Kindermusik, Music, Sign Language, Birthday Parties and more for kids in 29 palms

Give-Away Winner!

2008-11-19T09:36:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Alana Jamie for winning the Resonator Bars from the Survey give away!
Thank you to everyone that took the survey. I hope to figure out a Spring session soon and get it posted.

Survey says!

2008-11-12T11:53:00.000-08:00

For anyone interested in Kinderusik Classes this Spring, I have a survey to help find the best days and times for all of my classes! When you fill out the 8 Q survey just drop me an email and I will ENTER YOU IN A CHANCE TO WIN A SET OF RESONATOR BARS! A great gift for the upcoming holiday! Click Here to take survey
And then email me at: Musicin29@gmail.com So I can add you to the give away list!

Thanks for your help! Prize giveaway will be on November 16th 2008!

Snow Topped Holiday Brownie Bars!

2008-11-12T11:46:00.000-08:00

Snow-Topped Holiday SWIRLED Brownie Bars

Estimated Times

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 18 mins

Servings: 24 brownies (2 dozen)

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Baking Cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine

1 2/3 cups granulated sugar

2 tablespoons water

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® SWIRLED™ Holiday Morsels, divided

2 cups thawed, frozen whipped topping

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking pan. COMBINE flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Microwave butter in large, microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) power for 1 minute; stir until melted. Stir in sugar and water. Stir in eggs and vanilla extract. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Stir in 1 cup morsels. Spread into prepared baking pan. BAKE for 18 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Spread with whipped topping. Sprinkle with remaining morsels. Refrigerate until serving time. Cut into bars. ENJOY!

Daylight Savings Reminder!

2008-10-29T11:47:00.001-07:00

Daylight Savings Time ENDS November 2nd 2008! Turn your clocks back 1 hour!

Starbucks Pumpkin Scones

2008-10-21T10:01:00.001-07:00

Yummy Goodness!

To make the scones:

4 c. flour
3/4 c. + 2 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. ginger
3/4 c. cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 c. pumpkin
6 Tbs. half and half
2 eggs
1 Tbs. cream
sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Using a fork or pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, half and half, and egg. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir until just blended.

Lightly flour your work surface and pat the dough out into a 1-inch thick rectangle. Using a knife, slice the dough in half lengthwise. Then slice the dough twice through the width, making 6 equal portions. Cut those 6 pieces diagonally so that you end up with 12 triangular pieces of dough. You can also cut them out using a biscuit cutter. Place them on the prepared baking sheet.

Lightly brush the tops of the scones with the cream and then sprinkle them with sugar.

Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the scones begin to turn light brown. Place them on a wire rack to cool.

To make the Icing:

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 pinch ginger
1 pinch cloves
2 Tbs. milk

In a bowl, mix the powdered sugar and spices. Add the milk and stir until a the icing is smooth. Once the scones have cooled, drizzle the tops with icing.

Pancake Day!

2008-10-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

In the Our Time class "Milk and Cookies" we are talking about pancakes right now. You may ask yourself "what can pancakes teach my child?" Not only is it always a great idea to use familiar and enjoyable activities to teach your child anything, the song we song teaches so much more... here are just a few:

*The start of the song says "Great A Little a" and as a former Private Kindergarten teacher this sticks right out to me! I was always telling the kids about the "mommy A and baby a etc" to help them learn capitalization from day one. Raising our arms up on Great A and crouching down on little a reinforces that idea in a way easy for your 2-3 year old kids to understand. PLUS any time you can add a body movement to an academic thought, you cement the thought into your child's brain on two platforms!

*"Flip them HIGH flip them low" labeling our movements is not only a great way to foster language development but also a pre-reading skill!

*"PANcake Day!" the end of the song leads your voice on a little slide down that we call a glissando! Your kids at 2 and 3 may not know or care what a glissando is, but hearing it and mimicking it is not only a great vocal exercise, it will make it that much easier for them to learn musical vocabulary once they are a little older!

Now that you know how educational that ONE poem in class is... Have a little fun with it!

Here is a fun song to go along with our Pancake rhyme!

Sign Language!

2008-10-12T20:29:00.000-07:00

This little girl named Anya is so cute! She does a great job showing you just a few signs we learn in Sign and Sing! Sign language is not only a great way to help your child express themselves faster and with more ease, but it is also a GREAT way to "grow" the part of the brain that holds on to language development. So not only will learning their native language be easier, it builds a pathway for future language development down the road! Just another way Kindermusik makes great parenting easier!

Homemade Costume Ideas!

2008-10-12T12:07:00.000-07:00

If you're feeling crafty, here are some adorable and very simple homemade costume ideas. The one to the left here uses white gloves for antlers. How cute is that!

Parents.com Halloween Costume Ideas

Family Fun Costume Ideas

The Rhino Song! GREAT!

2008-10-12T12:06:00.000-07:00

Micasa At My House

2008-10-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

"Miss Jackie" Silberg, an award-winning songwriter and performer, on Music for Learning - your place for sing-along songs that tie-in thematically with monthly activities.

Activities for Mi Casa, My House
Talk with your children about what they do at their house. Do they sing, work, play, etc.? Use their experiences and sing about them in the song. For example, a child might say that they eat at their house. Then you can sing “at my house, everyone is eating”.

This song is wonderful for role playing. Children can take the parts of the various family members and act out the appropriate actions.This song emphasizes the family. Take out a photo album and look at pictures of the members of your family. Talk about them with your children and practice using Spanish words for the various family members.

You can see what's new from Jackie and the Miss Jackie Music Company, www.jackiesilberg.com.

Note: The word “caramba” means “good heavens”, “great scott”, “wow”, etc.

Lyrics MI CASA, MY HOUSE
At my house there are many people.
There are many people at my house.
At my house everyone is singing.
Everyone is singing at my house.
There’s la madre, that’s my mother.
There’s el padre, that’s my father.
They are singingOh! CARAMBA! You can always have a lot of fun at my house.
At my house everyone is playing.
Everyone is playing at my house El hermano, that’s my brother.
La hermana, that’s my sister...etc
At my house, everyone is working
Everyone is working at my house El abuelo, that’s my grandpa
La abuela, that’s my grandma...etc
At my house everyone is sleeping Everyone is sleeping at my house
La tia, that’s my auntie
El tio, that’s my uncle...etc

2008 Directors Choice Winners

2008-09-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

Each year Earlychildhood NEWS recognizes excellence in the design and manufacture of products for young children through the Directors' Choice Awards program.

Here are the winners in the Audio section:

Smart Start: Birth and Beyond • Abridge Club EntertainmentStarting babies and young tots off with soothing songs and age appropriate activities helps them learn to move their limbs, get in tune with their senses, learn how their body works and bond with a parent, sibling or caregiver. Smart Start: Birth and Beyond helps build the adult-infant connection as babies respond to a soothing voice, soft caresses, gentle rocking, a shaking rattle, tickling belly blows, soft claps, songs about their care, and simple adult-assisted activities. The songs soothe and reassure, awaken early humor, boost early language skills, encourage gentle care, and give young ones a smart start. http://www.abridgeclub.com/

Brain Boogie Boosters • The Learning Station® and Dr. Becky BaileyDr. Becky Bailey and The Learning Station® unite to create interactive, fun, brain-boosting movement songs and activities that foster optimal brain integration. Take a musical break, cross your midline, touch your heart, inspire your soul, integrate your brain and boost learning with this new CD. Healthy music for a child's heart, body and mind! Also included with the CD is an inserted booklet containing lyrics, movements and additional brain-boosting activities.http://www.learningstationmusic.com/

CRAFT TIME!

2008-09-05T09:04:00.000-07:00

Shoe Print Putty
Encourage your children to step all over this project!
Let’s Begin
1. Put a fist full of Colorations® Air-Dry Putty on the ground. Step firmly onto the putty, printing your shoe pattern onto the putty.

2. Punch a hole in cardboard and cover board with glue. Press Shoe Print Putty onto the glue to adhere it to the board. Add additional coils and other shapes made from the putty for visual interest.

3. Let dry overnight. Paint vividly with Colorations® Liquid Watercolor. Begin with spray and finish with markers or Bingo bottles. Hang to display.

Early Movement and Learning

2008-09-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

Early Movement and Learning
By Rae Pica (Earlychildhood NEWS!)

"We have spent years and resources struggling to teach people to learn, and yet the standardized achievement test scores go down and illiteracy rises. Could it be that one of the key elements we’ve been missing is simply movement?” (Hannaford, 1995, p. 16) Thanks to new insights in brain research, we now know that “early movement experiences are beneficial to optimal brain development” (Gabbard, 1998, p. 1). In fact, early movement experiences are considered essential to the neural stimulation needed for healthy brain development. Still, many early childhood professionals are reluctant to incorporate movement into the curriculum. They may feel there just isn’t enough time in the day or they may lack a gym or other such space in which to conduct movement activities.Both of these issues can be addressed with one simple solution: using movement across the curriculum. Typically, the early childhood curriculum consists of experiences in six major content areas—art, language arts, mathematics, music, science, and social studies. Following are examples, adapted from Pica (2000), of how movement can be used to explore each of these content areas.

ArtConcepts like shape, size, spatial relationships, and line are part of both art and movement education. Whenever children arrange their bodies in the space around them, it can be said they’re exploring artistic concepts as well as physical ones. When they move into different levels, in different directions, along different pathways, and in relation to others and to objects, they’re increasing their spatial awareness. Shapes and colors can be explored with movement by providing pictures or examples of objects in various colors (e.g., a yellow banana, a red apple, or a green plant) and asking the children to demonstrate the shape of each object. An alternative is to mention a color and ask what it brings to mind. The children can then either take on the shape of the objects mentioned or become them (e.g., if the color green reminded some children of frogs, they could depict the movement of frogs).

Language Arts The possibilities for exploring language arts through movement are inexhaustible. Consider acting out the meaning of individual words from stories, poems, or even spelling lists. Through movement, children can begin to comprehend the meaning of action words like slither, stalk, pounce, or stomp—or descriptive words like graceful, smooth, or forceful. Preschool children can work in pairs to demonstrate the meanings of simple opposites like sad and happy, or up and down, with primary-grade partners challenged to demonstrate possibilities for tight versus loose or open versus closed.

Mathematics Quantitative ideas are part of the language of mathematics, and movement is an ideal, tangible means of conveying many of these ideas to children. For example, activities involving levels and body shapes can demonstrate the concepts of big and little, long and short, high and low, wide and narrow. The movement element of force is all about light and heavy. For a counting activity, ask children to place a certain number of body parts on the floor or to balance on so many parts. Challenge them to count the number of seconds they’re able to hold a static balance, or the number of ways they can find to move the head, for example. With all these activities, you can instantly ascertain which children are having trouble counting.
MusicWhen a child tiptoes to soft music, stamps her feet to loud music, moves in slow motion to Bach’s “Air on the G String,” dances rapidly to Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee,” sways to a 3/4 meter, or skips to a piece in 6/8, she is experiencing the music on many levels.To experience movement and music together, sing the scale to the children, explaining how each successive note is higher in pitch than the previous one. If possible, demonstrate on a keyboard or show the scale written on a staff. Ask the children to sing the scale with you. Then ask them to place their hands in their laps, raising them a little bit higher with each note you sing. Once the children have grasped the concept, challenge them to demonstrate with their whole bodies, beginning close to the floor and getting as close to the ceiling as possible.

Science Many themes typically explored in classrooms fall under the science category, including the human body—body parts and their functions, the senses, hygiene, and nutrition, seasons, and other topics related to nature—weather, animals, plants, and the ocean. All of these naturally lend themselves to movement experiences.Of course, any time children perform movements they are learning something about the functions of the human body. However, you can be more specific simply by focusing on certain functions. You can ask them to concentrate on the muscles, for example, by suggesting they think about the amount of muscle tension used to perform a movement, or the shape of the muscles when they freeze in different positions. Relaxation exercises that require the children to contract and relax the muscles are also excellent for developing an awareness of these important body parts. Similarly, relaxation exercises focusing on the breath can create an awareness of the lungs.

Social Studies Lessons in social studies for young children begin with the children themselves because that is where their world begins. Self-concept, therefore, is a logical starting point. Ask children to pretend to walk as though sad, mad, proud, scared, tired, or happy. Can they display these emotions with hands or faces alone?Possibilities abound for exploring such social studies themes as holidays and celebrations, occupations, and transportation. For the latter, you can ask children to think of and depict modes of transportation found mainly in cities, on water, and in the sky. Introduce the children to traffic lights by playing a movement game with three sheets of paper—one red, one yellow, and one green. When you hold up the green sheet, the children walk. They walk in place when they see the yellow sheet and come to a complete stop when you hold up the red.

Conclusion Of course, the examples presented throughout this article represent only a tiny fraction of possibilities for using movement as an essential tool in children’s learning experiences. Every teacher or parent and every child brings new ideas and new potential to the concept of moving and learning.

Rae Pica is a movement education consultant and an adjunct instructor with the University of New Hampshire. She is the author of 13 books, including the text Experiences in Movement, the Moving & Learning Series, and the recently released Wiggle, Giggle, and Shake: 200 Ways to Move & Learn. Rae is nationally known for her workshops and keynotes and has shared her expertise with such groups as Children’s Television Workshop, the Head Start Bureau, Centers for Disease Control, and Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Clues.

Music for Learning!

2008-09-05T08:44:00.000-07:00

Jackie Silberg (also known as "Miss Jackie" from her television years) is an internationally recognized authority on child development, is the irrepressible music educator and creator of games and activities that explore the non-singing elements of music -- sound, rhythm, language, movement and instruments. Her numerous award-winning titles have educated and entertained young children and their parents and teachers for many years. You can see what's new from Jackie and the Miss Jackie Music Company, http://www.jackiesilberg.com/.

Kindermusik reaches out!

2008-08-29T20:22:00.000-07:00

African trip full of memories and emotion
Lisa Rutledge, Cambridge TimesPublished on July 15, 2008

In a strife-ridden South African township, where children as young as two must learn to become self-reliant, there is a reason to scream - for bubbles...
Blowing soapy bubbles - watching them float through the air and chasing them as they fall to the ground - is a favourite childhood game. But as Michelle Jacques, director of Cambridge's Kindermusik found out during a recent trip to a Soweto day-orphanage, it's not a simple pleasure shared by every child around the world.
As part of a two-week visit surrounding Kindermusik SA’s Annual Convention at which Jacques was the main speaker, she helped create unforgettable memories as she made music and blew bubbles for 29 impoverished children in the strife-ridden South African township.

The excitement started when Jacques blew one bubble. And then she blew a few more. "All of a sudden they just started screaming with glee," she recalled. "They've never seen bubbles in their lives. Those 29 faces just lit up as they reached for the bubbles."
Even before embarking on the trip, Jacques expected it was going to tug at her deepest emotions, especially knowing what life is like for the children, many of whom are HIV-positive and whose families have perished in Africa's AIDS epidemic.
During her visit to the orphanage, Jacques also provided the children with canvases to paint what their country meant to them. The art project was part of a cultural exchange with Cambridge Kindermusik students who used small canvases to convey what they feel about Canada.

The works of the tiny Cambridge artists now adorn a wall at the Soweto orphanage and Jacques' husband, Tim, who ventured to South Africa with his wife and their son Tyler, was busy recently hanging the orphans' paintings at the Kindermusik of Cambridge studio on Sheldon Drive.While the Cambridge children were well acquainted with the art of painting, it was a different matter at the South African orphanage, said Jacques. Having never seen paint before, the children didn't know what to do with it and a couple of them tried to eat the paint right off the brush. They were even entertained by the painting smocks Jacques donated, enjoying the crinkling sounds of the plastic. They painted zebras and soccer balls, enjoying the process so much their miniature masterpieces started to become overwhelmed by abstract colour.

Rather than finding herself in tears as she anticipated, the music and arts director was instead uplifted by the strong spirit and appreciation exhibited by the children. "You would never know in a million years how miserable their existence was," she explained. "They were so happy."
The memory of the day will last a lifetime, according to Jacques. "At the end of the day, they all came up to hug me," she said, noting that the 29-child hug almost knocked her off her feet.
The annual Kindermusik convention, which required Jacques to fulfill numerous speaking engagements, also included a stop at a centre for blind and severely burned children. Many South African children, she explained, fall victim to relentless field fires, which can strike at any time, especially during the driest of seasons. Although she and her family were just observers during a music program held for patients, the visit provided some profound experiences about South Africa, children and the power music possesses to help overcome fear and adversity.
There was a particularly powerful moment when her husband, Tim, joined in a "music train" during which the group danced together, formed in a single-file line, from smallest to tallest. One 14-year-old girl, believed to be the survivor of the most severe burns ever recorded, her facial features and even her hands burned away leaving nothing but wrist stumps, was placed at the line's end so she could easily fall out of line should a moment of panic strike. Tim, enjoying the singing and dancing with the group, suddenly felt two arms make an effort to hold on to his sides. It was the girl, trying to engage in the group. Tears welled up in his eyes. "That was deeply moving that she trusted him enough to put her arms around him," said Jacques reminiscing about the experience.

From the Desert Trail: Things to do in Yucca and 29 Palms

2008-08-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

TWENTYNINE PALMS — For the third year in a row, the INDEPENDant Players, a Shakespearean troupe based in Los Angeles, will bring its Shakespeare Under the Moon Tour to Luckie Park.In its fourth season, the tour brings two productions to eight cities, from San Francisco to San Diego, in July and August.The players, with help from sponsors at the Officers’ Spouses Club, will bring free productions of “Taming of the Shrew” and “MacBeth” to the park at 6:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 5 and 6.“Shrew” will be performed on Saturday and “MacBeth” will follow on Sunday.After Twentynine Palms, the troupe will take its productions to San Marcos, Stallion Springs, Redwood City, Pismo Beach, Ridgecrest, Paso Robles, Redwood City and Yucca Valley.
“Taming of the Shrew” tells the comic story of ill-tempered Katherine and Petruccio, who agrees to woo and wed her so that three suitors will get the chance to compete for the hand of her younger, more mild-tempered sister, Bianca.Melissa Rojas stars as Kate while Lisa Nicolai will play Bianca and Jake Wesley Stewart will play Petruccio.Scottish play“MacBeth” tells the tragic story of an ambitious Scottish Lord who is tempted to murder the king he has just fought to defend and take his place on the Scottish throne.
It is perhaps best known for the inclusion of three witch characters who tempt MacBeth off the straight and narrow.Travis Terry will star as MacBeth while Nathanial Stanton, who some might remember from last year’s production of “Julias Caesar,” will playDuncan and Banquo will be played by Scott Durrell.The INDEPENDant Players, according to a history featured on the troupe’s Web site, www.shakespeareunderthemoon.com, were born in early August 1999.A failed production of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” in San Diego, started the troupe’s journey that continues today.The troupe has moved from Oceanside to Chicago and then to Los Angeles, which it now calls home.In the summer of 2005 players started Shakespeare Festivals for five cities in Southern California and played to packed parks.The summer of 2006 saw more success, with players entertaining 10 cities with two shows.There will be a snack bar.

Family Time

2008-07-12T11:30:00.000-07:00

Kindermusik Family Time At-Home materials are a multi-layered learning with Cds, puppets, instruments, literature books, activity book, and a game.
* Two Home CDs - music to play at home, in the car, everywhere!
* Puppets - a hand-puppet (has a zipper for hide-and-seek items) and finger-puppet for pretend play.
* Literature Books - adventures of the Jelly Bean Band are included in each book themed with each unit.
* Family Activity Book - ideas to engage every family member during everyday activities and make everyday a musical day.
* Game - matching games, listening games, musical games!!
* Instrument - two instruments to continue steady beat, music making and play at home.
Everything in Kindermusik’s At Home Materials has a learning purpose for your child. That’s because more than 25 years of early childhood development research applies to every instrument, CD, book, activity, song, and game.Kindermusik believes that you are your child’s first and most important teacher. We also know that children learn best through repetition, and that often they learn best where they’re most comfortable - at home. Your At Home Materials empower you to take Kindermusik from class to home where the games, songs, dances, books, and quiet times make it easy for you to infuse music, joy, learning, and togetherness into your daily routine.

What you’ll see happening in class:
Sing. When a child sings in the appropriate vocal
range, toddlers and preschoolers begin to explore
their voices and emerging pitch accuracy—but the
benefits go beyond building strong singers. Singing
develops memory and recall, lung and cardiovascular
strength, as well as creativity, and socialization.
Simply hearing those voices also helps a baby
develop her own vocal skills.
Play. Musical instrument and prop-play throughout
the semester builds strong finger muscles, and
develops a sense of rhythm. Plus, hoops, scarves,
and tumble-around activities develop coordination.
Move. With growing coordination and interest in
their peers, younger children will watch the older
ones and learn how to skip and gallop.
Listen. Throughout the class, the children are listening
to instruments, to each other, and to specially
designed opportunities to focus in on developing
critical listening skills.
Story Time. When children listen to a story in a
group, they watch the reactions of each other,
helping to stimulate curiosity, expand knowledge,
and develop a life-long love of reading.
Family Jam. Everyone grabs an instrument and
plays along with the music—helping children
experiment with a variety of instruments and
sounds.

Try Kindermusik for FREE!

2008-07-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

Always wonder what Kindermusik is all about? Need something to do this summer? Would you like a chance to see Kindermusik for free? Now is your chance!

I will be at the Mommy, Daddy and Me class is Yucca Valley on Thursday July 10th! This class will be all about water as I demo my upcoming Summer camp called SPLASH! Come and enjoy some quality one on one time with your child as we dance, rock, shake and move our way through all things wet and wild. This is a Family class designed for ages 0-7 years old!

Bugs, Bugs, Bugs! The libraries in our area are learning about all things buggy this Summer. On July 23rd I will join the 29 Palms Library for a Musical Storytime while we explore all sorts of crawling and flying bugs! We will get the parachute out and throw an Ugly Bug Ball to finish off the fun. Don't miss it!

Stay tuned for more information about my week of Demos in August. August 2nd to the 16th is WORLD WIDE KINDERMUSIK DEMO DAYS! kindermusik educators around the WORLD will be offer FREE demos of Kindermusik classes. We have a goal to bring music to EVERY CHILD and demo days is just one way we do that. Join me as I bring the joy and learning of Kindermusik to the children in 29 Palms!

Just for fun!

2008-07-06T12:34:00.000-07:00

I found this on another blog and just knew some of you would enjoy playing with this cute pooch. Click here to play. My kids and I especially enjoyed getting him to "kiss". I wish my children always obeyed this well! :-)

Follow me to Kindermusik

2008-07-05T14:46:00.001-07:00

Why Re-Enroll?

2008-07-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

A recent study found that repeated enrollment in Kindermusik improves a child's ability to plan, guide, and control their own behavior.
"Children currently enrolled in Kindermusik showed higher levels of self-control than those never enrolled and those previously enrolled. ...This suggests that in order for children to reap the benefit of increased self-control as a result of Kindermusik participation, it is important to have repeated and recent Kindermusik experiences and remain enrolled in the program."
"Four-year-old children who had been exposed to Kindermusik for longer periods of time are better off in terms of self-control—namely a child's ability to plan, guide, and control their own behavior—than similar children with less Kindermusik history."
"These experiences, stop-go, high-low, fast-slow, short-long, and loud-soft, whereby children's motor behavior is guided by the music, appear to be good exercise for young children's emerging self-regulatory skills."

The study, "The Effects of Kindermusik on Behavioral Self-Regulation in Early Childhood," was conducted in 2005 in the psychology department at George Mason University in Virginia.
Results were made available to Kindermusik in May, 2005. The study was conducted by Adam Winsler Ph.D and graduate student Lesley Ducenne in the Department of Psychology at George Mason University.
The 15-month study included 91 children between the ages of 3 and 5 who were split into three groups: 23 students currently enrolled in Kindermusik, 19 students previously enrolled in Kindermusik, and 49 students of similar family backgrounds from local preschools who had never had Kindermusik.
The children were observed doing a variety of tasks that required self-control such as slowing down their motor behavior, delaying their gratification, refraining from touching attractive but forbidden toys, quietly whispering, and compliance with instructions to initiate or stop certain behaviors. Parents also completed surveys.
The study was supervised by Adam Winsler, Ph.D, Applied Developmental Psychology in the Department of Psychology at George Mason University.

Open For Registration!!!

2008-06-26T22:10:00.000-07:00

New! Kindermusik Family Time 5:45 pm
Music class for families with multiple children ages newborn and up
In ten weeks, you'll play instruments together, dance together, share, and take turns, and see how music can bring you closer as a family.
A one-room schoolhouse approach to music. With older children ready to show the little ones how it's done and the younger ones eager to learn, Family Time becomes a multi-layered learning environment. Each week, a Kindermusik Educator will introduce basic musical concepts and then give you the instruments, and the structured free time to put those concepts into play.
Your children will listen to instruments and to each other, learn from their peers and older children, and enjoy music and movement with hoops, scarves and tumble-around play. Story time and family jams, puppet play and happy singing—all the Family Time activities encourage discovery and exploration and foster sharing and social skills too. In this special place for musical, social and emotional learning, your children will strengthen their ties with each other and with you—and they'll start developing the skills they'll need in school and on the neighborhood playground.

6 months to 3 years
New! Kindermusik Sign & Sing 11 am
Sign language curriculum for parents with hearing children
A different approach from other sign language programs. Through songs, toys, and loving playtime between you and your child, Kindermusik Sign & Sing shows you more than 50 signs your child can use to communicate with you. Using research-proven methods shown to speed language development in hearing children, you'll see how sign language can ease frustration and enhance long-term learning abilities for your child.

Songs and finger plays. Already accustomed to finger plays and rhyme-songs—such as "This Little Piggy"—you'll easily substitute American Sign Language (ASL) signs in familiar songs, improving your child's language skills, fine motor skills, and strengthen fingers for zipping zippers and using scissors.

Learn when you play. You'll never have to memorize a list of signs. This curriculum gives you the ASL signs that are most useful to you, and most interesting to your child. So playtime and everyday items around the house—ball, bubbles, mom and dad—become the objects of learning in the classroom, and sign language becomes a natural, happy part of your child's day.

Hearing children who know signs, learn language almost twice as fast. As early as 11-14 months old, hearing children exposed to sign language put little sentences together faster than non-signing children, who do not begin to combine words into short sentences, such as "Da-da car" until the average age of 20 months.Study conducted by Dr. Michelle Anthony and Dr. Reyna Lindert, Signing Smart program founders.

Kindermusik Our Time ages up to 3 years old Mondays at 10 am and Thursdays at 5:30 Can you sound like an elephant? Or hop like a bunny? Our Time encourages your child to uncover an engaging musical world while building confidence, self-control and communications skills. Singing, imitating sounds, rhyming and object identification foster language skills. Creative movement to various musical "moods" develops a sense of balance, timing and spatial awareness. Listening and turn-taking encourage blossoming social skills.
Kindermusik Our Time is designed for children 1½ years to 3 years of age. Along with an accompanying parent or caregiver, children meet weekly for a 45-minute class and enjoy singing, moving, listening and interacting socially, and playing simple instruments. Exploration Time encourages a child's discovery of specially designed instruments, textures, sounds and movements; language skills are fostered with singing, sound imitation, and vocal play; Music & Movement Story Time encourages emergent literacy skills; and creative dancing affirms a child's urge to move.

Kindermusik Imagine That! 1:303 1/2 years to 5 years (before Kindergarten)
Imagine That! takes you and your child on a musical journey of discovery and exploration…a journey limited only by the power of imagination. Pretend play activities are integrated with music, vocal development, storytelling, movement and literature to capture your child's potential to learn and to encourage cognitive and literacy skills, creativity and individuality.
Kindermusik Imagine That! is designed for active, energetic, enthusiastic, and imaginative 3- and 4-year-olds and encourages socialization, sharing, and participating in group activities. Singing becomes a focus for enhancing the preschooler's vocal development as her expressive language is just beginning to emerge. Parents are invited to participate in the last 15 minutes for Sharing Time of the 45-minute class.

Kindermusik ABC Music & Me (4 1/2 to 6) 4 1/2 years to 6 years 4:00
ABC Music & Me is an all new award-winning music enrichment program for 4 to 6 year olds. This age specific program was created by Kindermusik International, the world's most trusted brand in musical learning for over 25 years. This music enrichment program is based on research-proven activities shown to improve listening skills and self-control in young children. This class is full of musical vocabulary and an introduction to the keyboard. Every activity is classroom tested, and giggle-approved, and has been created by Kindermusik International based on 25 years experience and research in music and child development.

Kindermusik for the Young Child 4:00 pmKindergarten to 7 years
Listen as your child astonishes you with her newfound ability to create musical compositions. Kindermusik for the Young Child provides a pressure-free, developmentally appropriate transition to musically succeed before taking on more formal instruction. Kindermusik provides the opportunity to explore voice development, rhythm, notation, musical symbols and authentic pre-keyboard, string and woodwind instruments.

Young Child helps every child develop a confident, joyful voice for singing and speaking as well as essential building blocks for a future of learning. Designed for children ages 4½ through 7 years, classes meet once a week for 60-75 minutes. Students explore many facets of the musical experience-speaking, singing, moving, dancing, listening, creating and playing instruments, as well as learning about reading and writing music. As the capstone to the child's Kindermusik journey, Young Child broadens and deepens the child's introduction to the fulfillment and excitement of musicianship.

Piano Adventures for the Young Child 6 years to 7 years 4:00 pm
This is a breakthrough way to play the piano or keyboard while preparing your child to read music! We will learn our finger numbers and where to put them on the keys, allowing children to almost immediately play familiar songs. Being able to play a song right away encourages kid's to keep trying when new songs or concepts get harder! Children will progress into learning the staff, that each key has a "letter", how to find that "letter" on the piano/keyboard. Each Music Alphabet key is represented by an animal. The child plays from large letters, later smaller letters with notes. Piano worksheets are included. She?ll learn melodic notation and identify pitches such as the C, A, and D notes on the treble clef, plus rhythmic notation. Eventually she?ll even compose her own music.
Some songs we will learn are: "Twinkle, Twinkle," "Mary's Lamb," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Yankee Doodle," "Old MacDonald," "Mulberry Bush," "Muffin Man," "This Old Man," "If You're Happy," "America" "For He's A Jolly Good Fellow," "The Animal Fair," "Polly Wolly Doodle," "Chimes," "Hickory Dickory Dock," "BINGO," "London Bridge," "I'm a Little Teapot," "Hey Diddle Diddle," "Baa Baa Black Sheep," "Farmer in the Dell," "Hush Little Baby," "Three Blind Mice," "Pop! Goes the Weasel"

Natinal Anthem sung by 5 little girls!

2008-06-18T16:24:00.000-07:00

Our National Anthem - Texas Tech University Basketball game, Feb 9th, National Anthem sung by five young ladies (ages 6-8.) We have never heard it performed better than this! An entire arena remains completely silent throughout the entire song. You could hear a pin drop.

EZ Mealz with E-Mealz

2008-06-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

EASY AND DELICIOUS DINNER PLANS E-Mealz will simplify your life, save time & money! Makeover your mealtime & make time for family! (this link takes you to their web site!)

Meal Plan Options:
Point-System Meal Plans
Low-Carb Meal Plans
Low-Fat Meal Plans
Vegetarian Meal Plans
Couples-Only Meal Plans
Kroger Meal Plans
Publix Meal Plans
Wal-Mart Meal Plans
ALDI Meal Plans
Any-Store Meal Plans

for only $1.25 per week you will receive...
a family-friendly, concise 7-day dinner meal plan for 4 to 6 people, or a 5-day dinner plan for 2 people (with concise and easy to follow recipes and directions)
a complete, aisle by aisle grocery list - just print and go!
member's only option to participate in E-Mealz Refer-A-Friend to receive a 25% commission check!

e-mealz meal plans... ...are written and created by REAL moms with REAL families ...are balanced and family friendly ...are as easy as possible, but delicious and kid tested! ...consist of favorite recipes collected from hundreds of moms ...come with an organized, aisle by aisle grocery list ...are for 4 to 6 people ...are based on the current week sales at your grocery ...are priced at approximately $75 per week ...Two person plans average $35 total per week

why e-mealz?... E-Mealz has been created to provide a kid-friendly and family-uniting meal planning resource for busy Moms and frugal family cooks. Each meal plan is based on the current sales at the grocery stores, with plan options categorized according to store and/or weight management strategy. The recipes are delicious, simple and easy to follow. Each plan is new every week and has a corresponding aisle-by-aisle grocery list. Almost every week includes a crock-pot recipe and easy dinner ideas. There are meal plans for two people, for a low fat diet, a low carb diet, and for those who are following a point system, as well! E-Mealz is the brainchild of Jane DeLaney. She has four children and a husband who are all picky eaters. But she is most famous in her circles for being a cheapskate. She knows how to maximize her grocery budget and beat the system. She has been known to leave the grocery store with a cart full of groceries, and the store will have given her money! She knows that debt-proof living is impossible without a budget, and the grocery budget is the hardest to manage. Jane is often heard saying, You can't win without a plan, and poor meal planning is a MONEY PIT!"

E-Mealz is a comprehensive and workable plan that accomplishes every goal you may have for yourself and your family when it comes to dinnertime.

Goal #1 Spending time with your family
Goal #2 Save time and money
Goal #3Serve delicious food
Goal #4Save yourself from multiple and last minute trips to the grocery store
Goal #5 Stare at your children across from the dinner table rather than in pantry looking for a dinner idea
Goal #6Lose weight without preparing separate meals for the family. (Every meal plan is designed to be family friendly, even the weight management plans!)

These are Simple and Easy Meals That Solve Your Dinner Dilemma! Each week's plan represents many hours of planning, pricing and recipes testing all for $1.25! Needless to say, you will recoup that amount of money many times over with E-Mealz.

Delicious Dinner Plans On A Budget To Simplify Your Life and Save Money!
E-Mealz will help you to save time, money and make time for family with delicious weekly meal plans everyone will love. E-Mealz is easy recipes with concise directions and aisle-by-aisle grocery list you just print and go. New Family Meal Plans, Meal Plans for Two, Points System, Low Carb, Low Fat, Kroger, Publix, Wal-Mart, Any Store are organized to save you hours of work every week. Dinner ideas that answer, ?What?s for dinner?? once and for all, time saving crock-pot recipes, cheap meals, and delicious dinner menus are at your fingertips. If you are always looking for dinner suggestions, E-Mealz is a clearinghouse for quick and easy meals, simple recipes, delicious meals for kids, and weight management. E-Meals is the tool for meal planning, food budgeting, grocery shopping, coupon shopping, getting the family together at dinnertime. E-Mealz is a total mealtime makeover!

DID YOU KNOW? Some good tips here!

2008-06-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks April ;)

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little 'stringy things' off of it. That's how the primates do it.

Take your bananas apart when you get home from thestore. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and
better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on thebottom are firmer and better for cooking.

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. Itwill help pull the grease away from the meat whilecooking.

To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add acouple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, orheavy cream in and then beat them up.

For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed.Melt Andes mints in double broiler and p our overwarm brownies. Let set for a wonderful mintyfrosting.

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want alight taste of garlic and at the end of the recipeif your want a stronger taste of garlic.

Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make adelicious dessert. Simple chop them up with the foodchopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Placethem in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candybars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!!Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream.

Reheat Pizza: Heat up leftover pizza in anonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat tomed-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crustcrispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on thecooking channel and it really works

Easy Deviled Eggs<>Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of in gredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of thebaggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bagaway when done easy clean up.

Expanding Frosting: When you buy a container ofcake frosting from the store, whip it with yourmixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size.You get to frost morecake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eatless sugar and calories per serving.

Reheating refrigerated bread: To warm biscuits,
pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, placethem in a microwave with a cup of water. Theincreased moisture will keep the food moist and helpit reheat faster.

Newspaper weeds away Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers put layers around the plants overlappingas you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get throughsome gardening plastic they will not get through wetnewspapers.

Broken Glass: Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip topick up the small shards of glass you can't see
easily.

No More Mosquitoes: Place a dryer sheet in yourpocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

Squirrel Away: To keep squirrels from eating yourplants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. Thecayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and thesquirrels won'tcome near it.

Flexible vacuum: To get something out of a heatregister or under the fridge add an empty papertowel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum.It can be bent orflattened to get in narrow openings.

Reducing Static Cling: Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks thatcling when wearingpanty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and -- TADA! -- static is gone.

Measuring Cups: Before you pour stickysubstances into a measuring cup, fill with hotwater. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup.Next, add your ingredient, suchas peanut butter, and watch how easily it comesright out.

Foggy Windshield? Hate foggy windshields? Buy achalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box ofyour car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Reopening envelope: If you seal an envelope andthen realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer foran hour or two.Voila! It unseals easily.

Conditioner: Use your hair conditioner to shaveyour legs. It's a lot cheaper than shaving cream andleaves your legs really smooth. It's also a greatway touse up the conditioner you bought but didn't likewhen you tried it in your hair...

Goodbye Fruit Flies: To get rid of pesky fruitflies, take a small glass fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and2 drops of dish washing liquid,mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Get Rid of Ants: Put small piles of cornmealwhere you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,'can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a weekor so, especially if itrains, but it works & you don't have the worry aboutpets or small children being harmed!

INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS: The heating unit wentout on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted toshow us something and he went over to the dryer and pull ed out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load of clothes.) He took the filter over to the sink, ranhot water over it. The lint filter is made of a meshmaterial - I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well,...the hot water just sat ontop of the mesh! It didn't go through itat all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a filmover that mesh that's what burns out the heatingunit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It'swhat is in the dryer sheets to ma ke your clothessoft and static free -- that nice fragrance too, youknow how they can feel waxy when you take them outof the box, well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units tocatch fire & potentially burn your house down withit! He said the best way to keep your dryer workingfor a very long time (& to keep your electric billlower) is to take that filter out & wash it with hotsoapy water & an old toothbrush (or other brush) atleast every six months. He said that makes the lifeof the dryerat least twice as long! How about that!?! Learn something new everyday! I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that. So, I thought I'd share!

Note: I went to my dryer & tested my screen by running water on it. The water ran through a littlebit but mostly collected all the water in the meshscreen. I washed it with warm soapy water & a nylonbrush & I had it done in 30 second s. Then when I rinsed it the water ran right thru the screen! There wasn't any puddling at all! That repairman knew what he was talking about! (I checked this on snopes.com and it is true)

PLEASE PASS THIS ON, NOT ONLY COULD IT SAVE SOMEONE'S HOME, BUT IT COULD SAVE SOMEONE'S LIFE.

Summer Safety Tips for your Animals

2008-06-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

That Sizzling Sun Did you know that dogs, especially short haired or those with little hair, get sunburned? If you walk your dog this summer, try to do so in the early morning or late at night, taking care to put sunscreen on her sensitive areas (tips of ears, and nose). The pavement gets very hot during the day and can burn the pads on their paws. You can purchase doggie paw booties to keep paws cool. And always take a bottle of water with you on your walks for squirting sips in your dog’s mouth.This should go without saying, but it does bear repeating: never leave your pet in the car, even if it’s parked in the shade. Temperatures inside cars can rise to 150 degrees in a few minutes, causing brain damage and even death in a matter of minutes. Under Arizona State Law, intentionally leaving an animal unattended and confined in a motor vehicle is considered animal cruelty. Don’t put your dog in the back of a pickup, as the surfaces are mainly all metal and absorb the summer sun. Heat exhaustion is common in dogs. Early signs include rapid breathing, heavy panting and salivation. Other signs are bright-red gums and eyes, fatigue, muscle tremors and staggering. If you see a dog experiencing heat exhaustion, take him to a cool, shady place, and apply wet towels or cloths to keep the dog’s body cooled down. Do not submerge in water. Try to give the dog small amounts of water and call a vet immediately. Symptoms of heat exhaustion or heat stroke in cats include excessive panting and drooling; a glazed distressed look; wobbliness; a swollen tongue and possibly diarrhea. Cool the cat down by running water over the cat with a hose or place the cat in a tub, being careful not to submerge the head and call a vet immediately. Do not try to force the cat to drink. Certain breeds, such as boxers, bulldogs, pugs, Boston Terriers, Lhasa apsos and shih tzus have poor panting mechanisms and are more susceptible to heat. These dogs should be kept indoors in air conditioning whenever possible. Dogs with heavy fur should be trimmed but not completely shaved down for the summer as they have a hard time keeping insulated and are more prone to sunburn. Puppies up to six months; overweight and older dogs are also at risk for heat-related illnesses. Arizona law requires that chained animals have access to shade and water. If you must keep your pets outdoors, provide them with a continuous supply of cool water, and keep the water bowl in the shade. Tie a bed sheet or place a tarp over the top of a dog pen, dog house or rabbit hutch to provide as much shade as possible. Sadly, the past two weeks of temperatures of 110 degrees or higher have claimed at least a half dozen dogs’ lives in Maricopa County. All of these deaths were preventable, according to the Arizona Humane Society. Animal cruelty is a serious issue and people who cause an animal to suffer pain or discomfort can be charged with a crime. If you witness or suspect an act of cruelty in your community, such as animals chained with no water or shade, animals left in vehicles, abandoned animals, poisoned animals or abused animals, contact your local police department immediately.

Those Slithering Snakes Snakebites are a fact of life for dogs and humans in a wide area of North America. Venomous snakes bite about 8,000 people annually in the USA, but according to most estimates, only 12 to 15 of these bites are fatal. Fortunately, if your dog happens to be bitten by a poisonous snake the odds are in favor of a complete recovery.To avoid potential snakebites while out walking, keep your dog on a leash. Don’t allow your dog to explore holes in the ground or dig under logs, flat rocks or planks. Stay on open paths where there is an opportunity for snakes to be visible. Keep nighttime walks to a minimum; rattlers are nocturnal most of the year. If you hear a rattlesnake, keep your dog at your side until you locate the snake; then move away. Off-trail hiking with an unleashed dog may stir up a snake and you may be as likely a victim as your dog. If your dog seems unusually curious about “something” hidden in the grass, back off immediately until you know what it is. If your dog is bitten, try to identify the snake by taking note of its size, color patterns and the presence or absence of a rattle at the end of the tail. Look the dog over carefully for fang marks, noting that there may be more than one bite wound. If bitten on a leg, wrap a constricting band on the affected limb snugly at a level just above the bite wound (on the body side of the wound). This band could be fashioned of a shirtsleeve or other fabric and should be snug but not excessively tight. The compression around the limb will slow the spread of the venom. The dog may lose the limb but that is better than losing his life. Finally, get to the nearest animal hospital while trying to keep the dog as quiet as possible. Venomous snakebites cause severe pain, cell death, numbness, diminished function and, occasionally, loss of a limb. Snake venoms inflict local effects such as inflammation, damage to blood vessel lining, clotting defects and localized tissue destruction. Some venom can also cause neurotoxicity and interfere with nerve transmission resulting in paralysis. To combat a snakebite, antivenin can be used. Antivenin is a serum that is commercially produced to neutralize the effects of the injected venom Since it is pricey, costing upwards of $1500, it pays to be proactive when it comes to snakes. Pets can now be inoculated against the bite of a diamondback rattler. Depending on the weight of the pet, up to three shots may be needed, to be followed by an annual booster shot. The drug has been approved by the USDA and the FDA, with minor side effects.

That Scorching Smoke Fire season is here and everyone – including companion animals – must be prepared for disaster. If you live in a potential “hot spot”, the Arizona Humane Society is urging you to take your pets with you if you must evacuate.As the designated responder for companion animals during state-declared emergencies, the Arizona Humane Society will establish temporary shelters for pets that are displaced.Set aside a leash for your dog and a well-ventilated carrier for your cat or other small animals. Keep these items in one place so you always know where to find them – especially in a hurry! You’ll also want to prepare a small, easy-to-carry “emergency kit” (backpack or tote bag) for your pet pre-packed with your pet’s medication; a small bag of his food; a bottle of water; an extra leash; a towel or blanket for bedding; paper towels/plastic baggies for quick clean-ups; a favorite toy; a brush; and other necessary pet supplies. Pack enough for at least three days.

What You Can Do to Keep Pets Safe • Familiarize yourself with your state laws on animal cruelty• Report any abuse or cruelty you witness to your local police department• Memorize your vet’s phone number, input it in your cell phone address book, and add to your landline’s speed dial directory• Micro-chip your pets to help identify lost pets and locate owners more efficiently; make sure information is kept current with micro-chip registry• Keep well-fitted collars and ID tags with current information, including back-up phone number such as cell phone, on your pet• Provide your dog with a safe place during storms – not outside. Your dog may want to rest in a crate in a quiet room.• Get your pet inoculated against diamondback bites, with the initial vaccination occurring before Spring• Learn CPR for petsUsing common sense, and taking some of these tips into account, you can to keep a happy, healthy pet safe in our desert climate.

Fathers day 2008

2008-06-15T14:02:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 10:1[ Proverbs of Solomon ] The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother.

Proverbs 22:6 (New International Version) 6 Train [a] a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Ephesians 6:4 (New International Version) 4Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Matthew 7:11 (New International Version) 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Psalm 128:3Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table.

Young Child Kindermusik classes

2008-06-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

Using a small-group approach to music education, Kindermusik for the Young Child provides a pressure-free class where your child can develop a strong musical foundation by learning the concepts, language, notation, and vocabulary of music and its greatest composers.
The program is designed to prepare the young child who is eager for first experiences with musical symbols and instrument discovery but is not yet ready for formal lessons and traditional music reading with an instrument. Parents or caregivers are encouraged to attend the last 10-15 minutes of class.

What you’ll experience in class:
Singing and vocal development. . It may sound like a foreign language when your child sings “ta” and “ti-ti,” but he’s using the language of professional musicians and composers and getting ready to read and write simple rhythm patterns.

Movement. You’ll see your child dance expressively to music, giving him the practice he needs to coordinate his body movements to the sound of music. This kind of musical play not only improves musicianship, but his physical coordination as well. Reading and writing. He’ll learn melodic notation and identify pitches such as the C, A, and D notes on the treble clef, plus rhythmic notation. Eventually he’ll even compose his own music.

Reading and writing. He’ll learn melodic notation and identify pitches such as the C, A, and D notes on the treble clef, plus rhythmic notation. Eventually he’ll even compose his own music.

Focused listening. Your child will learn to identify a range of orchestra instruments and their sound qualities, while also gaining an early awareness and knowledge of composers and masterworks in Western arts tradition.

Exploring and playing musical instruments. . Authentic percussion, string, pre-keyboard, and woodwind instruments expose your child to the many choices for future musical study, and at the same time provide your child with the opportunity to musically succeed before taking on more formal instruction.

Enrollment includes:
Developmentally appropriate curriculum for children ages 5 to 7; caregivers attend the last 10-15 minutes
15 week semester
Weekly 60- to 70-minute class
One set of At Home Materials—Children’s folder with stickers and Music At Home cards, Family Songbook, instrument (wind, string, or pre-keyboard instrument depending on the semester), CD of music from class, canvas bag (during first semester) and games bag

Getting ready for preschool is child's play!

2008-06-11T17:56:00.000-07:00

In a Kindermusik class, miming and singing “Wheels on the Bus” may seem like child’s play, but it's actually helping a child develop better coordination and language skills.
In a Kindermusik class, parents and their children—ages newborn to 7 years old—sing, dance and make music together to develop better learning skills for the child. Parents also learn more about the developmental process and benefits by activities in class.
Studies continue to show that music has a positive impact on a child’s ability to learn. Not only in terms of preschool readiness, but making and responding to music can help a child use scissors, kick a ball, as well as have a positive impact on a child’s sense of self-esteem and self-expression.
“For a child, being ready for preschool is about feeling comfortable with yourself,” says Carol Penney, Kindermusik International's Director of Education . “Then they have the confidence to leave mom and dad at home and get involved with what's going on in preschool.”
Kindermusik classes are designed by music and early childhood educators. Activities are based on new and proven research that music making music can stimulate every area in the child’s development:
Stimulate a love of diverse styles of music—varied musical exposure leads to language proficiency and spatial-temporal reasoning, which is the foundation for engineering and science.
Foster creativity using music, dance, drama—children use creative thinking skills in pretend play, enhancing their ability to think in different ways.
Teaches parents about child development—parents are the child's first teacher. Kindermusik classes help parents understand the child development process by explaining developmental benefits of each class activity and offering activities they can do together at home.
For more information on getting children ready for preschool, or to learn more about Kindermusik classes enrolling year round, visit my site: kindermusikwithheatherskids.kindermusik.net

The wisdom of Pre-K

2008-06-10T15:01:00.000-07:00

Its a sound investment!

"State leaders who have invested in high-quality pre-k for 3- and 4-year-olds understand that it will yield significant returns for their state. States that choose not to invest may find that their children and their economies are not prepared to compete."

The music, literacy, and language connection
Literally speaking--it's music. Repetition, rhyme, and exposure to a variety of sounds are defining qualities of both music and early language learning. Research also shows correlations between music ability and reading comprehension test scores.This blog is dedicated to helping advocates, teachers, school administrators, and parents explain the importance of having music programs, like ABC Music & Me, in their schools.

Think of ABC Music & Me as a multi-media language and pre-literacy immersion program. In class, we use a variety of materials to engage a child's learning abilities. Children use instruments to help tell the stories, they listen to audio stories, they contribute ideas, and they retell the stories through pretend-play.
These activities, plus a practical print component in the take home materials works like the bed-time story and reinforces the same literature based activities in class. Each of these components work together to literally engage every available learning ability in a child's developing mind.
Makes me wish I was in preschool again.

Want to see what ABC classes i offer this Fall? Visit my site to learn more about the ABC Music and me program:

2008-06-10T14:31:00.001-07:00

From birth through age seven, with the caring guidance of Heather harris, atrained and licensed Kindermusik educator, your child cangrow and learn without pressure to perform, onlyencouragement to explore and discover. You'll witness adevelopmental evolution in language skills, literacy, listening,problem solving, social skills, self-esteem and a love of music!Kindermusik uses the power of music to develop the individualyour child was born to be.
With every class, your Kindermusik At Home materials includethe highest quality music recordings on CD – a diversity ofvocal and instrumental arrangements that will delight yourwhole family. While materials vary with each program, you’llenjoy creative activities, children's literature from theKindermusik Library, and specially designed instruments – allcreated to complement and extend your child's learning athome.
Because Kindermusik acknowledges that you are yourchild’s first and most important teacher, your Kindermusikclasses will empower you as a parent.
Life is busy, and family time together is a precious commodity.A Kindermusik class is truly the essence of “quality time,”offering you a place to create special memories with your childand gain new insights into your child’s development.You will discover a unique sense of community and belongingin the Kindermusik classroom. Not only will your child blossomin this environment, but you will come to appreciate thesupport and friendship from the other adults in class.No other single activity offers the integrated, creative,child-centered experience that Kindermusik does. It’smusic that makes the difference.
Invest in your child’s future by making early music exposure apriority. Research indicates a link between music and earlylearning, but Kindermusik creates a musical learningenvironment so powerful that you and your child will likely carrya love of music for the rest of your lives.
Kindermusik has been creating magical, musical memories forchildren and their families for more than 25 years. Begin yourchild’s Kindermusik journey today and open up a whole worldof new possibilities – for your child, for yourself, for life!
Why Music for Young Children?Children are innately drawn to music. And why shouldn’t theybe? They have been listening to the rhythm and melody oftheir mother’s voice since the fourth month after conception.Children learn best through moving and listening. Music andmovement classes will help them grow and develop intosuccessful students.
Benefits to Children:Language Self ExpressionMemory Skills ConcentrationSocial Interaction Fine Motor SkillsListening Problem SolvingTeamwork Goal SettingCoordination CreativityMusic Playing Self EsteemFamily Involvement Family InteractionParent/Child Bonding ConfidencePoise Emotional DevelopmentVoice Expression And kids like it!
· Music awakens and stimulates neural pathways in thebrain that are associated with higher forms ofintelligence, such as abstract thinking, empathy,mathematics and science.
· Music’s melodic and rhythmic patterns provide exercisefor the brain and help develop memory. Remembersinging the ABC song to learn your ABC’s?
· Studying music helps children establish good listeninghabits, which are essential for achievement in school.
· Overall, music activities are perfect for childdevelopment. Music immerses the child in language,evokes movement, stimulates the brain and fostersphysical coordination – all in a group setting that buildscommunity – a holistic experience.

2008-06-10T14:25:00.000-07:00

Kindermusik Birthday Parties in 29 Palms!

Did you know we offer Kindermusik Birthday Parties?Kindermusik in 29 Palms is happy to entertain all your guest at your next birthday party! Standard party: Standard carnival ThemeTheme Specific Party: A Party designed around your themeTheme Specific Plus: Your theme plus a fun craft time
Contact Heather for details:
musicin29@gmail.com
760-500-0004
Visit my web site at: http://www.kindermusikwithheatherskids.kindermusik.net/

2008-06-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

Try a Kindermusik class for FREE! Just click on the coupon to visit my Web Site!

Child's play

2008-02-23T22:48:00.000-08:00

Morning Edition, February 21, 2008 · On October 3, 1955, the Mickey Mouse Club debuted on television. As we all now know, the show quickly became a cultural icon, one of those phenomena that helped define an era.
What is less remembered but equally, if not more, important, is that another transformative cultural event happened that day: The Mattel toy company began advertising a gun called the "Thunder Burp."
I know — who's ever heard of the Thunder Burp?
Well, no one.
The reason the advertisement is significant is because it marked the first time that any toy company had attempted to peddle merchandise on television outside of the Christmas season. Until 1955, ad budgets at toy companies were minuscule, so the only time they could afford to hawk their wares on TV was during Christmas. But then came Mattel and the Thunder Burp, which, according to Howard Chudacoff, a cultural historian at Brown University, was a kind of historical watershed. Almost overnight, children's play became focused, as never before, on things — the toys themselves.
"It's interesting to me that when we talk about play today, the first thing that comes to mind are toys," says Chudacoff. "Whereas when I would think of play in the 19th century, I would think of activity rather than an object."
Chudacoff's recently published history of child's play argues that for most of human history what children did when they played was roam in packs large or small, more or less unsupervised, and engage in freewheeling imaginative play. They were pirates and princesses, aristocrats and action heroes. Basically, says Chudacoff, they spent most of their time doing what looked like nothing much at all.
"They improvised play, whether it was in the outdoors… or whether it was on a street corner or somebody's back yard," Chudacoff says. "They improvised their own play; they regulated their play; they made up their own rules."
But during the second half of the 20th century, Chudacoff argues, play changed radically. Instead of spending their time in autonomous shifting make-believe, children were supplied with ever more specific toys for play and predetermined scripts. Essentially, instead of playing pirate with a tree branch they played Star Wars with a toy light saber. Chudacoff calls this the commercialization and co-optation of child's play — a trend which begins to shrink the size of children's imaginative space.
But commercialization isn't the only reason imagination comes under siege. In the second half of the 20th century, Chudacoff says, parents became increasingly concerned about safety, and were driven to create play environments that were secure and could not be penetrated by threats of the outside world. Karate classes, gymnastics, summer camps — these create safe environments for children, Chudacoff says. And they also do something more: for middle-class parents increasingly worried about achievement, they offer to enrich a child's mind.
Change in Play, Change in Kids
Clearly the way that children spend their time has changed. Here's the issue: A growing number of psychologists believe that these changes in what children do has also changed kids' cognitive and emotional development.
It turns out that all that time spent playing make-believe actually helped children develop a critical cognitive skill called executive function. Executive function has a number of different elements, but a central one is the ability to self-regulate. Kids with good self-regulation are able to control their emotions and behavior, resist impulses, and exert self-control and discipline.
We know that children's capacity for self-regulation has diminished. A recent study replicated a study of self-regulation first done in the late 1940s, in which psychological researchers asked kids ages 3, 5 and 7 to do a number of exercises. One of those exercises included standing perfectly still without moving. The 3-year-olds couldn't stand still at all, the 5-year-olds could do it for about three minutes, and the 7-year-olds could stand pretty much as long as the researchers asked. In 2001, researchers repeated this experiment. But, psychologist Elena Bodrova at the National Institute for Early Education Research says, the results were very different.
"Today's 5-year-olds were acting at the level of 3-year-olds 60 years ago, and today's 7-year-olds were barely approaching the level of a 5-year-old 60 years ago," Bodrova explains. "So the results were very sad."
Sad because self-regulation is incredibly important. Poor executive function is associated with high dropout rates, drug use and crime. In fact, good executive function is a better predictor of success in school than a child's IQ. Children who are able to manage their feelings and pay attention are better able to learn. As executive function researcher Laura Berk explains, "Self-regulation predicts effective development in virtually every domain."
The Importance of Self-Regulation
According to Berk, one reason make-believe is such a powerful tool for building self-discipline is because during make-believe, children engage in what's called private speech: They talk to themselves about what they are going to do and how they are going to do it.
"In fact, if we compare preschoolers' activities and the amount of private speech that occurs across them, we find that this self-regulating language is highest during make-believe play," Berk says. "And this type of self-regulating language… has been shown in many studies to be predictive of executive functions."
And it's not just children who use private speech to control themselves. If we look at adult use of private speech, Berk says, "we're often using it to surmount obstacles, to master cognitive and social skills, and to manage our emotions."
Unfortunately, the more structured the play, the more children's private speech declines. Essentially, because children's play is so focused on lessons and leagues, and because kids' toys increasingly inhibit imaginative play, kids aren't getting a chance to practice policing themselves. When they have that opportunity, says Berk, the results are clear: Self-regulation improves.
"One index that researchers, including myself, have used… is the extent to which a child, for example, cleans up independently after a free-choice period in preschool," Berk says. "We find that children who are most effective at complex make-believe play take on that responsibility with… greater willingness, and even will assist others in doing so without teacher prompting."
Despite the evidence of the benefits of imaginative play, however, even in the context of preschool young children's play is in decline. According to Yale psychological researcher Dorothy Singer, teachers and school administrators just don't see the value.
"Because of the testing, and the emphasis now that you have to really pass these tests, teachers are starting earlier and earlier to drill the kids in their basic fundamentals. Play is viewed as unnecessary, a waste of time," Singer says. "I have so many articles that have documented the shortening of free play for children, where the teachers in these schools are using the time for cognitive skills."
It seems that in the rush to give children every advantage — to protect them, to stimulate them, to enrich them — our culture has unwittingly compromised one of the activities that helped children most. All that wasted time was not such a waste after all.

Total Lunar Eclipse

2008-02-20T18:58:00.001-08:00

Total Lunar Eclipse Tonight By Robert Roy BrittSenior Science Writerposted: 20 February 200808:25 am ET
A total eclipse of the moon tonight is expected to delight skywatchers across the United States and much of the world.
It will be the last total lunar eclipse until 2010.
The easy-to-watch event will play out in several stages as Earth's shadow blocks sunlight from shining on the moon. Weather permitting, the eclipse will be visible from all locations in the United States, according to NASA. Along the Oregon and northern California coasts, the moon will rise during the early stages of the eclipse, however.
When to watch
Eclipses occur only at full moon when the sun, Earth and moon are in a perfect line. Because the moon's orbit around Earth is not perfectly aligned with the plane of Earth's orbit around the sun, eclipses do not occur at every full moon.
The moon will enter Earth's umbral shadow (the full shadow) at 8:43 p.m. ET (that's 7:43 p.m. Central, 6:43 p.m. Mountain and 5:43 p.m. Pacific) on Wednesday, Feb. 20. It will appear as though an ever-larger bite is being taken out of the moon.
Some 78 minutes later, the moon will slip into full eclipse. About 51 minutes later, a bright scallop will appear as the moon starts emerging. It will be completely out of the umbral shadow at 9:09 p.m. Pacific time, which is 12:09 a.m. ET on Thursday morning.
For Europe and Africa, the eclipse is a predawn Thursday event, with the moon starting entry to the umbral shadow at 1:43 Greenwich (or Universal) Time.
What you'll see
Look for the moon to possibly turn red during the total portion of the eclipse. "The exact color that the moon appears depends on the amount of dust and clouds in the atmosphere," according to a NASA statement. "If there are extra particles in the atmosphere, from say a recent volcanic eruption, the moon will appear a darker shade of red."
The redness occurs because while the moon is in total shadow, some light from the sun passes through Earth's atmosphere and is bent toward the moon. The effect is to cast all the planet's sunrises and sunsets on the moon.
Christopher Columbus famously used a blood-red eclipse in 1504 to frighten natives on Jamaica into feeding his crew.
The planet Saturn and the bright star Regulus will form a broad triangle with the moon's ruddy disk, according to Joe Rao, SPACE.com's Skywatching Columnist.
You don't need any special equipment to watch a lunar eclipse. Comfortable chairs and warm clothing are good ideas. A telescope will bring out interesting details of the lunar surface, and even a small telescope will reveal Saturn's stunning rings.

A few of my favorite things...

2008-02-20T17:43:00.000-08:00

Daneille Grimes, a fellow Kindermusik Educator shared:
"Raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens!"
Have you noticed how much pleasure your toddler can find in touching a pansy petal to his cheek? ...or the fascination in the eyes of a threeyear old who has discovered a spider crawling on its web? Everyone whohas a one-on-one relationship with a child can get "back to basics" in ablink of an eye. Even fuzz-balls under the fridge can capture a littleone's interest. Think about the toys you or your child loved most.....probably a cuddly bear, a houseful of "little round people", woodenbuilding blocks, Colorforms shape sets, or play pots and pans, dishesand some play dough "food". A two year old can still spend hoursplaying with soapy suds or digging in the sand. Remember the basicswhen choosing toys and there will be less frustration for you AND yourchildren. No batteries, raucous electronic voices or beeps, softwarethat disappoints, violent games, or lost pieces in the bottom of the toybox. A gift of a big plastic tub with snap-on lid filled with ageappropriate art supplies and blank paper, a plastic drop cloth, and acollection of "stuff" such as tissue tubes, stickers, rubber bands,feathers, scraps of fabric and construction paper might be one of thebest gifts you could give. But don't just set it down in front of yourchild.... "Let's see what we can make!" could be the magic words. Don'tinsist on conformity or beauty. Just the experience of construction canbring great satisfaction. There are some good books on home-madeinstruments for parents and children to make together, combining musicand craft/art. Let me hear of your successes and/or disasters. We canall learn from each other.

Keys to Early Learning

2008-02-20T14:30:00.000-08:00

Keys to early reading

Preschoolers who were given music keyboard lessons improved their spatial-temporal reasoning. A peer group, who were given computer lessons, showed no improvement. Spatial-temporal reasoning is the abstract reasoning that is used for understanding relationships between objects such as calculating a proportion or playing chess. Spatial-temporal reasoning is important in subjects such as mathematics and science.
source: Educational Leadership, November, 1998, p.39Association for Supervision and Curriculum Developmentarticle: The Music in Our Minds Norman M. Weinberger, Professor of Psychobiology at the University of California, Irvine, referencing research of F.H. Rauscher, G.L. Shaw et al, 1997, Neurological Research , 19, 2-8
First graders who received instruction in music listening had significantly higher reading scores than those first graders who did not receive the instruction but were similar in age, IQ and socioeconomic status. The same teacher taught reading to all the students. Those given music instruction were taught for 40 minutes a day for 7 months and learned to recognize melodic and rhythmic elements in folk songs. They scored in the 88th percentile for reading performance and the non-instructed control group scored in the 72nd percentile.
source: Educational Leadership, November, 1998, p.38 Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development article: The Music in Our Minds Norman M. Weinberger, Professor of Psychobiology at the University of California, Irvine, referencing research of Hurwitz et al, 1975, Journal of Learning Disabilities, 8, 45-51
Elements of music and reading are highly related in first graders. Students were tested on various elements of music and reading and a strong relationship was found between a student's awareness of pitch and their ability to sound out material in reading--material that included standard language and phonetic material.
source: Educational Leadership, November, 1998, p.39 Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development article: The Music in Our Minds Norman M. Weinberger, Professor of Psychobiology at the University of California, Irvine, referencing research of S.J. Lamb and A.H. Gregory, 1993, Educational Psychology, 13, 19-26
For more, visit Americans for the Arts

Singing with your child!

2008-02-20T11:59:00.000-08:00

PLONKING kids in front of music videos such as the Wiggles or Hi-5 doesn’t enhance their musical talent and may even hinder it.
New Australian research shows parents rely heavily on commercially produced CDs and DVDs for children’s musical stimulation, claiming they don’t have the time or musical talent for anything more creative.
But mass-market music products, especially those with a visual component such as videos, DVDs and TV, are no substitute for musical interaction between adults and children, and may even be detrimental, according to a Monash University education study.
“Singing with a young child allows for spontaneous vocal play, movement and drama that are not always possible with music CDs and DVDs,” said study author Peter de Vries. “Some products with a visual component are non-interactive . . . and detract from musical events.
“These products can constrain spontaneous musical play . . . and parents need to be aware of their detrimental effects on young children’s musical development.”
Dr de Vries’ survey of 63 parents of preschool pupils under five, published recently in the Australian Journal of Early Childhood, found 65 per cent of parents played music to children at least once a week and 18 per cent did so daily.
But only 29 per cent regularly sang to their kids and a meagre 8 per cent played with them using bought or made instruments. To see the rest of this article, please click here.