before you take out the recycling...

free preview classes now being added to the schedule

Interested parents can now check the online schedule for preview classes.

The next opportunity is Thursday, April 3rd.

Our Time (toddlers): 10:30 a.m.
Village (babies): 11:15 a.m.

Expectant moms are welcome and encouraged to attend the Village preview! We have dolls to use for practice!

Speaking of...did you know that this semester, our 3 youngest babies were 3 weeks old, 8 weeks old, and 3 months old when they joined!

But I digress! Everyone in attendance at the preview will be entered into a drawing for a prize, such as $15 off tuition or a Kindermusik CD!

Come with a friend and you both will be entered into the drawing twice!

In addition, all names will go into the grand prize drawing for a tuition-free semester. This grand prize is valued between $175 and $200 and does not include materials/registration. This drawing will be held in May.

You may also enter the grand prize drawing by sending an email with your name, mailing address and age of your child/ren to Kathy Bailey.

Because spaces are limited at the preview classes, please call or email to register. There is a minimum of 5 and maximum of 10 spaces for children. To register, please call 761-4290 or email Kathy Bailey .

Check the online schedule often for future opportunities. More preview classes will be scheduled for May.

summer schedule is up!

There is something for everyone this summer!
- Weekly classes for babies & toddlers
- Morning KAMPs (Kids - Art - Music - Play) for 3 1/2 - 5 and 5 - 7 year olds
- NEW this summer! mini-KAMPS. Mini-KAMPs (ages 4-7) are 2 hours long for 3 consecutive afternoons/evenings in July. Your little pirate and/or princess will enjoy this splash of FUN!

Two sessions are offered this summer. Sign up for one or both. Sign up for both and take 1/4 off second session. To do this, you'll need to register for both classes individually. Once you've registered or at least created an account, I'll modify your account to reflect the discount. Or simply call or email and I'll take care of it all for you!

Your child won't feel lost in the crowd at our KAMPs! Check out the schedule!

FLEXIBILITY is the word of the season. Vacations and last minute get-aways are bound to happen, and I completely understand that need. So we are very flexible with makeups and special circumstances. Don't hesitate to get in touch about your scheduling needs.

my secret crush

We Love Dan Zanes at our house! He's part bluegrass, folk, rock, blues, and definitely ZANE-y. Parents find him appealing too (and I happen to think he's just so darn cute!). A little bit of nonsense, yet perfect sense for a day in the life of a family with young kids. In Village class we're enjoying the Farm in Cock-a-doodle-MOO. Here's to the fun we're having in Kindermusik....ENJOY, and grab your little one and dance around the kitchen!

Kindermusik Birthday Party!

I've been getting more and more requests for Kindermusik birthday parties lately. It's been 3 years since I started doing music and movement parties, but suddenly in the last couple of months, there's been a surge. Some happy little children have been having awesome Kindermusik birthday parties with themes such as John Deere, Little Einsteins, Butterflies, Princess, and Safari. Every party has been unique and all have been a blast!

Now that my baby is 16 months old and my husband's schedule has changed a little, therefore freeing me up more on the weekends, there's room in the schedule for 2-3 weekend parties per month, either on Saturdays or Sunday afternoons/early evenings. Weekday parties are also a possibility.

Each child's party is unique and personalized, and if your child is enrolled in Kindermusik, then he or she probably has an affinity for a particular instrument or prop (drums, parachute, etc.). I'll weave your child's favorites into the activities and really make the day very special for your child!

I'll consult you with regard to a suitable theme tailored specially for your child. At a Kindermusik birthday party, you'll see puppets, instruments, circle dances, storytime, instruments exploration, instrument play-alongs, singing, creative movements and lots more activities to give everyone a delightful time!

Read more here and Send me an email or call 761-4290 today schedule your child's Kindermusik birthday party. I would LOVE to do it!

The secret language of babies

I'm always interested in learning about and sharing information that brings parents and children together in meaningful ways. My now 15 month old benefited tremendously as a little baby from my knew-found knowledge of Patricia Dunstan's Baby Language. The payoff? A more relaxed, content, and secure baby.

When my baby was a newborn, Priscilla Dunstan from Australia was receiving nationwide publicity over her insight into the 5 unique and distinguishable sounds babies make to communicate their needs.

I was definitely interested in knowing more, so I scoured the information and applied it when my baby cried. To my astonishment, it worked! It's really quite simple. Just tune in to your baby's different cries. Newborns function physically and emotionally by reflex, so it makes perfect sense to learn that they also are born with vocal reflexes.

Dunstan tested her baby language theory on more than 1,000 infants around the world. She found a consistent pattern of five words that all babies 0–3 months old say regardless of race and culture:

Neh= "I’m hungry"
Owh= "I’m sleepy"
Heh= "I’m experiencing discomfort or change me"
Eair= "I have lower gas"
Eh= "I need to burp"

Those “words” are actually sound reflexes, Dunstan says. “Babies all around the world have the same reflexes, and they therefore make the same sounds,” she explains. If parents respond to those reflexes early, they may continue to hear those "words" after the 0-3 month age; however, if parents don’t respond to those reflexes, Dunstan says the baby will eventually stop using them.

It's important that parents listen for those words in a baby’s pre-cry, the window of opportunity when baby is communicating his or her need and before baby gets so upset and hysterical that the sound is lost.

The musical connection: (from www.dunstanbaby.com)
"Already an exceptional violinist by the age five, [Dunston] could hear a piece by Mozart once, then play it back in its entirety, note for note. Her father, Director of the Educational Testing Centre at the University of New South Wales, found that his young daughter had an eidetic memory - a rare photographic memory for sound.

"During her teenage years Priscilla toured throughout Europe and Australia as an accomplished concert violinist. Priscilla then spent more than 10 years exploring the world of opera, where her talent as a mezzo-soprano deepened her understanding of sound produced by the human voice.

"When Priscilla gave birth to her son Tomas, her instincts as a mother and musician led her to believe that a baby’s cries had to be something more than just random sounds. Noting combinations of sounds in a journal, Priscilla explored various settling techniques and observed Tom’s reactions. Eventually she was able to recognize patterns, and identify how specific cries had a distinct need attached to them."

Priscilla says, "Because of my gift for sound, I was able to pick out certain patterns in his cries and then remember what those patterns were later on when he cried again. I realized that other babies were saying the same words.”

How to PREVIEW a Kindermusik Class for FREE!

Our spring semester is just around the corner and this is a great time to bring your child to a preview class!

There is no charge, of course. Just come and enjoy and see for yourself just what is so special about Kindermusik.

If you missed the demo days and friend days, it's okay! Send me an email or call me today at 919-761-4290 to schedule your FREE class!

Sign up on the day you preview, and you'll receive a Best Of Kindermusik CD for FREE!

View the schedule and enrollment options here.