Toddler singing groups - advice please

[Samuel's mum]

Sam and I go to a playgroup twice a week. It lasts 2.5 hours and there are various activities. One day has an art theme and one day has a singing session for half an hour. Anyway, a couple of months ago the woman who leads the singing was away and the group leader asked me to step as I was a teacher. Now this woman has left for good and the leader has asked me to step in permanently. I don't mind doing it (although Sam was a bit unimpressed so I might have to give it a couple of weeks to check he comes round) but I wanted to ask if you go to a singing group what do you feel particularly works, or doesn't work?
So far I start with a hello song and run through the classics (How do you feel today, head shoulders knees and toes, Old MacDonald, Wheels on the Bus, Row your boat etc) encouraging lots of participation. Then at the end I taught them "We are the Dinosaurs" (Laurie Berkner) and I put the CD on and put out a selection of little instruments for a play along. I had a couple of positive comments but obviously I'd like to do the best I can. Are there any songs that you think work really well? Anything experiences from your own groups I could learn from?

[deb]

Wow, it sounds like you have a good handle on the situation! Seriously, that's very similar to the stuff I do in my music classes.

I have some suggestions but not lots of time at the moment; DH has just gotten home and I've FLED the upstairs where J is in a major snit and will have to return shortly. I wanted to respond, though, so this thread comes up when I log on next ( look for new replies to my posts first).

Cheers,
Deb

[Samuel's mum]

Thanks
I'm off to bed now but I'd really appreciate any of your expertise you could offer me. I'd totally forgotten I might be able to get some professional advice - yay.

[evanskimberley]

Hi Emma, I'm folowing you around today, - sorry!

I go to one at our Library and then run a mini one myself at my NCT toddler group.

The half hour session runs differently to mine cos its just a sefl contained 30 mins session.
-There are booklets with all the words in for the parents - great for mums who aren't confident to stop it being just you sining to the to kids!
-we have 15 mins of action songs
- 10 mins of instrument playing along to songs
-five mins of a story at the end.
-they then have a picture to colour in if they want to stay after, connected to the story.
We sing happy birthday to anyone too if its theirs that week

-favourite songs, wheels on the bus, sleping bunnies, jumping up and down on the big red tractor, ring a ring of roses, incey wincey, twinkle twinkle, wind the bobbin up, down in the jungle
-leader has a bag with puppets and stuffed animls, she picks about 3 chn to come out in turn and pick something from the bag, then we sing a related song - they love this!

Mine runs a bit differently, its a 15 min session at the end of a toddler group
-i do a story first to get people to come and sit down, I borrow 'big' books from the library and have bougt a few cheap ones at discount books shops and matalan.
-action songs first
- instruments out last (can never get the chn to sing other wise!) each for about 6 mins each

I use the same songs as above, don't have the books as I've never got around to making them! But there aren't as many people there so a few mums singing is fine, the chn are also slightly older so they can sing anlong now too.

I always write down the songs I want to sing, cos I seem to suffer from mind blankage!!!!!