So we want to know! What has your child said or done in the past few weeks that has made you laugh, cry, or want to sing outloud!
Drawing to be held December 10th.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Kindermusik Christmas
About this time of year I'll admit I start getting a little stressed. It seems I can not go into any store, even the grocery store without a battle ensuing with one of my kids over a toy, a cool game, the newest movie. My kids get a really bad case of the I WANTS from now til Christmas! And then we get home and I trip over the toys, books, games, and stuffed animals left out in every room. If we get one more toy in this house my head may explode! We do not need any more 'stuff.' Just because it's Christmas does not mean we need something new.
So last year I had had enough. So my husband and I were talking and we decided to start giving experiences and memories to our kids for Christmas. We talked to them about it and at first they weren't totally on board. Then we explained that instead of getting one toy that would probably break, or we'd lose a part, or run out of batteries (insert numerous examples of this happening in the past) they would get months of a fun activity. So my oldest son decided on Tia Kwon Do lessons. We wrapped up his uniform and put it under the tree and he loved it!! He has worked hard every week for almost a year now and has advanced to a Sr White belt. My second son chose TBall so he got a new glove and hat under the tree and loved his Tball season. This was a hit!
With Black Friday around the corner I'm sure we'll all be checking the ads and trying to find the best deals for things we think our kids need or want. But wouldn't it be great to give them a gift that's not only fun for a few days or weeks, but will last months and even their whole life! Giving your child the experience of Kindermusik will lay a foundation for years to come of musical education, increased learning potential, and great fun for you as a family.
Let's say you have a large extended family and draw names like we do in my family. When aunt and uncle so and so come asking what your kiddos would like, wouldn't it be great to tell them you'd love to give them the gift of music and fun educational learning instead of another game or movie or toy. I have gift certificates available in any denomination.
My schedule for January is up and it's as easy as registering online. If you enroll before December 10th I'll hand deliver your At Home Materials for the class all wrapped up and ready to be put under the tree.
I would love to help relieve some of the stress of Christmas shopping for you, so make it a Kindermusik Christmas!
So last year I had had enough. So my husband and I were talking and we decided to start giving experiences and memories to our kids for Christmas. We talked to them about it and at first they weren't totally on board. Then we explained that instead of getting one toy that would probably break, or we'd lose a part, or run out of batteries (insert numerous examples of this happening in the past) they would get months of a fun activity. So my oldest son decided on Tia Kwon Do lessons. We wrapped up his uniform and put it under the tree and he loved it!! He has worked hard every week for almost a year now and has advanced to a Sr White belt. My second son chose TBall so he got a new glove and hat under the tree and loved his Tball season. This was a hit!
With Black Friday around the corner I'm sure we'll all be checking the ads and trying to find the best deals for things we think our kids need or want. But wouldn't it be great to give them a gift that's not only fun for a few days or weeks, but will last months and even their whole life! Giving your child the experience of Kindermusik will lay a foundation for years to come of musical education, increased learning potential, and great fun for you as a family.
Let's say you have a large extended family and draw names like we do in my family. When aunt and uncle so and so come asking what your kiddos would like, wouldn't it be great to tell them you'd love to give them the gift of music and fun educational learning instead of another game or movie or toy. I have gift certificates available in any denomination.
My schedule for January is up and it's as easy as registering online. If you enroll before December 10th I'll hand deliver your At Home Materials for the class all wrapped up and ready to be put under the tree.
I would love to help relieve some of the stress of Christmas shopping for you, so make it a Kindermusik Christmas!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Musical Variety is the Spice of Life
You've probably heard the old proverb: "Variety is the spice of life." When it comes to music, musical variety is definitely the spice of life! When you expose young children to music from around the world, you expose them to different cultures, countries, ideas and and experiences, along with these developmental benefits:
Greater Language Proficiency-Just as you read a variety of books to expand your child's vocabulary, exposure to a wide variety of music and sounds expands your child's 'ear vocabulary.'
Spacial Awareness-When a child listens to music, her mind perceives the sound in multi-dimensional ways. The sound is loud or soft, fast or slow, high or low, left to right. Eventually they will use that 'awareness of space' to work their body when they walk around the room or play sports.
Temporal Reasoning-You see this skill in action when a preschooler tells a story. He starts with his own experience and then moves to some imagines place with a princess or a superhero then goes back to something real again. Music does the same thing. It goes back and forth between established places (the chorus) and to new places that take you somewhere else (the verse).
Emotional Intelligence-With exposure to a greater variety of musical styles like jazz, folk, or classical, this increased exposure to music increases a child's awareness, and understanding of different moods and emotions.
Cognitive Skills- Research shows that music contributes to the development of a child's ability to reason, his sense of patterning, and his memory skills.
As always you are invited to attend any of my classes for free to check it out! Just let me know you are coming!
Greater Language Proficiency-Just as you read a variety of books to expand your child's vocabulary, exposure to a wide variety of music and sounds expands your child's 'ear vocabulary.'
Spacial Awareness-When a child listens to music, her mind perceives the sound in multi-dimensional ways. The sound is loud or soft, fast or slow, high or low, left to right. Eventually they will use that 'awareness of space' to work their body when they walk around the room or play sports.
Temporal Reasoning-You see this skill in action when a preschooler tells a story. He starts with his own experience and then moves to some imagines place with a princess or a superhero then goes back to something real again. Music does the same thing. It goes back and forth between established places (the chorus) and to new places that take you somewhere else (the verse).
Emotional Intelligence-With exposure to a greater variety of musical styles like jazz, folk, or classical, this increased exposure to music increases a child's awareness, and understanding of different moods and emotions.
Cognitive Skills- Research shows that music contributes to the development of a child's ability to reason, his sense of patterning, and his memory skills.
As always you are invited to attend any of my classes for free to check it out! Just let me know you are coming!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Children's Work is to Play
All children play. Whether it's a child playing alone with an imaginary friend or groups of children playing favorite games such as 'hide and seek,' all children engage in some type of play every day. But play isn't purely for fun and entertainment-it serves numerous roles in the development of children.
Play involved diverse activity where a broad range of learning can thrive and flourish. Children use play to test ideas, discover relationships, extract information, express their feelings and ideas, define themselves and develop peer relationships.
Children are actively involved in play. A child internalizes his or her discoveries, which belongs to that child for the rest of their life. Therefore, it is essential that play be an important component of the educational process. For young children, curriculum should be child-centered with open-ended learning experiences with a broad range of developmental goals. This type of program puts more emphasis on motivation, learning by discovery, cognitive process, and the well being of the child from a whole child perspective. Kindermusik classes provide these important ingredients of play.
This is very evident in our Hello Weather Let's Play Together class on Tuesday mornings. We love to splash in pretend mud puddles, put on our goulashes and dance in the rain, and tip toes with the rain all around the town! There is never a shortage of giggles and fun, all while we are learning!
Play involved diverse activity where a broad range of learning can thrive and flourish. Children use play to test ideas, discover relationships, extract information, express their feelings and ideas, define themselves and develop peer relationships.
Children are actively involved in play. A child internalizes his or her discoveries, which belongs to that child for the rest of their life. Therefore, it is essential that play be an important component of the educational process. For young children, curriculum should be child-centered with open-ended learning experiences with a broad range of developmental goals. This type of program puts more emphasis on motivation, learning by discovery, cognitive process, and the well being of the child from a whole child perspective. Kindermusik classes provide these important ingredients of play.
This is very evident in our Hello Weather Let's Play Together class on Tuesday mornings. We love to splash in pretend mud puddles, put on our goulashes and dance in the rain, and tip toes with the rain all around the town! There is never a shortage of giggles and fun, all while we are learning!
Music and movement are magical ingredients to learning for both parent and child. A baby's first communication is through movement. A toddler will respond immediately to lively music with what seems to be humorous, uncoordinated movements but to him are quite serious attempts to coordinate movement with rhythmic patterns. The young child seems to be moving constantly-leaping off couches, rolling down hills, and spinning around and around until she falls down in a giggling flop on the floor.
Our brains fully develop through movement activities such as crawling, rolling, turning, walking,s kipping, reaching, swinging and much more. The brain has a plan for development that involves specific and intensive motor activities to make full use of our complicate nervous system. The nervous system of each human being must go through a series of developmental stages before the brain can operate at its full potential. All children 'program' their motor and perceptual equipment, nerves and brain cells by using their whole body and all their senses.
Movement is fundamental for the development of the central nervous system but movement and rhythm are also essential for the development of the soul. When a parent moves with her infant, a special bonding takes place that is extremely important for social and emotional growth. When a parent sings to her child, not only are language skills being developed, but also a sense of love, comfort and harmony. The special touching, laughing and rhythmic moving that takes place in a music and movement class lays a very strong and much needed foundation for a happy, healthy and joyful life!
The Kindermusik curricula are specially designed to provide opportunities are for infants, toddlers, pre-schoolers and young children to learn through interactive music and movement activities. Kindermusik class provides parents and children a variety of stimulating experiences that will be beneficial for everyone.
http://play.kindermusik.com Is a great site offering free music for you to download and enjoy in our home, in the car, or on your MP3. Take a few minutes with your kids and find some music you like, turn it up and get moving together! Enjoy
Our brains fully develop through movement activities such as crawling, rolling, turning, walking,s kipping, reaching, swinging and much more. The brain has a plan for development that involves specific and intensive motor activities to make full use of our complicate nervous system. The nervous system of each human being must go through a series of developmental stages before the brain can operate at its full potential. All children 'program' their motor and perceptual equipment, nerves and brain cells by using their whole body and all their senses.
Movement is fundamental for the development of the central nervous system but movement and rhythm are also essential for the development of the soul. When a parent moves with her infant, a special bonding takes place that is extremely important for social and emotional growth. When a parent sings to her child, not only are language skills being developed, but also a sense of love, comfort and harmony. The special touching, laughing and rhythmic moving that takes place in a music and movement class lays a very strong and much needed foundation for a happy, healthy and joyful life!
The Kindermusik curricula are specially designed to provide opportunities are for infants, toddlers, pre-schoolers and young children to learn through interactive music and movement activities. Kindermusik class provides parents and children a variety of stimulating experiences that will be beneficial for everyone.
http://play.kindermusik.com Is a great site offering free music for you to download and enjoy in our home, in the car, or on your MP3. Take a few minutes with your kids and find some music you like, turn it up and get moving together! Enjoy
Monday, September 13, 2010
Free Demonstration class
I'll be holding a few free classes coming up very soon so mark your calendars. Thursday September 16th at 11am and 2pm as well as Saturday September 25th at 11am and 2pm I'll be holding 30 minute free classes at the Dragons and Fairy Tales bookstore right on the corner of Pony Express and Ranches Parkway. I did a few in July and August and had a great turn out! Whether you've been before or are curious to see what it's all about, please bring your little ones and come join us!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Discovery-your child's path to learning
What would it be like to walk through a puddle for the first time? To not notice it coming up and then just hear the rhythm of your walk change from a tap tap tap to splish splish splash? . . . You look down and notice you are standing in water. You see it, consider it, feel it. What an adventure of the senses!
Parents know how lucky they are to see this happen right before their eyes: their child discovering something new – something that has a sound, or a feeling, or shines, or moves. Discovery can be an incredible gift.
By letting your child walk through that puddle, millions (maybe billions) of sensory connections are made. Thought patterns, optical pathways, auditory stimulation, and your child’s perception of the world are altered and strengthened.
Embrace what a difference you make for your child by taking those walks that last a long long time but cover very little ground. Remember, every stone, pine cone, ant, bird, leaf, and puddle holds a world of discovery. Don’t miss it! Don’t worry about the puddle – the shoes will dry and the pants can be cleaned. The work of the child is to experience something new every day, and that’s one of the best ways you can help your kids learn and grow.
Focused, one on one time with your child is the best gift you could give them. Kindermusik believes that parents are their children's best teachers, and home is the best classroom. Each week in my Kindermusik classes we go over a take home activity that will provide the opportunity for you to spend time with your child, watching them learn and discover the world around you. Today we had so much fun discovering our story telling abilities. We had stories about cats folding the clothes and goldfish taking baths. The giggles were so so cute!!
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