Peter & the Wolf: Instrument & Music Appreciation

I just wanted to write a quick post about one of the things we did this morning: watch Peter and the Wolf.

It was right after Joey asked AGAIN for MORE of a musical instruments presentation on little reader (http://forum.brillkids.com/downloads/?sa=view;id=6836).  It was such a great way to expand on his musical appreciation, as well as teach him about various emotions, cause and effect, etc.  i love (re)learning with my little ones ... it seems that learning for the 2nd, 3rd, etc time is truly more enjoyable each go!

Why I'm Grateful for YouTube

I'm grateful for YouTube because it's free and because it has been a fantastic, simple, rich source of education for Joey these past two years.  Since before Joey could talk, I knew the importance of exposing him to all sorts of knowledge, but I wasn't yet aware of Glenn Doman, nor everything that had evolved since The Institute started its work 50 some odd years ago.  I was, however, well aware of YouTube, and was ecstatic when it occurred to me to create a playlist, first for Joey's intended home waterbirth, but then later for his educational videos.  From the very beginning Joey has been listening to an array of catchy videos, nearly daily.  You can feel free to check some of them out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e54m6XOpRgU&list=PL656FF7DBC8DB39B7&feature=plpp_play_all.  This set is not the only set we use with the kids, nor is it a static set.  I do go through it and update it based on his feedback.  Also, I tend to play these videos in the background while the kids are playing.  Yes, there are days where I may not even play the videos, but more often than not, it's not uncommon to hear them playing for several hours in a day.  The good thing is that so long as they are set to random, it doesn't drive the rest of us crazy because we typically only hear a song once each day, if that.  The interesting thing is how Joey is still picking it up. Since October I've noticed him not only randomly singing and requesting these songs, but also effortlessly chiming in to songs he hears on the radio or while we're out and about.  It's been a long time in the making, but it's exciting to see efforts paying off and learning actually taking place!  Go, Joey! Up next: Kaelie!  :-D