Going Over the Sea

We've been singing a song in our toddler music class called "Going Over the Sea". The refrain of the song says, "Going over, going under, stand at attention like a sailor with a 1,2,3". We usually grab some scarves and shake them over or under our bodies as we sing and march around. Songs like this are a great way to work on "positional" words like over, under, through, between, or beside. Your child will need a solid understanding of these types of words to be ready for success in Kindergarten. If you are not familiar with this particular song, you could create a similar experience at home by moving according to the words of other songs you may know with "positional" words or join a local Kindermusik class with your child to learn lots of great songs and activity ideas that will increase your child's development! Be sure to ask about your free preview!

No Nap Happy Hour Rocks the Iron Horse

Hey, live music lovers: the newest "gotta see" kids' concert series is Northampton, Massachusetts' No Nap Happy Hour, produced by Spare the Rock's Bill Childs. Kids' bands and performers, from the legendary Bill Harley to new-stars-on-the-block Lunch Money, will be rockin' the reknowned Iron Horse Music Hall once a month 'till the end of the year, beginning this Sunday.

For at least some of the dates (including Lunch Money), it's the only New England appearance for the band, so fans should check into making the trip to western Massachusetts. Northampton is less than an hour from Hartford and a couple of hours from Boston.

All shows will be held at the Iron Horse Music Hall at 2:00pm. Tickets are $10 in advance, $13 at the door, and are available through the Iron Horse website.

Here's the 2009 No Nap Happy Hour lineup:

July 26 - Lunch Money
August 23 - Justin Roberts & the Not Ready for Naptime Trio
September 20 - Deedle Deedle Dees
October 18 - Uncle Rock & the Playthings
November 8 - Brady Rymer & the Little Band That Could
December 6 - Bill Harley

Somewhere in the Ocean

We have been learning about the Ocean in our toddler summer Kindermusik camps this month. Each week the music and activities have taken the children a little deeper into the ocean. Today, we had a great time reading this book by Jennifer Ward. It is set to the tune of "Over in the Meadow" and explores rhymes and counting with various sea creatures. You can create your own underwater adventure at home by grabbing some island theme music and dancing like an octopus, crab, sea horse, or any other ocean animal that you can think of. You may be surprised at how creative your child can be!

***Caspar Babypants***

Wait, who is Caspar Babypants?

I Never Get Enough of that Wonderful Stuff

So, Johnny Bregar's a big-time video star now! Check out his version of the classic "Shoo Fly Pie," a tune from his Dragonfly album that's also on the new Putumayo Kids' CD Picnic Playground.

Johnny Bregar - "Shoo Fly Pie"

Am I normal or just typical?

One of the questions I get asked a lot in my music class is, "My child is not _(fill in the blank)_ yet. Is that normal?" As a developmental specialist, I think this is a tough question to answer. First, we need to define "normal". For years I thought I was normal, but now I'm not so sure! :-) I've come to realize that we all have quirks; we all have things we are good at, and things we struggle to do well. Our children are no different. One child may excel in musical ability at an early age yet struggle with balance and coordination. Another child may be very adept physically but may take longer to learn to speak clearly. Therefore, I'm not sure there is a "normal", just typical.
In other words, if your friend's child is walking at 9 months, there is no cause for concern that your child didn't walk till 15 months. The typical range for walking alone is 13-15 months, so as long as your child is staying within "typical" age ranges for each developmental milestone, he or she would be considered "normal". I will be talking more about typical development and how you can enhance that development through music in the coming weeks. If there is a specific area you would like to see discussed here, feel free to email me or leave a response here. As always, if you continue to have concerns about your child's development, you should discuss it with your child's pediatrician or other health care specialist.

TMBG get all scientific and stuff...

They Might Be Giants are your new lab teachers as Here Comes Science gets ready for a September 1 release. The full track listing is over here at About.com...............

Surly Siblings

Ahhh, the joys of parenthood! You sit back smiling and watch your beautiful children playing together, but the smile suddenly disappears when the playing turns to shouting or pushing. "She started it!" "He took my toy!" It doesn't matter where you are from or how you plan to raise your children, the fact of the matter is that when there are two or more children in the house, sibling rivalry is sure to raise its surly head! We experience it at our house, and I have seen it in my music class, such as when two children don't want to share mom's lap for a rocking song. Parent's may feel frustrated when trying to intervene, because they don't want to appear to be "taking sides". What do we do? Here are a few pointers I picked up recently from the James Dobson book, The New Strong-Willed Child.

* Don't inflame the natural jealousy that your children feel by comparing them to each other.

* Establish a workable system of justice at home. In other words, you should have reasonable rules that protect each family member an ensure their fair treatment, then consistently enforce those rules.

* Recognize that the hidden "target" of sibling rivalry is you! The bickering may be an attempt to capture more attention.