"I see, I do, I understand"
I am passionate about education. Thanks so much for stopping by. I am really glad you are here and hope you find something of value.
The purpose of this blog is to create and share wonderful resources for teachers and parents to use with the children in their lives. This is my personal mission and the mission of Pam Shares as well.
Welcome to Pam's Creative Classroom, a site I have been dreaming of for many years. I have been singing and telling stories as well as teaching and creating play opportunities for children for many years.
The child's right to play is something I am passionate about as well as the importance of imaginative play and outdoor activities.
In order to be a life long learner, you must be open to new ideas. This is where this site comes in. My goal is to make it a resource for teachers and parents to get practical tips for using music, movement and story with children.
I will be posting lyrics, songs, singing games, action songs, finger rhymes and Nursery Rhymes, as well as movement and dance ideas and sharing wisdom about how to successfully create an environment of trust and risk taking through using creative activities and play in your preschool or classroom.
Feel free to email me anytime with stories, suggestions, or tips related to early childhood and primary education.
The best way to contact me by email is magicpuddleproductions@hotmail.com
I have had previous sites for this purpose (pamseslclassroom.com and pamsouthwell.ca) and I will be transferring lots of the songs, chants, rhymes, lyrics and ideas from these past sites onto this one.
I have lots of songs for streaming on Reverbnation and I will put those music players on dedicated pages here on this blog.
I hope you let me know if you have any requests for songs etc and also I welcome ideas and tips that others may use with the children they love and work with.
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A little bit about my story
Well, my name is Pam Carr (previously known in the ECE world as Pam Southwell). I am taking a years leave from teaching a Grade 1/K class at Golden Ears Elementary in Maple Ridge BC, Canada. As an educator I love presenting Pro D workshops for ECE, ESL and Primary teachers. I am just completing my thesis for my MA Arts in Education.
I also perform for children as Pamela Sunshine, a storyteller and musical entertainer. I have several CDs out for children, the latest being "Growing Up Green." Earlier CDs are ones that contain lots of sing along songs, circle games and finger rhymes. I also created a Nursery Rhymes CD with over 60 popular nursery rhymes on it.
As someone who is passionate about helping others create exciting and spontaneous learning environments, I am thrilled to discover the world of blogging.
I was told at 21 that I had a special rapport with young children, especially when it came to sharing music. When you are 21 you don't really believe people when they say such things, and I must admit I took my wonderful musical experiences with my students for granted.
I have since learned to value and be so grateful for the joy music has brought into my life and how sharing that joy with others is just one more blessing.
How I have learned so far…
I started teaching in 1971 at Downham Market Infants School, and I had a wonderful mentor in the other reception teacher (4 going on 5 year olds), Mrs Weston. She was a life long influence on me and I am forever grateful for having met her in my first year of teaching. But, like most people who are eager to learn, I just listened to the wisdom of others and constantly kept an open mind. Lately I have been learning a whole new world in the computer universe, with twitter, facebook etc and all that can be gleaned via google.
So what I am now is also the result of attending conferences and workshops, Pro D opportunities, reading magazines, books, blogs, podcasts, or whatever else I can get my hands on about children, teaching and music for children.
I am a life-long learner, I fully realize that I have merely scratched the surface with learning about what children need and how we can support them in developmentally appropriate ways. I am passionate about early childhood education and music and particularly about how they work together. I really value the opinions of others and love to hear what others have learned. So, if you ever read anything and think, “ I completely disagree” or “I completely support that view,” let me know about it! I welcome a good discussion.
How to use Pam's Creative Classroom
This website is a “blog” which basically means that I add new content on a regular basis to it. So, on the home page, every day you will see a new song or story video or a written post. If you would like to get each new article sent to your email inbox or to your feedreader for free then you can subscribe.
If you are interested in only a particular topic like action songs, storytelling, circle time, or music and movement you can BROWSE by topic on the home page.
You will also find page links at the top of the home page to help you navigate the site. If you are just starting out as a teacher I will be adding some tips for new teachers in the near future.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is your policy on advertising?
Pam's Creative Classroom is time consuming and I want it to grow in usefulness. I use advertisements to help fund the creation of the site. I always have and will continue to only personally recommend or endorse something if I feel that it would be of value to some of the readers. If I find a resource or service that has helped in my professional life I will let you know about it. The purpose of sharing information on different educational resources or services is meant to help teachers with their day to day interaction with children.
I try to monitor the ads that run on the site. Some are from ad networks where I don’t control which ads are shown. I can however remove them from the rotation if I am aware of them. If you happen to see any that conflict with what you think should be on the site, please let me know so I can have the network exclude them.
If you are interested in advertising at Pam's Creative Classroom please send me an email at the email address listed above.
Are you on Facebook/Twitter?
I am on most social networking and music sites! You can fine me on Facebook here.
If you are into Twitter you can follow me here as well.
Can I submit a guest post?
Yes, I love posting stuff written by others. If you are interested in writing for Pam's Creative Classroom just email me at magicpuddleproductions@hotmail.com
How can I help support Pam's Creative Classroom?
If you are interested in supporting Pam's Creative Classroom, you can share my posts on twitter and on facebook. Thanks so much!
Can I reprint some Pam's Creative Classroom articles and use the videos?
Yes, as long as you credit Pam's Creative Classroom and add a link to the site. You are invited to share the videos you find on Pam's Creative Classroom with others and on your own blog. You just click on 'view on youtube' and click on the share button. Pam's YouTube channel is pamelasunshinetv and you can find lots of great video for using with your students/children.
