A Great Day

This is a great day for writers. Three of my favorites were born today.
Louisa Mae Alcott (1832),
Madeleine d'Engle (1918)
C.S. Lewis (1898)

C.S. Lewis said, "You can't get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." Nice.

Read more about this creative geniuses at The Writers Almanac

Family Favorites

The MOMS club of Eagan - West has compiled a Family Favorites Cookbook.
There are over 450 recipes from members and their
family and friends. (including me!) There is also a nice celebrity
section with recipes from local celebrities to name a
few... Gov. Tim Pawlenty, local news personalities
like Amelia Santinello, Radio talk show hosts, Harmon
Killebrew (Twins hall-of-famer) and Minnesota Twin,
Joe Mauer. In this section, we also have several
recipes from restaurants such as Applebee's, Famous
Daves, Cue and the Guthrie and Marshall Fields.
The cookbooks are $12 each. They make great stocking
stuffers, teacher gifts, and/or family gifts!!
All proceeds will be used to support The Lewis House,
a local Eagan shelter for battered women and their
children. Thank you for supporting this wonderful cause.

A Tea Party

Here is a blog posting from Molly Greene, Kindermusik educator from Greenville SC. She recalls the special memories of having tea time with her mom as a child, enjoy.

Here’s a cup,
And here’s a cup,
And here’s a pot of tea.
Pour a cup,
And pour a cup,
And have a drink with me!

When I was a child my mother would make tea for us to drink together on cold winter afternoons. Though my mother never sweetened or used milk in her tea, the warmed milk and sugar in my own tea cup was called “Cambric tea,” something my grandmother served to my mother when she herself was a child.

Although it happened often enough, taking tea with my mother using grown up teacups and saucers, stirring in my own sugar and milk as my mother overlooked (without worry for the china) the splashes and puddles from the hurricane of my spoon, all of it made me feel special and burned into my memory that I was important enough to engage in grown up chit-chat and sipping.

Whether you’re enrolled in Our Time’s Milk & Cookies this semester or not, but especially if you are, why not take time to have tea with your child, and often?

Cambric Tea
Tea Treats to Bake Together
Wooden Tea Sets for Pretend Play

Music to Take Tea By

happy Thanksgivign!

Today is Thanksgiving Day, the day Americans express gratitude for their good fortune by eating one of the biggest meals of the year. Americans as a whole will consume about 10 million tons of turkey this week, along with about 75 million pounds of cranberry sauce.

On October 3, 1789, President George Washington proclaimed the 26th of that November the first national Thanksgiving Day under the Constitution. On October 3, 1863, in the wake of victory at Gettysburg, President Abraham Lincoln decided to issue a Thanksgiving Proclamation declaring the fourth Thursday in November national Thanksgiving Day. In 1941 Congress made it official.

(from The Writer's Alamanc, Nov 23, 2006)

Birdland

In our Young Child level 1 class we have been learning about birds and their songs. Here is a collage of our favorite birds. My daughter Lorelei, who is a wiz at photoshop, put all of our work together. The artists are: Zach, Raef, Lydia, Emily, Riley, Anna, Emma, Abby, Hannah, PJ, and Ruby.

Worldwide

Sometimes you hear me say the words "WORLD WIDE"
and this is what I mean by that! Isn't it exciting to think of
over a MILLION children singing, dancing and playing
with their families each day? We really are changing
the world with Kindermusik! Thank you for being
part of this large and special number.

Kindermusik Mosaic

I spent this lazy Saturday morning playing around with Flicker. Look what I made. Take a look at Flicker Toys, there are lots of layouts to choose from. Have fun!

By the way our friend Gil Martinez who took all of these photos last spring, was in classes this week as well so we will have a lot more beautiful Kindermusik shots to share. If you are considering some professional photography take a look at Gil's website: Martinez Images, to see some truly inspired work. He is GREAT with children and a long time Kindermusik dad. We LOVE Gil's work.

Under the Sea Crafts

Far from days at the beach - the Family Time class is enjoying a few weeks at the Aquarium with songs to match. Here is a posting from Kids Craft Weekly with lots and lots of ideas about making under the sea creatures and putting them in this cool diarama if interest allows.

Dove Evolution

Somthing very interesting, don't believe everything you see.

Inspiration

Thanks to all of you who inspire ME everyday!
A video shown at the Kindermusik Convention - of my deep honor
Helen Peterson, The Kindermusik Inspirational Educator of the Year.
About Helen:
For her volunteer efforts and outreach work with children in low-income, high crime areas; for her growing Kindermusik program that nurtures children of all abilities in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area; for her willingness to embrace new technology; for her teachability and participation in providing new learning opportunities for all Kindermusik Educators with continuing Education; for her unique penchant for unusual hats, sneakers, and twirly skirts.

An Honor

What an amazing time 500 Kindermusik educators had together in Greensboro, NC this last weekend. We learned so much, about curriculum, ourselves, our voices, the POSSIBILITIES of everyday - it is a very very warm memory. Joining with dear friends and collegues bring such energy to our work - to know we are all singing the same song on a given day, teaching the same lesson - so the same, and of course so individually.

As if the presentations and connection was not enough, I was honored with the Inspirational Educator of the Year Award. I still am a bit weak in the knees with this idea - given I know the calibur of Kindermusik educators, that I would receive such an award is deeply and truly an honor. I am now inspired to live up to it in a big way!

Thank you to all of my Kindermusik families and students who fill me with love and inspiration daily, and thank you to Kindermusik International for this extreme honor.

Carve a pumpkin

Click HERE for computer pumpkin carving site.

Animal School

Click this purple box to be touched by the individuality and perserverence of children.

my other classroom

Some of you have expressed interest in the work I do in the inner city with Kindermusik. In an effort to encourage more educators to step out and offer Kindermusik class to children who could not otherwise have it, Kindermusik International CEO Michael Dougherty and Senior Writer Molly McGinn visited us at La Creshe Early Childhood Center. Here is a clip of the video they shot.

Free Hugs

Dinah Dinah Dinah!

Happy Birthday Mom - here is our new baby - Dinah!

Happy Birthday Tucker!

Happy Birthday to Tucker!! Here are some pictures of our boy so you can see a few of the things he is up to. We love you Tucker!

Its not to cold for marching band

The Burnsville High School Marching Blaze are preforming an INDOOR marching band show on Saturday night. (This Saturday, October 14) at 7:00 in the BHS Gym. Tickets are $8.00

It is going to be a great show for the family, featuring their super field show, the big band hit Sing Sing Sing and Summertime, as well as 20 other fun stand tunes.

How can the band actually march in a gym you wonder? Come and see. Here is a the HOT cymbal line showing off some of their visuals for the drumline show. Its cold outside so come on in and enjoy the lights drums and music of the MARCHING BLAZE.

(By the way that is Lorelei, cymbal section leader, second from the left (-:)

We love Lorelei

Happy 16th birthday baby girl, how did you grow up so fast?

SIGN & SING

Kindermusik of the Valley SIGN&SING classes start next week and there is still room for you!

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 fingerplays.
Already accustomed to fingerplays 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.

Benefits for Your Child and You
* Communicate with your child even before she can form the words.
* Ease a child's frustration by helping her communicate what she needs, speed language development, and enhance long-term learning abilities.
* Know when your child is most ready to interact and learn.
* Learn sign language teaching methods, such as making the sign on a child's body, on the floor, or hand over hand.
* Recognize and respond to your child's version of signs.

Enjoy the Journey All Week Long
Sign & Sing is much more than a weekly class. The At Home Materials you receive from your Educator help you to continue that one-of-a-kind experience at home. Family involvement in your child's learning is a fundamental cornerstone of the Kindermusik philosophy because we believe the parent is the child's most important teacher and the home is the most important place for a child's learning to take root and grow.

Sign & Sing At Home Materials:
- Family Activity Guide
- DVD glossary showing 60 signs
- Clip-on flashcards that feature photos of both children and adults using family-friendly American Sign Language signs