Minds On Music – The Kindermusik Blog
For three generations, Kindermusik has helped millions of children around the world build a strong foundation for a lifetime of learning.
Remember this viral video? A mom sings a sad love song to her 10-month baby, and the baby’s eyes well up. Why would singing to your child spark such an emotional reaction.
In her article featuring this viral video, psychologist Siu-Lan Tan theorizes that it has to do with the emotional contagion that causes human begins to “absorb and reflect the intense emotions of those around them.” Continue reading “Why Singing to Your Child Every Day Is Vital”
The Keeping Quilt is the heartwarming biography of four generations of the author’s own immigrant Jewish family and the unique quilt that wraps all of the generations together.
Continue reading “Book Review: The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polaco”
The world needs musicians, and musicians can get their start early (hint, hint). To do many things in the world as a professional musician, it’s often beneficial to continue music study past Kindermusik and into the higher ed realm. But many parents get scared when their son or daughter tells them, “Mom, Dad…I want to be a music major.”
We’re always keeping our eyes peeled for great content to pass your way. Mommy Bloggers are always sharing excellent ideas and activities with the world and we love signal boosting the best of the best. But what about you? If you are a parent, I’m positive you have a story to share or a parenting technique that has worked wonders for you. If so, perhaps starting a mommy blog is for you.
Elna, the mom who runs TwinsMommy.com, spells out how to start a mommy blog for the beginner – from soup to nuts – and make money while you do it! Take a peek and share your ideas with the rest of us! Continue reading “Mommy Reblog: How to Start a Mommy Blog”
The brain is a mysterious organ. It is responsible for all the functions of the body, processes pain, yet has no pain receptors of its own. It’s 73% water and produces enough energy to light a small LED bulb. An infant’s brain is constantly growing but is already about 80% of the size it will reach in adulthood. If you had a piece of your own brain the size of a grain of sand in your palm, it would contain over 100,000 neurons (the cell type that transmits information) and over 1 billion synapses (the junction between neurons). There is much we don’t know about the brain, but after decades of high-level research, we have learned a great deal.
Continue reading “In Your Right Brain: The Mind’s Response to Music”
We’ve said it many times, and it’s kind of become my catchphrase…music is magic. We bring you lots of studies about music’s positive impact on learning domains, on brain development, and on academic achievement. We highlight these important aspects of an early childhood rich with musical experiences in many different ways – because we really want to hammer home the point: music should be a vital part of growing up.
The Blues – one of the first American musical genres – has been with us now for well over a century. It finds its roots in the music of Africa, what ethnomusicologist Gerhard Kubik calls the “cradle of the blues.” Early music made by African slaves used a great deal of call and response form; this is present in early iterations of the blues, Here is an example of call and response from Kenya.
With all of the hype and focus on Valentine’s Day, Groundhog Day is often overlooked — except by the weatherman and the groundhog, of course. As we all know, the big deal on Groundhog Day is whether or not the groundhog sees his shadow, and if we have hope for an early spring or if we’re in for a longer winter.
Continue reading “Groundhog Day Fun: Make Your Own Shadow Puppets”
If you’re looking for some simple and enjoyable Valentine’s crafts, look no further. We’ve pulled together a few of our top favorites to share here with you so you could check off the Valentine’s needed for teacher, Grandma, Uncle Joe, and more, and best of all, so you could sprinkle in a little extra love, giggles, and special memories of time together around the very holiday meant to be a time to express our love in special ways.
Continue reading “Fun and Favorite Valentine’s Crafts Just for Young Children”
For this mommy re-blog, Jamie Johnson, over at Scary Mommy Blog, shares with us the realities of raising a toddler and what to expect if you are an unexpected guest. The story sounds oh-so-familiar. We even have a black lab!
Continue reading “Mommy Re-Blog: Scary Mommy and Unexpected Visits”