This winter has been so long and my children’s spring fever is about out of control. I was disappointed for them them when I checked the weather today. Our “camping” trip from this week’s classes gave me an idea to help them endure the cold days that are ahead. The sleeping bags and flashlights are coming out a little early for an indoor camping trip; no further than our basement. Hopefully, it will be the “cure” they need.

“I Like to Sing” (CD Track 4) is a great locomotor activity. Try all the verses: sing, trot, swoop, and twist—then try jumping, twirling, swinging, swaying, stomping, romping, rolling, and giggling when the sun is shining! For an extra challenge, have your child help you make up new verses—not only with new movements, but using different scenarios, such as “I like to hop when the rain is falling” or “I like to tiptoe when the dog is barking.”

Young children are always being asked questions—from “What color is this?” to “What did you do in music class today?” Most of the questions have simple and definitive answers. Try opening your questions up for more creative answers—Ask “What do you like to do when the sun is shining?” or “How should we move next?” Be prepared to follow your child’s lead, and you may be surprised at how creative he/she can be!

Spring is coming! Soon we won’t have to pretend to fly kites, watch birds, or lay out under the stars. On the way home from Tuesday’s class, Mikayla spotted a Robin! I hope you all have a great week.

SuzAnne

Schedule of remaining classes: (I have listed only the Mondays for each week.)

Week 8: March 16

Week 9: March 23

Week 10: March 30

April 6 & 7: No classes due to spring break

Make-up Class: April 13 (open to everyone, even if you haven’t missed)

Hi Everyone!

What great classes we had this week. I loved watching the children pretend to be robins, kites, and stars. What imaginations and what fun. I learn from the children each week as they express their own ideas and ways of doing things. When they play with us in class, they in turn are learning from their best teacher–YOU!!

Play CD Track 2 this week at home and try the simple finger play below with your child. Watch how rapt he/she becomes when listening, watching, and moving all at once. When you’re ready, try it on your own without the CD. A great way to do this with the babies is while they are at their highchairs. They may not be able to mimic you yet, but you will soon see signs that they are anticipating what’s next. You’re sure to get big smiles as they watch you sing and play.

Activities that integrate a young child’s senses are an extraordinary way to get–and keep–a young child’s attention. They provide a multiplicity of learning benefits, including exercising listening skills, enhancing vocabulary development, and building and refining motor skills.

I hope you all have a great week! I look forward to next weeks classes.

SuzAnne

Mr. Sun

Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, (Make a sun shape with your hands over your head.)
Please shine down on me. (Wiggle your fingers while lowering your hands, then point to yourself on “me.”)
Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, (Make a sun shape with your hands over your head.)
Hiding behind a tree. (Put your hands behind your back.)
These little children are asking you (Point to your child.)
To please come out so we can play with you. (Make a “come here” motion with your hand.)
Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, (Make a sun shape with your hands over your head.)
Please shine down on, (Wiggle your fingers while lowering your hands.)
Please shine down on,
Please shine down on,
Me! (Point to yourself with great emphasis!)

Hi Everyone!

I hope you are all enjoying this great fall weather.

We are going to be offering free classes at the Pumpkin Festival on a first-come first-serve basis. You are all welcome to come and join in the fun. The classes will be held at 9:30; 10:30; and 11:30. If they are a success in the morning, we will add more in the afternoon. If you have any friends that may be interested in checking us out, this is a great opportunity.

The Pumpkin Festival, in my opinion, is the best festival in Michigan for little kids. This is not your typical carnival type festival. There will be inflatables, local entertainment, Pumpkin Derby, Hayrides, a kiddie train, and much more. Wristbands are $3.00/person. It’s a great fall activity. You can learn more at: http://www.cityofdavison.org/index2.asp?nguid={1607509E-2C0D-4D2C-B94C-4513CEEC4B94}. I hope to see you all there.

Below are the dates for the classes we have left:

Pumpkins and Turkeys: Oct 20, 27, Nov 3, 10, 17

Dreidels and Candy Canes: Dec 1, 8

Monday Evening Family Time: Oct 6, 13, 20, 27 (dress-up day), Nov 3, 10, 17 (I will be offering a two week Christmas class after this one is done on Dec 1 and 8. The cost will be $23.00/child.)

Tuesday Our Time Class: Oct 7, 14, 21, 28 (dress-up day), Nov 4, 11, 18, Dec 2, 9, 16, Jan 6, & 13.

Please note that we will be off the week of Thanksgiving.

Looking forward to another great week of classes,

SuzAnne

MILK & COOKIES STUDENTS

With singing, listening and moving, we enjoyed another class of fun and play centered upon the theme of “home.” As you listen to your recording of In My House, notice the words “dust, dust, dust” which continues throughout the song. Engage your child in vocal play as you speak these words, changing the inflection of your voice (high, low, quiet, loud). Have fun dancing and dusting to the recording. Also, explore other words and movements such as “swish, swish, swish” and “rub, rub, rub,” or even make up your own phrases! Engaging in such vocal play can increase your child’s vocal expressiveness. We will talk about the importance of vocal play and how it helps in early reading in the coming weeks. Believe it or not, even nonsense words are very important.

Taking the Kindermusik classroom experience into the home will help your child adapt to the Kindermusik environment by familiarizing him/her with the routines of class. Refer to pages 8-9 of your Home Activity Book for more play ideas.

APPLES AND SCARECROWS

We have two more weeks of Apples and Scarecrows left. Don’t forget to sign up this week for our next class: Pumpkins and Turkeys.

EVERYONE

I’m having a lot of fun with the fall songs/activities we are doing. A great stop on your way home from class is Jack Abernathy Park in Davison. The nature trail is beautiful this time of year. Make sure you have a bag with you to collect some leaves.

See you in class!

Fourth of July Safety

    * Fireworks are not toys and can burn or hurt you (even sparklers-we keep a
      bucket of water handy so the kids can put their sparklers into it as soon as they
      go out).

    * Only use fireworks outdoors in wide, open areas.
    * Never point or throw fireworks at another person (or house, car, etc).
    * Only grown-ups can use fire to light fireworks.
    * Light fireworks one at a time, then keep a safe distance.
    * Keep a bucket of water nearby in case of a fire.
    * Remember to Stop/Drop/Roll if your clothes/hair catches fire.
    * If you find leftover fireworks or scraps around, tell an adult. Don’t touch them or
      or go near them.
      

You can learn more about firework safety & rules by visiting the following sites online:

http://www.cpsc.gov/ http://www.fema.gov/search/srchjs.htm (search “fireworks” ) http://home.texoma.com/~cvfd/fireworks.htm http://www.fireworksafety.com/ http://www.wf.net/~lcrump1/safety.htm http://fireworksland.com/html/safety.html

Safe Sparklers: Children love sparklers but it can be dangerous. Also, sometimes the little ones are too afraid of them. I found this idea for safe sparklers that was developed by a preschool teacher to use in her preschool.

Materials:

Plastic Straws (preferably red, white, or blue)
Curly ribbon in red, white, and blue
Star garland or metallic pipe cleaners

Take the pipe cleaners or garland. Bend in half so that no sharp edges are exposed. On the open side of the bent garland or pipe cleaners, tape differing lengths of curly ribbon. Insert into the straw so the curly ribbon sticks out the top.

Fourth of July Songs

It’s America’s Birthday
(Tune: London Bridges)

Beat a drum, and march along, march along, march along.
Beat a drum and march along, It’s America’s birthday!

Wave a flag, and sing a song, sing a song, sing a song,
Wave a flag and sing a song, It’s America’s Birthday!

I’m a Little Firecracker
(Tune: I’m a Little Teapot)

I’m a little firecracker up in the sky.
I dance and I glimmer, way up high.

Sometimes I am red, sometimes I’m blue.
But I’ll always sparkle and boom for you.

Crafts and Snacks

Patriotic Hand Print Wreath

Materials:
Red, white, and blue poster board or card stock.
Paper plate
Stick glue
Star stickers or glitter.
4 inches of yarn
Tape

Trace four hand prints of each color poster board. Cut out the hands. Cut out the inside of the paper plate so you have a wreath. Glue the hand prints to the wreath. Decorate the hand prints with star stickers or glitter. Make a loop with the yarn and tape it on the back of your wreath.

Red, White, and Blue Yogurt Cups

Vanilla yogurt
Strawberries
Blueberries

Place the yogurt in a cup or bowl. Let child mix in strawberries and blueberries.

Frosty Fireworks

Blue juice
Red Juice
7-Up

Freeze blue and red juice in ice cube trays. Place frozen cubes in clear glasses. Add 7-up and drink the “fireworks.”

Firework Cake

Yellow or white cake mix
Disk shaped cookie cutter
Red Pop Rocks
Red frosting (vanilla with red food coloring)
Cool Whip
Sparkler

Bake the cake according to package directions in a rectangular pan.  Allow cake to cool. With the cookie cutter, cut the cake into 5 disks.  Place the disks on top of each other with a layer of cool whip in between each. Mix the Pop Rocks into red icing. Frost the outside and top of the cake with the red icing. Put the sparkler on top. Light before serving. This cake is to represent a fireworks fuse. (Note: I’m not sure I’m going to go to all the trouble of baking a cake and then cutting it out-especially if it is hot. I will probably buy a pound cake, cut it in half length-wise, and then frost.)

Sparkler Fun Throughout the Year

We try to save some sparklers for special occasions throughout the year. Below are a few ideas.

• Light them up to celebrate the first and/or last day of school.
• Save some for a birthday celebration.
• Place them in the snow during a winter night for a pretty lights display. (This is great for a winter birthday or for New Years Eve.)
• Light some up at a campfire. Check your local fire conditions first. This is great for the last night of a vacation.

Hello Everyone!!

I had a great time in class this week and I hope that you did, too.

Below you will find some notes on the different activities we did in class and the purpose behind them.

One of the best things we can instill in children at this age (musically speaking) is the ability to keep a steady beat. You can practice this at home in a number of ways.

• Turn on some music and bounce, clap together, tap on his/her shoulders, etc.

• Keep time to the overhead music when you are in the grocery store by keeping a steady beat on their hands.

• Put on Mozart and march around the room. You can even use paper plates a cymbals to add to the fun.

• Play “I’m going to get you” as you stomp in time towards them.

There is a link between movement and learning. The vestibular system, which controls balance and coordination, is stimulated during movement. The rousing of this system in turn helps to prepare the brain for taking in new information. Rocking or swaying provides a wonderful opportunity to snuggle with your child–and to lay the groundwork for learning!

The instrument we hear in “Drover’s Dream” is the didgeridoo. It is a drone-type wind instrument native to the Aboriginal peoples of Northern Australia. It is made from a long section of eucalyptus tree that has been hollowed out by termites. After the bark and termites are removed, the wood is whittled and then molded with beeswax at the mouth end. It produces a low-pitched, resonant sound. To play the didgeridoo, the performer vibrates his lips while using a circular breathing technique so that the inside of his mouth and the inside of the instrument resonate simultaneously.

To see a didgeridoo visit: http://www.didgeridoostore.com/didgeridooproducts.htm

To hear a didgeridoo visit: http://www.didgeridoostore.com/soundsrhythms.html

To see and hear a really neat performance visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF_Hw8l01LI

I’m going to keep on signing throughout camp. Please don’t wait for me to sign, though. If you know a sign go ahead and use it. If there are signs you wish to still know, go ahead and ask me or write it down and I’ll try to teach it to you.

Next week we will practicing fast and slow. We’ll also be making a long-necked friend to take home!!

Have a great week!

SuzAnne

Away We Go!

There’s a little drum a beating…it’s my heart!

Our entire lives, our heartbeat provides a constant sense of rhythm. It’s no wonder that we are all drawn to drums. Research shows that the act of drumming actually changes the chemicals in our brains, relieving stress and creating a sense of well being. (Although, it can sometimes be stressful for the mom and dad that are having to do the listening!)

An activity that both you and your child would enjoy is to make a drum at home. You can use a coffee can, a leftover container, even a plastic cup. If you decide to make one, please bring it to our last class (the make-up week).

See you next week.

SuzAnne

Toys I Make, Trips I Take

What fun we had with all our special guests in class today! By role playing with our stuffed animals to give them voices, movements and more, your child got a chance to develop empathy skills.

Preschoolers tend to see the world only from their own point of view. They can have trouble recognizing others’ feelings and ideas and often think only about how events affect themselves. In play and at school, they may only want to follow their own plans, rather than sharing ideas and taking turns in leading games.

Seeing the world through the eyes of an animal friend gave your child a chance to think about someone else’s feelings in an imaginative and unthreatening way, increasing his/her lifelong social skills.

Don’t forget to make animals masks this week. If you forget to bring them to class, I’ll have some extras.

I also mentioned that I would be sending out some materials to make treble clef posters. I decided to talk about treble clef one more week in class.

See you Monday!

Flint Children’s Museum Trip

Friday, June 6 from 10am to noon

• If we have 20 or more people, it is $3 per person.
• Under 20 people, it is $4 per person.
• Babies under 1 are free.

If you can help with our snack, please email me.

Payment is not due until you arrive at the museum.

Click here for a map.

I want to thank all of you for the great Family Time session we have just had. I enjoyed each family and each child.

We have many camps offered this summer. We have a Family Time camp and camps for the individual age groups. We are limiting registration to our current and former families until April 27. After that we will open it up to the general public. The camps are already filling fast.

The camps meet once a week for 6 weeks. That includes a make-up week. We take the week of July 4^th off.

I hope to see all of you at the Flint Children’s Museum on June 6!

Thanks again for a great semester!

SuzAnne