Eardrops are fun listening stories designed to teach everyday language and help develop good listening skills.
What do the Eardrops stories do?
Eardrops really does “open kids’ ears to the world”. Each story teaches a set of everyday sounds and the language to describe each sound. Each half hour adventure has around 30 featured sounds threaded through a story full of music and laughter. Lots of animals in “Sounds of the Country”, machinery, transport and construction in “Sounds of the City” and everyday home noises in “Sounds of the Home”. Our bilingual stories are crafted to start your child on their Te Reo Māori journey, with around 200 words of Te Reo Māori in each story to learn. Our 100% te reo Māori stories are a joyous celebration of Aotearoa’s beautiful, original language.
Eardrops helps children learn how to listen by using a gentle format that encourages them to keep focussed on the story. This format was developed by a team of educators and is a world first. Listening is a craft. It’s not just about hearing a stream of words and noise - it means hearing those noises and words and being able to understand what is going on. This is a skill we learn - and it takes time and practice (more about how we learn to listen here).
Much of the media created for children is simply too fast for children. Eardrops moves gently through the world. The pace is appropriate for toddlers through to early school aged children, and older children who may be experiencing language delays. Children have language delays for many reasons, including glue ear, hearing impairment, special needs, or learning English or te reo Māori as a second language.
There are 9 Eardrops stories:
3 in English - 'Sounds of the Country', 'Sounds of the City' and 'Sounds of the Home'.
3 in Te Reo Māori - 'Ngā Tangi o Te Tuawhenua', 'Ngā Tangi o Te Tāone' and 'Ngā Tangi o Te Kāinga'.
3 bilingual English/Te Reo Māori stories that introduce 200+ words of Te Reo Māori to English speakers - 'Sounds of the Tuawhenua (country)', 'Sounds of the Tāone (city)' and 'Sounds of the Kāinga (home)'.
Why is it vital to learn how to listen when we are young?
The preschool years are when our brains take in information at a faster pace than any other time in our lives. Children need good listening skills before they get to school. Listening is not only a great way to assimilate information; it's also a pathway to good communication. The more easily children can communicate, the better (less tantrums too!) Like the saying goes... "good listeners make good friends."
Who made Eardrops?
Liz Donnelly is the creator of Eardrops and founder of The Eardrops Company. Liz has combined her expertise in children's media, education, Mum know-how and problem solving skills to come up with this unique and clever resource for parents. Eardrops is a world first. More about Liz here.
Meet Eardrop!
Our main character 'Eardrop' is a young inquisitive rabbit who, early in the morning, heads out into the world to listen to all the sounds. Eardrop finds someone to tag along with on each adventure and together they listen to everything they encounter and find out who or what makes each sound.
Eardrop asks lots of questions, sings tuneless tunes, and marvels in wonder at what is discovered, delighting in every sound. The bunny has a mischievous side and giggles at what a young child finds funny (like mud splashing or when one of the other characters does something silly). This little big-eared rabbit will quickly become one of your child's best friends!
Eardrop exists to make the children listening to the story laugh and feel safe, knowledgeable and welcome on the journey. Eardrop often speaks directly to children listening, asks questions on their behalf - and treats everyone as best friends.
Is Eardrop a boy or a girl? That's up to your child to decide.
