Making a bell this week?

Imagine That classes are making bells at home this week. I have found a few links but this one eld the most promise. Check out Kabubble.

Here are a few more

Making a Pie Pan Tambourine

A tambourine is both a drum and a shaker. Make one from stuff you find around the house.

• Find two aluminum foil pie pans -- the kind from frozen pies.

• Put them together with the bottoms facing out. Use duct tape, packing tape or stapes to fasten the edges together halfway around, making a pocket.

• Put a handful of dry rice, popcorn or beans in the pocket.

• Fasten the rest of the way around the edge.

• Decorate with stickers, feathers, strips of paper fastened around the edges, or whatever you like.

Shake it! Slap it!


CHIMES

ruler or stick
washers
nail polish
string
mixing spoon

Hang the washers from the ruler or stick with pieces of string by wrapping the string around the ruler or stick and securing. Strike the washers with the mixing spoon to play.

Note: You can make this craft colorful by painting the washers first with different color nail polishes, such as red, gold, glittery, etc. Parents should supervise this part of the activity closely.



HAND BELLS

2 paper towel rolls
hole punch
4 jingle bells
string or yarn

Punch a hole in each end of the paper towel rolls. Tie two jingle bells to each side of the paper towel rolls by running string or yarn through the holes and carefully tying off.

Shake to play.

Have fun and let creativity and imagination run wild! Record the band's first song and play back for some great giggle time. Enjoy!

Farm Animal Friends

Your kids will like this video of Gwendolyn and the Good Time Gang. It is as cute as can be. I also had a sneaky suspicion that there might be more to Gwendolyn than pig tails and back up singers with great boots. I was not disappointed, infact I was inspired by her website. Grateful that an accomplished creative musician is making great music for all ages. If you like the hidden from the airwaves talent of indie artists check out some of her other work.

No?

The average toddler hears NO!!! or receives a stern look about every 9 minutes of their waking day. Those particular adult reactions to toddler behavior sends the toddler's hind brain into action. When this happens the prefrontal lobes, which hold reasoning, consequential thinking, and other important brain function are not getting sufficient blood to practice when this happens.

Here are some ideas that might come in handy if want to say no without saysing "NO"

Tell the child what TO do.
Get the child’s attention before communicating, touch them on the shoulder or hand...
Say the child’s name.
Use a gesture, move so you get into her visual field.
Show him an object or other visual cue to get him to look at you.
Help them know what TO do.
Using your singing voice calms you and the child.
Use a prompt, hand him a tissue instead of saying “Don’t wipe your nose on your sleeve.”
Use a gesture. Gestures can guide her to appropriate behavior. Point to the coat hookinstead of “Don’t drop your coat on the floor.”
Model what you want
Offer “Let’s do it together.” That can encourage children to do things with more enthusiasm.
Say “Oh, oh” “Oops!” “Look!” Then point to what needs to be done.
Take a deep breath..... and exhale.
STOP!

Click HERE for another great and more indepth list of how to say no - positively

Thanks to Kindermusik educators Yvette in Holland MI and Mollie in Greenville SC for these great tips.

Happy Siblings Day

To my 5 fun loving, smart, hard working brothers and sisters - Happy Siblings Day!
(from left) Christa, Helen, Jenny Don, Elizabeth, Charlie

Autism Speaks

WATCH NOW

Please take a moment to view this beautiful video about autism. The band Five for Fighting will donate $0.49 to Autism Speaks everytime the video is viewed. Pass it on to family and friends too.

More Eggs?

If you haven't quite had enough with coloring eggs, egg hunts, etc. Here is a sweet website that has some fun egg games, eggtivities, egg jokes and more. If you have had enough - save it fr next Easter.

SPCO Family Music Series

Mozart		Menuetto from Finale to Act I of Don Giovanni
Handel		Selections from Water Music
Dvorák		Slavonic Dance No. 9 in C
Stravinsky		Three Dances from The Soldier's Tale
Bunch		"Groovebox Variations" from Swing Shift
Copland		"Hoe Down" from Rodeo

Can't stop moving to the music? People around the world have been dancing as long as they've been making music. The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra is joined by Indian dancer and choreographer Ranee Ramaswamy as well as Dance Revels, a troupe of dancers who show us how to dance the Minuet.

This Family Concert Series on Saturday mornings at the Ordway is a wonderful treat for everyone - as we continue to wait for the warm weather --

Happy Easter

What about those Eggs on Easter Sunday? (from The Writer's Almanac)

The word "Easter" comes from an ancient pagan goddess worshipped by Anglo Saxons named Eostre. According to legend, Eostre once saved a bird whose wings had frozen during the winter by turning it into a rabbit. Because the rabbit had once been a bird, it could still lay eggs, and that rabbit became our Easter Bunny. Eggs were a symbol of fertility in part because they used to be so scarce during the winter. There are records of people giving each other decorated eggs at Easter as far back as the 11th century.

Principles of Fun

watch it, it is fun.

Its Elizabeth's Birthday week

Clearly, I don't have enough pictures of my sister Elizabeth. Although I was blaming the tardyness of this happy birthday on the renovations that have taken over the house, I just can't find the "right" picture was my mantra. Finally, I found the photo albums, and alas - there are too few pictures of Elizabeth at my house.

Still, I love this picture! Elizabeth, remember this - our first trip to Nebraska. A hot week on the prairie, lazy days on the beach covered with small and fragile sun flowers - so quiet warm and windy. There have been many trips to the ranch since this picture was taken in 1993 (?) Judging by the color of my hair - and our size.

It is a treat and an adventure to be your sister - It was you who introduced me to peaches and cream, Bob Marley, Eva Cassidy a Nod to Bob - which even I love. You drove me to piano lessons with Mr. Belman every week, you helped me move and move and move. Just watching you live is an inspiration. You are beautiful, your heart, your home, your children, your way.

Easter Cards

Thanks to my friend Sarah who sent me a list of 25 great free things. This is my favorite for today. Free Greeting cards from Hipster cards. E-cards are getting cuter all the time. Here is a page full of Easter Greetings to share

Summer Time

At Kindermusik of the Valley we have something for EVERYONE this summer.
From BUSY DAYS for our littlest babies to JAZZ KITCHEN for our aspiring musicians (and chefs). MARVELOUS ME to share with your child or MARVELOUS ME & FRIENDS for those who are ready to start having a class of their own! SIGN&SING and FAMILY TIME will fill your heads with songs as you go HERE THERE AND EVERYWHERE this summer!

The summer schedule is up on our website just click HERE to surf over, or give me a call: 952-895-9006

Thanks Michael!

Look what we got to play with today at Kindermusik! Thanks to Michael Carvale who is Tucker's (electric) Bass teacher. He brought this baby bass by on Sunday night. Michael plays with the "must see" Davina and the Vagabonds all around the Twin Cities and points east. It was so fun to get our hands on this HUGE instrument. We strumed the strings top and bottom, rubbed them up and down, tapped on the body, and bowed a little bit too.

Thank you Tammy - Vincent's mom, always ready to snap a cute picture!

Dancing around the world

This is a great video that features Matt, a regular guy who loves to travel and dance. He taped video of himself dancing all over the world. Let me know which is your favorite.

The Treble Clef

Kindermusik students experimented drawing treble clefs this week with great result. It is fun to draw something that looks so hard and swirly - with ease and success. The magic of Kindermusik.

drumming created

Watch this little boy compose and create a drumming masterpiece.

What kids can do with music, is a lot. (thanks Molly)

Great Opera and Orchestra

The world famous Sydney Opera House. If we were in Austrailia this is the place for Opera. Today a Kindermusik parent asked me about appropriate opera for her son who seems suddenly interested in the stories and sounds of the opera. It warms my heart to hear this, and I am not surprised. I just finished working on a project for Kindermusik International where we used Mozart's Magic Flute as the basis for a whole curriculum. In pilot classes with 4 and 5 year olds we had remarkable participation, and interest in the sounds and story.

Serendipitously, a blog I check regularly written by Mollie Greene has listed several wonderful starting classics for children. Here is Mollie's list, I couldn't agree more. Children love to be challeneged with what they hear. Pick up a few of these, they are classics, easily found at the library if you want to try them before you buy.

If you’re not familiar with classical music yourself, choosing music that will inspire your children to make broad musical choices may be difficult for you.

First of all, Congratulations! Enrolling your children in Kindermusik is a great ways to start exposing your children to new musical genres. In Kindermusik, your home cds include music from other countries and a variety of musical styles.

The following is a list of recordings to purchase or to borrow that are not only appealing to young children, but are a part of classic repertoire with which everyone should be familiar. Give them a listen and let your teacher know what you think about them. Pass them on to friends and family. Most of all, listen to them over and over again yourself!

• Peter and the Wolf, Tchaikovsky
• Carnival of the Animals, Saint Saens
• 1001 Nights, Rimsky-Korsakov
• Cinderella, Suite from the Ballet, Prokofiev
• The Story of Babar, Poulenc
• The World’s Very Best Opera for Kids, in English
• The Classical Child at the Opera
• Mozart’s Magnificent Voyage, Mozart
• A Journey Through the Magic Flute, Mozart
• Cello Suites, Bach
• Vivaldi I & II

winter white

A beautiful white winter morning. So much snow for Dinah to run through, dive into, frolic and leap - the snow is deeper than her stomach in most places and she has to jump the whole way. What amazing exercize that music be. Snow shoes keep me from falling all the way through the snow to the solid ground, it is hard work though and we are hot on the inside while chilly on the outside. What a gift this, an almost spring time snow. A lazy day for the family, looking forward to a day of rosey cheeks.

Beautiful sculpture

Imagine That classes are looking at and playing with STAUTES. Here is a cool website by artist Jen Stark who has made beautiful sculpture from colored construction paper. Visit her amazing work and be inspired. I can't wait to see the sculptures made from our Imagine That kids in the next two weeks!

Thank you to my Kindermusik collegue from Kansas City for this site.

Snow Day

Kindermusik classes for Thursday night. Stay home. Stay safe. Have fun.