If you don't know the series, you HAVE to check it out! I attended a workshop by Sharon Burch at our state music convention several years ago and loved her ideas. The whole concept is based on a Frog named Freddie. Throughout her series of books, she teaches the lines and spaces of the bass and treble clef, tempos and jazz. The books are based on Freddie and his best friend Eli the Elephant. They have many exciting adventures that you will love sharing with your students. Freddie has become so popular that he has become our unofficial classroom mascot. My kinders even get to take Freddie home. I have a binder and books that go home with one student per night. The binder has flashcards and pictures of Freddie's adventures as he visits the kids at home. He has become such a big hit, I often get emails, videos with the families and Freddie and notes from the parents about how much they enjoyed their time with Freddie. This is a great way to introduce the families to what we are doing in music class and is a great way to get that much needed support from our school families. I love it when the older brothers and sisters come to class asking if we can read Freddie in their music class. I'm starting my 2nd year at my current school, so my older kids didn't get Freddie when they were little. I of course grant their request. :) Many parents think that we just sing and dance at that age. They don't necessarily realize that this is the perfect time to introduce the kids to these basic concepts which are the foundations of music. That being said Freddie is a great tool for the building of your program. Freddie even went to my son's birthday party much to the delight of his kindergarten classmates and their families and here he is with my son and daughter at the last soccer game of the season. He was a great team mascot. He fit right in with our Lime Leopards. :) Here is a link to her website which is full of coloring sheets and SMARTboard activities. Have fun!
http://freddiethefrog.com/
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