When it rains.....we DANCE

July 26, 2012

When it rains......we DANCE

At Learning on the Log, where the majority of our programs take place outdoors, year round, there are amazingly only a few times where we have to take refuge indoors. But, when we do, the campers have just as much fun. We still do our warm up, our stretches, we play games, we do art, but the most enjoyed indoor activity is to have a DANCE PARTY. These kids, who normally needs lots of structure and direction, who normally don't do well with "free play", who tend to stand to the outside of the crowd when we don't offer direction, come to life when you turn on the music! Their eyes light up, they all come to the center of the room and the middle of the crowd, and they just move, move, move. They want to hold hands with each other, they want to look you in the eye and engage, and they laugh together and with each other. Because of this, we try to incorporate music into our activities as much as possible. We always have music playing in the vans, the kids negotiate to listen to their favorite songs, they try to get others to sing along with them, they feel comforted when they hear familiar songs, they have a reason to engage with the child sitting next to them when they are both singing along, and they get to be loud! We sometimes use musical instruments on the hiking trail and the kids get to experiment using drum sticks on trees or the ground or the bridge and hear the different sounds. Sometimes we play "musical chairs" with mats out on the field. When a camper is having a hard time calming down, we encourage our staff to sing to the campers or talk with them in sing-song cadences, and this almost always helps the camper to soothe themselves and get back to the group. Music is a wonderful medium to connect with our campers, and we are always looking for new and creative ways to use music in our daily activities.