We love kids so we love the mainly music movement. It is a really important part of what we do at Hillsborough Baptist. Did you know that this program, which now runs out of centers across New Zealand, Australia, the USA, UK and even South Africa, was started by our very own Jo Hood at HBC in 1990.
When:
Every Thursday during school term, from 9:30am at Hillsborough Baptist – 179 Hillsborough Rd. All are welcome. $3 per session or $4 when there is more than one child.
So what is mainly music:
It is fun! mainly music is a fun, interactive music session where a child and their parent or care giver [grandparent, foster parent] can enjoy music, movement, interaction, rhymes, puppets and more. Our sessions are structured but the focus is on the interaction between parent and child. The amazing factor is the learning that takes place - fine motor skills, gross movement, literacy, numeracy - plus more. The majority of mainly music groups are not lead by qualified music teachers. Why? We're focusing on the interaction between adult and child rather than the learning of music as an art.
Each mainly music is associated with and is run by volunteers from a local church. Here at HBC we pack about 45-50 parents and around 70 children into the hall, for our sessions. It is a great way for people to develop friendships, get support, affirmation and encouragement into the complexities and challenges of parenting.
We want our parents to know they are doing the most important job in the world, and sometimes we more than they themselves can notice and affirm the positive parenting they do. We also can offer advice and tools for improvement when there are struggles.
Morning Tea:
A mainly music session is always followed by morning tea (with lots of home-baked goodies) and play ... or if you're an adult - morning tea and connection with other adults. This is the chance you can have to recharge your batteries while your child plays.
How you may be able to help:
There is a need for those whose children are a little older to provide much needed encouragement and support to young mums in our community – you can do this by being willing to be present at weekly mm sessions. This provides a chance for you to get alongside the 50 or more, mums, dads and care-givers from our community who come along and it also gives you a chance to commit to praying for them as needs arise. And/ or you can join our MM baking roster so that we can continue to provide yummy home cooked morning teas for those who come along. There is also scope for interested people who are energetic and believe in the MM program’s impact, to be trained as MM session leaders/presenters.
Contact:
Rebecca Woodward: rebecca.woodward@xtra.co.nz for more information or to help out.