I submitted my manuscript just over a week ago. As I wait to hear back about the changes I will need to make to P.E.T.E.R. o'Meter, I began sketching out plans, writing, a song, and dreaming up STEAM and SEL lessons that can go along with this Augmented Reality Book.
I have a long history of turning everything I do into a musical. I fell in love with musicals when I watched the wizard of oz as a young girl. When the movie switched to color and become bright and magical, something flipped on inside me as well. I used to write songs that I would sing to my family. I would sometimes ask them to help me turn them into a production (I don't know what I was really imagining would happened). I could only get my little brother to go along with me because he wanted attention, HA! He would probably deny it now. I do remember trying to gather the neighborhood kids to meet in my basement to throw together a variety show. I sang the song I wrote for my little brother to everyone who would listen and I can still sing it now (but, I won't. The lyrics are pretty silly).
It went into my long term memory. That's the reason I decided to write songs with my students. I knew that the music could make its way into a long term part of their brains. If I could fill the song with meaningful words and messages, then we could create the magical musical experience that they could hold forever in their memories.
Most of our Fugleflicks are musicals. They are short, engaging, educational videos that are meant to make learning fun while still creating meaning in this magical medium. Here is a clip of my students listening to REPEAT, a song about pattern as they add pattern to their Abstract Cats inspired by Laurel Burch.