Kindermusik with Kathy's Music appreciates Moms!

Mom's deserve a night off, whether it's in person or virtually!  Check out what's going on around the country with National "Mom's Night Out!" hosted by Mom Talk Radio.  To learn more, visit MomsNiteOut.com.

So why does Miss Kathy teach Kindermusik?

Just found this photograph today. It's a picture of my daughter, Lyndsey, and her Kindermusik Teacher, Miss Theresa.  It was taken the day that Lyndsey finished her first year of Kindermusik for the Young Child in May of 1999.  That's 10 years ago.  

Kindermusik was such a wonderful educational and social experience for Lyndsey and her sister, Sara.  My husband and I became believers in this program early on when we first attended classes with our children.  So, when Theresa Case asked me if I would become a Kindermusik teacher for her program in Greenville, South Carolina, there was only one answer.  The curricula is age-appropriate, rich, and engaging.  I believe that being a Kindermusik educator - having the opportunity to change lives and help make good parenting easier - is my life's best work.

Now 10 years later, I've been teaching for 9 years and running my own program in Pittsburgh - Mt. Lebanon, McMurray, Squirrel Hill, and Washington - for 5 years.  It all started with moments like the ones you see above, where we celebrated the joy of musical learning with teachers who really cared about my children.  

Thank you, Theresa, and Kindermusik International!

Visual Arts in Kindermusik

"I walked to school."

This week in our Imagine That! class for ages 3-5, parents and children are creating "photo books" with pictures that the children take or that are taken of them as they go through their day through the "city."   Photographs and stories about the past help preschool children develop their own sense of identity over time. Concrete documentation, such as photographs, allow children to reconstruct stories and express memories. And as children tell stories of past events, narrative and sequencing skills are being developed.

The visual arts “are a universal language, with a symbolic way of representing the wordl. But they also allow us to understand other cultures and provide for healthy emotional expression....They can enhance cognition, emotional expression, perception, cultural awareness, and aesthetics...” (Arts with the Brain in Mind, by Eric Jenson pg. 49) The visual arts are an integral part of Kindermusik classes. Through our Cities! Unit, your children are invited to draw (Family Activity 13), sculpt (Family Activity 6), build (Family Activity 12) and photograph (Family Activity 7). These art activities help children develop spatial awareness as they learn how to estimate depth and distances, which can lead to an increased success in sports, engineering and even driving a car. The arts also help children develop fine-motor skills and an attention to detail. Kindermusik encourages children in their artistic pursuits as well as their music education and overall brain development.

Kindermusik with Kathy's Music Boosts Your Child's Brain Potential

What's the difference between rituals and routines?  We'll explore this and the four goals of "I Love You" Rituals in our new baby class that starts this week.  For the next 8 weeks in "Rhythms of My Day", you'll learn how "I Love You" rituals boost your child's brain potential based on Becky Bailey's book "I Love You Rituals." Plus, we'll explore the value of routines.

Join us for a weekly musical learning experience for Parents and their babies, ages 0 to 18 months.  For more information, see KathysMusic.com or call (412) 344-0535.  We'd love to have you!

As part of our March Music Madness we're offering this 8 week unit for $108, including Home Materials of Home CD, Board Book, Instrument, and Posters. Enroll today!

Kindermusik & The Irish Pajama Jam!

Last Thursday, Kindermusik with Kathy's Music presented their first Kindermusik Irish Pajama Jam for families to enjoy the music and folk lore surrounding St. Patrick's Day.  Over 24 people join us as we sang and made a class "rainbow" that leads to the "pot-o-gold."  We drummed to the sounds of a Kindermusik favorite, "Gary Owen," and searched for the leprechaun as we sang "O Where, O Where Has My Leprechaun Gone."  Plus, we enjoyed a favorite St. Patrick's Day story.  It's fun for the whole family.  

Because of the demand (we had 8 families on the waiting list), we've added another Irish Pajama Jam to our March Calendar on Thursday, March 26th at 6:30 PM at our Mt. Lebanon Studio.  The cost is $10 per child.  Contact me today to reserve your space and don't forget to wear your PJ's or your "Green."  It's all part of March Music Madness with Kathy's Music.

Have a March Musical Day!

Yes, we (you and your children) really do need to drink more water!

Did you know that water is critical for your child to learn and to use his brain effectively?  That goes for adults, too.  In the book, "Brain Gym," the author offers some startling statistics:

-Recent Statistics related to the dehydration of the human body which is 100% preventable in US:
-75% of Americans are "chronically dehydrated" (compared to 50% of world)
-70% of preschoolers drink no water during school day

-Here is a website with a neat list of conditions that are related to, caused or exacerbated by dehydration: http://www.healthy-water-best-filters.com/symptoms-dehydration.html.

-Up to 70 percent of our body is water but @85% of the Brain is Water, needed for electrical current.
Muscle is made up of about 75 percent water.
Fat is made up of about 50 percent water.
Bones, too, are about 50 percent water.
Brain is made up of about 85 percent water

-A website commentary by BJ Madewell with insights on our young children’s learning & dehydration:
http://www.addchoices.com/water_for_your_brain.htm

I will be sharing more about "Brain Gym" and offering some practical ways to Maximize Your Child's Learning Potential during our first Mom's Night Out on Wednesday, March 25th.  It's all part of our March Music Madness with Kathy's Music.

Special thanks to Betsy Flanagan for these website resources!   Betsy is a dear friend who runs a "model" Kindermusik program in Wisconsin.  See http://www.musicalpathways.net for more info on her program. 

Creating & Playing Together - Board games in Kindermusik Imagine That!

Meet Brett Skerbetz and his brother, Aaron.

They are working together on a board game activity as part of our Kindermusik Imagine That class for ages 3 to 5.  The children were invited to make a board game using pictures of food & items that might be sold by street vendors in the "city."  This activity blossomed into "family togetherness" as the boys worked together to create their vendor game board.  Then it came time to play the game -- see Brett pictured below doing just that! So what's really happening here?

I'm observing creativity, cooperative play, cognitive skills (who is a street vendor and how do I play the game) , fine motor skills (cutting, gluing), focus, and fun, fun, fun!  This is all part of the reason that Kindermusik class is such an effective learning environment for children. 

It's age-appropriate instruction that is engaging and has many layers of learning in a child-centered environment that promotes whole-child development, fun, and a life-long love of learning.

Why play board games? Games offer an integrated mode of play that affects all learning domains for preschoolers.  Playing board games provides opportunities for children to learn new skills - turn taking, singing, matching, story telling, and counting - and encourages children to consolidate previous learning.  It also creates play situations in which children can:

• practice solving problems and develop flexible thinking
  
• prompts children to develop creativity and aesthetic appreciation
  
• it enables children to learn about learning
  
• it gives children the opportunity to play and learn in a safe environment