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!