We Are Back!
- Megan Roberts
- Jun 17, 2020
- 3 min read
It has been a long time since our last post. A lot has happened in the world since then! Thankfully we are all safe and well and just focusing on having fun at home whilst staying safe!
For our 'coming back' post we wanted to share something that has been keeping us very happy and positive during 'Lockdown'
We have been looking for all sorts of ways to entertain Tom at home during this time. If you are a regular reader of Tom's blog you will know he is very much an adventure boy and enjoy getting out and about as much as he loves coming home! We wanted to find things that were a bit different from Tom's 'normal activities'. We found 'Johnny and The Raindrops Music Time'.
Johnny and The Raindrops are a band that play uplifting, participational and heart warming music for all ages. Due to the current crisis, they are unable to play together as a band so instead Johnny is creating live 'gigs' for kids at 11am every Wednesday on his facebook and Instagram channel.
We stumbled across Johnny and have been loving his Wednesday shows ever since. I am unsure as to whether Johnny is aware of how great his shows are for children with complex needs but they are perfectly designed to support the learning of children of all ages.
One reason they are great is because Johnny always plays the same song at the start and end of the show. This consistency is really important to us as it enables Tom to predict what is about to happen. Johnny also wears the same shirt in every show so he is easily recognisable. This enables Tom to relax and enjoy the show without having to think too hard about what is happening on screen.
The shows are super interactive. This week Tom even got a shout out and his very own song request played! All of the songs Johnny plays have actions, although we are not always physically able to do the actions that might go with the song we always alter them slightly and then we can join in to. For example if there is a song about jumping up and down, I will help Tom to stomp his legs up and down whilst he is sitting in his chair, this was Tom is always fully included. He loves this physical interaction with the music and I really believe it helps with his learning. Today we were talking about the parts of the body and we used touch and rhythm to find our heads, ears, knees, toes, etc.
You can see here just how interactive the show is!
Johnny plays silly songs. Children at Tom's age just love silliness and that is what Johnny gives them. Some songs are about the bits on your body that you don't have a name for, or fruit and vegetables or even a teddy in the washing machine getting pants stuck on his head! They make Tom smile and we have a great time whilst singing along.
Johnny's Music Time really is for everybody. As much as Tom enjoys it I also love playing along with him. We do a lot of signing, we play along with musical instruments and laugh a lot!
If you are stuck for things to do be sure to check Jonny out on the links below set yourself a reminder and we will see you there!
We will be back next week with another post, it is lovely to be back!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_2FGDHFOAV/
Stay Safe, Stay Well and Smile!
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