I hope youβre having a * FANTASTIC * time with all the new materials!
Today I have a special request …
Along with some very talented people I’m currently working on new graphic/animation remixes for some of the songs.
And it would really help if you could let me know if you think we’re going in the right direction.
So what do you (and your kids of course!) think of these two new versions of the Genki Disco Warm Up song – the bear mix and the monkey mix?
(VIP Members: Right click on the pictures above, select “save as” to save to your desktop, then drag them into your browser!)
Good, bad, love it, hate it, bits you do like, bits you don’t, menus etc. etc. Β I’d love to hear everything in the comments!
It’s a big project to continue so it would really help if you could give us your thoughts!
P.S. The winner of last month’s comment competition was Julia! If you’d like a chance to win a Genki English CD of your choice, just keep commenting on the blog, the more you comment the more chance you have of winning!
P.P.S. Any themes you’d particular like to see image remixed first?
Today during the part when the students have to put their hands up, they stood up at the same time. The first version wasn’t like that and remained sat down in the song. Look incredibly cute and the arm are clear to make out using baby monkey!
Hi,
On the Bear warm-up, I noticed there is a mistake when the song reaches “and cheer” the words on the screen say “clap”.
I love Genki, but to be honest I don’t think it’s worth changing the graphics to make them more babyish. I would personally prefer to have them a bit more “cool”, if that’s the right word, for example by using a superhero which would appeal to the older students. I use Genki with my groups ranging from 8-12 year olds and I find I am limited with the older children because of the graphics. The music and themes are brilliant, but the graphics are too young and are getting even younger with the new project.
Thanks again and I love your energy and ideas. Keep it going!
All the best, Helen
The bears are so cute!
The only thing with the bears it’s not really clear when they do “hands up”, since arms are really short! Also toes aren’t really that obvious.
Also the Baby Monkey version, does he need to stand up when he does “hands up”? It is already a bit confusing for my smaller kids, to hear the difference between hands-stand.
Apart from that, very nice to have some new versions of a great song!
Hello Richard,
I do agree with Helen that the bear version is a bit childish and the movements are not quite clear. I would prefer as well a less childish version and a super hero or another kind of character would be a good idea. The Baby Monkey version is ok for me and I’m sure my 4 to 7 year old pupils will love it, but my 9 and 10 year old pupils will certainly say that it’s too childish.
Thanks for all your energy.
I like the new disco-y effects and the smoothness of the animation is cool on the new version, but I can’t say I care much for the cutesy bears.
I’ll try and fit these two versions into a couple of classes later today and see how they go.
While I’m here, I have a question. How do you wiggle your cheeks?
The bears are cute, but everyone does cute bears. I think Baby monkey has more character (as a character!) I believe part of GE’s appeal to kids is that it’s NOT saccharin cute. My kids love it that Baby Monkey has a pet shark. I really like the Baby Monkey animations, except maybe for the bow… I’m trying to think if people actually ever bow like that in real life. The Japanese bow is hands by your sides, and when I try to think how performers bow, I can only remember group bows where they all hold hands.
Richard,
I bet you have your reasons to start a project like this, and I don’T want to doubt them.
I also don’T believe that you would consider to “CHANGE” the illustrations with the ones you have now.
I almost guess that you are trying to make something more attracting for really little kids?!
In this case I would agree that MAYBE the bears or BM are more easy to get into. BUT, then, I think you also need to change the voice into a cuter one. The one right now (song as well as words)doesn’t fit with the illustrations, I think.
But this is just talking about kids up to maybe 5 years age.
AFter that I think that the GE illustrations are much more impressive. I don’t necessarily think the kids like them more. Especially girls would go for cute ones I guess. But wether they learn the language as easily as now with the cute ones I would doubt.
By the way, I asked Japanese HRTs and they agree,too.
And I had many different BoEs come to watch my lessons this year: They all were impressed by the illustrations of the software:
the colors and the “exaggeration”.
They did point out some parts of the recording (speaking) that they found a bit hard to get for the kids, but with no question GE as it is is something you don’t find just anywhere, and it is what attracts.
I forgot :
Baby Monkey is of course really cool, and even beets Aigo!
HI! Quickly looked at the warm ups, and I have to say both are extremely cute and I could definitely use them for my preschool kids, but I do agree that the bear one is harder to differentiate for some gestures, because they’re not as ‘over exaggerated’ like for the baby monkey.
Oh, and I noticed a glitch in the bear warm up game for the ‘hands down’. It keeps doing this word over lapping thing. Not sure how to explain it…sorry!! I’ve reloaded the page, but it keeps doing that. You might wanna check that out! ;P
Anyway, I really like both, but for my littlest ones (3~5) I’ll have to go with the baby monkey. I think older kids will like the bear, because it’s extremely cute (for Japanese standards) and I’ve noticed some of my older students (in the past) really enjoy the more ‘anime styled’ flashcards over the goofier ‘foreign styled’ flashcards. (Just from my experience) Little kids always get a kick out of the sillier ones π
Dear Richard,
I think that both are really cute, this song is used in many classes (warm up) so we show the same vocabulary of a different way, children like this.
They really like the song 1 , but whwn we show them the song 2, they get really excited for singing a song that they really love it of a different way.Imagine the same song with different singers…
My logo is a teddy bear… but they love Baby Monkey as well…
Dear Richard,
Wahta do you think of “school objects” for a new volume…
Thanks everyone for the honest replies -please keep them coming, they are really helping!
@Jesabel: Check out this page: http://genkienglish.net/teaching/help-please-new-stationery-pens-books-etc-song I’m in the studio for the next couple of weeks so if I can figure it out it will be there! Just heading back to the studio now …..
Although the bears are cute, I think they lack “Genki” stuff. Kids aged 6 or more will consider them as “baby” characters and I don’t think boys will really go for them.
Just finished today’s classes. I used both versions of the song and asked which they liked best. They said they liked both, but if they had to choose…..
Boys, aged 9, went for the bears.
Girls, aged 7, went for the bears.
They all thought the bears were cuter.
So, there you go. Does that help?
Baby Monkey is the best. Version one is too tame. I always use the second. I mime the actions without the music,the children copy my actions and also say what we are doing. This way they do speak. They like the word wiggle very much. After this practice run I play the song,they really like the music, and we repeat the whole thing again, but on this occasion mostly they’re not speaking as much. The animations are quite fasinating on the wiggles. I’m going to show it to them this coming week. Thanks for all your hard work.
Hi Richard! Hi everybody!
I think both teachers and kids might get tired of the same textbooks, songs, pictures, etc. one day. Everything’s changing in the world, and we have to change things we do, haven’t we?
But refusing old things we shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Baby Monky’s Warm Up is very impressive and has its original “Genki” charm. Though the bears are very cute they look like many other bears in many other kid’s books or cartoons.
However, if the Bear version is to be finished, I think, the bears should be more lively, as for example, in the case when one of the Genki bears blushed with shame for his mistake (Mini Lesson), (by the way, how about giving the mistaken bear a chance to correct his mistake like Baby Monkey did it?) And when the bears have to cheer they could open their mouths.
And there are some doubts about the pictures
1)of toes and hands. They seem to be rather confusing.
2)of some animals and food. The aim is unclear.
Thank you for reading my comment!
And one more thing: THANK YOU VERY MUCH for the prize!!! π Can I have ‘NEW Genki Relax’, please?
Hi in the pictures the movements can’t be easily and clearly indentified. Different animal with longer armes and so on would be better.
Keep on doing this good job!
kind regards Uli
Those are so adorable! By the way the menu does not quite work when you are in certain sections. Like when I clicked song, it did not go to it at all when I was in the beginning section. How do we get these? I would love to use them on my new Kindy students.
Hi Richard,
How are you doing? Just a thought… is it possible to have videos of songs with “real” 5th and 6th grader kids singing in them? My students do love watching, listening to and mimicking children speaking English from all over the world π BTW, the bears are so cute. Good for my 3rd and 4th graders. I’m sure they’ll love the more colorful bears π Thanks for all your hard work and for the inspiration, Richard.
@Mae: Putting real videos in the software is tricky, but I’d LOVE to put videos on the site of kids singing the songs! e.g. Frank has just sent in this great one for the shapes song: http://genkienglish.net/shapes.htm If anyone has any more for other songs please do send them in or upload them and share the link!
@Charise: Once I get the final versions done I’ll put an upgrade up in the forum like I did with the other songs.
@Everyone else: Thanks for the feedback!
Richard,
As you know, I teach kindergarten and nursery so my children are very happy with the new versions!
Just updated the Monkey version to have the “hands up” when he’s sat down!
Dear Richard,
I think the new version is ok, but not so good as the old one: having a monkey as main character of the GE method is a winning choice I’ve seen bears in so many English texts…while monkey is an unsual choice that children love. The menu does’nt work perfectly well so there are some sections I couldn’t see.
I appreciate your efforts and your willing to do something different though. The idea to show the part the body to move is a very good one.
Thank you for your wor, anyway!
Laura
Tested it on my Kindy – 2nd grade and the LOVE the bears. Especially my Kindy class. The bear stand up when you have it on hands up but I remember it sitting down when I tried it out before I downloaded it.
Hi, this is my first comment.hope it helps. I love the bears . They are very cute and the dancing is cool. One thing though is that here in Spain we always have some confusion over fingers and toes as in Spanish the word is the same for both. So the distinction between fingers/hands and toes/feet has to be crystal clear. I think in the bear version it isn’t clear enough. Similarly the shake your legs bit could be clearer. Other than that I love the update and would definitely use it especially with younger classes. Thanks for everything. Genki is my lifesaver especially on the one day a week when I teach at a school for orphaned and underprivileged children. The class is a huge challenge but they love Genki and subsequently their English classes.
Welcome Carol! Yep, I’m getting them to change the fingers/toes!!
Final bear version – fully integrated into the menus – is ready !
http://genkienglish.net/clipart/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1385
Would love to have your input!
Thank you,
Richard