Prairie Scraps

Last week I put together a Preschool Piano camp.  I thought I'd try to put together a video on how I did it and what curriculum I used to for it.  Please take the time to watch my video and subscribe and comment for me! Here are the links for the things that I mentioned.  The Amazon items I get a very small amount affiliate for.  Thanks in advance for supporting my family! www.mythirtyone.com/doristowell - support my small business https://amzn.to/2yRol5K - Busy Bees Finger Puppets (affiliate link AL) https://amzn.to/2yPghmb - Poker Chips (AL) https://amzn.to/2tC6qLp - Egg Shakers (AL) https://www.kiddykeys.com/shop/lesson-plans/packages/ - KiddyKeys Lesson Plans Thank you for watching. 

If you saw my previous post on Spinners for WunderKeys Games  you'll know that I'm pretty pumped about getting my new spinners.  Of course, I had to come up with some more games to use during my WunderKeys  Preschool Piano Lessons.  This one is actually two fold.   What you will need: White Dry Erase board Dry erase marker Magnetic Finger Friends Magnetic spinner What to do: 1.  For our patterning portion of lessons, we first divided our white board with a marker in to 5 parts with the middle coming to a point. (I promise, this is the most difficult part!) 2.  Next put one Finger Friend in each section. 3.  Ask student to sort all of the Friends in to each section. 4.  Keep this board for the Game Time at the end. 5. For game time, place the spinner in the middle of your sorted sections. 6.  Have the student spin the spinner.  Whichever Finger Friend it lands on, she needs to name it and show us ...

If you saw my previous post on Spinners for WunderKeys Games  you'll know that I'm pretty pumped about getting my new spinners.  Of course, I had to come up with some more games to use during my WunderKeys  Preschool Piano Lessons.  This one is actually two fold.   What you will need: White Dry Erase board Dry erase marker Magnetic Finger Friends Magnetic spinner What to do: 1.  For our patterning portion of lessons, we first divided our white board with a marker in to 5 parts with the middle coming to a point. (I promise, this is the most difficult part!) 2.  Next put one Finger Friend in each section. 3.  Ask student to sort all of the Friends in to each section. 4.  Keep this board for the Game Time at the end. 5. For game time, place the spinner in the middle of your sorted sections. 6.  Have the student spin the spinner.  Whichever Finger Friend it lands on, she needs to name it and show us ...

As fall rolls around, many parents are beginning to think about what their child's schedule will look like in the fall, and trying to figure out what sports, classes and of course, music lessons will be added to their schedules.  As a homeschool parent and piano teacher, I'm thinking of this for my own kids as well as, putting together my fall music lesson schedule.  As a part of getting my fall lesson schedule together, I have carefully put together a policy as well as a schedule.  Then the fun begins!  I give my students (and their parents) a chance to tell me what their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices are for lessons each week, and then I try my best to give them that schedule.  Not always easy, but this year, it seems to be coming together nicely. Along with my past students, I'm also taking new students.  It's always nice to add a new student or two to the mix of students I currently have.  I teach piano, trumpet or drums (must have piano exp...

I've recently begin teaching WunderKeys  (go to this site for more information about lessons, to find a teacher near you, or to become a registered teacher) Preschool Piano Lessons to four students.  I love this program and all the games and ideas that are offered for teachers.  The first book has supplemental activities for each lesson as an extra for teachers, but there are just a few ideas for Patterning Games at the beginning of the lesson.  I've been trying to come up with ideas and searching the web, but have not come up with much!   I've also been putting together lesson plans for Summer Music Camp for all of my ages this summer, and ran across quite a few games that use a spinner of some sort.  I found this awesome, magnetic spinner that can be used on whiteboards and have been stalking it on Amazon! It was just a little more than I wanted to pay for the spinners, so I waited!   A few weeks later, I was perusi...

As I mentioned in my prior post Back to the Keyboard, Mr. Right was really excited about the possibility of me offering piano lessons!  Thankfully, I acted on that and got in about six new students to teach each week.  One of the main reasons I've been hesitant to teach lessons, is that it ties up that evening time, where my own kids have sports.  I try so hard to be at my own children's games, that it's hard to be tied to lessons every single week all year round. What surprised me most about putting it out there to my Facebook friends that I was looking for students, was how many wanted their preschool age children in lesson.  My first response was that they need to know how to read.  Well, as I've been researching to get inspiration and see how to run a music studio, I ran across a preschool music program.  I've looked at a different Kindergarten music program before, but had two objections to it.  First, that program involved me teaching a group ...