Tinikling is a Philippine folk dance from the Visayan Islands that traditionally uses two bamboo poles and nimble footwork inspired by the tikling bird.

Want to bring this rich cultural dance experience to your classroom but limited on storage space or have additional accessibility needs?

Fitting into an included draw string bag, these “Tinikling Inspired Rhythm Cords” come in a set of 12 with two of each color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Cords are machine washable in a mesh bag, and best hung out to air dry to keep their shape.

A set of 12 cords can accommodate 18 students at once: 2 students on each side and 1 student moving between them (as depicted below with the traditional stick materials).

*These cords are an educational adaptation inspired by Tinikling and are not intended to replace learning about traditional Tinikling performed with bamboo poles.

Tinikling Inspired Rhythm Cord Specifications:

• The cords are 1 inch wide x 7 feet long
• Made of durable, lightweight polypropylene webbing
• Each cord features a large hook-and-loop closure on each end with Velcro, allowing it to fit easily over shoes and onto a user’s ankle or calf. The cords can also be held by hand rather than being placed on one’s ankle/calf.
• Comes in a set of 12 with two of each color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Also comes with a drawstring storage bag.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Bear Paw Creek’s Tinikling Cords are not made of an elastic material, which means they do not stretch and are not flexible.

Bear Paw Creek’s Tinikling Inspired Rhythm Cords in Action:

Check out this link for examples from Filipino educators, dancers, and cultural organizations on traditional tinikling.

Click the image below or click here to see Lena Leon, The Crafter Teacher, and her class using our Tinikling Inspired Rhythm Cords. In the video, you can get an idea of their size and also see how they would work being held by hand rather than the loops being placed around ankles/calves.

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Our original Stretchy Bands for creative movement come in four different sizes and are a complete circle. The Connect-a-Stretchy Band only comes in one size. However, it features a buckle system that allows you to disconnect the band and use it in a straight line in addition to the circle.

With the buckle system, you can connect additional bands together. Allowing you to create the size you need for your creative movement activities. This is ideal for those with varying class sizes or for those who like to use different-sized bands for different activities.

With the Set of 6 Connect-a-Stretchy Bands, you will be able to create all four original Stretchy Band sizes. Plus two larger sizes: an XXL (five bands connected) and an XXXL (all six bands connected). This would be a very fun way to engage a large group or classroom by allowing you all to be a part of the same circle.

With the six bands and their connecting capabilities, you would also be able to split larger groups into smaller groups. Instead of one large group on one circle, you could split everyone up into two or three groups! 

Hub 12 Connector:

Using a Hub allows you to turn your Connect-a-Stretchy Bands into fun shapes, such as: 

•  Octopus
• Sun
• Star
• Flower

Or whatever your imagination comes up with! Learn more about our Hub connectors here. Using a Hub only adds to the creativity and fun you can have with our Connect-a-Stretchy Bands!

Sizing Guide:

The sizing guide below gives the original Stretchy Band sizes along with the conversion chart for the Connect-a-Stretchy Bands. Determining how many you can fit around a band depends on the age/size of those you have in your creative movement class or session. When we say “people,” we are referring to tweens/teens and adults.

Check out our FREE resource guide to Stretchy Bands and Connect-a-Stretchy Bands. A combined 100+ song and activity ideas!

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Sensory Sacks, also known as body socks, are used for fun and therapeutic purposes. They offer a range of sensory experiences and activities for children and adults, and are a fantastic sensory regulation tool for those with sensory processing issues.

A few of the benefits are:

1. Deep Pressure and Calming: The snug fit of the sack can create a sense of security and comfort, helping to regulate emotions and behavior. As well as calm individuals with sensory sensitivities or anxiety.
2. Movement and Gross Motor Skills: Sensory Sacks can be used for a variety of movement activities like crawling, stretching, and dancing, promoting gross motor skill development and coordination. The resistance from the colorful body bag can add a level of fun and challenge to the movement.
3. Therapeutic Benefits: Sensory Sacks are often used in occupational therapy to address sensory processing challenges and improve body awareness. They can be helpful for individuals with autism, ADHD, or other sensory processing differences.
4. Imaginative Play: Children can use the sack to create their own space and engage in creative play, further enhancing the sensory experience.

Our Sensory Sack is made of a soft fabric with plenty of stretch and give, but not too much, as there is still a bit of resistance in the stretch. Encouraging those using the body sock to really push and stretch the fabric, and also allowing those needing the deep pressure to still feel the fabric snug around them.

The dimensions of the body bag when laid out flat with no stretching are: 64″ long and 20″ wide. It can be machine washed on a low heat setting. After washing, it’s best to dry the sack flat on a towel to maintain its shape.

**Please note that the color and fabric pattern of the Sensory Sack and the drawstring storage bag may vary.**

To see the Sensory Sack: A Colorful Body Bag for Creative Play in action, check out this video from Lynn Kleiner at Music Rhapsody. Lynn showcases how the sack works with her song, “Boa Constrictor”.

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MacSoup CD Included  – $58      Snowball Set- $50

No snow?  Too cold to play outside?  This set of  30 snow balls will get you moving and having fun in not time.  This set is machine washable in the included drawstring bag.  You also have the option of purchasing the wonderful “Dancing Feet” CD.  This has 18 songs on it. “The Freeze” song  is the inspiration behind the indoor snowball set. So you won’t only get “The Freeze” you will have 17 more to inspire creative movement at home or in your classroom.

It will inspire you to get moving and burn off some of that extra energy we get from “cabin fever” in the winter. Pair this set with books about snow, make paper snowflakes, and have an indoor snowball fight!

It is also great fun in the middle of hot summer. A fun activity is to spray the balls with water, stick them in the freezer for awhile, and you have a fantastic sensory play activity. I would recommend doing this one outdoors! In this blog post you can be inspired with a great circle time activity.  It includes a book to read, and of course music and movement! Add in some old fashioned paper snowflake making for small motor skills. Check out the fun a few of our kids and I had!

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Carole Stephens of Macaroni Soup has been the Pied Piper of children’s music in Chicago since 1989. Her concerts have everyone singing, jumping and wiggling…and smiling til it hurts! Her clean sound and slower tempos, easily understood by even the smallest child, encourages everyone to sing along and dance along. Children ask for her music over and over because they love the music, pretend, and silly fun it provides.

Carole Stephens (formerly Peterson) grew up in a house with a pre-school attached! She graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Science from the Communications Department in musical theater, acting in shows in Chicago and New York City (even a stint on All My Children!) before going afloat as a cruise director in the Caribbean. Back on land again, she hosted the nightly TV show “PM MAGAZINE” before settling down to “mommy.” She created music classes to meet the needs of her 2 children, who are now twenty-somethings. As MACARONI SOUP!, she has been providing musical entertainment and education for children 1 – 10 years old since1989. Carole’s CDs have won the Parents’ Choice, NAPPA, I-Parenting Media, Creative Children, Mom’s Choice and Children’s Music Web Awards.

Carole presents concerts and workshops all over the United States. In 2009 she was a presenter at the European Conference of International Schools in Belgium! Carole’s topics include Active Music for Toddlers, Pre-Schoolers and Kindergarteners, the connection between active music and early literacy, and developmentally appropriate music for children and teachers of ALL abilities.
Beloved by her students as “Miss Carole”, she teaches Parent/Child, Toddler, Pre-school and Theater (6 – 12 year olds) classes in the Chicago area. She also does Artist-in-Residence programs for Pre-K/K programs.

Carole considers it a privilege to work with young children and those that care for them!

Bear Paw Creek is excited to offer all ten of Miss Carole’s cds. Click on each cd to hear a sample and learn about the songs on the album.

1. Macaroni Soup
2. Welcome
3. Polka Dots
4. Season Sings. SOLD OUT
5. Baloney!
6. Dancing Feet   SOLD OUT
7. Stinky Cake
8. Tiny Tunes: Music for the Very Young Child
9. H.U.M. Highly Usable Music
10. Sticky Bubble Gum SOLD OUT

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