Circlesing! Workshop

When people are relaxed and happy - without emotional or physical distraction - we can absorb a LOT of information. Our play, being experiential, is the gateway to truly understanding all that we learn.
We can say to a person:yellow but they need to see it to begin to know what it means. They need to see it and hear it at the same time to make the connection between word and sight. Then there's the fact that yellow is a colour (and so is blue?!?) . Maybe it's a yellow circle. Now it's yellow, colour, circle, shape...its a whole lot of information that children need to gather in their early years and it can seem overwhelming They see what people are capable of and they understand that these capabilities are available to them also. When we play, we celebrate potential and achievement. We can take the stress out of unfamiliarity; we can avoid anxiety and embrace simplicity. We can appeal to our natural desire for comfort and joy. We can open ourselves and our children so that new information passes in, freely and clearly.

Most of childrens' early learning is required basic learning for functioning in society and its not all interesting to everyone. It takes repetition to really absorb new ideas and what better opportunity than the drive to learn than coming up against the boredom of repetition. Yes, thats right...Even boredom is useful!

Through both guided and creative exploration we uncover an adventure in our repetition as we continually apply what we're learning to a wide variety of activities and a wide variety of activities to what we're learning!

A Message from the Babes and Big Kids:
Sometimes I can get a little over stimulated and I may need a breather.
(feel free to step out and rejoin as needed:)

Three ways we're learning together:
You can show me how!
(whatever Daddy can do, I can do too - if not today, then someday!)

You can help me!
(sometimes I need help to understand how parts of my body can work
if you move them for me, I can begin to figure it out)

You can watch me try!
(every accomplishment has WAY more value when I share it with those I love... things can happen spontaneously and, sometimes, only once - I'd be very sad if you missed it!)

Children benefit greatly when the Big People in their lives apply consistent and focused attention to their growth and development.

Even mundane routines can become opportunities for play and bonding when we add simple chants and songs for guidance and entertainment, and accept the gentle pleasure that arises from the completion of the simplest of tasks.

In the backyard, in the basement or at your local community centre anywhere you've got a clean and relatively empty space you can gather in for 8 weeks of singing and dancing with jennielea!

$100 per child, 1/2 price for siblings
(a travel charge applies to Circles outside the central Toronto area)
7 children minimum and 12 maximum
(15 if you've got a really great space for it)

There is limited time available for me to CircleSing! at Home so it's a good idea to book in advance. This also helps give you time to form your circle you may even find that people outside of your immediate community are interested in joining.

That being said - I'm a well-known member of the last minute club, and if its possible, I'm always happy to arrange something on the fly.

MuSings (for babies 3 to 12 months) Through songs and play we can teach babies about themselves and the world around them. We can let them know that we understand them and how much we care for them. We can also have a lot of fun! We use rhyme, melodies, sensory play, hand play, group dance, lullabies and stories to bond with babies and introduce them to their world through music and rhythm.

SongBlossoms (for infants 1 to 2 years) Now that the little ones have learned a little bit about the world, they are eager to discover more. This is the time when babies really begin to express their individuality. We can begin to help them, now, to adopt co- operative play attitudes, to deal with transitions, learn songs and to develop their creativity. SongBlossoms introduces melodies and rhymes, hand plays, group and partner dance, vocalizing and creative movement to create an entertaining environment in which these budding toddlers can explore. Limit 8-10 per series

BopSkipHop (for toddlers 2 to 3 years) Toddlers love to use their imaginations and their bodies, preferably at the same time. Now they are playing in partners or groups and developing keen memories. BopSkipHop gives them lots of opportunities to use their bodies rhythmically and creatively while exploring sound and ideas through add-on songs, rhymes, group and partner dance, creative movement, vocalizing and stories.

Preschoolers are very actively creative. No longer content to just follow along but not quite ready to take on the world, preschoolers are ready to have some control within a structure. In WonderSing Siblings, we learn about the basics of tone and rhythm while exploring movement and imagination through songs, poems, stories and games. Limit 10-12 per series

Siblings are not required for this workshop, however I've found that children between the ages of 3 and 5 tend to get caught up in "authority games" when present with a parent who is not busy with a younger sibling.

Song and Dance, Rhythm and Chants (for children 5-10 years old) Now able to experience, fully, the powerful joy that comes from synchronized song and dance, CircleSingers! use old favourites and learn new songs to play with rhythm, rhyme, melody, harmony and storytelling. Its a great way for Mid-Kids to develop confidence and creativity and is also a great complement to any formal performance training by providing opportunities to experiment with the basic elements of all disciplines in a non-competitive environment while promoting body awareness in music making.

BodyRhythm Project (for children 10 to 15 years) Using the kids' ideas we add elements of song(popular, folk,chant rap), drumming (clapping, stomping), dance (stepping, hiphop, break dance, double dutch), and storytelling we work together to create performances for our communities.

The Caregiver Program (for adults) This program is aimed at educating and informing caregivers who who lead and/or participate in song circles. This workshop explores the value of Circle Time and song in general, the simple yet valuable music experience we give to children, socio-emotional development, and ALL the other skills that children are developing with our help.

To MAIL your Registration Info, click here!

Schedules are subject to change, check regularly for updates.

Prices for series run by affiliated centres may vary.

Series run in 3 sections of 4 weeks each.

*12 weeks $150/Siblings $225

*8 weeks $110/Siblings $165

*4 weeks $60/Siblings $90

*available providing we have not reached maximums.