Our Autumn term got off to a flying start with songs and activities on the theme of Me, Myself and I at Bangers & Smash!
Me, Myself and I
With so many new children starting nursery, it made sense to think about ourselves in September and October.
As well as talking about our faces and bodies, we sang about our families and the people who look after us, celebrating our similarities and differences and learning about our heritages and those of our friends.
September
Children and staff enjoyed:
singing a welcome song in the Kikongo language, Ko Le Le (courtesy of Euphrasie, who comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo), while tapping an ostinato rhythm on their knees
thinking about the different things they can do with their hands – shaking, wiggling fingers, clapping etc
performing a hand rhyme, Open, Shut Them
singing a simple repeated melodic phrase over the words, Me And You, while pointing at themselves and their friends
singing Bangers & Smash original, Two Eyes, and pointing to different parts of their faces
looking at a doll and naming the different parts of its body
singing Miss Polly Had A Dolly
singing Head, Shoulders, Knees And Toes with actions
dancing The Hokey Cokey
performing Bangers & Smash original, In My Happy Family, with bells and drums
October
Children and staff enjoyed:
adding a harmony to the Ko Le Le welcome song
performing a hand rhyme, Roly Poly
extending the rhyme to include:
stroking their hands, touching their faces, feeling their hair and stretching
blowing a kiss to their families and hugging themselves
reading The Skin We Live In by Michael Tyler and David Lee Csicsko
singing Bangers & Smash original, Two Eyes, and adding in a verse about their skin
learning Head, Shoulders, Knees And Toes in Igbo and Yoruba (courtesy of Chiamaka, Nkechi, Juliet, Caroline and Yemi, who come from Nigeria)
taking part in a circle dance, Brown Girl In The Ring (courtesy of Carol, Victoria, Vinette, Trishana and Moisha, who have Jamaican heritage)
playing bells and dancing to another song in the Igbo language, Onye Ga Agba Egwu? [Who Will Dance?] (courtesy of Chiamaka, Nkechi, Juliet and Caroline)
pretending to look in a mirror and dancing to Me, Myself And I by De La Soul
Celebrating Black History Month and Diwali
Black History Month
Staff also sang and performed their own songs in celebration of Black History Month.
Big thanks to:
Peaches for Go Down Emmanuel Road and Victoria for Hill And Gully Rider (both Jamaican songs)
Aziza for Ba Ba (a song from Morocco about a boy and his sheep)
Marie and Doris for dancing and singing to By The Rivers of Babylon by Boney M (accompanied by shrieks of joy from the babies and toddlers!)
Diwali
During half-term, Kitty presented a special session celebrating Diwali, the Indian Festival of Light.
Staff and children enjoyed:
singing a new hello song in Hindi and Arabic, Namaste, As-salaam Alaikum
performing a hand rhyme, Rum Pum Pum
looking at pictures of diyas (candle-holders) and rangoli patterns
lighting a candle and singing two Diwali songs:
This Is The Way We Light The Lights
Diwali Is Coming
dancing with scarves to Indian flute music
performing Bollywood moves to Indie-Yarn by Trickbaby
Kitty Pidduck presents…
November sees Kitty start rehearsals for Project Celebrations at Under the Willow and School Outdoors Dulwich and Christmas Shows at all other Bangers & Smash nurseries.
Oval Montessori Nursery
Kitty has also been invited to present songs from her animated preschool series, Daisy Digs It, at the Oval Montessori Nursery in Vauxhall on Monday 7 November.
For more information, please click here.
Carols in the Wildlife Garden
And finally, Kitty and Sarah will present a Christmas wreath-making and singing session, Carols in the Wildlife Garden, for families and members of the local community at Mother Goose Wildlife Garden on Saturday 10 December.
Hosted by artists, Hannah Littlejones and Berengere Ducoms, this free event is open to everyone so do come along and bring your little ones!