It is an old saying that children grow too quickly, and it is so true.  As parents we are often so excited to introduce our kids to the wonders of the world.  We want them to see and learn and be amazed at all there is to experience.  I think we sometimes move too fast.  This is not to say the a little push in the right direction to overcome a fear or try a new challenge is bad.  Rather, I believe it is important to allow a child the opportunity to learn all they can before they move on to next level. 

Jacob and Matthew

My littlest man has just turned 3, and for the past two years he has been a Kindermusik Junkie.  As an infant he lounged in my lap, sat up to gum all the toys handed him, and even took his very first independent step in class.  How quickly my little snuggle bug grew older and started squirming away during intentional touch! Eventually snuggling had to be with Mom standing, so he could not get away. Jacob went in his first year from one of the youngest in the Village class, to the oldest or BMC (Big Man on Campus). This was so fun because he now got to hand toys to the babies and bounce with Miss Allison.

Fall came last year and we graduated to Our Time. And do you know what? My BMC was once again the little guy.  He had a new routine to learn for singing and dancing. Big kids answered questions and sat right up front during story. Being the little brother, Jacob was used to watching big kids, and so he followed the lead of others and loved it.

We are now newly three and now we are once again BMC. This semester he is ready to bounce and sing, he know the words and actions, he gives song ideas, gently puts instruments away and he is sitting right up front for story of Pete and PJ.  The fact that he has come full circle in an environment set up for him to succeed is wonderful.  We are teaching him tools for his life. This, as a parent, is the goal, some time they will fly away and do well.  But for now he is mine to kiss and tickle and find frogs on his belly.

-posted by Angie – the mother of boys who are busy from Son up to Son down.

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad

Ah, my favorite things….Why is it that fall often launches us straight into extended episodes of nostalgia?? The crisper days, the scent of smoke in the air (well, not so much here in California!!), the shorter days and longer evenings, backpacks full of notepaper and freshly sharpened pencils, pumpkins guarding the grocery store entrance. They all send me backwards in time, back to simpler things, favorite things.  

From her alpine meadow, Maria rehearses her eclectic list and reminds us that remembering favorite things somehow has the capacity to lift our spirits; and by some inexplicable bit of magic we no longer “feel so bad”. I remember the year Julie Andrews brought the conflicted Maria to the big screen. I was the too-young accompanist of the Jr High choir. I can still see the old piano in the school gym (who can forget that smell!) and hear the slightly awkward but earnest singers attempting to set all those now famous words into three part harmonies. Just hearing the words “raindrops on roses” sends me immediately back to those somehow safer, less complicated days.

We’ve been enjoying “Wild Geese Are Flying” in Village Class this fall. The melancholy lullaby in a minor key soothes the babies and gives us the opportunity to create a warm, quiet space in our class. The song reminds us that change is just around the corner.  “Winter is coming, winter is coming!” and it’s bringing all those treasured memories of winters past. If only for the moment, the grim possibilities of one too many snowfalls and cabin fever “don’t feel so bad.” (Again, this doesn’t necessarily apply to those of us in SoCal, but we do our darndest to happily welcome something that looks marginally different than summer!) 

One of the most pleasurable tasks of parenting is the intentional facilitating of memories that will live in our children’s hearts and minds for the rest of their lives. By the time we send them out the door to put their own stamp on the world, hopefully they will have accumulated a backpack full of never to be forgotten memories.

Every week Kindermusik provides opportunities to create wonderful memories with our little ones.  Whether in class with our friends, or creating special “at home” moments with the rest of the family, Kindermusik is a great memory facilitator! While we can’t ensure our children will reach adulthood with only pleasurable memories, we can give them enough sweet ones to make the “bee stings” of life seem not quite so bad.

-posted by Miss Colleen, who leaves you with a favorite quote, “Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.”  From the television show The Wonder Years

Our first Symphony Serenade Concert this year falls on Halloween, so you can imagine what the Seattle Symphony wanted our subject matter to be! In the process of writing the script, I got to thinking. What is it about Halloween that kids like so much?

I honestly don’t think it’s the candy (though that’s what may first come to children’s minds!)   I think the pleasure of Halloween is linked to the emotional developmental milestones that young children are working through in the first 5 years of life.  It is emotional maturation (specifically, the development of self-identity) that drives a child’s growth in all other areas.

The process that children go through to build self-identity is often difficult for the grownups to understand.  Most of us don’t remember this part of our own development, which happened between 18 months and 5 years. We may remember events and people ( I remember a snowstorm when I was barely two and my great grandmother who died when I was four). But I don’t recall a lot about the process of becoming who I am.  So when our children begin this journey, it may be a mysterious process for us.

We all love the endearing part of the process that happens at about 18 months. There is lots of peek-a-boo and hide and seek games. Your child comes when you call their name; usually at a run and straight into your open arms.  They call you “mommy” and they are fully aware now that it is your name. By this point, you can play the “where’s your nose, where’s mommy’s nose” game, and they know the difference between you and them. 

Then there’s the irritating side. They fall on the floor in the middle of the grocery store and wail like a banshee because you won’t let them climb up the cereal display.  They smack the child who lives next door and snatch away a toy, and then lay on the floor and wail like a banshee when you take it away and give it back to the other child. Who, by the way, won’t play with it anyway because she’s also lying on the floor wailing like a banshee. And they wail like a banshee when you leave them with grandma to go to a movie with your spouse. And this is the grandma who lives 3 doors down and sees the child everyday of their life, not the one who lives far away and came for a visit once when they were a newborn.

Both the irritating and the endearing parts of this process are normal.  As a child begins to separate their identity from their mother (somewhere between 16 and 18 months) they bound away from her like a joey escaping the pouch (that’s the screaming like a banshee part) only to bound right back in again and make your heart swell in your chest with emotions that are truly beyond words. (That’s the endearing part.)

A child beginning to discover WHO they are is only the first half of the journey to individualism.  This part of the process takes a little less than two years to be completed.  During this period a child acquires language and learns to express himself.  Wailing like a banshee still occurs every now and again, but it is less often.  Children move from parallel play to cooperative play, and begin to make real friends. They potty train and become more and more independent. They are growing up.

By assisting them out of the pouch and helping them back in, we provide a safe and nurturing environment for this process to happen.

But this is only one half of the journey. The second half of the journey is about the world of imagination; the world where costumes are a part of everyday life, where invisible friends come to dinner, and fears stalk the bedroom after dark. 

Our concert theme in October is all about self identity, and how children go about becoming individuals. We will address the first half of this adventure through peek-a-boo play and hide and seek.  By identifying a child by his or her name we can help them to separate from us, and grow into strong individuals. (And if we do it in a song, it’s just more fun!)

We will also explore the importance of costumes, and the nature of fear, and some of the things that help children cope with those fears.  Unfortunately for us grownups, these fears are neither rational or reasonable, and certainly not logical! But having the tools to help our children deal with these upsets makes parenting much easier.

There is a musical focus as well, of course.  A perfect choice (if I do say so myself) for the spookiest night of the year: music in major and minor tonalities.  There will be some new instruments to meet – and a couple of familiar ones as well.

So, come back next week and I’ll talk about the second stage of the developmental process of building identity, and give you some more teasers about the show.

Tickets are available now here – so get them while you can!

-posted by Miss Allison, who is looking forward to seeing you at the symphony on October 31st!

The Moon can be a magical nightlight for a child, but it’s also fun to learn more about the moon and the night sky. Did you know that the places on the Moon have names just like places on Earth? The moon is full for the next couple of nights. So, bundle up, use a telescope or pair of binoculars if you have them, and head outside. Look up at the Man in the Moon with your child to see if you can find some of the places below.

Places in the Moon
Remind your child that although many of the moon’s features are called “seas,” there’s no water on the moon (at least we haven’t found it yet!)

* The Sea of Cold-the top of his head
* The Sea of Rains-the eye we see to the left
* The Sea of Serenity-the eye we see to the right
* The Sea of Tranquility-the bag under the eye we see to the right (The Sea of Tranquility is where the very first moon landing took place on July 20, 1969.)
* The Craters Copernicus and Brother Maura-his nose
* The Sea of Clouds-his mouth
* The Sea of Storms-the big bruise next to the eye on the left

Back inside your warm house, listen to the song Aiken Drum, which is from your Kindermusik Village Dream Pillow CD, and have fun with the following activities. If you don’t know the song, you can play it right here:

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There was a man lived in the moon lived in the moon, lived in the moon.
There was a man lived in the moon and his name was Aiken Drum.

And he played upon a ladle, a ladle, a ladle
He played upon a ladle and his name was Aiken Drum.

For Infants: (Contributed by Miss Analiisa, who misses having babies in her house.)

What baby doesn’t like exploring the kitchen as soon as he can manage to get his little body there? I hope you have an “exploring” drawer, full of safe kitchen utensils and plastic bowls, lids and cups. It will provide (at least!) minutes of entertainment while you are making dinner.

Pull out your metal serving spoons and sing Aiken Drum together. Show your baby how to drum on the floor, bang the spoons together or with yours, and make a racket on pans, lids or upturned bowls.  Listen to all the different sounds you can make!

Substitute body parts for the word “ladle”. Can she play upon her toes? Her knee? Her head? Substitute his name for “Aiken Drum.” Children love to hear their own name in songs.

For Toddlers: (Contributed by Miss Anita, who loves to think this stuff up!)

Toddlers love activities about themselves!  So let your child live in the moon.  “There was a girl (or boy) lived in the moon…and her name was Natalie.”  Then, in the second phrase, substitute your child’s current favorite motor skill or one they are working to master.

For example: “And she skipped upon a ladle…and her name was Natalie.”  They may want to run, jump, hop, skip, roll, or gallop on the ladle.  In the car, try smaller motions such as:  clap, roll (hands), wiggle (fingers), tap (toes or thumbs).  Amidst all the fun, your child has practiced coordination & explored the parts of speech!

For Preschoolers: (Contributed by Miss Allison, who used to play this game when she was a preschool teacher. Come to think of it, I don’t think she’s ever stopped being one!)

There are many other verses for Aiken Drum. Many of them involve food:
And his head was made of cream cheese…
And his coat was made of good roast beef….
And his breeches were made of haggis bags….

Ask your child which piece of clothing they want to sing about and what type of food it was made out of.  You’ll end up with socks made of bologna, swimsuits made of peaches, and before you know it, your language learner will move on from food and clothes and suggest other nouns. Now the questions are, “What did the Man in the Moon own? What was it made of?” His car was made of pots and pans, his blankie out of window shades…

Extend the activity with rhyming variations.  “His mittens were made of kittens,” “his hat was made from a cat,” “his house was made from a mouse,” “his shoe was made of glue.”  You’ll have to be creative to make the timing work, so that it is still singable.  And of course, you have to sing it!  Maybe your man doesn’t live in the moon but in Redmond or another favorite location.  Eventually it will be completely your own special song, starting with “There was a man…” and ending with a wonderful memory and whole lot of language learning.

-posted by Miss Anita, Miss Allison and Miss Analiisa, who leave you with a quote from W. Clement Stone, “Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.”

I did promise this information a couple of weeks ago on a Tuesday, but then I got completely sideswiped with the start of the Spring Mini Session. Sorry about that, and thanks for your email reminders for me to finish! Don’t forget to subscribe to our blog on the right hand side of the page, so you can get new blogs as they come out.

The visual system takes in information from the environment and interprets it. Vision works with other sensory systems and provides the information needed to have accurate motor responses.

When a baby is born, they have all the necessary pieces of the visual system in place, but they haven’t learned to use them yet. An infant’s vision begins to develop at birth, and they spend much of their early months of life learning how to see.

Birth to Four Months
Four to Six Months
Six to Eight Months

By 8 months, babies begin to see more like adults. Near vision is still better than far, but as they can judge distances well, they can see a toy across the room and crawl to it. Color vision is fully developed. They can track objects in all directions, and will look around when they hear a noise. Fear of heights may occur because of their new awareness of vertical space.

Babies can notice which direction your eyes are gazing, and find the object you are looking at. They will also begin to look for a familiar object or person in response to a spoken label. (You say, “Daddy’s home!”, and your little one looks around to try and find Daddy.)

Sometime during this stage, they will begin to react to a new situation based on the expression of your face. (Like when you give a horrified expression as a child reaches for something they shouldn’t have, or when you are totally excited and encouraging when they are about to take their first step.)

Integration of their vision and fine motor skills allow them to grasp and throw objects fairly accurately. This is the age where small, easy to grip balls are a great toy. (Much better than getting bonked in the head will a small hard toy, thrown shockingly well by your little one!)

As they move toward 12 months and official “toddlerhood”, they can hold toys and small object in a “pincer position”, between thumb and forefinger, and even reach behind their back to grab a toy without looking.

Turning pages becomes a total delight to babies at this age. To help with this skill, read board books with your baby on your lap. Hold all but the page to be turned firmly in your hands. At first, your baby will paw the page to flip it, but soon that little pincer grasp will begin to develop.

Between 9 and 12 months, babies begin to understand that objects and people exist, even when they are no longer visible. This is called object permanency, and is often an age of the first separation anxiety. Lift the flap books, pop up toys and games like peek-a-boo are sources of great fun.

Here are some ideas to help stimulate your 9 to 12 month old’s visual development:
• give your baby stacking and take-apart toys
• provide objects that your baby can see, touch and hold all at the same time
• don’t push early walking; crawling is vital in developing eye-hand-foot-body coordination
• provide small easily-gripped balls for throwing Gerties work great, and we carry them ($4.75) at the studio.
• little cereal O’s (I like Barbara’s Organic O’s because they are wheat-free and sweetened with fruit juice) They provide lots of fine motor/eye coordination, and kept my babies entertained in their highchair  for a long time while I was making dinner.
• have a nice supply of board books in a basket or container where baby can easily reach them. Here’s some of the favorites at our house: (Favorites meaning some of the ones I’m keeping, even though all three of my own children have grown out of board books.)
Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Touch and Feel books by DK Publishing
Is Your Mama a Llama by Maria Guarino and Stephen Kellogg
Jamberry by Bruce Degen

-posted by Miss Analiisa, who wishes she had known these things when her babies were little.

From birth on, your baby has been on a mission to grow and go. Once he rolls, he wants to crawl, when he walks, he wants to run.
 
Working to master a new motion, a baby will let nothing get in the way of this progress. But a child also needs help to learning how to stop—a skill called inhibitory control, or the ability to stop oneself and wait. It’s also one of the first steps toward self-discipline.
 
Stop and go songs, dances and chants give your child practice for this lifelong skill through fun and play. During a game of stop and start, a child understands that she has control over her own actions, giving your child a great sense of accomplishment (and allowing you can catch up with her)!

For a stop and go dance, turn on your Rhythm of My Day CD track 20 “Walk All Around.”

- posted by Miss Anita, whose elementary-aged boys now use their inhibitory control skills when one tells the other, “Stop it!”