Sweetly Sings Dominic!

Please enjoy Dominic's rendition of "Sweetly Sings the Donkey!"

Nanny Available!

Are you or anyone you know looking for a full or part-time nanny?  Miss Lindsay's sister has recently returned to the area, and is available!  Leave a comment here and I'll send you her number.

The Water is Wide

The water is wide at the Payette River in Idaho, where I stayed this weekend!

It's Song #19 on the Splash CD, and I LOVE it.  When I was whitewater rafting with my friends this weekend, I could not stop singing it!  My poor friends!  It was either that, or "We're Floating Down the River."   I also happen to know that I am not the only person to burst into tears when "The Water is Wide" comes on for rocking time.  It's a very short song on our Kindermusik Splash CD, but I know there are more verses I've never even heard!

I decided to look for it on iTunes so I don't have to hit Repeat many, many times in class.  Have you looked for it on iTunes? There are more than 200 versions!  I'm overwhelmed.

So, dear readers who own this fantastic CD, do you have a favorite version of this song?  Which one?  I'm gong to spend a whole 99 cents on it, so I need your honest opinion.  The more gentle and folksy, the better!

Above is a picture of my kids and me today at the SF Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum.  They only had to listen to the song 14 times on our drive into the city.  "MOM, are you crying AGAIN?"  Yup, that's me!  So much for my eye makeup!

Don't pencil me in-

Is scheduling unscheduled time an oxymoron?  For many years I was one of those moms who over scheduled my children- sports, music lessons, play dates, chess club (seriously); all enriching activities x4 kids.  A few years ago, due to an "unscheduled" life change (otherwise known as divorce), I hit my limit.  I was raising 4 kids alone, and tired.  They were involved in many worthwhile activities, but frequently begged to "please just let me stay home."  I was tired of hurrying them into the car, and forcing them to go to "fun places" to do "fun," "this is good for you darn it!" things.

So I did it. I canceled EVERYTHING.  Other than school and church, we didn't go anywhere.  My children came home from preschool and elementary school, and did nothing but play.  Special bonus- I saved money NOT paying for things! They made up games, put on plays, rode bikes, and even played alone some afternoons.  Sometimes, I actually had time to make them a dinner, other than scrambled eggs or chicken nuggets.  My house had never been so messy, but it was wonderful.

Since then, life has returned to "normal" (single, actually DATING mom "holy cow this is hard but OK!" normal), and we've added the important activities back in (yes, including Kindermusik for the Young Child for Beatrice!), and I've even let one child participate in organized sports where I have to drive her to practice because she begged for over a year.  I've tried to retain lessons I was forced to learn.

With kids, it's true that less is more.  Although I never would have chosen the circumstances under which I learned this lesson, I'm grateful for it.  This summer I scheduled nothing for any of them (except Kindermusik for Bea and piano lessons for the older kids with wonderful Miss Shannon) and it's been relaxing.  A relaxing summer!  A novel idea!  (Yes, my house is still trashed but they get to clean their own messes every night.)

Plus, with unscheduled time, great things can happen.  Yesterday my girls came home from our neighbor's house with this off-the-cuff picture they posed. . .

Crazy hair and outfits, but hilarious!

For more on Overscheduled Kids, I loved this article on the blog Parenting 24/7.

Ahoy There Mates!

Three times around went our gallant ship,
and three times around went She,
Three times around went our gallant ship,
and she sank to the bottom of the sea!

This is our last week of the first summer session, so if you want to continue the pirate and splashing fun, as well as so many more Busy Days, it's time to sign up again!  See the side bar for sign up information.

We were sad to say goodbye to Miss Betsy today, but wish her happy travels as she moves all the way across the country in her cute little orange car!  All the Orinda students will miss you.

There are so many ways to learn UP and DOWN with Kindermusik, and is there anything better than acting like a pirate as you go up and down?  In the Orinda class we had a hilarious group of pirates today as our pirate ship went around, and then, of course, SANK.  Fortunately.... bloop, bloop, bloop, up it came as it went around again.  And again.

Today this circle dance included the parachute as our ship-  we had students going under the ship, on top of the ship, and all around it of course!  We sang that song so many times the parents were DONE (OK, and maybe I was too), but in Kindermusik we follow the child- and not one child was done with that ship!  So around, and around, and around we went.  As you know children learn by repetition, and love it too!  In Kindermusik we try to repeat each song quite a few times- though the parents are ready to move on, we try to achieve the balance.  Feel free to tell your teacher if you want to repeat that activity one more time.

Additionally, there's always the option of putting that Splash! CD on in  your child's room during nap/quiet/bedtime if you're a little tired of listening to it but your child is not.  It's a win/win- parents get a break, while your child gets to listen to THAT song as long as she wants.

Our first summer session only included 5 weeks of the curriculum.  If you sign up again there will be some repetition, but many more songs and activities to stimulate and captivate you and your child. See you next week as Session 2 begins!

Splashing Around- Scaffolding

Did you know scaffolding is not just that stuff they build around a construction site?  It's also the way children learn! 

From Kate Pavey, on the Kindermusik website:

"Scaffolding is something we often engage in during an Our Time class. The children are encouraged to explore an object or an instrument in their own way in whatever way they feel best. The parent or caregiver watches the child – and for the most part, imitates the child – while carefully introducing new elements and levels (like scaffolds) which the child can choose to explore.  

Entering the world of a child in this way can become totally absorbing and strangely relaxing. As we engage in this play with our children, we too begin to play and explore – perhaps suggesting new ways to play together, but never dictating that there is a right or wrong way to do something."

In Miss Lindsay's Wednesday Splash class, there was scaffolding all over the place with our drums. First the children hear the drum and the beat, they feel it, they see it, they explore the drums and imitate pounding it (and if they are babies they imitate by eating that yummy drum stick).  Older toddlers children will pound the drum, and finally they keep the beat they hear!

Eventually they'll create their OWN rhythm.  Miss Lindsay did a creative job of showing the beat by holding the drum for the baby to hit, and then gently removing it during the rests.  Did you know children who take Kindermusik classes  are able to imitate a beat correctly much younger than non-Kindermusik kids?

Miss Shannon's Splash class on Thursday are some lucky kids- many moms know ALL the songs and sing them out (I know you can't be sick of that CD on repeat in your car, right?).  We even have two year olds listening and then singing the right words on key in this class thanks to the example of their parents and Miss Shannon.  Impressive! I took so much fun video in this class there's not room to upload it all.

Can you feel the rhythm of the land?

My daughter Beatrice with favored niece Sylvie Paige in Young Child class

Ti Ti Ta!

Does that phrase make sense to you? It certainly does to the 5 through 7 year olds in our Kindermusik Rhythm of the Lands class.  These kids know their eighth notes (we call them ti ti) and quarter notes (ta) and can sing the phrase, tap it, and even play it on the glockenspiel.  Talented genius children!  (Yes, I'm a little biased because my daughter Beatrice is in the class, and can Ti Ti Ta with the best of them).  While we did some native American drumming, the students also learned to sing a song with overlapping parts- they did some "grinding corn" while Miss Lindsay sang the descant.

We have many Kindermusik "graduates" that have gone on to become great musicians- look for upcoming blogs featuring these kids!

Oh What Busy Days!

Great book!

10,000 hours.  According to Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers, it takes 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery at almost anything.  Bill Gates grew up right next to University of Washington computer lab, and by sneaking out of his house nightly to practice for years, he certainly achieved mastery.  The Beatles got their 10,000 hours of practice in Hamburg, entertaining at least 8 hours a day in a hole-in-the-wall club.

Our Kindermusik Babies are well on their way to mastery!  In class they are exposed to the music, and they get to bring the learning home with the CD, toys, and books included in the home materials.  These babies in Busy Days Village classes will surely hit that magic 10,000 hours number when they and their parents while having fun with all the stories and songs.

Riding in a buggy, baby mine, baby mine!  Riding in a buggy looking oh so fine!  Obviously Miss Lindsay shows us even a simple laundry basket makes a GREAT buggy.

Not only did these babies love the traditional rocking time (that is STILL my favorite time in class with my "baby," and she's six years old), but they got to swing in our homemade Kindermusik swing- the parachute.  All the babies tried it, and most bravely made it all the way through the swinging, swinging song.  Note to Miss Lindsay and all teachers- start the swinging with the babies in the happiest mood!

Splash! All Day Today

Splash! is this summer's Our Time curriculum.  We celebrate all kinds of summertime water in class- splashing in the pool, waves, and bathtub.  But puddles?!  In the summer?  That's what we had today, so we all got to splash in the puddles once we got outside the ATA-Karate for kids studio to the sidewalk.

Wishy Washy Wee! is a favorite activity this semester in Splash! and we get to play it again in the fall when we do Wiggles and Giggles.  Children love repetition!  These children are all ready to jump in the tub with these sticks, and when Miss Lindsay brought the sticks out, it was just a matter of time before we got a class full of braying donkeys.  Hee haw, hee haw, hee haw, hee haw hee haw!

It may have been raining but we waited for the sun- Mr. Golden Sun to be exact.  Along with the singing, Anthony had the great idea to practice his fine motor skills and that pointer finger (key for learning how to color, cut and write), to let Mr. Sun wiggle around from in the book.  All the others thought it was a great idea, and we had a lot of toddlers coaxing Mr. Sun out from behind that tree... in our book at least!

Here are my kids and cousins today, ready to Splash in the creek and gather critters.  They must be reminded, often of course, NO BUGS, LIZARDS, or other live things in the house PLEASE.  I don't care how much that water snake enjoys the bathroom sink....

Thank Goodness for Quiet Time

If you are a Village parent, is Quiet Time, perhaps secretly, your favorite time in class?  

We KNOW babies and small children are not born with the ability to relax (ever tried to bring the baby into your bed when she's awoken too early hoping to grab just a few more minutes of shut eye for yourself, but instead you get to endure that sweet one happily talking and "patting" you in the FACE?).  


In Kindermusik Village Quiet Time we model the relaxing behavior (and lie on our sides so we aren't treated as human trampolines).  Isn't it wonderful for you to be given permission as a parent to just relax?  Isn't it even better that while you are trying to relax while keeping an eye on that baby, you are actually teaching her a valuable skill?

From Kindermusik.com "Children learn many skills from adults, such as tying their shoes or reading a book.  They must also learn how to relax, self-calm, channel feelings, and focus.  With continued practice, persistence, and a little creativity, children learn not only how to relax, but also how to use this skill effectively every day, even in chaotic environments (Cox and Orlick 1996).  Relaxing together with a little soothing, gentle music in the background will go a long way towards helping your child find his own calm amid the busy chaos that can be our lives."


So, are you practicing and modeling quiet time at home?  After all, you have permission!

The "Signs" of Language Learning

By Theresa Case, from Kindermusik.com blog.
I was doing some research today on baby sign language and ran across an interesting article.  Even though sign language is a great way to encourage early communication in young children, some parents, like the one in the article, are concerned that this form of early communication might delay their child’s verbal development.

The opposite is typically true. The combined experience of movement and spoken language encourages your baby’s understanding of the word, as well as increases retention of the new word. This is because he is engaged actively in the learning experience, and the movement has stimulated the brain to receive the incoming information. “Talking and signing together flood the baby with language,” says Acredolo whose research, published in the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, indicates signing may even give children a slight future verbal edge. “At 36 months, the [signing] babies in our study were speaking, on average, the equivalent of non-signing 47 month olds,” she says. *

Parents can begin to work on baby sign language as early as 3-6 months, and children will typically begin to sign back around 6-12 months old. However, it’s not too late if your child is past that age. Sign language can be a fun way to communicate for children of all ages. I recommend taking a sign language class, such as Sign and Sing, with your child to learn how to present the signs in an interactive, age appropriate, and fun way. A sign language class will also help you to understand your child’s hand development. If a sign is too difficult for them to form, your child will likely make adjustments to the sign. Once you learn what to look for, you may be surprised to find your child has several signs they are already using.

*MSNBC.com article written by Victoria Clayton
~ Written by Kindermusik educator Aimee Carter, owner of Kindermusik at Delightful Sounds, as originally posted on her “More Than a Children’s Music Class” blog.

What Makes Kindermusik Different from the other music programs?

From the Kindermusik.com website:

 Our educators are the best in the business—carefully chosen and expertly trained to give every child the experience that will benefit her the most. (Sidenote: That's right, I'm a certified graduate of "Kindermusik University."  Not only is a licensing program required for each educator, the "Miss Lindsay and Friends" program requires a rigorous in-class room training and mentoring program.)

We believe your child's most important teacher is you. So we give you great tools to continue the Kindermusik experience at home. (Another sidenote: Home materials are the best!  Crying baby in your backseat?  Pop the CD in and you and baby will be rocking to the exact same music she learned in Kindermusik that week!)

Our favorite gathering drum

Our program is based on research demonstrating the benefits of music at each stage of a child's development. We start from where your child is, regardless of his age, and provide activities that stimulate his mind, body, and sense of play. (Final sidenote: I love Kindermusk's concept of educating the "whole child" at the same time.  Yes my baby and I are having fun learning music, but also enhancing crucial brain development with each activity.)

Why I Chose Kindermusik

My four kids and I last week picking cherries-

Why I Chose Kindermusik
I was blessed with 4 kids in under 5 years, and it was fantastic!  Well, at least the parts I choose to remember are fantastic.  Now that they are older, it actually is wonderful almost always.  When my oldest, Solomon, was 5 1/2 and my twin girls turned 3 1/2 and entered preschool I actually had time alone with the baby!  With three older, demanding kids, this perfect little girl deserved my one on one attention-  Unfortunately I knew if it was just the baby and I at home, I did not have the discipline to sit around and shake a rattle with Baby Beatrice.  If we were home alone, I'd do dishes, laundry, email, phone calls, and generally run around tidying up when I had so much "alone time."  I decided I needed to do a somewhat structured, one hour class with my last baby.  I could commit to that!

Fishy Beatrice on her first Halloween

Enter Miss Lindsay and Kindermusik
My sister had taken her young son, Griffin, to Kindermusik with Miss Lindsay the semester before, and highly recommended it.  It was offered locally for a great price, so we were in!


From the beginning, I LOVED Kindermusik class each week.  What was better than interacting with my daughter one-on-one in a open, yet structured musical environment?  I could sit and stare at that child forever.  Watching her have the time of her life while enriching her little brain, all the while learning why these activities were good for her development? Perfect.


Plus, I was a little enthusiastic.  I'm missing the "self-conciousness" gene that serves most so well- I sang each song loudly, was the most bouncy bunny, tail wagging doggy, or whatever else we were acting out, and made sure to apologize to the other parents as they had to watch me jiggle across the room...


Coming soon:  Why I teach kindermusik

Congratulations to Miss Aubrey!

 Miss Aubrey and sheep/shepherdess Beatrice

Miss Aubrey, who teaches Kindermusik in Orinda and Danville, is loved by all who know her.  As you know she has the voice of an angel (Ariel!), and is educated in all things musical, attaining her Bachelor of Fine Arts in vocal performance from Carnegie Mellon University.  Her Kindermusik students love her gentle and loving manner, and ability to convey musical principles in a fun way to each adult and child in her class.  Aubrey loves kids and ALL bread items, gets along with everyone, and is a joy to be around. 

Which is why I forced her to marry my brother.

Ok, it didn't work exactly like that.  Both Aubrey and my brother Phil grew up in the same town but went to different high schools.  They knew each other through church, but she thought Phil was too silly/crazy (he is, he's hilarious, smart, cute, and the best uncle ever).  Phil didn't like that Aubrey always had a boyfriend, so he didn't have a chance.

While Phil was on his LDS Mission in Mexico, I was lucky to have Aubrey work as my nanny the summer my last child, Beatrice was born.  I spent the whole summer trying to convince her to marry my brother because even though I already have five sisters (and two brothers), I wanted her!  And I wanted to be related to her family.  Plus, I could tell she was good enough for my brother.  Or he was good enough for her?  Both.

When Phil got back from his mission, I started in on him on marrying Aubrey.  Both Aubrey and Phil continued to shrug off my matchmaking.  But guess what?  Two years later they were married.

 

Me, posing as Yenta at their wedding.  Matchmaker, matchmaker make me a match!

 

My three girls as some of Aubrey's flower girls.

And now, two years later, they are pregnant!  They told the families last week and it was total pandemonium from all the screaming joy. Read all about how they told our families on Miss Aubrey's blog here:

http://thisskywherewelive.blogspot.com/

I'm going to be an auntie again!  I cannot WAIT to have that baby in my Village class. I offer unlimited free babysitting also to their child, but so do the other approximately 30 family members of hers that live in this town.  Do you think coming directly from the hospital from birth to my Kindermusik class would be too much?  We like to start educating the whole child early for maximum Kindermusik benefits!

Birthday Party Invite Idea (or Eco-Lazy)

This was made on Snapfish

Isn't this a great idea for a birthday party invitation?  My friend Cathy's daughter, Hayden is turning 6 and this is how she invited my six year old to her party!  What a great thing to do with all those pictures we take of our kids (including the "formal" portraits we have to remember not to forget to take every year!) that we only send to grandparents who keep meaning to print them out too....

With this invite everyone gets to share in the picture!  Another great thing to do would be use the picture of your child to send an evite, if you are particularly eco-conscious (or eco-lazy like me- who remembers to buy stamps anymore?).

Fun side note:  I handed the invite to Beatrice and she just glanced at it and put it down.  "Bea, don't you want to go to Hayden's party?"  She looked closer:  "Oh, that's Hayden!  I thought it was just another American Girl ad!"

Yes, all of Cathy's children are this gorgeous.  She has five of them, two boys and three girls!

DID YOU KNOW KINDERMUSIK OFFERS BIRTHDAY PARTIES??? CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION OR LEAVE A COMMENT.