Making music with Infants - Mini Thunder Drum

Around here, we "run" with an emergent curriculum. 

Sometimes, I get a lot of questions in regards to,
well... what about the infants and toddlers?

Well, some of our activities have to be adapted when 

it comes to working with younger children, 

but for the most part working with our infants and toddlers 

is not much different from working with our preschool aged children.

We still follow the children's lead. We spend a lot of time setting up a rich environment 

that gives each child the opportunity to learn and grow through exploration.

However, with infants and toddlers, they do not directly tell you... you have to observe 

and make some assumptions about their actions and play......

Our little guys are simply fascinated by sound. 

They have been doing their best to make music wherever they go.

This little guy loves the texture of our bench. 

He spends quite a bit of time exploring the sounds made by running 

different toys back and forth across the slightly bumpy surface. 

To encourage his continued exploration, I moved a wide range of toys 

within his reach. Each one offering a slightly different sound 

and experience for him.

If you remember, we have an outdoor music area. 

When I initially set it up, I made sure to place some of the

 "instruments" within reach of our youngest learners.

 However recently, it became quite clear 

that our Thunder Drum was too high for our little guys......

They can reach up and over, but it is not comfortable 

for them to do so for very long, but they love to try.... 

and they love the sound.....

So, to facilitate their continued exploration,

 I went out and found a galvanized utility tub. 

It is large enough to encourage side by side play, 

but short enough for our infants to use without concern 

of the drum or the children falling over! 

(Right now, it is inside, but the plan is to move it to the outdoor music area!)

Our boys are having a great time banging, singing, and clapping!