, tongue so slappy."

Jingle All the Way

The big kiddos. The big show. The big fun. The big time. The big stage. The big joy. The big laughing. The big smiles. The big together. The big jingle. The big sing-a-long. The big delight. The big deal. The big happy. The big season. The big now. The big.

Guitar Heros

My theory: Start them young. Start them early. Start them strumming. Empowering. Exciting. An opportunity to stand in the spotlight. A chance to receive the applause of your peer group. These brave souls are two years old. I'm preparing them for their upcoming high school speech class, when they will stand in front of their classmates to deliver oratory by memory. I'm preparing them to give the toast at their sibbling's wedding. I'm preparing them to be the company representative giving the end-of-the-year report to the stock holders. Stand up and be counted. Strum those strings. Sing those songs.

SURPRISE!!!

Every blue moon, I go to reach into my big blue trunk-on-wheels to get out the next 'surprise' and I've forgotten to have the children close their eyes. There's always someone to prompt me to pause -- which allows them to get their eyes closed just in the nick of time. It's amazing to me, that in this media driven, immediate world of ours, these little ones pictured above and even pretty mature preschoolers enjoy the ritual of closing their eyes in anticipation of what might be coming next. A brief opportunity for their imaginations to drive the bus, I suppose. A wee small example of building 'rituals' into your group time, that allow children to process what is about to happen. The more you do it, the more they come to depend on you. Which is as it should be.

Happy Monday Music

Looking into these big bright eyes is the best way to start a new week. "Trust is job one" according to our Dr. Pam Schiller and these little ones trust me and WANT me to do the very same things, the very same songs, the very same way with every visit. So my way of building up their trust is to keep the structure of what we do EXACTLY the same -- from month to month. We start by warming up with the same songs, in the same order. Then we move on to our 'surprises'. This is my third visit for this year and of our four prop-based-surprise songs, I choose three of those four for every visit. OK. Let's be honest, they choose which three of the four we're going to do. Then, and only then (after our familiar-surprises) do I attempt to squeek something brand new & different into the mix. That's my way of building trust over time. It works for them, at two years of age. It works for me, too. I make it new and different in my mind by watching the children for today's antics and interactions within the routine. And those big shining eyes make all of the difference in my fun factor.

PJ's, a Birthday 'n Music!

Triple trifecta. Pajama-day. ALWAYS a sure-fire hit with the PreK crowd. A birthday: wonder of wonders. Music lady makes her visit. (Need I say more?) Seriously?? all on a Monday morning? How can the rest of the week possibly carry it's weight? That's a lot of pressure.

What fun to walk into the building this morning with one of the daddies of this crew and have him tell me how much they love my music in their home. That all unfolded because I had on my happy socks on an airplane flight into Columbus about a year ago..... and their oldest daughter recognized me. Mommy came timidly down the cramped aisle to ask if I was indeed the 'music lady'?? It's quite a thrill to be hugged & squeezed midair by one of your ardent, fashion conscious fans...... one thing led to another & they ordered one of my CDs. And yesterday the circle was complete: running into daddy dropping off the girls and hearing the feedback first hand. Love that sort of closure. She's great at balancing don't ya think? His favorite song is "Monster Spray." LOL!! They like me! They like me!

Lions & Costumes & Acting

Oh my! October. Costumes. Make believe. Pretend.
My big-kids are ready for our first "Lion Prowl" of the year.
Ferocious. Fiercely ferocious.

Funny!!

Really Young Ones

One of my main goals with a group this young is to help them get comfortable with me -- my invasion, a safe-stranger in their midst. We will work toward tapping our toes & jiggling our middles, but this early in the year it's all about gaining their trust. I remember hearing Dr. Pam Schiller say that with young children, "trust is job one." I swear you can watch the wheels turning in their heads at this age. Look closely, I think you can see what I'm seeing.

Laughter & Learning

First of all let me state the obvious. I get paid to be a happy person. I get paid to show up on the happy channel. I get paid to elicit laughter. I am sought out because I am learning how to be funnier in my old age. I work diligently at keeping things light-hearted & giggle friendly. I was just sharing with a brand new friend, that one of my all time favorite tidbits of feedback, was when a participant shared after one of my workshops that she thought I was the "Carol Burnett of Early Childhood." I took her comment with the relish that she offered it. Wow. That's who I want to be when I grow up -- a much funnier me!

I don't recall being a funny child & I was certainly NEVER the class clown. Never, ever, never the class clown. ***Mom & dad put your fingers in your ears. Read no further today. Warning. Warning. Warning.

In fact I think I was 'sincerely-serious' as a youngun. I'm sure I got teacher brownie points, cuz I would certainly never create a guffaw and I could always be trusted to walk the lunch money to the principal's office. After some reflection I think it safe to say that my family-of-origin was a pretty serious unit. So it absolutely surprises me to realize that I can make people laugh. Yes. Make people laugh. I listen & observe very closely when people laugh at my antics. I study their reactions & I sculpt laughter into the day's recipe -- whether they are 3 years old or college undergrads or professional peers in the field.

How can you possibly look at these pictures and not smile? How could I possibly be in their midst and not use their laughter as a springboard to more fun? Laughter is their first language. I wonder what cumulative effect a career of making young children laugh has had on my immune system? It makes me smile just considering that question. I'm willing to learn a lot more about laughter.... and the role it plays in learning. I have heard several PhDs citing studies of how laughter and happy endorphins anchor learning, opening us up to our own best mechanisms for retention. Let's all laugh together. Have you had your inoculation of laughter this season? Today? Things to scratch your head over and just go hmmmmmmm.

A Little Bit Older

Just the difference of about 6 months on average. This group is just on the other side of the 'half-wall' and is just a smidge older. The group as a whole is an absolute delight. Such good listeners. We are ready to start into some amazing possibilities with these listening skills. Can't wait.