Hi, I'm Kathryn Para, a.k.a. Frolic the Fox! 

I'm a magical, musical fox who lives inside of the human, Kathryn Para.

If you are raising, teaching or guiding young children and you have little or big points of struggle during the day, including meltdowns, power struggles difficulty getting attention, moving together as a group or having and keeping a daily rhythm, I can help! Using my super singable, easy to learn songs and GuideNotes, we can bring rhythm to your day, installing little points of connection, wonder, play and joy in those sticky moments. 

I'm not a music therapist (they are awesome, and some use my work). I'm not a therapist (they are also awesome, and some also use my work. 

I'm a mom-grown musician who began doing what I do because my kitto needed it. I wrote the music my kittos needed. I shared it. I kept doing it. 

• As a parent of an autistic child, I found that little ditties and rhymes really helped my kittos. I would write a ditty, repeat it whenever cued by whenever a similar moment, situation, feeling or behavior arose, and then a few things would often happen:
• The moment became a moment of connection
• The moment became playful or calming because my kiddo would know what to do.
• My kiddo would automatically do the behavior or shift energy or give attention and tune in.
• Under-stimulation or overstimulation would often shift.
• Desired response (feeling, action, following) would become automatic.

These aren’t just any ditties though.

They are all special and engaging in some way:

• Full Body songs: Using simple signs, body movements.
• Dramatic: I might hold the first word and note a bit longer to hold attention.
• Vary in volume
• Incorporate simple sign language (baby sign, with ASL inspiration)
• Very rhythmic and “rhymy”
• Silly or ridiculous.
• are Stories, or invite children to move, pretend and participate.
• Invite children to incorporate the thing they are working on physically, such as jumping, hopping, tying, carrying, etc.
• There are also special songs that become multi-tools. I’ve written them so you can change it to accommodate for different needs through the day.
• They are various lengths. Sometimes there is a larger song that we can introduce but break down to bitty ditties for specific moments. I have a tool for this.
• Some are connected to literature. In fact, I have a growing list of “Growing Tales” that incorporate many GuideNotes and can be used to introduce or reinforce these songs.

I’ve got hundreds of these little ditties, and it’s time to share them.

For over fifteen years, I have shared my work in my community, with parents, teachers, therapists and more. When I perform as Frolic I often have some to share, or another song comes up as we “SongSolve”. Often, people say their children come home and sing the songs, and have asked for a recording. I have written so many songs that it’s hard to get them all out there!

So, this is where I will start. With simple, singable songs that you can sing. I’ll add more and more (I’ve got 25 or so in the network so far).

• Each song will eventually have:
• A link to a soundcloud recording with ukulele, with out
• Ditty Cards- a page with the lyrics on it and visual aids.
• Video of Kathryn and Frolic singing to give body movements
• Links to literature that matches the theme, or with which you can introduce or reinforce the songs.
• “Ditty Clusters” a page of ditty cards that includes multiple songs for the same “realm”.
• Now, here is the Hub you have been waiting for.
• I’ve been listening. I’ve been writing. I’ve been sharing.

We "SongSolve"

I’ve been sharing this work with hundreds of parents and early childhood educators and I’ve also co-created an amazing camp with music as part of the main culture of the camp. I’ve performed for public and private schools. I’ve been listening to them. Over time, I’ve helped them:

The main process we will go through:

• Identify Daily Rhythm
• Break down each activity to identify the transitions that occur
• Find the message, action or feeling we wan the children to have
• Write or identify a song for that specific moment.

We’ll can do the same for parents, caregivers, camps, etc.

• GuideNotes membership includes:
• a Growing library of songs and ditties, listed by alphabet, “realm”, theme.
• Tools for identifying songs
• a Process for bringing songs into your day.
• Tools, including planner pages, for bringing
• An Installation Guide. You will learn how to “Install” GuideNotes and create your daily Rhythm with it.
• Temporary license for individual teachers/ educators/ family child care granting permission to use the music in their classroom during their membership.

For schools, centers, camps, etc.

 I will. work with you to create a deal that can include all your teachers and even deals for parents.

Sharable Resources:

There is also a free space in my network that includes lite versions of the songs. It’s called the 🌱Meadow. This is where you will find a post that you can share with someone who matters to you. They can come in and access the songs for free.

Posts that are inside of a space that is green up top are in the Meadow/ the free area of the network and should be sharable to people.

I want the music to go to where it needs to go, because it can changes the life of a child, the dynamic of a family and the peace of a classroom.

GuideNotes will be a deep dive, with hand-holding.

My music is one component of my work.

Song is one of four ancient tools I’m working on refreshing to bring the spark back into childhood and child-raising:

• Nature
• Story
• Song
• Play

With the hundreds of songs I’ve written, I use them to weave these four pillars of childhood, together to help you create wonder, spark joy and bring beautiful moments of connection.

"With nature, story, song and play, we're weaving wonder every day"

Wait, I can't (or don't) sing! 

I disagree.Whole Heartedly. 

What if I told you that your voice, in all of it's beautiful imperfection:

•  can be the MOST MAGICAL for your kittos?
• is one of the strongest tools for guiding your children with joy?
• is one of the four "great differentiators"- One of the oldest tools to help bridge minds and help all minds work together, despite their diversity

• give your kittos permission to sing aloud themselves! 
• brings you closer to weilding wonder, sprinkling fairy dust, sparking joy, moving together
• can help elicit actions (automatic actions), feelings or a sense of place and calmness.

But, No. Really, I still won't sing! 

No problem! I've got you. I'm taking my hundreds of songs and creating a song den to find all the songs and link to recordings so you can play through your phone or bluetooth speaker. 

I will be providing a growing alphabetical song index, and lists of songs by subject, book, function or theme. 

For flexible songs, you are welcome to request that I sing a version in line with your need. Chances are, someone else needs it, too!

Your voice is the most magical, but listening together can still spark wonder and joy.

is purpose- builtthrough transitions from one activity or space to another, to help learnwith children more wondersome, Kathryn Para writes and shares her Lyrics for Learning and Life. This is the place to find her music, tools and community and features Frolic the Fox, Worldschool Wonders and Ukify Ukulele Method as they develop.

Imagine if you had a toolbox, and each tool was a purpose-built,  simple, singable song that is designed to help your life with "kittos", where you a simple song can help the kittos:

• know where they are (in their day/ week/ routine/ space and what to do next
• know how to prepare, begin, do, end and shift from one activity to the next
• feel as sense of play and connection in the ordinary or repeated events
• transition from one activity to another
• help increase or decrease stimulation levels by providing a common focus
• help reach neurodiverse children such as Kathryn's
• help elicit actions, such as potty time, cleaning up, washing hands, gentle touch
• help get energy out of the body with big body movements
• help settle kittos with mindfulness and breathing exercises
• bring attention to the adult in the room
• provide social-emotional cues, affirmation and reinforcement
• remind us of social behaviors such as kindness, sharing, gentleness, caring for space and things, reciprocal communication, conversation and more

Now, imagine that many of those tools are multitools. They:

• can be modified to be used for different purposes, different situations and even places or times of the day. 
• they can be used to create culture within a home or class, between classes, in a school, group or care center and can even be used to bridge the culture, habits and routine between home and school.

In short, I'm a Mom-Grown Musician: 

As a disabled Army veteran with health concerns and special needs mom of an autistic child, Kathryn needed tools to help guide her kittos (now teens). When she needed a tool, she would build it with a ditty or a song. Over time, people asked her to share and the songs  grew up with her kittos. 

There are now:

•  hundreds of songs, from carseat ditties, to the DNA song
• an ukulele method, ""Ukify", with which I have taught a thousand people accross the US, Canada and Germany.
• Tools for bringing Nature Story, Song and Play to kittos and classrooms, includin
  • Song Domain Tree
  • Song Facility Matrix
  • GuideNotes Program
• Teaching Programs:
  • Frolic Every Day:Nature, Story, Song & Play
  • GuideNotes: Song as a tool for guiding, teaching, differentiation for young children
  • Ukify the Classroom, Ukify the Outdoor Classroom
  • 
    

That's why I say:

"I'm a mom-grown musician with purpose-built, super singable songs." 

For fifteen years, I have shared my music in the community: at studio, playgrounds, bookstores, schools, outdoor classrooms, festivals, and more. It has been increasingly important for my "fams" and community.

Now, I teach parents educators and professionals how to bring wonder to their space with Nature, Story, Song and Play.

I've built tools to understand why and how to plan out daily ditties and build structure and culture through a school. 

used ditties and songs to help children and their families, caregivers and child-guiding professionals make their lives better. 

Song ties us together, teaching, connecting, guiding, and giving us a sense of place. 

I'm a  Kathryn Para (a.k.a. Frolic the Fox) brings joy and wonder to children in her work with with families, educators and child-guiding professionals. 

She writes and shares simple, singable songs that are used by famileis and teachers across far and wide to make life more joyful, helping adults to guide children through their day.

So, Kathryn.  what do you mean by "Realms"?, you say. 

Well, Realms are the little categories of life and existence where Another Wonder Opportunity Lives. 

Yes, for military folks like me, there is a recognizable acronym. 

Currently, there are twelve realms: 

• Arrival & Departure/ Hello & Goodbye,
• Activity/ Play Time,
• Out the Door & On the Go,
• Nature Time,
• Cozy/ Nap/ Bedtime
• Body& Potty
• Breath Work & Mindfulness
• Sharing & Caring,
• Circle Time/ Story Time & Gathering
• Table Time/ Eating
• Out the Door & On-the-Go
• Tidy Up/ Caring for Space.