Not on the test!

Tom Chapin has this great song that shows the way some school teacher think :-(

And it seems with the Pisa Study people think a lot about test results. Which doesn't mean just because it will not be on a test it is less important so learn or know. Enjoy the video and if you like to learn more about Tom Chapin visit his website by clicking here.

Please leave a post and let me know what you think about it.

Humor

We know that listening is a learned skill which we practice in almost every Kindermusik class- But did you know that humor is a skill you learn and not something you 're born with or without? I didn't until I read this article "Encouraging Your Child's Sense of Humor". Now, I even know why -since my early childhood - I LAUGH and NOT CRY when I seriously hurt myself. Because laughter can help humans deal better deal with pain. How about that? For me that obviously works.

To read this interestin

g article and to find out how you can help your child develop a sense of humor - which can make it easier to handle difficult situations in life click here.

Here a picture of Kangaroo feed baby ;-)

Or, Alyssa just a few weeks old in her car seat.

Vegetables or how to make music a different way!

We all now how important it is for a healthy diet to eat veggies. And even though we all were taught by our parents not to play with our food - I like to share this video of the VEGETABLE ORCHESTRA. Did you know what amazing music can be produced with vegetables?

Enjoy the unique instruments :-) !

Finger Plays

Here are some of the finger plays we been doing in "Creatures of my Backyard" class . 

 

Little Robin Redbreast

 

Little Robin Redbreast (Perch one hand on your arm.)

Sat upon a rail.

Niddle naddle went his head.  (Wiggle your thumb.)

Wiggle waggle went his tail.  (Wiggle your little finger)

 

 

Two Little Blackbirds

Use index fingers, one for Jack and one for Jill. At the word "fly," hide fingers behind your back. At the words "come back," bring fingers out again.

Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill. 

One named Jack and one named Jill. 

Fly away Jack, fly away Jill. 

Come back Jack, come back Jill.

  

Here's a Bunny

 

Here's a bunny with ears so funny,  (Raise two bent fingers.)

And here's a hole in the ground. (Place your hand on your waist)

At the first sound he hears,

He pricks up his ears, (Quickly straighten fingers.)

And hops right into the ground. (Pop fingers into hole.)

 

Here's the Beehive

 

Here's the beehive. (Hold up one fist)

Where are the bees? (Turn the other hand out, with palm up.)

Hidden away where nobody sees. (Place open hand over the fist.)

Watch and you'll see them  (Look intently at the closed fist.)

Come out of the hive

One, two, three, four, five. (Rais thumb and fingers one at a time and wiggle them all about.)

Bzzzzzzzzzzzz...............

 

Fuzzy Wuzzy Caterpillar

 

Fuzzy wuzzy caterpillar

Creeping, creeping, creeping. (Creeping finger moving very slowly.)

Spins himself a blanke, (Roll both hands over and over each other.)

Now he's sleeping, sleeping, sleeping. (Hold both hands together very still)

Fuzzy wuzzy caterpilar

wakes up by and by (Spread hands apart)

Spreads his lovely wings. (Link both thumbs together and move all fingers)

 

 

Little Turtle

 

Little turtle, little turtle (Child crawls with scarf over back.)

Hide inside your shell. (Child stays very still and hide)

Little turtle, little turtle

Come and crawl with me. (Child crawls around.)

Little turtle, little turtle

I SEE YOU! (Parent lifts scarf to see child's face.)

 

Five Little Mice

 

Five little mice came out to play. (Fingers of right hand run over floor.)

Gathering crumbs along the way. Finger stop once in a while and then continue.)

Out comes kitty cat, big and fat. (With fingers closed, left hand covers the right.)

Four little mice go scampering back. (Tuck thumb of right hand under and let other four fingers "run back.")

 

Repeat the verse until you come to "One little mouse...") and at the end of the verse hold up your index finger and say: "The mouse got away. What do you thing of that?"

Making the Most of Kindermusik At-Home Materials

by Theresa Case, Kindermusik Educator

 

Just like a Kindermusik class, At Home Materials provide stepping stones for growth, building on the learning from one class to the next. Everything in Kindermusik's At Home Materials helps the parent and child receive the full developmental benefits of music and movement.

 

But it's not about developing little Mozarts. It's about developing life-enhancing skills in the whole child - cognitive, physical, social, emotional, language, and musical. And it's also about giving you the time, the tools, and the inspiration to create the treasured, musical moments you can linger in for a lifetime.

Kindermusik Village At Home Materials use the power of music to guide your understanding of how your little one develops and nurtures the intimate bond between you and your baby.

 

* Home CDs - a rich musical environment allows brain cells and neuropathways in the mind to strengthen, helping to develop memory skills.

 

* Literature Books - images and sounds encourage your baby's ability to distinguish a wide range of speech contrasts.

 

* Art Banners - two banners feature four panels of artwork from the literature book and help baby's distance vision.

 

* Instruments - even the littlest musicians need a creative, musical outlet, and Kindermusik's appealing, baby-safe instruments provide just that.

Kindermusik Our Time -  Your toddler is learning to cope with and control his world, his body, and his actions. Our Time At Home Materials help your busy toddler musically explore this intense period, and provide you both with treasured together time.

 

* Two Home CDs - at home, music can help your often emotional toddler refocus and regulate his emotions.

 

* Two Literature Books - reading together helps your child internalize language and literacy skills.

 

* Home Activity Book - lots of playful, musical fun for home: talking turns, family circle dances, field trips, and songs to use throughout the day.

 

* Instruments - playing with a steady beat helps your child develop a sense of rhythm as well as the ability to organize and coordinate movements within time. One instrument for your an one for your child provide you with endless opportunities for music-making together.

Kindermusik Imagine That! - Your child is running, jumping, bounding, and astounding you with an increased vocabulary and a growing love of music. Imagine That! At Home Materials help you challenge your child's active learning, sense of humor, imagination, and increasing capacity to grasp more specific musical concepts.

 

* Two Home CDs - singing songs develops your child's voice while also helping your preschooler develop a sense of inner hearing, a skill similar to thinking a stry or making a plan without speaking out loud.

 

* Literature Books - engaging her sense of adventure can help your child establish sequence of events and predict what happens next.

 

* Family Activity Book - preschool-aged children thrive on expressive learning and parental involvement, and they love sharing the musical concepts they discover each week in class.

 

* Play Set/Game - pretend play inspires creative thinking strategies that develop language, sensory, motor, and cognitive skills.

 

* Instrument - an instrument of their very own inspires creative, musical application of the concepts and skills being presented in class. It's also true that developing a sense of rhythm can help children better understand patterns, a necessary skill for mathematics.

 

Kindermusik for the Young Child  - At Home Materials gently introduce your child to musical terms, specific musical concepts like reading, writing, and composing music of their own, and the habit of setting a little time aside each day to improve a skill.

 

* Home Cd and Family Songbook - feature all the songs and activities introduced in class.

 

* Folder - includes attendance and name stickers, and helps organize Activity Pages and Picture Pages for at home as well as in the classroom.

 

*Music At Home cards - summarize the weekly lesson highlights, providing orpportunity for review and enjoyment at home throughout the week.

 

* Games Bag - holds various manipulatives and cards that correlate with the weekly Music At Home cards and Activity Pages.

 

* Instrument - throughout Young Child, your child is exposed to three basic instruments, so he can decide what he likes best: keyboard (glockenspiel - Sem. 1-4), strings (dulcimer - Sem. 3), or wind (recorder - Sem. 4).

 

Kindermusik Family Time - At Home Materials are a multi-layered learning with CDs, puppets, instruments, literature books, activity book, and a game.

* Two Home CDs - music to play at home, in the car, everywhere!

 

* Puppets - a hand-puppet (has a zipper for hide-and seek items) and finger-puppet for pretend play.

 

* Literature Books - adventures of the Jelly Bean Band are included in each book themed with each unit.

 

* Family Activity Book - ideas to engage every family member during everyday activities and make everyday a musical day.

 

* Game - matching games, listening games, musical games!!

 

* Instrument - two instruments to continue steady beat, music making and play at home.

 

Everything in Kindermusik's At Home Materials has a learning purpose for your child. That's because more than 25 years of early childhood development research applies to every instrument, CD, book, activity, song, and game.

Kindermusik believes that you are your child's first and most important teacher. We also know that children learn best through repetition, and that often they learn best where they're most comfortable - at home. Your At Home Materials empower you to take Kindermusik from class to home where the games, songs, dances, books, and quit times make it easy for you to infuse music, joy, learning, and togetherness into your daily routine.

Signing Family

Today during the Hello song  I showed you the sign (American Sign Language) for family. Due to our very small group at that time I like to review this sign already. 

To sign family simply start in front of your chest by touching your pointers to your thumbs while the other fingers point up-wards (the right hand makes the sign for the letter f while the left hand mirrors the letter and the pointers and thumbs touch). Now draw a circle with your hands while turning them until your pinkies (little fingers) touch. If this sounds to complicated don't worry we will review the sign in class again next week.

Happy Fathers Day / Schönen Vatertag

I'm sure nobody is reading this blog today because you're busy enjoying your families. I just wanted to make sure to wish you a great day.

 

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Sicher liest heute keiner diese Blog, da alle beschäftigt sind die Zeit mit ihrer Familie zu genießen. Trotzdem wollte ich sicher gehen, dass ich allen einen schönen Tag wünsche.