Monday 2 February 2009

Story Time Jewels


As I get ready to begin a new semester of Our Time this week I am again excited by the high quality of musical and developmental research that goes into each and every unit of Kindermusik. This Thursday (10:15am) and Friday (11:15am) I'll introduce the delightful unit Fiddle Dee Dee to parents and their children, including the favourite book, created just for this unit, called Animal Serenade written by Susan James Frye and illustrated by Andrea Eberbach. This sing along book ties in beautifully with all of the activities we will be exploring over the next 6 weeks of classes, at which point we get to explore another book. Refreshing myself with the book, I count 7 songs with a rich musical heritage. This one small children's book packs in original Kindermusik songs, adapted traditional tunes, as well as music from South Carolina, Arkansas, Germany, and Mexico.
It's not too late to join the learning and fun! Call the Nanaimo Conservatory at 250-754-4611 to register today!

Moving from Village to Our Time




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

Moving from Village to Our Time - 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 opposed 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