Tales & Songs {and a giveaway}

As the children and I work around our home at the moment I hear little voices singing to themselves. And I can’t help but join in…

Come gather, come gather, 
there’s work to be done
make a bundle, take an armful
together it’s fun 

Singing and music can really transform the work of the home. And we are very lucky to have been gifted a copy of Come Gather by Tales & Songs! This lovely album includes a number of sweet joyous songs as well as some wonderful stories.

My favourite is the title song Come Gather, and I think it is my daughter’s too *smile*
But I do love how my children respond to the stories! My son in particular loves to hear about Jack Frost and listens closely to Jakob & the Fire. 

You can have a little listen to Come Gather here…

How are songs and stories used in Waldorf?

Music is used in Waldorf education and Waldorf inspired homes to transition through the rhythm of the day. Songs can also bring an element of ritual or focus to an activity. In our home, we like to sing a blessing before meals, seasonal songs after lunch and to bring fun to an activity like tidying up.
 
Storytelling is also an art form embraced by Waldorf, as it captures and inspires the imagination. Children in Waldorf schools are also encouraged to develop their oral storytelling ability by setting up puppet shows. You can read more about storytelling in Waldorf schools here.

And now I’m excited to give you a chance to win a copy of Come Gather created by Annie Bryant.

Annie is a passionate storyteller, musician & mother. She loves the power of words & melodies to inspire and nourish all hearts – young and old. Annie’s seasonal recordings of handcrafted stories & songs for children combine the power of therapeutic storytelling with joyous melodies to inspire strength, confidence and gratitude for the beauty of our natural world. Annie’s second collection of tales & songs ~ Wake Up ~ inspired by Spring will be released soon.

Annie also co-presents a weekly storytelling radio program for adults, works as a copywriter & spends lots of time on the beach and in the rainforests of Northern NSW where she lives with her husband and 2 boys.

You can connect with Annie on the Tales & Songs website and Facebook page.

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For your chance to win….
…tell me how you use songs and storytelling in your home

Comments close at 8pm AEST on 20 October 2014
I will choose my favourite answer and announce the winner in this post next week.

Remember to leave a way for me to get in touch! 

And the winner is Anonymous who said…

Anyone who knows me well knows that I’d prefer to have entire conversations in song, with some interpretive dance thrown in for good measure. When we do up my son’s seat belt, I always sing “Ah arm in” in the same way that the choir sing “AhAmen” at church! I ask him questions in song and he replies in song! Singing is joy. It’s expression and it’s freeing. Like they say in Sesame Street, “Don’t worry if it’s not good enough, for anyone else to hear, just sing, sing a song,. lalalalala la lalalalala lalalalalalaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

**************


Good luck,

Kelly

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22 Comments

  • Reply Carrie October 13, 2014 at 3:37 pm

    We sing for fun and to get a point across without yelling, complaining, etc. I have also found singing a song has always quieted my daughter even when she was most upset as a baby. Now she sings all the time often when she is in a room by herself. We use storytelling mostly at night, but now she is making up her own stories and telling them to us throughout the day.

  • Reply Happy Whimsical Hearts October 13, 2014 at 6:31 pm

    Comment for Leonie – when my first son was a baby I found myself singing, singing, singing all the time! I sang songs I loved, songs for children and I made up a lot of little songs for daily routines like hand washing, cleaning the floor (really simple little songs like “sweep sweep sweep the floor, till it’s nice and clean, sweep, sweep,sweep the floor till no dirt can be seen” to row row row your boat). We always had stories from books every day and not just at bedtime. As my eldest grew and we added another little boy to our family, story telling changed, singing developed as my son began to show his personality and have his own favourites – some from our play group, some from CDs, some old traditionals. these days stories are sometimes stories that relate to our day and what we have done, stories from books, memories we share, or story massage where I give a massage with strokes to match the story. I still sing all the time and now my kids do too. All it takes is one child to begin a favourite song and then we all join in. It’s lovely! And for a person who always loved to sing but never had much confidence it is joyful to sing to my heart’s content with my children.

  • Reply Emilou October 13, 2014 at 5:20 am

    We sing to get things done πŸ™‚ it makes tedious chores a fun game and so enjoyable! I love singing and dancing with my girls as we fold washing or sweep the floor πŸ™‚

  • Reply Emilou October 13, 2014 at 5:21 am

    Ps – check the date you say comments close xo

    • Reply Happy Whimsical Hearts October 13, 2014 at 5:30 am

      Thank you! fixed now πŸ™‚ xx

  • Reply Emma Elliott October 13, 2014 at 10:37 am

    We sing for fun to cheer each other up fir bed and chores anytimes a good time. From the Uk πŸ™‚

  • Reply Anonymous October 13, 2014 at 9:45 pm

    Anyone who knows me well knows that I’d prefer to have entire conversations in song, with some interpretive dance thrown in for good measure. When we do up my son’s seat belt, I always sing “Ah arm in” in the same way that the choir sing “AhAmen” at church! I ask him questions in song and he replies in song! Singing is joy. It’s expression and it’s freeing. Like they say in Sesame Street, “Don’t worry if it’s not good enough, for anyone else to hear, just sing, sing a song,. lalalalala la lalalalala lalalalalalaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa”

  • Reply kate - thecrafttrain October 14, 2014 at 5:09 am

    That looks like such an appealing album for kids. Like most kids, my girls love music and stories, but I’m afraid we have stuck to the norm and simply read books before bedtime and lullabies before sleep. I do love to see my kids including their own made up stories within their pretend play world, but then I am just an observer and it has nothing to do with me.

  • Reply Anastasia Saenko October 14, 2014 at 4:17 pm

    What a beautiful concept!!! Thank you for sharing! Pinned!

  • Reply Sara @ Happiness is here October 14, 2014 at 11:48 pm

    Looks great!
    We sing to relax or to improve the mood if we’re having a grumpy day. We’ll all have a dance and sing together and then everyone feels better!

  • Reply Penny October 16, 2014 at 4:46 am

    We story tell by singing through a book. Rather than always reading a book, many times we sing it instead. It’s so, so, lovely!

  • Reply Kate October 16, 2014 at 6:49 am

    We sing ALL-DAY-LONG in our household. Both my daughters wake up singing at the top of their lungs. My youngest especially tries to sing along to everything including songs I make up as I engage with them during care-giving moments. Singing is such a powerful form of communication as it not only conveys a message it conveys emotions. I use tempos, tones and rhythms to try to encourage my children to express emotions freely. I can’t imagine life here without music πŸ™‚

  • Reply Deborah Alter-Rasche October 17, 2014 at 1:21 am

    What a lovely song. The kids were drawn over to the computer when I started playing it. We love driving in the car because all we do is sing together the entire time. πŸ™‚

  • Reply Kylie @ Octavia and Vicky October 18, 2014 at 12:05 am

    I love using story telling to inspire my students stories. This week I told a story about something close to my heart… babies and sleep! They loved helping me thing of more and more fantastical ways to solve the problem of getting the baby to sleep. I’d love to win this CD to give to my daughter’s Waldorf inspired teachers, they would love it.

  • Reply Suzie's Home Education Ideas October 18, 2014 at 9:40 pm

    A singing child is a happy child!! My girls are always singing and making up songs with funny little words. They enjoy telling stories through their play, putting on puppet and dance shows and singing songs to their Daddy when he gets home from work.

  • Reply Anonymous October 18, 2014 at 10:58 pm

    Wow. so lovely, thank you for sharing this post and opportunity.

  • Reply Happy Whimsical Hearts October 20, 2014 at 12:10 am

    Comment for Nikita – We sing because it ties our days together and keeps our rhythm flowing nicely. Also it brings a sense of joy to our activities (even the mundane ones!).Id love to learn more songs and rhymes though. Because often Im just making ones up in my head! haha!

  • Reply Happy Whimsical Hearts October 20, 2014 at 12:11 am

    Comment for Binny ~ We love music by real musicians My children play music at least once a day and then continue singing throughout the day as they play. I love singing so we often sing together. My children also pull out their instruments when listening to music and attempt to play along, naturally learning about rythmn. Most of all the sound of them singing is pure joy to me

  • Reply Happy Whimsical Hearts October 20, 2014 at 12:11 am

    Comment for Lizzie ~ Our family enjoy have audio books playing in the back ground and music is always a joy as the children play,dance,sing the most enjoyable thing with song is watching our little ones imitate what it means to them .

  • Reply Kate Lloyd October 19, 2014 at 4:03 pm

    How beautiful! I love singing and telling stories to my little girl. We often go out in the garden with a collection of books and read and sing under a special tree. It’s very calming and a great way to connect. This giveaway looks wonderful.

  • Reply Kelly October 19, 2014 at 11:40 pm

    Love love love. We often sing in the car.

  • Reply Bron October 20, 2014 at 1:42 am

    We use songs and story telling to gently touch our little ones’ souls. It is a gentle way to instil rhythms, traditions, values and memories πŸ™‚

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