Wriggling and Rhyming

Becoming a Mom is such a unifying experience.

Obviously excluding those competitive momversations, put two women together (that don’t know each other) and if they have kids they are basically set for conversation for a while.

When I started on this Motherhood journey just over 5 years ago (say what now?!), I was basically terrified.  I read a bajillion books, but nothing could beat meeting up with other Moms and learning from them.  At the time Kyla was born I had no close friends that had babies and I felt completely alone in this all-consuming journey of parenthood.  I was dying to get out there to meet and learn from others, but instead I was stuck at home without a car.

Fast forward a couple of years to having Kyla, Riya and Knox and now I don’t only crave time to learn from other Moms, I also crave a little bit of “alone” time with my kids – a “kid date” if you will.

Despite those really hard first couple of years, I often wished that I was a stay at home Mom so that I could take my kids to Moms and Babes type classes.  For us to meet new moms and kids, for us to have something fun to do together during the day and for my babies to have a little bit of facilitated learning (without them even knowing it).

One of my most dearest friends (Zoë Kooyman) has recently joined a really well established “Moms and Babes” team called Wriggle and Rhyme.  I know that I would have wanted to know about this kind of thing in my early years (and even now if I didn’t have to work), so I thought I would quickly interview Zoë for you get an inside peak into Wriggle and Rhyme.

So I have heard of Wriggle and Rhyme from the time that Kyla was born, but never had the opportunity to join in.  Am I right in thinking that it is a form of structured “Moms and Babes” time?

Yes, you are right! Wriggle and Rhyme is a relaxed, fun music programme developed for moms and their children to enjoy together.  The classes are an hour long – the first 30 minutes is a structured musical class following a different theme each term.  We use props, puppets, instruments and movement to engage and stimulate the children.  The second 30 minutes is social time, with refreshments provided for the grown-ups.

What do you do in the class exactly?

The classes take place in my home so there is a very personal feel to it, especially since the classes are also kept to a small size of between 7 to 8 children. These small class sizes facilitates building of friendships & socialising between children. Every term there is a different theme for each of the age groups. We start every class with “The clock song” and “It’s time to Wriggle & Rhyme” which are firm favourites. We then have a very special friend “Froggie” that pops in each week with two of his very special songs. Depending on the theme for the term, different props are used to engage the children’s imagination as well as various musical instruments incorporated throughout the programme. Each child receives their own set of instruments during the class. It is also completely music based and 100% South African.

Are all the age groups lumped together or is it more specific to the age and ability of the children?

There are two programmes catering for two age groups of children. There are the Wrigglers group (6 months – 18 months) and the Rhymers group (18 months – 3 years).

Is this just a fun time to spend together or is it good for my child too?

It is most definitely fun and even better, it’s excellent for your child because it is learning through play! The Wrigglers group sets the foundation for music appreciation in children and the programmes are designed with this in mind. There are various learning outcomes that are specifically incorporated to meet the needs and abilities of this age group. The Rhymers group then follows on from music appreciation to setting up foundation knowledge of music which will be of great benefit should your child one day take up professional music lessons. Here again, these programmes are designed with specific learning outcomes to facilitate the learning of new skills and concepts. There are so many skills and concepts that are learnt through this music programme, such as: Early numeracy, Hand-Eye co-ordination, Audio-Visual association, Sequencing of events, Following instructions, Sharing and taking turns to name just a few! Learning takes place through every part of the class experience and what’s best is that the children love it!

Where could I join a class, would there be one in my area that I can join?

We currently have classes in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town with branches in the following areas: Claremont, Kenilworth, Constantiaberg and Fish Hoek. You can find more details about each branch on our website.

Do you need to bring anything to the classes?

No, besides your child of course, a light snack and juice for your little one is all that you need to bring along.

How much is it to join up?

The prices for 2014 for a new sign up is R150 once-off fee for our Fun Welcome Pack (which includes a CD and T-shirt) and then R500 per term. The programme runs for 8 consecutive weeks during the school term.

Check out our Facebook page or website for more info.