Miss Carole of Macaroni Soup Archives - Bear Paw Creek

Back to School Giveaway — Worth Over $900!

Madison Stephens — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 14:43:46 +0000

Annual Back To School Giveaway — Worth Over $900!

It's time for our annual back to school giveaway with a prize package FULL of music and movement resources! At Bear Paw Creek, we love to do giveaways. They are a fun way to give back to all of you and to show our appreciation for your continued support. We always look forward to our big annual back to school giveaway a this year we have asked several of our friends to join in. Not only are we giving away some of our best selling creative movement props, we also have some children's books, some awesome music, miniature items, and more that have been generously donated!

On top of that, we are also opening up this year's back to school giveaway to not only our USA followers, but to all of our international followers as well. Keep reading to get all the details on what's included in the giveaway and find out how to enter. This is a giveaway you are not going to want to miss!

Everything Included in the Back to School Giveaway

Our creative movement props would not be as successful or as beneficial as they are without combining them with music, books, manipluatives and more. We are so excited to be able to include some of our close friends and fellow businesses in this giveaway. We love each person listed below and want to say a big thank you to all of them for joining this years back to school giveaway.

One of the very first books given to me when I was a baby was a copy of I'm A Little Teapot, illustrated by Iza Trapani (which I still have!). My mom and I are big fans of her work and to say we were excited when she agreed to participate in our back to school giveaway is an understatement. Iza Trapani was born in Poland and immigrated to American at seven years old. Upon arriving to America, she was given a large collection of Mother Goose nursery rhymes. These nursery rhymes are what helped her learn to speak English and what inspired her to become an author and illustrator. Now, her first book The Itsy Bitsy Spider has sold over 2.5 million copies and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star has sold over 1.3 million copies. Her illustrations are beautiful and nursery rhymes always manage to keep children engaged. Iza has generously donated SIGNED COPIES of three of her books:

Old MacDonal Had a...Zoo?
Froggie Went A-Courtin'
Baa Baa Black Sheep

Nancy Kopman is an Early Childhood Educator, recording artist, performer and music curriculum builder. Her "Music With a Purpose" is used by educators, therapists, caregivers and families worldwide. Nancy's songs and classes (both in-person and online) focus on movement, connection and learning together while having fun. We have loved connecting with Nancy this year and are very excited for you to have the chance to win her music! Her songs fit so well with many of our music and movement props. You can also check out her Patreon community here. Nancy is generously donating a six pack of CD's from her music collection:

"I Am A Tree" album
"Senses" album
"Shadow" album
"The Seasons" album
"Wonderful You" album
"I Know I'll Grow...." album

Music for Kiddos was created by Stephanie Leavell MT-BC and is dedicated to providing high-quality children's music resources for music therapists, music educators, and parents. Not only does Stephanie write truly amazing music, she also has continuing education courses, a podcast, and offers an online resource membership community. On top of all that, she hosts an online conference each year created exclusively for music therapists and music educators who work with kids. Stephanie has generously donated these items to our back to school giveaway:

The Shy Little Monster book
A signed physical copy of her newest album, "Bloom"
Movement Songs for Kiddos: Digital Album, Online Courses + Workbook

Rachelle is a Speech-Language Pathologist and started Speech Tree Co in December of 2018. She had the idea to make mini object kits targeting speech and language goals while working as a pediatric SLP. After using the mini items with her students, she quickly realized just how much more engaging the mini toys were than traditional articulation flashcards. As longtime fans of anything miniature, we are beyond excited to connect with Rachelle and share her resources with all of you. You can enter for the chance to win two themed units from Speech Tree Co:

Oceans Unit
Sports Unit

We have been following Rhythm and Strings Music Therapy since fall of 2022 when Marie released her singable book, Where Do You Sleep? She has been marketing the book in such a fun way using different miniature items, you can check it out by visiting their Instagram or Facebook page. Marie is a Neurologic music therapist in Southern Maine, is a children's book author, and provides resources with a rhythm. She is adding several items to the giveaway including:

A copy of Where Do You Sleep?
Bookmark (featuring an animal from the book!)
Animal Stickers

DiscoverDance is a dance community dedicated to learning, creating, and educating the early years. In 2018, DiscoverDance partnered with Bear Paw Creek to create the DiscoverDance Music and Movement Prop Collection. Incorporating creative movement props with the DiscoverDance conceptual explorations enhances the early childhood learning experience. Andrea Trench from DiscoverDance is donating:

44 DiscoverBALLET Coloring Pages: Skills include both boy and girl images

Patina Jackson is a board certified music therapist and is the creator and owner of Music Therapy Joy. She offers many amazing resources from engaging songs with high-quality, visual aids, to forms for data, planning, organization and evaluations. She is donating a bundle includes recordings for 10 songs that support social emotional learning for kids and teens! PLUS a 98-page PDF packed with chord sheets, intervention ideas, worksheets, printable visuals, and slide presentation links (for classroom screens, tablets, virtual sessions and more)! On top of all that, Patina has also been releasing some wonderful music! You can check out her Spotify here. Enter for your chance to win the:

Friends and Feelings Bundle

This year for Bear Paw Creek's contribution, we are giving away a little bit of everything! Scarves, Stretchy Bands, and our newest movement prop, the Small Play Parachute. We are also adding Maryann "Mar" Harman's new book to the giveaway along with Miss Carole's CD's. Be sure to check out both of their websites and social media pages. Here is everything you could win from us:

Click Here to Enter our BIG Annual Back to School Giveaway - Worth Over $900! Share on X

How To Enter for Your Chance to Win the Giveaway

After sharing that list of all of the amazing music and movement resources included in this years back to school giveaway you're probably thinking, "How do I enter ASAP!?".

All you have to do is head on over to either Instagram or Facebook, like the post, then comment and tag some friends. Tip: If you enter on both Facebook and Instagram, you'll have even more chances to win.

We understand that some of you may not be on social media and want to make sure you still have a chance to enter. If you are not on social media, go ahead and click here! Enter your email to make sure you are subscribed to our mailing list and you will be entered in as well.

Again, we want to say a huge thank you to all of our good friends for donating their products and resources to this giveaway. We are so excited to kick off the school year in this fun way. Be sure to stay tuned as we will be announcing our back to school sale information soon!

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.

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Wrist Bells Are A Fun Christmas Music Therapy Prop

Carol Hartery — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 22:07:25 +0000

Wrist Bells Are A Fun Christmas Music Therapy Prop

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.

Jingle Bells Favorites

We also love Miss Carole’s “Ring Those Bells” from her HUM album. Maddie doesn’t know how to jump yet, but she can follow my lead as I ring my bells, turn around, stamp my feet and touch my toes when directed in the song.

“Shake!” by We Kids Rock on their Everybody Clap Your Hands album is meant to be a song to use with shaker eggs, but I have also always used it with bells. The pace of this song is faster than the pace of Miss Carole’s songs, but my preschoolers loved it. Like my preschoolers always did, Maddie gets a little “excited” when I play this song.

It’s a great song for learning body parts and I think it helped Maddie learn where her shoulders are.

The traditional versions of “Jingle Bells” that I use include “Jingle Bells” from Tom Paxton’s A Child’s Christmas with Tom Paxton album, “Jingle Bells” from Kids Songs’ We Wish You a Merry Christmas album, and “Jingle Bells” from Kimbo’s Where is Thumbkin? album. Dogs bark to the tune of “Jingle Bells” on the Singing Dogs Ultimate Christmas Album, Volume 3. My preschoolers loved barking along with the dogs.

The Jingle Bells on Wrist Scrunchie from Bear Paw Creek makes the perfect Christmas music therapy prop for fun wrist bells.

When Maddie and I are playing with her bells she loves to wear them on her arms and legs. She also puts them around the necks of some of her stuffed animals. Sometimes I lay the bells out on the table to use as sorting rings. I place a small bowl of jumbo farm counters on the table and Maddie matches them to the color of the bands on the wrist bells.

Some Jingle Bells books you may want to add to your library include:

Jingle Bells by Nicola Slater (a board book for young children)
Jingle Bells by Iza Trapani

If you are having family over for the holidays and are planning to sing carols you may want to get some Wrist bells from Bear Paw Creek for them to jingle as they sing. They’d also make a great favor for the kids to take home with them.

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!

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The Wheels on the Bus with Stretchy Band by “Miss Carole” Stephens of Macaroni Soup!

Carole Stephens — Fri, 09 Jun 2017 11:48:16 +0000

The Wheels on the Bus with Stretchy Band by “Miss Carole” Stephens of Macaroni Soup!

This blog post is brought to you by “Wheels on the Bus” with Stretchy Band by “Miss Carole” Stephens of Macaroni Soup.

WHY: create community, cooperative play, follow instructions, and workout!

BOOK BUDDY: The Wheels on the Bus by Paul Zelinsky

My Instructional Advice

My guidelines for using the fabulous Bear Paw Creek Stretchy Band in a preschool/K classroom:

16 or fewer children – I use the Medium band

16-25 children – I use the Large band

Remember, if you have fewer kids and want to shorten your band, bunch up a loop in your own lap.

HAVE FUN! Learning should be FUN!

Start with children seated in a circle.

Place Stretchy Band on the floor in the middle of the circle. I instruct the children not to touch the band until I tell them to so that everyone reaches for it at the same time.

“Take one hand and reach for the band in front of you, pulling it back to yourself.”

Now place both hands on the band.

Children should be sitting with legs crossed or straight out in front of them. (NO SITTING ON KNEES – it’s dangerous. Children can pitch forward and hit their heads on the floor! I’ve seen it happen!)

If working with adults and younger children, children should sit beside their adult if possible. If they need to be in the parent’s lap, the parent should hug one arm around the child’s middle to prevent them from going forward when the band does.

Start singing the traditional song, “The Wheels on the Bus”, while moving the band in circles away from your body. Children will follow along quickly. Below are motions for some of the additional verses. Feel free to add your own! This is definitely a favorite activity in my classes!

wheels – move band in circles away from body.

doors – legs straight out in front, lay backslowly, sit up (yup, it’s sit-ups!)

Use the band to help you get back to sitting. Instruct children not go flop backward as they might hurt their heads. This verse takes practice. Children don’t have well-developed abdominal muscles, and they struggle to get upright again. GOOD WORKOUT! Only lay back on “open”, return to sitting on “shut.” Check out my video presentation on the bottom page of this link.

windows – move band up’n’down- up on the word “up”, down on the word “down.”

wipers – move hands/band from side to side

people get bumped around – shake it, baby!

babies cry – knock fists together, then apart quicklyon “waa waa waa!”

repeat wheels verse to end the song

Miss Carole presents music and movement with “Wheels on the Bus” and a BPC stretchy band. Share on X

Welcome CD and a Giveaway

Try one of Miss Carole’s other songs for Stretchy Band on her “WELCOME!” cd. You can buy the cds from Bear Paw Creek.

Up and Down!

Around and Around

JAWS

Row Row Row Your Boat

Also – on “Polka Dots!”:

Giddy-Up!

ENTER to win Miss Carole’s favorite size stretchy band (medium) and her newest cd!

Carole Stephens

Dubbed “the Pied Piper of children’s music”, “Miss Carole” Stephens is a nationally renowned music specialist. Her cross-curricular music and guidance techniques instantly invite all audiences from the youngest child to the oldest adult to join in singing, dancing and rhythmic movement. Miss Carole teaches: HOW – classroom management techniques that really work! WHY – brain research that supports the active music imperative WHAT – developmentally appropriate movement and movement activities children love! Miss Carole has been teaching music for children 1 – 6 years old since 1989. Through her company, Macaroni Soup!, she travels across the US presenting concerts for children and families, and workshops for teachers, librarians and parents. Her seven award-winning CD’s are treasured for their usefulness, appropriateness and simplicity. Carole Stephens lives in Chicago with her husband Jim, and has 2 children: Camden and Greg.

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