Flowers sweet, Flowers sweet

Yesterday, the parents from one of my Kindermusik classes brightened my day by sending flowers. What a sweet and unexpected gesture! Thank you for thinking of me. I'll be thinking of you for the rest of the week!

And because most things in life remind me of a Kindermusik song, here's one from our "Dew Drops" unit for babies:

"Flowers sweet, flowers sweet, smell the flowers sweet."

"Flowers sweet, flowers sweet, drop them to your feet."

Anyone remember smelling the carnations in class with their babies? Or rubbing the soft flower petals on cheeks, hands, and feet? Yet, another great activity that is full of multi-sensory learning.

Family Time = Bonding Time!

Dear Family Time Parents - It's been a wonderful experience to spend time together for the last 10 weeks.  Our musical trips to a friend's house, the park, the city, the aquarium, and the farm are coming to a close as we wrap up our semester this week.  As you sing and play at home, enjoy our Farm activities, both old and new.  Singing and playing "Old MacDonald" is so much fun!

You can enhance baby's experience with this song by turning her around so she can see your face. This will allow you to better engage your baby in a game of vocal play with animal sounds.  After making an animal sound, such as baa, wait a moment to give your baby time to imitate.

Your toddler will love to imitate moving with you to "Old MacDonald." Have fun galloping like a horse, rolling like a pig and crawling like a cat.  Your preschooler will love including puppets or stuffed animals to this familiar song.  Have fun creating silly voices and sounds for all your animals.  Vocal play boost language development!

As we come to the end of our ten weeks together, I'd lik eto thank you all for sharing your family with me.  If you've not yet re-enrolled in Family Time for the next semester, call or email today so that you can your family can enroll in the next class.

And again, thank you for sharing your family with me!

Gathering Drums Big Hit!

"Come they told me, pa rum pum pum...." Check out these Gathering Drums.  They are such a big hit from babies on up.  We use a variety of drums in all of our Kindermusik classes.  Check out these 2 video clips of Drum Exploration.  Children learn best through multi-sensory play (touch, look, listen, discovery).  

  

Did you know?  When children drum along to the rhythms in a song or to their own names, they practice careful listening and pattern recognition.  This is one way children hear sounds in words - a skill necessary for word recognition, speaking, reading, and writing (adapted from "Show and Tell").

To learn more about the benefits of Kindermusik classes as they relate to Literacy and Math, click here.

Want one of these Gathering Drums for family fun at home like Ethan a

nd Logan?  So far we found the best price at West Music.

Happy New Year and Happy Drumming whether using Gathering Drums from Remo or Folgers Coffee Cans!

Creating Connections!

Just returned from our Kindermusik Convention in Raleigh, NC.  I am thrilled with all the new connections I was able to make with other Kindermusik Educators around the world - in the US, Canada, Bermuda, Germany, Australia, China, Phillipines, and more.  Meet me friends to the right:  Amy, Helen, and Katie.  (Ginger was feeding her baby and couldn't be in the picture!)  These are my fellow PKE Board members and some of the most wonderful and inspiring women I know!  We spent 4 days sharpening our teaching and business skills and learning so much from each other.  

One of the things we celebrated at convention was Kindermusik's 30th birthday!  I'm looking forward to the next 30 years of Kindermusik starting today --- as we continue to bring the best in early childhood music classes to families around the world.  

As a result of one session I attended, I decided to start my own blog.  Special thanks to my friend, Helen, in Minnesota.  She's been inspiring me with her blog for a couple of years now! I'm finally ready to do this thing.  

Being with other educators in all those session was such a motivating experience!!  Looking forward to connecting with more educators next year as we hold events around the country.  But for now, I'm just thrilled to be back home with my family.  They are the best!