We have a new Personal Student Kit available and are excited to tell you all about it! The Creative Movement and Music Kit was designed by Ms. Kristin from Sprouts & Friends, Inc. and put together by us at Bear Paw Creek.

The music kits are a newer addition in the last several years, and we have continued adding to them. They first came together in 2020 with the goal of providing music and movement opportunities while still keeping distance and staying healthy and safe during the pandemic.

Ms. Kristin designed this music kit with the goal of bringing families with children together through music. Keep reading to get all of the details on what is included and learn more about the three different options available.

Options for the Creative Movement and Music Kit

We understand that each child and family is different and what they require varies. That's why we have three of the Sprouts & Friends, Inc. Creative Movement and Music Kits available. Currently, we have the Essential Kit, Small Kit, and Deluxe Kit.

The DELUXE Creative Movement and Music Kit

This kit includes:

• 2 Egg Shakers
• 2 Scarves
• 2 Rhythm Sticks
• 1 Lollipop Drum
• 2 Chiquatas
• 1 Rainbow Ribbon Hoop Streamer
• 1 Bell Wristlet
• 2 Bean Bags
• 2 Castanets
• 1 Tambourine
• 1 Drawstring Storage Bag

The SMALL Creative Movement and Music Kit

This kit includes:

• 2 Scarves
• 2 Castanet
• 2 Egg Shaker
• 1 Lollipop Drum
• 2 Bean Bags
• 2 Rhythm Sticks
• 1 Drawstring Bag

The ESSENTIAL Creative Movement and Music Kit

This kit includes:

• 1 Egg Shaker
• 1 Castanet
• 1 Scarf
• 1 Pair of Rhythm Sticks
• 1 Bean Bag
• 1 Lollipop Drum

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Check out Bear Paw Creek's Newest Creative Movement and Music Kit in Partnership with Sprouts & Friends, Inc.
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Sprouts & Friends, Inc.

If you're interested in learning more about Ms. Kristin and Sprouts & Friends, Inc., you can click here to check out their Facebook page or here to check out their Instagram! You can also check out Ms. Kristin's book, Five Little Seals, coming out on May 13th, 2023. This is a fun finger-play book about "Five little seals went out one day. Over the waves and far away. One by one the little seals leave on their own adventure, until finally they return safely to Mama seal."

You can click here to get your copy! We ordered ours and can't wait to try and incorporate it into some fun music and movement activities.

As always, we love getting to partner with other people and business to continue bringing fun movement props, instruments, and more to your lives. We hope you'll take the time to check out Sprouts & Friends, Inc. and maybe you will want to order one of the Creative Movement and Music Kits for your next day of music fun!

Madison Stephens

Madison has been a part of BPC her whole life. As a young child, she and her siblings helped stuff stretchy bands and flip bean bags. Over the last six years she has become even more involved and is now an official BPC employee with the role of seamstress and social media manager. When she’s not working, you’ll find her spending time with family and friends, going on walks with her dog, working with horses, or cooking and baking. Madison feels honored to have the opportunity to work alongside her mom, Janet Stephens, and be involved with the family business.

The post New Creative Movement and Music Kit appeared first on Bear Paw Creek.

Have you ever wondered what kind of creative movement streamer options we have available?

Our streamers have been one of our top best selling creative movement props since the beginning. Currently, we have nine different kinds of streamers to fit your needs.

Creative movement streamers are great fun for dynamic movement activities and dance! Sold in sets of six with chiffon scarf or ribbon choices, either a plastic hoop or fabric wrist scrunchie option, and a drawstring storage bag. You can also buy them individually to fit your needs.

Keep reading to view all of the different streamer options!

Creative Movement Streamers

Rainbow Ribbon Hoop Streamers

These creative movement streamers are made with a plastic hoop and vibrant colored ribbon. Each hoop has six ribbons in the rainbow colors. One red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

Children and adults love to use these for a variety of movement activities. The bright and fun colors are sure to bring excitement to your classroom and are even great for virtual sessions.

Click here to check them out! 

Rainbow Chiffon Hoop Streamers

The Rainbow Chiffon Hoop Streamers are also made with a plastic hoop but instead of ribbon, these are made with a soft, flowing chiffon. The material is very similar to our creative movement scarves. Some children and adults prefer the softness of the chiffon over the ribbon.

These streamers are fun to use with slower songs as the chiffon is more "gentle" and flows smoothly through the air. However, you can still get them going with a fast song as you spin and twirl them as quickly as you can.

Click here to check them out!

Primary Color Chiffon Hoop Streamers 

These streamers are a fun variation of our Rainbow Chiffon Hoop Streamers, the primary color options make it fun to separate students and do call-to-action activities. One child can have the red streamer, another can have the blue, and so on. You can then call out actions such as "Red, jump up and down!", "Blue go side-to-side".

If you are working one-on-one, you can also allow the client to choose their preferred color. Just like allowing a client to choose their favorite music, allowing them to choose their favorite color movement prop can provide higher motivation and focus.

Check out the Primary Hoop Chiffon Streamers here!

Primary Color Ribbon Hoop Streamers 

The Primary Color Ribbon Hoop Streamers are just like the Primary Chiffon Streamers shown above, except these are made with ribbon!

Some people prefer the vibrant color of the ribbons over the softness of the chiffon. The ribbon streamers also tend to be used in higher energy activities since they are quick and flashy, while the chiffon streamers are soft and flow smoothly throughout the air during movement.

Check them out here!

DiscoverDance Ribbon Hoop Streamers

Bear Paw Creek and DiscoverDance have teamed up several years ago to bring you an exclusive set of dynamic movement props in a jeweled color tone. The ribbons on these creative movement streamers are gorgeous!

If you are looking for something a little bit different from the original rainbow colors, these streamers are perfect for you. You can also check out all of the other movement props in the jeweled tone colors here. We currently offer the Connect-a-Stretchy Band, Balloon Ball, Scarves, and Bean Bags in the DiscoverDance colors.

Check out the streamers here!

Primary Color Ribbon Wrist Scrunchie Streamers

Our wrist scrunchie creative movement streamers are perfect for those who either lack grip strength or who struggle holding on to things. The scrunchie allows you to place the streamer around their wrist which eliminates the need to hold something and can still let the individual experiment with movement.

Not only can you put these around your wrist, but you can also have fun placing them on different parts of your body. Such as your ankles, up to your elbow, etc.

Check them out here! 

Primary Color Chiffon Wrist Scrunchie Streamers

Yet another creative movement streamer variation, these Primary Color Chiffon Wrist Scrunchie streamers are another great movement prop to add to your circle time, music therapy session, classroom activity, or at-home play.

The fabric wrist scrunchie streamer was another idea from my fabulous sister, she discovered this need in group participation for individuals that are not able to grasp items.  They are wonderful as you can put them on your wrist, elbows, arms, or even ankles to have your hand free for other movement activities.

Check them out here! 

Rainbow Chiffon Wrist Scrunchie Streamers 

This creative movement streamer option is one of my favorites! It's fun to take these and pretend that the top blue part is a cloud, and the bottom section is the colorful rainbow coming down.

Streamers can be used for a variety of movement activities and can be adapted to fit many different needs. For streamer activity ideas and inspiration, you can check out all of the different blog posts we have on our site! Click here to check out the blog posts. 

To check out the Rainbow Chiffon Wrist Scrunchie Streamers, click here.

Rainbow Ribbon Wrist Scrunchie Streamers 

Last but not least, Rainbow Ribbon Wrist Scrunchie Streamers. These are just like the ones shown above but with ribbon instead of the chiffon scarf material.

One of the fun aspects of our creative movement streamers is that they can be used with any type of music. This makes them a versatile movement prop and allows them to be fun for people of all ages. We also offer a solid white fabric wrist scrunchie streamer that is often used by the "leader" of the class or group session. This can help signify to children that you follow the movement of the white streamer.

 

Check out the Rainbow Ribbon Wrist Streamers here!

Madison Stephens

Madison has been a part of BPC her whole life. As a young child, she and her siblings helped stuff stretchy bands and flip bean bags. Over the last six years she has become even more involved and is now an official BPC employee with the role of seamstress and social media manager. When she’s not working, you’ll find her spending time with family and friends, going on walks with her dog, working with horses, or cooking and baking. Madison feels honored to have the opportunity to work alongside her mom, Janet Stephens, and be involved with the family business.

The post 9 Different Creative Movement Streamer Options appeared first on Bear Paw Creek.

Now that Maddie is 21 months old, she is playing with her bean bags, egg shakers, and bells from Bear Paw Creek more and more often. Winter and Christmas make me think of bells so today I will share my bells playlist with you.

“Jingle Bells and Stop” from Miss Carole’s Season Sings! album is one of my favorite year round bells songs. As the children listen to the song and shake their bells they are developing listening skills, learning to follow directions, and learning the opposites- high, low, fast and slow. I taught my preschool students the ASL sign for “Stop” and when Carole sang “Stop” they quietly held their bells as they signed “stop.”

Just as I always did with my preschool students as the song plays I sing along with Carole and model the actions for Maddie. We have done the song so many times Maddie now knows exactly what we are going to do next. Music truly does help develop listening skills.

Carol Hartery

I retired 3 years ago after teaching in the early childhood world for 42 years.  Now I spend my time doing music and movement activities with my 10 month old granddaughter.  When we play music she responds by "babbling along" and shaking her body to the beat.   I know from my experience as an early childhood educator that music and movement activities benefit a child's fine and gross motor skills, listening skills, and language development as they burn off some energy and have fun!

The post Wrist Bells Are A Fun Christmas Music Therapy Prop appeared first on Bear Paw Creek.

Recent Interviews Indicate That Props Can Enhance Fun and Facilitate Personal Connection in the Virtual Learning Environment

I noticed that online music learners had more fun and showed signs of connecting with one another more when we used props, so I decided to investigate!

The Impact of Online Music Learning

When education had to adapt to the constraints of a world in the grip of a pandemic by going online, we worried for the impact on people’s relationships and ability to truly connect with one another. Thankfully, video conferencing offered a lifeline! Zoom, Google Meets, TEAMS and others have helped to alleviate some of those concerns by providing a platform for music classes to continue and friends to gather virtually.

As a teacher and parent, I have been observing my students and children closely to see how they are faring in this transformed world of music education. This summer I moved from the Washington D.C. area to Georgia, and was fortunate enough to be able to continue in my choral conducting position online. My daughters are also learning from home in our new location. As I teach my choral students online from over 500 miles away, and assist my own children with online learning through the local public schools, I have been paying attention to the positive aspects of online learning.

Exploring Props’ Role in Creating Fun and Connection

I noticed that when my choral students use props, especially those from Bear Paw Creek, it appeared to promote relationship building and made our rehearsals more fun! Perhaps it is my current studies as a doctoral student in Music Education that has me in an inquisitive frame of mind, but I embraced the urge to find out what may be behind these observations. So I invited my two girl friends, their children, and my own two daughters to attend a Zoom music party with props and answer some questions for me afterward! To give you a little context, my dear friends L and H live in two different towns near Boston, MA and I currently live near Augusta, GA. Between the three moms we have two boys and three girls from 7 to 11 years old. We all had a fantastic time last month learning more about props together.

What Did We Do?

We had a Zoom music party! For this inquiry we did two activities, moving to”Better When I’m Dancin'” by Meghan Trainor and sang the cumulative song “An Austrian Went Yodeling”. We did each activity twice, once without props and once with props. Next, I asked the adults and children to describe whether the props affected their experience of the activity and/or sense of togetherness. After we were done with our chat, we just had fun as a group, singing, dancing and doing ukelele playalongs!

What Did We Find Out?

The movement activity and cumulative song were brought to life by the inclusion of props. According to my friends and our children, props do bring fun, togetherness and promote connection between participants.

Movement Activity with Scarves

“Better When I’m Dancin'” rarely fails to get people on their feet, so I thought it was a good choice to use for our Zoom party. But the key was to find out if scarves could enhance connection with others remotely and make it more fun as well! After we had some fun dancing together, I asked the adults and children to describe the difference between dancing without the scarves versus with the scarves.

Fun

F (age 7) said that he enjoyed the activity the same whether he used props or not. Interestingly, his mom H said that he moved more freely and independently, and smiled bigger when using the scarf. My friend L noted that she felt self conscious about the movement activity without the scarf.  However she felt emboldened by the scarf, even if only as a barrier between her and the screen. A and S (ages 11 & 8), my daughters, both found the activity much more fun with the scarf because it inspired creativity of movement and uses for the scarf.

Connectedness

R (age 10) responded that she felt more togetherness with the groups when scarves were included. Also, My friend H reported feeling more connected to others due to her increased awareness of their movements on the computer screen. She attributed this to curiosity as to what interesting movements they might do with their scarves. Over all, the consensus was that everyone felt more connection to the group when we used scarves, even those 1,000 miles away.

Cumulative Song with Props

The cumulative song, “An Austrian Went a Yodeling” was a deliberate choice. I decided to use it for this discussion because I know that it is a fun and beloved song even without props. The original performance of the song has various silly characters interrupting the yodeler during an avalanche, requiring the singers to remember the additive sounds they make as they progress from verse to verse. For this activity we performed the song once with the original sounds and then repeated it with props and instruments replacing the sounds. What I was curious to see and hear was whether the props enhanced an already exciting experience of singing and playing with friends remotely.

Fun

My friend L, a lover of puzzles, mentioned that part of the enjoyment of adding of props to the song was in trying to remember what props to use next. S (age 8) also felt that the props made the song even more fun!

Connectedness

When we talked about connection, S described feeling closer to our friends when we sang the song with props. L thought the props brought the group together because we had the same challenge to pick up the right prop at the correct moment in the song. She also said that “doing the same silly thing at the same time brought us together”. F (age 7) echoed L’s sentiments saying that “It felt like we were in the same room.” when we used the props. A melting away of separation was expressed by R. She felt that the screen and distance seemed to disappear when engaged in this activity with props.

What Are My Thoughts On This Discussion?

This casual chat with a handful of adults and children has my mind churning with thoughts about what this could mean for our online music learners. A particular moment that had me thinking was L’s comment on feeling protected from view by the scarf.  I wonder how many students might feel similarly. If props have the potential to decrease student self consciousness, then perhaps targeted use with students that exhibit such concerns could be helpful.

Connection and Fun

H made a comment about feeling connected when moving together with props because of increased interest in the on screen movements of others. This leads me to consider whether students who are reluctant to engage in remote lessons could be similarly motivated. Sometimes students appear tired from being on the computer all day, but they suddenly become very engaged when props are introduced to the lesson. I plan to extend the use of props and see if student engagement is increased.

R’s description of the screen seeming to melt away during an online props activity is encouraging to me as an online music educator. My goal is to bring such an authentic, engaging experience to my students that they forget we are not in person. If props further that goal, then it only further emboldens me to enjoy using my Bear Paw Creek props in the virtual learning environment.

On a lighter note, a possible driver to continue using props can be seen in our experience with “An Austrian Went Yodeling”. The song is already really fun without props, but the participants responded that the props served to enhance the fun!

What Does This All Mean?

Based on this discussion with a small group of adults and children, continuing to use props has the potential to promote fun and togetherness and could be beneficial for online learners. Using props, especially high quality props like the Bear Paw Creek selection of personal student kits may provide students with the additional support they need in such challenging times. The student kits are available at reasonable prices and are tailor-made to meet various student needs and activities.

There was a great deal to learn from this discussion with my friends and our children. They seem to have found greater enjoyment and connection with the group as a result of our props activities, and we loved having a music party together. I think their remarks lend some support to the idea that props can have a positive impact on participants beyond online music learning.

The post Beyond Online Music Learning: Recent Interviews Indicate That Props Can Enhance Fun and Facilitate Personal Connection in the Virtual Learning Environment appeared first on Bear Paw Creek.

Toddler activities props can make or break any group setting whether it be circle time, movement class, creative dance, or a playgroup. Being ready with the right props will make that social interaction time go so much smoother and allow learning to take place seamlessly.

Joy Racicot

Joy is a mom of 6 (ages 5-26) who has a passion for encouraging moms! With three already grown up, married and having families of their own, three still at home, 2 kids with Down syndrome, and having been through a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis in a teen she has definitely been through some ups and downs. However, she believes that each mom is divinely appointed and equipped to raise her particular kid(s) better than anyone else in the world no matter how it may feel on any particular day! She wants to inspire Your Mom heart as well as making the more practical aspects of running a household a tad easier over at JoyOnThisMomJourney.com.

The post 5 Best Toddler Activities Props For Groups appeared first on Bear Paw Creek.

The Benefits Of Sensory Play Are Huge

Whether we are talking about a young child or kiddo with a developmental delay sensory play is a huge benefit to their overall development.

 

Many parents are stunned when they see their child playing with a sensory bin for the first time. The same child who runs from activity to activity after only seconds of involvement is suddenly thoroughly captivated for 15 minutes or more.

 

I love how Sharla from The Chaos and the Clutter says it best…

 

“Your child is not able to tell you when their sensory needs are not being met, but when they encounter an activity that fills that void for them, they know immediately that it is something they need to be doing.”

Joy Racicot

Joy is a mom of 6 (ages 5-26) who has a passion for encouraging moms! With three already grown up, married and having families of their own, three still at home, 2 kids with Down syndrome, and having been through a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis in a teen she has definitely been through some ups and downs. However, she believes that each mom is divinely appointed and equipped to raise her particular kid(s) better than anyone else in the world no matter how it may feel on any particular day! She wants to inspire Your Mom heart as well as making the more practical aspects of running a household a tad easier over at JoyOnThisMomJourney.com.

The post 5 Benefits of Sensory Play For Development appeared first on Bear Paw Creek.

Shivering Snowman!  Get moving with these winter-themed activities!

Even if you don’t receive an inch of snow or temperatures below freezing, you can always dream up what winter feels like. Today in the Bear Paw Creek blog, we are focusing on winter-themed music, movement, and literacy activities for you to use in your music classes or music therapy sessions (or where ever you use music and movement!). We have also included a handy YouTube playlist to inspire you in your planning.

Julie Palmieri

The post [THEMES] Winter: Music, Literacy, and More! appeared first on Bear Paw Creek.

It’s December, and most likely your focus has been on incorporating holiday music into your lessons and sessions. It’s a festive time of year, and in my opinion, adding holiday music to your music lineup brings a lot of JOY to you and your students and clients.

Here at Bear Paw Creek, since we focus on music and movement, we wanted to highlight how you can incorporate movement in your music classes and sessions. We’ve also included a handy YouTube playlist to inspire you in planning your sessions, lessons, or classes this holiday season.

Julie Palmieri

The post [THEMES] Christmas: Music, literacy, and more! appeared first on Bear Paw Creek.

This video is featuring six songs that can be used with jingle bells.  You may have your own supply of jingle bells, or you can check out our jingle bells on a wrist scrunchie.     Great to use with bean bags too!

Janet Stephens

Janet is the founder, designer, and one of the seamstresses behind Bear Paw Creek's made in the USA line of creative movement props, and bags. She is passionate about her faith, family, and loves the journey of learning and growing this life provides.

The post Jingle Bell Music Therapy Instrument Movement Songs by Margie La Bella appeared first on Bear Paw Creek.