Kindermusik with Miss Christa and Friends

Ahhhh Christmas Time is here

misschrista — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:18:36 +0000

Christmas has been my favorite holiday (well – other than my birthday, but I’ve been informed many times that that isn’t a “real” holiday) for as long as I can remember. Yes, there was a time in my life when it was all about the presents. But, even as a young child, I loved the lights, the music, the longing for snow, the tree, the food. Just seeing the lights begin to go up can stir my heart.

As an adult, my love for Christmas hasn’t faded, but my focus has changed. Now, it is about me having an opportunity to continue traditions (homemade salami and white chocolate candy being two of my favorites), bringing joy to other people through thoughtful gifts of the kinds that you can purchase, or services I can provide. I still love the music. Pandora has made it even better because they have Christmas music for whatever mood I’m in. I love hearing my girls sing and play the music and begin to get the same pleasure that I had as a child.

But, my very favorite thing is decorating our house. Greg and I waited 14 years to buy a house and I was so excited to find one that matched my personality and was what I had always longed for. Truly, even though we found the house in the month of August, I pictured it decorated for Christmas. I cannot wait to haul out the holly, light the lights and bring everything out once again.

This Friday night we will be hosting a house trimming party for some of the college students who have not yet gone home but have stayed to work in the library for Greg. Sarah has some of her friends coming over as well. This is something we started several years ago. We didn’t do it last year and Hannah has been asking for a couple of months if we are going to do it this year. Many people are surprised that I will let others help decorate since I am known as something as a control freak. However, decorating the house, to me, isn’t about having it Better Homes and Gardens or Martha Stewart perfect. It is about sharing old memories, creating new ones, and being with friends. Our ornaments are all a hodge-podge collection of things that are meaningful to us – from our childhood, throughout our marriage and items for our children. Yes, sometimes things get broken, or ornaments get clumped all in one spot, or stuff gets spilled on the carpet (have you seen our carpet?), it doesn’t matter. Christmas is not about appearances and what other people think and doing things just because they are expected of us. Christmas is about anticipation, families, LOVE!

So, I wish for you all a very Holly Jolly Christmas. Put on some music, take a walk and look at the lights in your neighborhood, bake soem cookies, have a glass of cider and count your blessings. Do these things not because you HAVE to do them, but because you want to. Don’t worry about the “musts” there are enough of those every day – the whole year through. This is not meant to be a season of stress, but of joy and peace. Relax, know that it is never perfect, and enjoy.

Win a Free Semester of Kindermusik

misschrista — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:13:19 +0000

Hey all! Kindermusik International is running a contest on their website right now. You could win a free semester of Kindermusik if your video is selected. All the rules are posted at this website.

http://www.kindermusik.com/VideoContest/ItsyBitsySpider/ItsyBitsySpider.aspx

In addition, let me know you have posted a video to the contest spot and I will give the first five participants a free musical gift from me for playing.

This is a great way to show off your fabulous kids!

Music is SO important to your child’s development

misschrista — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:33:07 +0000

Enjoy this wonderful video! Then call me about enrolling your child in Kindermusik – the world’s number 1 choice in music education for very young children. 99% of parents say they would recommend Kindermusik to a friend. Why not try it out today. I love to have newborns in class – your child is never too young for a great beginning!

Check out TodaysMama – Expand Your Perspectives

misschrista — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:59:00 +0000

Hi,

I want you to take a look at: TodaysMama – Expand Your Perspectives

Keeping Healthy and Happy

misschrista — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:10:40 +0000

As someone who works with very young children, and their families, I am concerned about keeping a healthy environment in which we learn and play. All of us at Kindermusik are careful about keeping our classrooms safe and clean. We are being even more conscientious in light of the H1N1 Flu Pandemic. Many of the steps to avoid getting sick are common sense. However, we have to teach children these things because they really aren’t born knowing them. One of the best prevention steps of all is thorough hand washing. Germs (not just flu ones) are carried on the hands and transmitted through touching eyes and noses. I found this cute video this morning and thought I would share it with you. My one little criticism is you might want to wash the faucet handle before you hands, or turn it off with a wash clothe or paper towel so as not to put the germs back on your hands when you are finished.

Enjoy!

Infants need Kindemusik too

misschrista — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:39:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

I am overwhelmed and amazed at the outstanding response to Kindermusik with Miss Christa and Friends this fall. The roster is looking robust and full. However, the one class that is missing students in my Village class. This is the infant age group for newborns – 20 month olds.

There are so many benefits of starting class during the infant months. We will spend time doing infant massage, working on language development, singing and instrument play. It is an early introduction to social interactions and an amazing bonding time for parents. Infanthood can be an overwhelming time for parents. There is so much to do and so many distractions. You love this child and cannot imagine life without him, but yet there are insecurities and frustrations that occur. Kindermusik not only benefits your child’s development but gives you a network of parents in the same situations as well.

Even if you don’t have an infant of your own, I bet you know someone who does have one. Please invite them to look at my website www.kindermusikwithmisschrista.com or give me a call to begin the amazing Kindermusik journey with their child.

Change to Fall Schedule

misschrista — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:55:07 +0000

Due to an over abundance (ahhhhhhh I love that) of toddlers for Thursday evening’s Our Time class, I have started a second evening Our Time class on Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. at the Dairy Barn in Athens. The Thursday class is now full, but there is room on Tuesdays

In order to do this, I had to cancel Sign and Sing for the fall but there had been no interest shown. I will offer it again in the Winter semester as I did last year.

Come one – come all – classes are filling rapidly but there is still time for you to enroll.

Which Level is Best?

misschrista — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:59:16 +0000

Are you trying to decide which class is best for your child this fall? This document gives some very good guidelines to give your child the best class possible. Keep in mind that once our children reach school age they will be pushed and molded according to their chronological age (mostly). Take the time to savor these early months and years of life and allow them to transition at the rate which is best for them.

Transitional Ages and Stages

How do I know if my child is ready for the next class level?
The Kindermusik philosophy springs from genuine respect for each child’s individual rate of development. Class activities and at-home materials are designed to honor, support and celebrate the wonderful uniqueness of each child. Classes have overlapping age ranges to help parents accommodate their child’s own needs.

While a child should be at least the minimum age to enroll in any given class, there are three critical “transitional stages” when parents have an important choice to make about which class is most appropriate and beneficial for their child: at age 1.5 years , 3 to 3.5 years and 4.5 to 5 years.

The suggested ages for Kindermusik curricula are:
Village ~ Newborns to 18 months (or 20 months)
Our Time ~ 18 months to 3 or 3.5 years
Imagine That! ~ 3 to 4.5 or 5 years
Young Child ~ 4.5 or 5 to 7 years

If your child is near a transitional stage, the following guidelines may help your decision:

Moving from Village to Our Time
The suggested age for an Our Time class is 18 months to 3 or 3 ½ years. Children ready for this next level show many of the following characteristics:

Physical
• Improved walking skills, feet are together, knees flexible (vs. the “just walker” who has a wide-based legs apart gate with locked knees)
• Beginning to imitate/explore a variety of traveling movements —run, jump, leap

Cognitive
• Reliably point to correctly identified body parts
• Can follow two-step direction
• Understands what “one” means (vs. a handful)
• Learning to use toys and objects in symbolic ways (moving beyond just enjoyment of sensory properties)
• Can interact in a directed activity
• Able to shift attention with transition
• Connects to an activity; initiates a play sequence
• Reliably responds to own name (refers to self by name in secure environments)

Emotional
• Uses gestures and language to deal with frustration (as apposed to just crying or whining)
• Sustains interest and attention in activity for several minutes (Note: not wanting to give something up such as bells or sticks, can be a sign of maturation)

Language
• Can express wants and needs symbolically (gestures, words)
• Has vocabulary of 20 words: receptive language is still stronger than expressive
• Reading with caregiver becomes cooperative. Child will select book, sit, relate to the story and interact.

Social
• Interested in what other children are doing
• Capable of distal communication (i.e. following verbal instructions from farther away)

Musical
• Moves to music, perhaps to steady beat

Moving from Our Time to Imagine That!
The suggested age range for Imagine That! classes is 3 to 5 years. Children ready for this next level show many of the following characteristics:

Physical
• Has a taller, thinner, adult-like appearance
• Balances on one foot; jumps in place without falling
• Holding crayons in pincher grasp rather than fist

Cognitive
• Knows if they are a boy or girl
• Can do matching games
• Knows some basic shapes and colors
• Developing divergent thinking skills (“What animals do you like?”)
• Beginning transition from concrete to abstract thinking (humor aids this process)
• Sits and listens to stories for up to 10 minutes

Emotional
• Recognizes needs of another person; can be empathetic
• Separates from parent without crying
• Development of humor

Language
• Beginning to master rules of language; speaks in full sentences (4-5 words); asks questions
• Vocabulary growing from 300-1,000 words
• Can relate a series of activities; tells stories (“We went to the grocery store, then to grandma’s and I played with the kittens.”)

Social
• Recognizes the needs of others
• Turn taking becomes harder than earlier, but beginning to understand reasons
• Learning about patience

Musical
• Recites rhymes
• Sings simple, whole songs

NOTE – Miss Christa offers ABC Music and Me 4-6 to ease the transition between Imagine That and Young Child. Children entering Kindergarten who have not previously had Kindermusik or ABC Music and Me specifically should be enrolled in ABC first!

Moving from Imagine That! to Young Child
The 2-year Young Child program was intended in design for kindergartners and first graders. Individual exceptions might be made for a child participating in a pre-K program who will turn 5 years old in the fall or who is developmentally mature. We find that children who have come up through our Kindermusik program are generally more mature than a child who has never participated in Kindermusik. A 4’s preschooler would best be served, in most cases, by participating in Imagine That! which is also a 2-year curricula. Children who are 6 are encouraged to begin in Year One, but may elect to begin in Year 2 if they are more comfortable with the age range. 7-year-old children should begin in Year 2.

Any child entering the program in the middle of the year should be the same age as the children in the class. (Children who were 5 in the September will be turning 5.5 by January.) This is true because the Young Child curricula is a sequential curricula and the child will have to catch up with the major concepts taught in the fall semester. At the beginning of each semester, there is a review of the major concepts so that new children may be incorporated into the class. Because of the sequential and foundational nature of the curriculum, it is best to start in the fall if the child is 4. Children who are 5 in January usually can fit it with the review at the beginning of the semester. Young 4’s would have a more difficult time catching the missed concepts quickly. If in doubt, speak with the Director, Nancy Hall. If you are a new client, it would be helpful for the child to visit a class so the teacher can observe the child.

Children ready for this next level show many of the following characteristics:

Physical
• Can jump forward many times in a row, hops, gallops, is learning to skip
• Demonstrates control of pencil or marker

Cognitive
• Eager to learn
• Has developed classification skills (i.e. can sort things that have a single common feature) and can sort by size, color and form
• Counts to 20; recognizes numerals 1-10
• Beginning to see things from another’s perspective
• Recognizes some letters of the alphabet

Emotional
• Impulse control is emerging and developing
• Exhibits self-confidence and reliability
• Sense of right and wrong is growing
• Beginning to see things from another’s perspective

Language
• Speech is nearly 100% intelligible (exceptions may include children with hearing and language delay)
• Uses grammar correctly (i.e. past and future tense)

Social
• Enjoys friendships and group activities
• Shares, takes turns, plays cooperatively
• Is affectionate and caring
• Follows directions

Musical
• Sings a whole song
• Beginning to match pitches consistently
• Developing ability to match to group steady beat

Music and Learning – a valuable partnership!

misschrista — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:07:51 +0000

As we approach the start of the school year, I am saddened to hear that at least one of our area school districts is cutting its music program. Our school district has had to cut an art position from the high school. (The teacher retired and they did not refill the position). And many other area schools are struggling to maintain a curricula that includes the much needed and valued visual and performing arts. A colleague shared the following article with us this week and I want to share it with you. In order to be ethical, I have not reprinted the entire article here. I ask that you please follow the link to the NJ Family website in order to read it in its entirety. When you are done, I hope you will believe, as I definitely do, that music is as important in a child’s education as reading, writing or arithmetic. The beauty of music is that it aids and supports the learning of everything else we do.

“An educational foundation is only part of the equation. In order for creativity to flourish and imagination to take hold, we also need to expose our children to the arts from a very young age.” -First Lady Michelle Obama

Here is the beginning of the article:

Listen to the singing, the laughing, and the shouting; the jumping, stomping, and clapping; the exuberant thumping of drums, the rhythmic rattling of maracas, and the festive jingling of bells. Listen to children making music, and it’s easy to hear they’re having fun.

What’s not so obvious is that while children are singing and clapping, jumping and wiggling, and shaking and tapping on instruments, there’s a whole lot of learning—and growing—going on.

Children, unlike adults, learn primarily through sound. They naturally focus attention more easily on sound than on visual stimuli. The rhythmic sound of music, in particular, captures and holds children’s attention like nothing else, and makes it a valuable learning tool.

Music education increases children’s intelligence, academic success, social skills, and even physical fitness, in ways that may surprise you. (to read the 7 benefits of music education in the article click here)

As a Kindermusik educator and parent, I know that your child is never too young to start gaining the benefits from music. I have classes for newborns and would love to begin to work with you. Class space is limited – call today to reserve your place in the music circle!

Gearing Up For Fall!

misschrista — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 13:34:10 +0000

I am so excited. After a very wonderful summer Kindermusik Adventures session and some down time that involved hot tubbing, a half day spa trip and gourmet chocolates (not to mention time spent on the boat and with friends), it is time to really focus on getting the Fall 2009 semester of Kindermusik ready to roll. It is 9:15 a.m. on Sunday morning – I’ve had my breakfast, my talk with God and made my to-do list. I have so much enthusiasm for the coming year that it is hard to know what to write. I am looking at a roster that includes many re-enrolling families (some who are returning after an extended break) and several new ones as well. There is still room in many of the classes (what happened to my Tuesday morning Our Time class?) but a few are getting close to capacity. If you were wanting Thursday night Our Time, I would contact me very soon.

Please share with your friends and neighbors that I am offering Sign and Sing again this semester. It will be on Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m.

In addition, I am also going to be offering ABC Music and Me at First Friends Preschool at Christ Community Wesleyan Church. AND….drumroll please…. due to the hard work of a couple diligent parents, I have found a location for the Belpre area. I will be teaching at Belpre Elementary School on Wednesday evenings. I am very excited about this expansion and ask that you please let your friends in that area know that they will now have Kindermusik classes closer to home.

The Belpre schedule is as follows:

Village (newborn – 20 months) 4:30 – 5:15 p.m. $210 for 15 weeks

Our Time (18 months -3.5. years) 5:30 – 6:15 p.m. $210 for 15 weeks

Imagine That (3.5 years – 5.5. years) 6:30 – 7:15 p.m. $210 for 15 weeks.

These classes will begin on September 2, 2009.

I know that I have enjoyed taking a little break from teaching and feel very refreshed and renewed to hit the classroom rolling again. I have heard from some of you that your children are missing class. Pull out those past CDs and story books and “play” Kindermusik at home. Let your child be the teacher. Make some drums in the kitchen and have a little parade. I’ll see you soon with more songs, dances, activities stories and learning to share.