http://anijapan065.chudadi.com/ There never seems to be enough time for me to spend with all of you before, after, or even during class. There’s so much I’d love to share with you throughout the week, information on the power of music and movement and child development, videos, pic en http://anijapan065.chudadi.com/2009/04/04/enjoy-your-children.html Spring Break…….(sigh) I’m really looking forward to it.  As much as I enjoy spending time with the fabulous children as well as families in my Kindermusik studio, as well as trust me I really do enjoy all of them, I am really looking forward to this week with my posses kids.  I have a bit of an agenda on behalf of this time off.  One of my big projects on behalf of this time off is to help Abby (2yrs) figure out the joys of toilet training.  Actually she’s doing very well (3rd day in underwear as well as dry all day! - cross your fingers on behalf of me).  Other than a few house cleaning projects though my goal is to enjoy my children.  I desire to play as well as chat as well as hang out with them without school as well as other routines getting in the way.  For those of you with children in school, I hope you get to enjoy your children a little more this spring break, on behalf of those of you who have children younger than school age hold onto them a little additional tight on behalf of me as well as realize a time shall come when you shall have to share them.  Here’s some reminder ABC’s of how great children truly are.  Recognize some of these traits in your children this week. Children Are . . . AMAZING, acknowledge them.      BELIEVABLE, trust them.                      CHILD LIKE, permit them    DIVINE, honor them.    ENERGETIC, nourish them.   FALLIBLE, embrace them.    GIFTS, treasure them.   HERE NOW, be with them.   INNOCENT, delight with them.   JOYFUL, appreciate them. KINDHEARTED, learn from them.  LOVEABLE, cherish them.   MAGICAL, fly with them.   NOBLE, esteem them.    OPEN MINDED, respect them. PRECIOUS, value them.   QUESTIONERS, encourage them.  RESOURCEFUL, support them.   SPONTANEOUS, enjoy them.    TALENTED, trust in them.  UNIQUE, affirm them.    VULNERABLE, protect them.    WHOLE, recognize them.   X-TRASPECIAL, celebrate them.   YEARNING, notice them.  ZANEY, laugh with them. This was borrowed from Helen Peterson’s blog, thanks Helen on behalf of finding this, it really speaks to how precious our children are.  Take some time to enjoy your children this week, you might desire to play some Kindermusik at home.  Pick your child’s favorite songs as well as activities as well as have your posses class at home.  Looking on behalf of some other things to do this coming week, here are some links as well as ideas on behalf of you to consider.  Have a grat week as well as I’ll see you soon. Germantown Playgroup  (Mondays and Thursdays 9:30 - 11:30)  designed primarily on behalf of the under 5 set however children of all ages are welcome when there's no school in your district. (free) Kids Kingdom Play Center  Great clean play space in Poughkeepsie.  Great on behalf of a day when going outside is hampered by the weather.  They have a small cafe inside ($) Mid Hudson Children’s Museum  Check out activities here at their website, last time we were there they had made some improvements ($)  I’m sure there are lots of other local activities to enjoy including a number of egg hunts.  If you have some to share send them to me as well as I’ll do my best to put them out there on behalf of everyone to see.    I hope to post a slide show from the pictures I’ve been taking in class these past few weeks so retain checking back to see them.         http://anijapan065.chudadi.com/2009/04/04/enjoy-your-children.html Sat, 04 Apr 2009 00:46:14 -0400 anijapan065 http://anijapan065.chudadi.com/2009/04/05/how-i-usually-spend-my-week.html Here are some of the fabulous children as well as families I get the privilege of spending time with each week.  If you don’t see your picture be patient with me.  You can help me get pictures of every class.  I’m making a habit of having my camera in each class with me.  I would invite you to grab it at any time as well as snap some shots of your child’s class.  It’s so much fun to share them with you as well as you can share them with your family members.  If you see one you must have just send me an email as well as I’ll be happy to forward it to you.  Please know you are all special to me.  Scroll down if you desire to catch some of the earlier pictures taken by a Village mom (thanks Rachel on behalf of those great pictures - I got in advance of myself when I posted them as well as forgot to thank the photographer) http://anijapan065.chudadi.com/2009/04/05/how-i-usually-spend-my-week.html Sun, 05 Apr 2009 19:24:38 -0400 anijapan065 http://anijapan065.chudadi.com/2009/03/14/summer-fun-dont-be-left-out.html Boy it seems like time is really flying this season.  It shall soon be spring (yeah) as well as that means…..SUMMER is just around the corner.  For my family summer means lots of things  To draw attention to a few NO SCHOOL (woohoo!), lots time at the local pool with friends, camping, hiking, picnics as well as more.  As I was thinking about summer it dawned on me that all of the things we love about summer lead us towards more time spent combined with family as well as friends.  I hope that the offerings of Kindermusik with Miss Beth this summer fit in with that theme, whether you plan to attend the new Sign as well as Sing class or one of the other Kindermusik parent participatory classes Busy Days, Zoo Train, as well as Zoo Train Family or one of the Confetti Days pre-school classes which have a parent component at the end of class, or even the Around the World elementary aged class in which your K-2 grader shall enjoy a trip around the world with his or her Kindermusik Friends.  If this isn’t incentive sufficient to enroll in a Kindermusik Class right now here are my top 10 reasons to enroll in a Kindermusik Summer Adventure!     Miss Beth’s Top Ten reasons to enroll in a Kindermusik Summer Adventure    10.  New music that is not only fantastic on behalf of your child’s development, but is interesting listening on behalf of the whole family. 9. A safe environment on behalf of you to play as well as be silly with your child without out fear of ridicule. 8. A possibility to get to meet as well as know other families with children your child’s age. 7. Books as well as instruments to take residence as well as continue the play throughout the year.   6. An air conditioned activity on behalf of the dog days of summer. 5. Weekly opportunity to focus completely on your child as well as remind yourself how creative as well as unique he or she is. 4. New Kindermusik T Shirt! 3. Instruments, Bubbles, parachutes as well as singing combined - time to be a kid again. 2. Summer session is only 5 weeks long. A great way to endeavour us out. And the #1 reason to sign up on behalf of Kindermusik this summer?. ……. 1. Kindermusik activities strengthen your child’s brain as well as effect every area of his or her development. A Good Beginning Never Ends - why not get started now? To visit the website for additional information on each class or enroll now click below . ENROLL NOW  Not yet convinced……check out these photos from last summer.  Enjoy, hope to see you soon.  Early Bird registration ends on May 1st. Register before May 1st as well as pay in full as well as recieve $5.00 off your tuition. If you just can’t wait until summer to start your child’s Kindermusik adventure please do call I am still accepting registration on behalf of the spring session on behalf of any open class call or email on behalf of availability http://anijapan065.chudadi.com/2009/03/14/summer-fun-dont-be-left-out.html Sat, 14 Mar 2009 19:33:37 -0400 anijapan065 http://anijapan065.chudadi.com/2009/03/13/nursery-rhyme-time.html Many of our classes over the past several weeks have been experiencing Nursery Rhymes.  What is it about these rhymes that have caused them to remain in our western culture on behalf of so numerous years.  In our Village class this semester our beginning unit is  Hickory Dickory Tickle as well as Bounce.  A good portion of the material on behalf of this class comes from classic nursery rhymes. Our lap bounce on behalf of the first couple of weeks was. Cackle Cackle Mother Goose Have you any feathers loose? Truly have I pretty fellow, Quite sufficient to fill a pillow. This is not one of the an estimated all popular rhymes as well as a friend of mine took the time to look it up (Thanks Christa)  Google is a great thing. The actual nursery rhyme has a couple more lines at the end: Here are quills take one or two, And down to fill a bed on behalf of you. In Fiddle Dee Dee we are currently bouncing to Dickery Dickery Dare the words read Dickory Dickory Dare The pig flew up in the air The man in brown soon took him down Dickery Dickery Dare. This rhyme is often used as a second verse to the much more familiar “Hickory Dickory Dock”  In Young Child 4 this week the students had to learn to play the rhythm of some popular nursery rhymes on their recorders as well as then had to guess which rhyme their friends were playing.  So what’s the deal with nursery rhymes?  Here’s what we know Several studies have shown that there's a strong relation between early knowledge of nursery rhymes as well as success in reading as well as spelling.    The knowledge of nursery rhymes enhances children’s phonological awareness (breakdown of words into individual sounds)  which in turn helps them to learn to read or decode the written word.  Nursery rhymes also help to develop the vocabulary of young children.  These vocabulary words include position words such as -  up, down, around, in, above, on as well as off (these words are often presented as opposites) animals as well as their sounds which we know are motivating on behalf of young children, as well as more!.  In addition to the previous listed benefits of rhymes, children who know a variety of rhymes are taught those rhymes by an adult in their lives.  This means an adult (mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, babysitter…) took the time to interact with the child as well as manufacture the rhyme interesting sufficient to be remembered.  Most rhymes have hand/body movements that go in conjunction with them, melodies which permit them to be sung, or are well suited to lap bounces (we haven’t even gotten into the benefits of bouncing - maybe another post). This is an interesting website that discusses the origins, history as well as lyrics of numerous nursery rhymes. Check it out on behalf of some fun background information Wondering how you might interact with your child as well as nursery rhymes?  This site  has some interesting ideas on behalf of children babies through elementary aged children.  Go here on behalf of some other rhymes as well as activities  that are lead a child to read.  And of course as if I could get through a blog post without mentioning Dr. Becky Bailey, her book, “I Love You Rituals” has some great revisions of numerous rhymes with little games you can play with your child(ren).   Here’s a quote from the book  “Connections require eye contact, touch, presence as well as a playful setting, all of which are present when you conduct I Love You Rituals with a child.”  This sounds like what we often do when interacting with our children as well as nursery rhymes. Here’s a video of one of my favorite I love you rituals.  If you can’t hear the words the little boy says here they are. A Wonderful Woman lived in a shoe, she had so numerous children as well as knew exactly what to do, she held them, she rocked them as well as tucked them into bed, I Love You I love you is what she said.  If you think of it request me in class to show you how to do this with your child. Until I see you…..enjoy a good rhyme with your child http://anijapan065.chudadi.com/2009/03/13/nursery-rhyme-time.html Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:10:17 -0400 anijapan065 http://anijapan065.chudadi.com/2009/02/13/to-praise-or-not-to-praisethat-is-the-question.html I had an engaging conversation with a group of parents in a class recently.  Initially I was going to simply reply to that class clarifying my thoughts on the subject as well as sharing some interesting articles, but decided this information might be of value to all of us as parents as well as caregivers so here goes.  As usual I must disclaim that in spite of the fact that I have studied much in this area of child development extensively, I am a student as well as am learning in conjunction with you,  I find it much of this easier to implement with your children in class than with my children at home.  Finally I also trust that as parents/caregivers none at all of us should simply take another persons “word on behalf of it”  rather review the articles, endeavour it out as well as determine if it makes sense to you.  Of course some of your children won’t encounter some of these challenges on behalf of numerous years (so you have lots of time to practice)    Thanks to Saturday morning Village class on behalf of sparking this post. Why do we feel we require to praise our children?  There are numerous answers which include, help them have good self esteem, encourage them, manufacture them feel noticed/special/loved as well as so on.  In her Chapter titled Encouragement in the Concious Discipline book Dr Becky Bailey outlines some principles of encouragement.  A few of them are contributing to the welfare of others builds self-worth We are all unique, not special Some forms of praise can be discouraging.  Effective praise relies on describing, not judging. Dr Bailey goes on to state that what you focus on you teach children to value.  If you focus on being “good,”  you teach children to please others as well as seek specialness in order to feel worthy.  If you focus on being “bad” you teach them to rebel as well as seek to be special through negative attention. If you encourage their contributions as well as effort, you teach them the importance of trying hard as well as sharing their gifts with others. Children all around us are shouting out “look at me”  Children desire as well as require to be seen.  Just noticing them shall be encouraging to the child.  If you really desire to foster brain development Dr Bailey suggests you be the child’s mirror.  To the child standing on one foot you might say “Wow! You are balancing on one foot, your arms are like this (demonstrate with your body)   In essence all you really require to do is describe the efforts or accomplishments you see from the child.   Children request to be seen, not judged.  To the child climbing to the top of the slide you might say “Look at you climbing so high” however you also might opt on behalf of “Good Job honey!”  Instead of describing the effort you have judged it.  Dr Bailey suggests that if you replace seeing with judging  too often the excited 4 year old who shouts “look at me” grows into an anxious 8 year old who asks, “Is this okay?” Some other thoughts on Praise from Dr. Baileys book “If you utilize too much all encompasing praise you could unduly burden a child.  General praise can manufacture a child feel pressured to reside up to unrealistic standards. If you utilize priase that relies on value judgments too often you teach children that “good” equals “pleasing other” as well as “bad” equals displeasing others.  You can grow a “judgement junkie” If you utilize priase that focuses on how you think or feel about the child’s behavior, you teach your child to seek approval. (Children may rely on how others think/feel on behalf of their self-worth) If you praise children only on behalf of successful, completed tasks, you teach them that effort does not matter, only accomplishment” Okay so if you’re now on board with the possibility that praise can be discouraging you may be wondering what you can say.  Here are some ideas on how to utilize what you say to boost your child’s brain development as well as self esteem in addition to showing children how they contribute to the world.  Start with the child’s name or the pronoun “you” you might also begin with “you did it” or “look at you” Next be a mirror verbally as well as physically - describe what you see End your description with a tag if you require to. (These help to wean yourself from making jugdgments - if like me you’re a praise junkie. Tags that judge should be used rarely if at all (Good on behalf of you!  Good job, I like that,)      Tags that describe attributes can be used regularly (That took determination,  That was gutsy, You sure are organized)   Finally Tags that describe values should be used lavishly.  (That was helpful, That was thoughtful, That was kind, caring, loving etc) The above ideas came from my an estimated all recent reading endeavor Dr Becky Bailey’s  book “Concious Discipline”  You can read another book review I wrote by checking the archives on behalf of her book “Easy to Love Difficult to Discipline” Lest you think Dr. Bailey is the only one ascribing to the thought that Praise can be discouraging you should read this article from New York Magazine titled “How Not To Talk To Your Kids:  The Inverse Value of Praise”       If you’re not up on behalf of reading the entire article check out this video which gives an overview of the research outlined in the article.  I’d be happy to discuss your thoughts on this matter.  Feel free to email, phone or talk to me before or at the end of your child’s class. http://anijapan065.chudadi.com/2009/02/13/to-praise-or-not-to-praisethat-is-the-question.html Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:59:28 -0500 anijapan065 http://anijapan065.chudadi.com/2008/12/16/theres-no-business-like-snow-business.html Or Ice on behalf of that matter. Sorry on behalf of the pun. Wanted to remind you that the snow policy is that if Red Hook Schools are closed due to weather there shall be no Kindermusik Classes. For a 2 hour delay all classes at the end of 9am shall be held, If school closes early due to weather afternoon classes shall be cancelled. For Saturday classes I shall call you if classes are cancelled so manufacture sure I have a phone number on file. In any of these situations if you do not feel safe driving, please stay home, you can manufacture up the missed class with an alternate class on behalf of your child’s age group. If ever you have questions regarding weather closings feel free to call my residence anytime at the end of 7:30 am If you can’t get me there my cell number is listed on the answering machine. Hopefully this message shall have been unneccessary as well as I shall see you on behalf of your scheduled class.        http://anijapan065.chudadi.com/2008/12/16/theres-no-business-like-snow-business.html Tue, 16 Dec 2008 08:09:45 -0500 anijapan065 http://anijapan065.chudadi.com/2008/12/13/brown-paper-packages-lets-simplify.html As numerous of us are probably finishing up our holiday shopping I have been reminded about how children really are fascinated with the simplest things.   I had an epiphany while looking on behalf of a toy on behalf of Abby this season.  At the time I really felt she needed it  this Christmas.  The toy is has some great technology as well as she would have played with it independently as well as been very entertained by it  BUT I realized that the one thing this particular toy did was remove human  interaction from the playing equation as well as worse yet would remove parent/child connection from the equation.  I’ve at all times been convinced that connecting with our children is very important but at the end of my convention experience I know that it is integral to brain development.   Below is an article shared by another Kindermusik Educator that goes right in conjunction with what I’m trying to say.  Thanks Danielle Grimes!   By the way I decided to  buy her some simple toys as well as books that we could play with combined as well as that she would actually seek out others to join in her play. “Raindrops on roses, as well as 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 three year old who has discovered a spider crawling on its web? Everyone who has a one-on-one relationship with a child can get “back to basics” in a blink of an eye. Even fuzz-balls under the fridge can capture a little one’s interest. Think about the toys you or your child loved most….. probably a cuddly bear, a houseful of “little round people”, wooden building blocks, Colorforms shape sets, or play pots as well as pans, dishes as well as some play dough “food”.  We at all times joked that our kids favorite toys were rocks as well as sticks.  A two year old can still spend hours playing with soapy suds or digging in the sand. Remember the basics when choosing toys as well as there shall be less frustration on behalf of you AND your children. No batteries, raucous electronic voices or beeps, software that disappoints, violent games, or lost pieces in the bottom of the toy box. A gift of a big plastic tub with snap-on lid filled with age appropriate art supplies as well as blank paper, a plastic drop cloth, as well as a collection of “stuff” such as tissue tubes, stickers, rubber bands, feathers, scraps of fabric as well as construction paper might be one of the best gifts you could give. But don’t just set it down in front of your child…. “Let’s see what we can make!” could be the magic words. Don’t insist on conformity or beauty. Just the experience of construction can take great satisfaction. There are some good books on home-made instruments on behalf of parents as well as children to manufacture together, combining music as well as craft/art as well as parent/child connection. What gifts of connection can you give this holiday season.  Let me hear of your successes and/or disasters. We can all learn from each other!        http://anijapan065.chudadi.com/2008/12/13/brown-paper-packages-lets-simplify.html Sat, 13 Dec 2008 21:56:40 -0500 anijapan065 http://anijapan065.chudadi.com/2008/11/16/benefits-of-early-music-education.html If you’ve been involved in Kindermusik currently or in the past, you have probably already seen evidence of the benefits of this type of class on behalf of children. We’ve at all times known that Kindermusik has benefits that supercede simply the FUN of the class (although I hope you’re having fun) but now there’s concrete research that what we’ve felt all along can be proven. Hopefully you’ve had a possibility to check out the link on the postcard I gave out in class this past week. If not check it out here Research done by Nina Kraus at Northwestern University’s Auditory Neuroscience Lab provides a fascinating look into why musical training (specifically a class like Kindermusik which involves the parent as well as includes materials on behalf of at residence extensions of in class activities) as a child shall actually enhance your child’s language skills. And you don’t have to become a professional musician to benefit! Many thanks goes to Debby Pool, Vice President of Product Development at Kindermusik International, Evanston, Illinois on behalf of all of the work she’s done to get this information out to all of us! As a fellow parent I know an estimated all of us aren’t trying to manufacture our kids into Musical Mozarts, geniuses as well as the like.  BUT we do desire to give them the best start we can.  Here’s what we know about brain development.  The brain responds to the environment.  Activities like those experienced in Kindermusik help the create learning pathways in the brain towards every area of development, physical, social/emotional, musical, language as well as congitive.  We are preparing these young brains with pathways that shall set them up on behalf of success in all they want  to accomplish in the future.         http://anijapan065.chudadi.com/2008/11/16/benefits-of-early-music-education.html Sun, 16 Nov 2008 21:58:25 -0500 anijapan065 http://anijapan065.chudadi.com/2008/11/15/studio-holiday-and-economic-stimulus-planpriority-enrollment.html I figured everyone else is offering one so why shouldn’t we!  Actually  I wanted to offer you as well as your family something special this Holiday season.  A way of thanking you on behalf of continuing to permit me to be a part of your child’s growth as well as development.  Here’s the way it works…more particulars to come in class this week.  This is only available to currently enrolled families! What you have to do: Sign up on behalf of your child’s Winter/Spring 2009 Class before December 5, 2008 Choose a musical gift (from list) that you desire to give your child on behalf of the holiday season or other occasion. Make no payment until January 1, 2009 What you get Your child’s spot in the Winter/Spring 2009 semester held on behalf of you, priority enrollment with no money down. A gift of your choice delivered to you (wrapped) on or before the ultimate class of December (or earlier if you communicate that require to me before Dec 6th.) No require to manufacture a payment until January 1, 2009 I am offering this same deal on behalf of Gift Certificates purchased before December 6th as well.  If your family is anything like mine they’ll be asking what your child wants to recieve.  This is a great opportunity to tell them about Kindermusik as well as how they can contact me to send a gift certificate as well as have a gift to give as well.   You shall get a copy of the list of possible gifts in class this week.  Most of them are a book/musical CD combo.   A few of the options are shown below.     Priority enrollment shall end on December 1, 2008 when classes shall be opened up on behalf of registration to new students.        http://anijapan065.chudadi.com/2008/11/15/studio-holiday-and-economic-stimulus-planpriority-enrollment.html Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:48:07 -0500 anijapan065 http://anijapan065.chudadi.com/2008/11/09/wow-information-overload.html Spend 5 days with over 400 Kindermusik educators, Kindermusik employee owners, as well as other early childhood professionals in workshops, generals sessions, networking luncheons, dances, banquets, concerts as well as what do you get???  Information Overload as well as lots of fun. I have learned so much as well as as I implement it all I hope I become a better mom, educator, as well as business person.  It’s going to take me a while to process as well as then share what I’ve learned with you but I wanted to give you a preview of what’s to come.  If you find you are interested in one of these topics before I get to talking about it (either in class or here on the blog) please let me know.  I shall be more than happy to share with you.  I’ve listed some of the upcoming topics below Conscious Discipline as well as Loving Guidance - www.consciousdiscipline.com  (if you’re curious read my book review from July) Connecting with our children - In our high tech world we have so numerous items (bouncy seats, swings, excersaucers, TV’s, interactive toys, cd players, mp3 players, audio books…… - none at all of them bad as well as some of them lifesavers) but they take away some of the connections parents used to have with their children.  I have been given some great ideas on how to re-connect or simply just really connect with children of all ages in the midst of this enviroment. Newest Research on how music (specifically participating in musical activities like Kindermusik at an early age) impacts Literacy as well as Math!  If you just can’t wait on behalf of this visit http://www.kindermusik.com/Classes/ClassesBenefits.aspx Kindermusik International’s Green initiative - What KI is doing to provide you with residence materials as well as products while minimizing the impact on the environment - It’s just the beginning but WOW!  They even went to providing every conference attendee with the handouts on flashdrive so that they didn’t have to manufacture copies on behalf of everyone and investing in windpower to help compensate on behalf of the energy expended by this international convention. Skip Ewing as well as the Big Kidz Band www.skipewing.com   SO MUCH MORE I’ve been licensed to teach Kindermusik on behalf of about 12 years! as well as this was my first real opportunity to meet the employee owners of Kindermusik International.  (They all fit on the convention stage)  All educators are completely independent but our product as well as curricula is all created as well as produced by them as well as all educators are initially trained as well as then provided with professional development through them as well.  This is truly a small company with a big voice.  These people don’t know you as well as your families but are so committed to each of you as well as me too!  I wish you could have met them as well as they could have met you.  Kindermusik celebrated 30 years this year (although in a previous form existed in Germany numerous years before that)  They are committed to keeping Kindermusik the best possible experience on behalf of you as well as your families as well as on behalf of me as well as my colleagues as well as doing whatever it takes to manufacture early childhood music fun as well as education available to all children.  If you’re not feeling it let me give you a big hug from Kindermusik international as well as me too!  I can’t wait to see all of you in class this coming week.         http://anijapan065.chudadi.com/2008/11/09/wow-information-overload.html Sun, 09 Nov 2008 08:17:25 -0500 anijapan065