Roll the dough, roll the dough, roll the dough flat

Those of you who have been Our Time classes this  semester have heard that little chant over and over.  Did you know that repetition of phrases and predictability of text helps your child become a better reader and story teller?

In addition to repetition, it is a wonderful thing to spice things up from the predictable with new surprises.  We've been enjoying some homemade gingerbread cookies with our "Cookies" story this week.  It was a perfect opportunity to reinforce to the children the sequence of events described in our story by bringing in real cookies.

Some moms were wondering about the recipe as their children were happily consuming the "hands-on" story prop.

Here it is as I made it for class:

Gingerbread Cookies

1/3 cup butter                                   2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup brown sugar                           1 tsp each of salt, cloves & cinnamon
1 1/2 cups molasses                         1 1/2 tsp. ginger
2/3 cup cold water                           1/4 tsp each of allspice & nutmeg                                      
1 tsp. vanilla                                  

Mix all these together then add 6 - 7 cups of flour.   Just enough for the dough to hold together and not be too sticky for rolling out.   For the ones in class this week I used two cups of whole wheat flour  and about 4 1/2 cups of all purpose flour.  You'll need a little flour when rolling out the dough and cutting the shapes out.

For the little bears we had in class, I baked for 5 minutes at 350˚

Of course you can add some decorations if you like, but they're soft and delicious without the extra sugar.

Makes about 9 dozen of those little bears we had in class.  Bigger cookies?  Try 7 minutes bake time.

The Gift of Music

It's that time of year where I start in with looking at Christmas music.  It's the 12th of November and I've already been singing and playing it for a couple of weeks already.  As I was playing the piano tonight choosing new Christmas piano books for my students next week, I came across a couple of pieces from The Nutcracker Suite...and as music so often does, it evoked wonderful family memories.

One Christmas when my 3 kids were little we all went to see the ballet and it was the beginning of a fascination with the musical score for my boys, and a passion for dance for my daughter.  (She is 15 and still has hours of ballet class a week.)  We watched the beautiful dances, saw the growing Christmas tree, bought the souvenir ornaments, and now listen to the score every Christmas.  I've been to see it probably 5 times.  Every time I see it, though, I experience it a little differently as every artist and director has a different interpretation to share.

I have often said that music is so much more than what you do with your fingers.  Music is meant to elicit emotion.  When I watch the beauty unfold before me with the ballerinas on their toes or the male dancers passionately leaping, it stirs something inside of me.  It calls out to the longing for beauty inside my heart, and the strong emotion of desiring strength.  Music speaks to who we are as people and connects us together with shared stories.  

Offering your children the gift of musical literacy is offering them the gift of sharing of themselves, but also the gift of understanding the heart of others.  Doesn't that sound like the greatest gift of all?

  

Who has seen the wind?

Music is, by nature, an auditory experience. Living in a very visually oriented world, however, makes music a venture into the less familiar.

One of the ways of helping children make sense of musical concepts is to incorporate other art forms, such as drawing. When we draw rain drops as dots on a page singing

"pitter patter pitter patter - I can hear the rain"

the small dots help with understanding about short staccato sounds.

Similarly, when we draw the wind while singing

"woooo woooo - I can hear the wind"

the long, colourful arches help children understand about the long legato lines of music.

These marks on the page are the beginning writings of your resident composer! Who knew?

Milk and Cookies - yummy in my tummy!

Few flavours in life can compare to the taste of homemade cookies! This is a prized cookie recipe I received years ago. It has become not only our family favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe, but the favourite of our friends and family around North America.

The mixing and measuring, scooping and tasting will delight your little one into regular culinary adventure together with you. Try it with your little baker at home this week - your taste buds will thank you!

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine 1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

Cream these together with electric mixer and then add

2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla

Mix the eggs in with mixer until light then add

1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt

2 cups flour 2 cups large flake oatmeal 2 cups chocolate chips

Mix until combined, then drop by rounded spoonful (your choice - big or small) onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350° for 8 minutes for small, 10 for large. They will be slightly golden when done.

Secret tip: When they come out of the oven, drop the pan on the counter to flatten. Do not over bake as they are NOT the same when not soft. ENJOY!!

My Favourite Thing

Just mentioning the words "The Sound of Music" brings a smile to so many faces. I sat down last night to watch the Oprah special of the reunion of the original cast and was just enjoying a great hour of memories. Like many of you, I'm sure I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've watched that show!

Today as I was talking about it with friends, we smiled as we agreed with Oprah's comment about how we've all imagined ourselves spinning in the open fields of Austria as Julie Andrews does in the opening scenes...

"The hills are alive - with the sound of music

With songs they have sung for a thousand years..."

Funny but I could sit here and type out all the words without even checking a score, I've sung them so many times. Even now a big smile is on my face as I mentally think through the words and imagine the movie scenes.

I think I was about 6 when I saw it in the movie theatre with my mom for the first time. I watched it as a teenager on TV, sang the songs in music festivals, watched it every Christmas for years, and have watched it with my children all snuggled up in our pyjamas on the couch.

And there are so many favourite scenes (Maria singing "I have confidence", the stormy "Favorite things" dance, the scene in the gazebo with Maria and the Captain where they have just gotten engaged and she sings "somewhere in my youth or childhood - I must have done something good..." and they kiss. Aaahhh. So lovely.) Watching that movie just wants a person to have a musical family, true?

I am openly sentimental about this show. Guilty. But what surprised me last night is that as I was watching it, all three of my kids stopped and watched it, too. Musical memories...they are long lasting. And when they are formed with the sweet spot of family connection, they remain a golden moment of joy for a lifetime!

Drink lots of tea and stop talking

By all accounts this should be a lovely day. Fresh snow on the ground...my dog sleeping on the couch while I make a chocolate birthday cake for my son. All is quiet in the home and it feels like I should have a fire on. It's the middle of the afternoon, though, and I still have my pyjamas on - it's a day to be still and not teach. Yes, it's back to my semi-annual laryngitis.

In the words of Eeyore..."oh bother".

I would so much rather be back at my happy place (that's code for the classroom), but in the spirit of not sharing whatever it is I'm fighting...I'll keep myself sequestered.

Hope to see you all soon!

Getting Smarter Day by Day

One child and two rhythm sticks can equal a great big bunch of improv! Especially when you have an excited cheering section, ready to encourage with modelling and expansion we call "scaffolding". Scaffolding happens when mom or dad observes what the child is already doing and encourages them to try those actions in expanded ways. For example, if your child likes to wiggle the sticks, you could suggest wiggling them as the "rabbit ears" or "kitty whiskers" that we've seen happen in class.

Or how about tickling your feet with them, or mom's feet, for that matter!

Hiding them in your pants is over-the-top funny when you are two! The more options, the better, really. Creativity is a learned concept. As we model out-of-the-box options for our children in pretend play, they are starting to gather ideas from which to draw on later. Stimulating new learning pathways in one area of interest actually makes physical connections in their brain, making new creative endeavors next time easier and faster. Even if the new creative option has nothing to do with the previous project.

Creativity is a skill that is built up through opportunity and practise. So if you don't have rhythm sticks at home, get out a couple of spoons to play along with your Kindermusik CD's.

And bring your new wild and crazy ideas to class to share with the rest of us!

Counting blessings

On Thanksgiving weekend, it seems appropriate to think of

things we are thankful for.

Without making it an exhaustive list, here are a few of mine...

and in no particular order : )

lilies - my favorite flower

warm fall weather

my dog sleeping by my side

children who tap my back during music play-along

dinner ready when I come home

a handy husband

extra hugs at the end of class

watching my daughter do ballet

friends who call

homemade pictures for the class bulletin board

pumpkin pie and real whipped cream

walks at night with my son

piano music

a job I LOVE and find SO meaningful

Kindermusik families who have become friends

family

God, who loves us all

Want to take the first step of starting your own list?

So Happy Together

Let's talk about bonding through music. My son, Colson, has a friend, Kent, who also really enjoys music. They have known each other for a lot of years and share a lot of interests. Making music is one of them. Above is a picture of the two of them at a band event last year where they got to enjoy some craziness together on the keyboard. (Colson is in the blue sweater)

Today was my turn. Not only do I teach music Monday to Saturday, but I'm involved in music at my church, too. On weeks when I'm not singing in the choir, I help out on the synthesizer - usually once a month. Got a call from one of our music pastors at church this past week asking if I'd play synth while Colson was on piano.

Well..."YES!"

It was so amazing to be playing together this morning with my son and some other fantastically talented musicians! The drummer this morning asked me while we were rehearsing if it was kind of like being Wayne Gretzky and his Dad on the ice...big smile...

Happy, happy day.

When we do our circle dances at Kindermusik,

or play instruments together,

or sing out the children's names during our Hello songs,

not only are we nurturing musical skills,

we are developing a musical community

where people feel like they belong

and are part of something bigger than ourselves.

A place to belong and matter. No wonder we like to hug at the end of class.

What's the big deal about "steady beat"?

We spend a lot of time in class playing with the steady beat.

We dance to it,

pat to it,

clap our hands to it,

step to it,

rock to it,

wave to it,

speak it,

sing it,

and we get out instruments and think of creative ways to play along to it.

It is one of the most foundational aspects of making music. Being able to keep a steady beat allows a person to play in ensemble with others and interpret music as it was intended.

Every baby is born with an awareness of steady beat (thanks to mom's heartbeat), but it takes some exposure and being able to practise it, to be able to keep a steady beat with, and without, an external sound source. A stong sense of steady beat helps your child co-ordinate their movements. As your baby internalizes the steady beat you will see it evidenced in their co-ordinated movements of rocking, patting, even walking.

Additionally, as your baby grows into toddlerhood, a growing sense of steady beat helps with co-ordinating movements with timing, such as bouncing and catching a ball. Beyond even the physical movements, steady beat helps with your child's communication as they learn the rhythm of language. Speaking in smooth cadence is a key factor in effective communication. Tests have shown, too, that children with steady beat internalization are better readers and more successfull in math skills.

So as you are tapping your rhythm sticks this week, remember that your modelling is going a loooong way today. Your child is building bridges to stronger communication skills, strengthening eye-hand co-ordination, increasing their sense of group belongingness, and ...having FUN!