Music with Nancy Archives - Bear Paw Creek

Our Story — The How and Why Bear Paw Creek Began

Madison Stephens — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 18:04:42 +0000

Our Story — The How and Why Bear Paw Creek Began

This January marks 25 years in business for Bear Paw Creek, this is a big milestone for us and we are extremely grateful to everyone who has supported us along the way.

We have been celebrating all month long by sharing some behind the scenes, a 25% off flash sale, and still have something extra fun planned for the end of the month. We also wanted to share a little bit about the how and why Bear Paw Creek was started. For those who have been following us for a long time, this story may already be familiar to you, but we have had a lot of growth over the last several years. Including more followers on social media and our blog, which makes this the perfect time to do a retelling of our story.

Keep reading to learn about the start of our business (before we were named Bear Paw Creek!), growth over the years, how our products are beneficial, and our goals moving forward.

The Start of Bear Paw Creek's Music and Movement Props

In January of 2000, sisters Janet Stephens and Kathy Schumacher MT-BC came together along with Janet's husband, Christopher Stephens, to create a business that was then called Props & Bags, Etc. With Janet looking to create an income from home and Kathy looking for someone to create products to meet a need in the music therapy community, they meshed their passion and ideas together to create products that would serve the music and movement community for years to come.

With Christopher's innovative mind, Janet's designing and sewing skills, and Kathy's experience in music therapy and knowledge of what that community needed, they introduced the creation of a unique line of movement props along with solutions for organizing and transporting them.

The Props & Bags, Etc. 2000-2001 catalog contained: stretchy bands, bean bags, streamers, tote bags, and instrument cases.

Our Story — The How and Why Bear Paw Creek Began Share on X

Our Development and Growth Throughout the Years

In 2001, Bear Paw Creek picked up their first wholesale customer, West Music, who we continue to work with to this day! The movement props continued to grow in popularity which encouraged them to continue going and also create more props to add to the product line. In 2008, the brand name was changed to Bear Paw Creek.

Fast forward to 2012, Janet had the opportunity to take a course on building websites with WordPress. With this knowledge added to her "tool belt", she was able to create a new website to better offer Bear Paw Creek's products to the public.

The new website allowed them to open up and quickly expand the business's retail market as well as connect with customers on a one to one level through emails, blog posts, and in later years, social media. Bear Paw Creek continues to expand and grow, reaching more retail customers, along with a growing list of resellers, stateside and internationally.

In recent years I, Madison Stephens (Christopher and Janet's daughter), have taken over the social media marketing for Bear Paw Creek. This opened up a whole other avenue of connection with our customers.

Seeing videos of stretchy bands, scarves, streamers, bean bags, and all of our other creative movement props being used in countries all around the world by people of different ages and abilities is both mind blowing and extremely humbling. It is an honor to be a part of this business my parents and aunt started and the impact it has.

We have learned so much and have been inspired by all of you sharing your movement activity ideas on social media and how you use our movement props with your children, students, and patients. It has also led to some new product ideas, wonderful collaborations, and big growth for our business. If you aren't already connected with us on Facebook and Instagram, please give us a follow! And keep tagging us in your videos and pictures, it truly is one of our favorite things to see our products in use.

Bear Paw Creek: Retailer, Wholesaler, and Manufacture of Handmade in the USA Movement Props

Something that not everyone knows about Bear Paw Creek is that, for the last 25 years we have been the manufacturer, retailer, and wholesaler for our company. People are sometimes shocked to hear that our movement props are handmade by us in Missouri, USA!

When we first began in 2000, our target audience was music therapists. The music therapy community is wonderful and has been huge supporters of Bear Paw Creek. We are extremely grateful for them and all of the important work that they do! Over the years as our product was being purchased and shipped all around the world, we realized that music therapists are not the only ones that have a need for these props.

Our music and movement props continue to be used by music therapists, but are also being used by music teachers, activity directors, recreational therapists, parents, dance instructors, grandparents, physical therapists, early childhood educators, special education teachers, occupational therapists, rehabilitation specialists, and so many more.

All of these amazing people combine our props with music to help their patients target specific goal areas, work on a variety of skills, and sometimes, to just have fun with music and movement. A few of the skills movement props help target are:

Physical development: Props can help with coordination, balance, and gross motor skills.
Cognitive development: Props can help with spatial awareness, teamwork, and understanding of locomotor and non-locomotor movements.
Creative expression: Props can help with creativity and musicality.
Social-emotional development: Props can help with social-emotional development.
Strength and flexibility: Props can help with strength, mobility, and flexibility by encouraging movement.

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A post shared by Bear Paw Creek | Music and Movement Props (@bearpawcreek)

A Thank you for Your Support and Our Goals Moving Forward

We cannot say thank you enough to all of our loyal supporters for the last 25 years. Bear Paw Creek would not be the successful business that it is without all of you trusting us to provide high-quality made in the USA movement props, sharing about them with friends, using them with your children and patients, sharing your music and movement activity ideas on blogs and social media, and coming back again and again to purchase our products.

Bear Paw Creek is honored to have the opportunity to make a small impact in the world with what we provide. But it's all because of our amazing community of people all around the world that our products have been as successful as they are.

Looking back on the last 25 years there has definitely been a lot of change and growth. However, our core values have remained and will continue to remain the same: commitment to the people who use our products, and enthusiasm for the manner in which our customers improve the lives of others.

It is our goal to continue to equip teachers, therapists, and parents as they seek to enrich the lives of others through creative movement products and music. We understand the importance of music and movement for developing healthy minds and bodies of all ages and are honored to have your trust and support as we continue to create high-quality movement props.

Here's to the next 25 years!

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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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

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Bicycle Stretchy Band Activity and Song

Madison Stephens — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 20:51:59 +0000

Bicycle Stretchy Band Activity and Song

We are always on the lookout for new music and movement activity ideas, so when I found this bicycle Stretchy Band activity and song shared by Nancy Kopman and Traci Patterson, I knew I had found a good one!

If you read our Best Parachute Activities and Songs blog post, you know that we have recently collaborated with Nancy Kopman and have a couple more projects planned with her in the near future. She is an Early Childhood Educator and has some truly amazing music. All of which pairs very well with our creative movement props! You can check out Nancy's music here. Traci Patterson is a Music Teacher in Richmond, Texas and is always sharing fun activity ideas, pictures, and videos on her Instagram and Twitter. She also offers educational resources on her Teachers Pay Teachers store. We love following Traci and seeing all of the awesome content she puts out and especially love getting to see how she uses our movement props in her classroom.

Keep reading to get the details on the bicycle Stretchy Band activity!

"Bicycle" Song by Nancy Kopman for a Stretchy Band Activity

The song used for this Stretchy Band activity is "Bicycle" from Nancy's album "The Seasons". This song is perfect for children of all ages and is very easy to learn since the lyrics are easy to remember and the actions included are simple to learn. To read the lyrics you can watch this video, Sing the Bicycle Song with Nancy (FULL SONG w/ACTIONS).

The different actions in the song are what makes it perfect for the Stretchy Band! You can sit in a big circle with your class while everyone holds the Stretchy Band or stand in a circle, as you listen to the song, follow the actions. Lift the Stretchy Band up! Then go back down. Up, and down, up and down. There is also a part where it says go fast, then slow. If your students are standing for this Stretchy Band activity, they could walk in a circle as fast as they can! Then walk in slow motion when the song signals to slow down.

The best part about this song is that once you know it well enough, you can add in your own lyrics and do whichever action you want! It would be fun to add a side to side action, or maybe a in and out.

You can also use this Stretchy Band activity in smaller group settings. The Connect-A-Stretchy Band would be perfect to work one-on-one with a child using this song. Or, you could use the Primary Set of 6 Connect-A-Stretchy Bands to spread your large group out. Have a few kids around a Connect-A-Band, each with a different color. Each group could take turns calling out an action to go with the song. Red group, "In and out". Next, blue group "Side to side!" and so on.

Click here to check out a new Bicycle Stretchy Band Activity and Song from Nancy Kopman and Traci Patterson -Bear Paw Creek Share on X

Stretchy Band Activity Idea in Action with Traci Patterson

The video on the right originally shared by Traci Patterson, is where I first heard the bicycle song by Nancy and saw the Stretchy Band activity in action. You can see that all of the students are attentive and engaged. Using the Stretchy Band with this song is a great way to practice those important listening skills, encourage teamwork, and can encourage movement/exercise.

If you've been following us, you know that we are huge advocates for music and movement and the benefits it brings for people of all ages and abilities. Music and movement helps develop physical skills, cognitive development, social skills, emotional expression, and so much more. That's why we are so thankful to people like Nancy and Traci for sharing their amazing resources and ideas.

I have no doubt that this Stretchy Band activity will be a hit in your next music class, circle time, music therapy session, or at-home play! If you use this activity and post any pictures or video to social media, be sure to tag us! We LOVE seeing videos and pictures of our creative movement props in action. Who knows, maybe you will inspire a new activity idea! You can find us @bearpawcreek and be sure to check out @musicwithnancy and @snapclappattersonmusic.

Madison Stephens

The post Bicycle Stretchy Band Activity and Song appeared first on Bear Paw Creek.

Best Parachute Activities and Songs

Madison Stephens — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 10:30:39 +0000

Best Parachute Activities and Songs

In 2022, we added a new product to our creative movement prop line, the Small Play Parachute for Kids. Since then, it has quickly grown in popularity and we have loved seeing everyone's excitement over it. Seeing as it has been several months since we introduced the parachute, I thought it was about time to share some parachute activities and song ideas that you can use to make parachute play, even more, fun and educational.

Keep reading to learn about the benefits of parachute play and get parachute activity ideas to use in your next session, circle time, or during at-home play.

Plus, I'm going to share a list of songs to use with the parachute from a new resource that I am beyond excited to tell you about!

The Benefits of Parachute Play for Kids

We all know that children learn very well through play, imitation, and exploration — music and movement combine these using a range of different senses. Music and movement activities improve coordination, gross and fine motor skills, cognitive development, strengthen imagination, and so much more. To learn more about the benefits of music and movement activities, you can check out one of our other blog posts here.

Music and movement activities are even better when paired with creative movement props. Props are used as an aid to reinforce or support movements, concepts, skills, imagination, and creativity in the music space. What happens when you incorporate parachute activities into your music and movement time? What unique benefits does the parachute offer?

Teaches children to listen and follow instructions well
Encourages cooperation and teamwork
Reinforces turn-taking, sharing, and promotes social interaction
Promotes communication and language skills
Helps develop a sense of rhythm
Introduces physical activity as fun
Assists in developing hand-eye coordination, balance, and mobility
Teaches problem-solving

Our small play parachute is 30" wide with four handles, making it perfect for one-on-one use, for three children and an adult, or four children with an adult supervising. And, you still get all of the same benefits with the smaller version as you do with the full-size one. Having the smaller parachute also allows you the option of one-on-one time with a child that the large parachute cannot give.

If a child has certain skills that need improving or issues that need to be further addressed, but can't be done in a group setting, the small parachute allows you to work with the child one-on-one while still getting the amazing benefits of parachute play.

Benefits of Parachute Play for Kids & the Best Parachute Activities and Songs - www.BearPawCreek.com Share on X

Here is a great video shared by DiscoverDance Education on Instagram that showcases the size of the parachute and one of the ways it can be used. In the video, it is being used by an adult and early teen.

"In 2018, DiscoverDance and Bear Paw Creek teamed up to create the DiscoverDance Prop Collection. Over the years, DiscoverDance has had the honor of testing and incorporating all of their props into the DiscoverDance program.

Their latest creation is the small play parachute for kids. It is perfect for toddler hands, small classes, or caregiver and tot pairings. It’s easier to maneuver due to its size and weight, and it’s quieter for those children who are sensitive to the loud noises a large parachute produces."

-Andrea Trench, DiscoverDance

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A post shared by DiscoverDance | Early Childhood Dance Education (@discoverdance_education)

Parachute Activities

There are so many different parachute activities out there as well as music to go with them. Here are just a few of our favorites that would work well with the Small Play Parachute!

1.) Popcorn: Put soft or very light balls on top of the parachute, like these. Everyone involved should stand and hold a handle. Shake the parachute and quickly move it up and down, the balls will look like popcorn popping! To add a fun challenge for older kids, place an even amount of two colors of balls on the parachute. For example, you could use six red balls and six blue balls. If you have four kids around the parachute, then divide into two teams. If you are working with just two individuals, each person is on their own team. The red team wants to shake the parachute while keeping their red balls on and getting the blue ones off. Blue team tries the opposite.

2.) Don't Drop the Balloon Ball: This is similar to the Popcorn parachute activity and the well known game "The Floor is Lava", but is a little bit easier for younger children. Take one of our Balloon Balls (they come in several fun patterns) and place it in the center of the parachute. Slowly begin to move the parachute up and down, side to side, try to get the Balloon Ball to spin around, but don't let it hit the floor! The goal is to keep it on the parachute while moving it around. This helps reinforce the skill of concentration, communication, and teamwork while you work together to keep the ball from touching the ground.

3.) Catapult: This could also be done with the Balloon Ball or, you could even try using a bunch of the small soft balls linked above. Place the ball in the middle of the parachute then everyone goes, '1, 2, 3, LIFT!" The idea is to throw the ball as high as you can in the air. If you're indoors, can you hit the ceiling? For more of a challenge, add some weight. You can throw some of our Bean Bags on the parachute and try to get those to catapult as high as possible. It won't be as easy as the Balloon Ball or soft balls!

4.) Merry-Go-Round: Have everyone turn sideways and hold a handle. They walk around in a circle to create a "merry-go-round". Change it up and have them skip, hop, or march around in a circle. Play around with the music, you can pause it, cueing the participants to switch directions. This would be a great activity to incorporate with music that varies in tempo. When the music goes fast, try to make the merry-go-round go as fast as possible! When it goes slow, try to walk in slow motion.

Keep reading for a list of songs that will go perfectly with these parachute activities.

Songs to Use With the Parachute

Have you ever heard of Children's Music with Nancy Kopman? I hadn't until a few months ago! 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. She currently has six albums available for purchase, both as downloadable and physical CDs. You can check them out here.

Several weeks ago I reached out to her asking about her blog post, Parachute Games and Songs for Young Children. This led to a conversation about different ways we could collaborate with each other, since her music fits so well with our creative movement props. We now have several projects in the works and are beyond excited about this new partnership! Be sure to to follow Nancy on her social media pages and also check out her Patreon community. You can also find her music on Spotify.

Nancy sent me a list of her favorite songs to use with the parachute that I will list below, they would also work very well with our Stretchy Bands!

"Shake, Shake, Shake", from "Senses" (written specifically for the parachute)
"Walk Around", from "The Seasons" (see the song in action with a large parachute here)
"Bicycle", from "The Seasons"
"Breath In, Breathe Out", "from "Wonderful You" (nice slow movements with a parachute as you breathe in and out)
"Horses", from "Senses"
"Popcorn", from "I Am A Tree"
"In and Out", from "I Am A Tree"

I hope all of the parachute activities and songs shared will be fun additions to your music class, circle time, music therapy sessions, or during at home play. Music and movement, especially when paired with creative movement props, is such a fun way of teaching children very important skills and we are honored to play a part in that!

Madison Stephens

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