Studio3Music Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Miss Beth’

Jun
9

Sand in my sandals… Oh My!

You don’t have to bring the sand all the way from Mexico to have a good time at the beach; Kindermusik helps bring that fun wherever you are! (Especially if you are taking Creatures at the Ocean right now.) I love this website for great crafts that are both inexpensive and creative!

Fill up the tub and make some new “boats” out of Tupperware you’ve got in the house. Take some plastic animals or people for a ride.

Build your sandcastle with paper cups instead of sand. Don't forget to stack the cups in a pyramid shape to make tall walls!

If you haven’t already built “sandcastles” in class with us, then try building them out of paper cups! Bathroom “Dixie” cups work great. Just stack them in a pyramid pattern, and then be the waves that knock them down.

Throw a blanket down outside or inside and have a beach blanket picnic. Don’t forget bubbles…..there are always bubbles at the beach! Blowing bubbles is a great way to learn breath control, and little brothers and sisters can watch the bubbles and try and catch them, which helps with fine motor and eye tracking.

Go to your local hardware store and get some play sand. You don’t even have to have a sandbox to have a good time. Just grab some toy cars, plastic cups, muffin tins and spoons and then have a beachy time in your yard or even on the patio with the sand in a big, flat Rubbermaid-type box that you’ve put the sand in.

Make some shell pasta for a delicious dinner with an ocean ambience to top off the day. Have fun at the “beach” with these ideas, even if it is raining!

-posted by Miss Beth, who loves to wiggle her toes in the sand!

Tags: craft, kindermusik, Miss Beth, parenting, Things to do

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Apr
24

Happy Trails to You!

Posted in Bits and Pieces, Family

Me and my Dad!

Does it ever feel like pulling teeth to try and get your children to do something? I was one of those kids who was not thrilled with the idea of going on 14 mile hiking and camping trip into the Sphinx Lakes, (btw that was just the hike into the lakes… don’t forget about the 14 miles back!) but now as an adult I sure appreciate the beauty and effort made to make my childhood so wonderful!

A Douglas Fir pinecone.

I can now successfully identify constellations and the difference between a Douglas fir and a redwood pine cone. Just in case you didn’tknow – a Douglas fir pinecone, according to a California Native American myth, explains that each of the three-ended bracts are the tail and two tiny legs of the mice who hid inside the scales of the tree’s cones, which was kind enough to be the their safe house during forest fires.

My dad always makes even the littlest of tasks an adventure for us. Although it might be a little hard to get us going, we always enjoy everything once we did it. So if you are having a difficult time motivating your child to do something, just remember that those memories you are creating with them WILL last a lifetime.

Recently, my dad retired, but he’s not slowing down! Soon he is leaving to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, (which runs from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington). I will be there in heart when I am not there actually hiking along with him. It is not every day that someone’s idea of “retirement” is a 2,650-mile national scenic trail! Check out the PCT website.

-posted by Miss Beth, who is wishing her dad happy trails and looking forward to hiking part of it with him!

Tags: Miss Beth, parenting

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Apr
6

Jump on board at the Imagination Station!

Posted in Child Development, parenting, Things to do

Young children do not learn as grownups do. In order to comprehend they must pretend. Ever wonder why your child re-enacts recent events when they come home? It is their way of building their memories of what they have experienced. Benefits of pretend play include:

Vocabulary development
Social skill development (sharing, turn taking, and conversing)
Differentiation between reality and fantasy
Emotional support (by re-enacting episodes that involve disappointment, fear, anger or jealousy, children come to manage and understand those feelings)
Creativity
Resiliency (pretend play can offer a release of stress for a child)

Here are some fun ways to foster that pretend play in and out of your home.

If your child is playing the role of a character, then play along without instructing, questioning or intruding. Let them be the leader and you can have fun on the ride!
Blanket forts can be an easy way to transform an ordinary kitchen table or a couple of chairs into a castle or pirate ship. Don’t be in a rush to take it down; those can be great learning/teaching moments.
Friends that are about the same age are a great way to encourage interactive pretend play.
If your child needs to stay in character, don’t be in a rush to change clothes for the store. My son went to the store often in his Buzz Lightyear costume and people would just smile and nod.
Imaginary friends are great way for a child to express themselves when they might not be able to do it otherwise. Of course if this gets a bit out of hand, you can always redirect and remind your child that “the friend” is pretend and your child needs to take responsibilities for their own actions.

To help support and encourage their creativity all you need is a few household items. It is easy to supply them with props! For example: save cereal boxes, bags, and cleaned out juice cartons for a “trip” to the grocery store. Use ace bandages, band aids and tongue depressors for Doctor’s office. Paper, crayons, a calculator and some envelopes are all you need to make a home office or school…..add some stuffed animals or dolls to these activities for even more fun! Don’t forget boxes of all sizes, empty paper towel rolls, and blankets can transform a room into a jungle, castle or whatever your child can come up with!

So climb on and enjoy the ride!

-posted by Miss Beth, who has her bag packed and is ready to go!

Tags: language development, Miss Beth, parenting, preschoolers, pretend play

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Mar
20

Around the world in 45 minutes??

Posted in Bits and Pieces, Imagine That, Our Time, Village, Young Child

This semester we get to experience the joy of traveling around the world without leaving our own classroom. Kindermusik provides music from around the world for us to sing, dance and play along to.

En Roulant Ma Boule in Our Time is a French/Canadian song that the voyageurs and coureurs-de-bois sang to the rhythm as they paddled through the Canadian river system trading furs. Many of the songs they sung were old ballads brought with them from Europe. En Roulant Ma Boule was one such popular tune and was used a dance tune in trading posts throughout Canada.

When it is Carnival time in Panama, we like to sing, dance and play our drums to Al Tambor in Imagine That. It is a wonderful song about playing the drum of happiness and with all the children singing and dancing along, who wouldn’t want join in?

In Village, Jasmine Flower takes us off to China where a girl enjoys the beauty of a jasmine flower. It was even chosen as the Beijing Olympic medal ceremony theme.

Here is a version played on ancient metal bells and modern jade chimes:

And in our older classes we are off to Argentina where we learn all about little barnyard animals in My Farm, which with the help of visual aids, we sing in Spanish! It is a fun song that also teaches about friendship!

So come join us this spring and summer to explore some of these areas and more in our World Travelers Club where we will pack our bags and get ready to travel! We’ll sharpen reading, memory, counting, and listening skills on an imaginative musical journey to locations both in the United States and around the world. Every song and activity reflects the culture of the places we’ll visit and expands your child’s musical mind.

-posted by Miss Beth who loves to travel inside and outside the classroom!

Tags: babies, kindermusik, Miss Beth, music, preschoolers, Things to do, toddlers

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Mar
2

Fun France Facts

Posted in Bits and Pieces, Things to do

Bonjour!

As some of you know, I was off once again to see some of my family who live in France. I love it there, and the people are so nice and inviting! My cousin, his family and some friends live outside of Paris. My sister and her family live in the French Alps in a small village with great skiing! The landscape is amazing and the food is incredible. And although we live thousands of miles apart, thanks to the internet and Skype, I can visit and see my family and friends who live all over the world. It IS a small world after all!

So here are some fun facts about France and a little French lesson too:

Capital: Paris

Language: French

Ne vous escaladez les montagnes? (Do you climb mountains?) The highest mountain is Mont Blanc in the French Alps. It rises to 4,807m (15,771 ft). Mount Blanc is also the highest peak in the whole of Europe. Btw, I could see it when we were skiing!

Vous aimez le fromage? (Do you like cheese?) More than 350 kinds of cheese are made in France.

Avez-vous une bicyclette ? (Do you have a bicycle?) Every summer more than 100 professional cyclists race in the Tour de France. The race is approximately 2,000 miles long. The race lasts up to three weeks and is held in July. The route changes from year to year.

Vous aimez l’art? (Do you like art?) The Louvre is one of the largest art museums in the world. Some of the paintings exhibited there are from the French artists Monet, Cezanne, and Renoir. The Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci is there too.

Avez-vous faim? (Are you hungry?) Then try some dishes such as quiche, soufflés, mousse, pâté, croissants, crêpes, French bread and my personal favorite….fondue.

J’aime la Tour Eiffel! (I love the Eiffel Tower!) Visit here for facts about the Tower.

-posted by Miss Beth, who is very glad to be back with you all in class, even though she loves to travel!