Friday, January 23, 2009

Baby Talk



There has been a buzzword Baby Sign in the current trend. What is so special about it? Study finds that babies are not born with a blank slate of their brains when it comes to language. Sign language enables infants to speak earlier than speech language in the early stage of physical development. There is nothing more mysterious than this. Perhaps one day everyone will be able to speak both vocally and manually -- a matter of choice.
Baby sign or baby talk is a concept and practice of communication (not a language per se) with hearing babies in sign language before they can first vocally speak. The underlying idea about "baby sign" is simply that babies are capable of coordinating their physical parts (hands, arms, etc.) earlier before they could coordinate their vocal system. Its approach is as practical and intuitive as real-life among native ASL parents who speak ASL to babies, in the same way as parents talking English to their babies.

Thursday, January 22, 2009



An early literacy and language programABC Music & Me, an award-winning enrichment program for 2 to 6 year olds. ABC Music & Me is a research-based language and early literacy program built around music. ABC Music & Me helps develop pre-literacy and language skills through a child’s most-loved rituals: music and storytime.
ABC Music & Me supports the early childhood standards and requirements for “high quality programs” as defined by the National Institute for Early Education. Plus for the older age group, ABC Music & Me aligns with pre-K national and state standards.


Curriculum Description: Age Range: Age 2 to 6 years

Class Structure: New unit theme for each month, each contains four lessons.

Fourteen monthly units for 2 to 4 years old. Twelve monthly units for 4 to 6 years old.

Class Length: 30 minutes.

Class Size: Up to twelve children in class, with or without accompanying adults.


What A Child Will Experience In Class
Songs and rhymes to develop phonetic awareness and early reading skills
Tapping, clacking, and ringing rhythm instruments in time with music to improve hand-eye coordination
Focused listening with music to improve skills in following directions
Instrument play to strengthen fine motor skills
Developmentally-appropriate songs to develop vocal chords and expressive speech
Learning that emphasizes storytelling, imaginative play, and taking turns.


Registration includes:
Developmentally appropriate curriculum for children ages 2 to 6 years old
4-week semester with 12 different monthly themes
Weekly 30-minute class
Monthly Home Kit that includes a magazine-style Family Guide, CD with all the music from class, and an instrument every other month

Enroll online today at my website: http://www.kindermusikbymsmarianne.kindermusik.net/

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Why Should I Sign With My Child?

Benefits of using ASL with Hearing Babies- Babies can communicate before they can speak - verbal abilites are far less advanced than motor skills at this age.- Decreases frustration - Having a way to tell you what they want or need decreases their frustration and yours.- Strong connection or bond - frequent eye contact, better communication and less frustration makes you feel happier together
Benefits of using ASL with Toddlers- Minimizes the "Terrible Two's - ability to communicate to you what they want or need = less frustration = less tantrums.- Helps you to make sense of toddler speech - A sign with the sound "Ba" can tell you whether they mean ball or balloon.- Develop larger vocabularies - Research shows that signing children have 50 more speaking words at the age of 2 then their non-signing peers
Benefits of using ASL with Preschoolers and Early Elementary Age Students- Enhances early literacy skills - by adding a visual and kinesthetic way to learn children have proven to have more success in reading, writing, vocabulary, spelling and memory.- Increases IQ by 8-12 points - Research shows that signers have an 8-12 point advantage on the WISC intelligence tests and also score higher on the PPVT vocabulary test.- Increases self-esteem - knowing a skill you can teach others and being able to lead others in a conversation gives a sense of empowerment. - To see the research go to http://cas.la.psu.edu/faculty/daniels.htm.
Benefits of using ASL with Children with Special Needs- Using sign language has proven to be a successful intervention with children who have apraxia of speech, autism, down syndrome, as well as reading disabilities. - To see some research on apraxia go to http://www.apraxia-kids.org/site/c.chKMI0PIIsE/b.980831/apps/s/content.asp?ct=464165/ or for autism go to http://www.autism.org/sign.html.

Clean and Healthy

Clean Counts Get into the habit of cleaning stuff you share with others, such as computer keyboards, phones, remote controls, countertops, etc. And remember—germs love money as much as we do, so wash your hands after those ATM pit stops.
Clean Your Humidifier During the winter months you should clean your humidifier every three days and change the water every day.8
Know When to Wash Your Hands To prevent the spread of cold and flu germs, wash your hands at the following times: after petting an animal or using any gym equipment, as well as before and after eating, treating a cut, removing your contacts, and touching doors in high-traffic areas.9
Good Old Soap Antibacterial soaps are convenient and certainly have their place, but they're no more effective than regular soap at killing germs.10 So feel free to use good old-fashioned soap and water in addition to hand sanitizer.
Hand-Washing 101Hand washing is so important that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made official guidelines! They advise people to use soap and warm water while scrubbing vigorously for at least 20 seconds.
8 The National Institutes of Health 9 The Mayo Clinic10 The Mayo Clinic
Staying Healthy
Sleep It Off Not getting enough sleep decreases your immune system's ability to fight off a cold.1 So try to get a consistent six to eight hours of sleep every night.
Winter Doesn't Make You Sick Cold weather doesn't give you a cold.2 What really causes more sickness in the winter months is the increased amount of time we spend breathing germ-infested air indoors.
Use Antibiotics SparinglyUnless you're diagnosed with an infection, avoid using antibiotics for cold or flu symptoms. For one, too-liberal use of antibiotics can give rise to antibiotic-resistant germs. And there's always the risk of unpleasant side effects.
Fight Off Airplane GermsKeep germs at bay by washing your hands often (here's where a bottle of hand sanitizer can come in real handy). And be sure to drink lots of water to combat the super-dry pressurized air.
1 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention2 National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Healthy Expectations
We Get Well GraduallyGenerally speaking, a normal cold or flu lasts around five to seven days.4 If you don't start to feel better after a week, experts recommend you seek medical attention. Otherwise, over-the-counter medications should work just fine.
Know Your Sick DaysIt's not fair, but women average six bed-sick days a year. Men average four.6 Regardless, we're not alone in our misery. Every year, Americans report 1 billion colds and miss more than 50 million workdays and 60 million schooldays as a result.
Get to Know Your FeverThe University of Michigan Health System rates any fever from 100° F to 104° F as beneficial. Fevers ranging from 105° F to 107° F also are considered beneficial, but should be monitored due to higher risks of bacterial infections. Any fever greater than 107° F should be treated by a medical professional.
4 U.S. Food and Drug Administration6 The 2006 National Center for Health Statistics Survey for U.S. Adults

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

The children and I watched as the 44th President of the United States of America was sworn into office. Regardless of your Political views you can't help but be excited about how far our Country has come. Yes there is still a lot of prejudice to deal with, but I am happy to say that I was able to witness this event in my lifetime. Many references were made about Martin Luther King and I remember when he was assassinated and how I felt back then. I have prayed that we as a Nation could overcome pride and prejudice and look where we are today. Welcoming our First African American President. We are not where we need to be but I am glad that were are not where we used to be. Thank God! If you have never visited the website for the White House Please do.... www.whitehouse.gov

My First Attempt

This is my first attempt at blogging. I think if I can find my way back here - it would be a start. From there hopefully it will be smooth sailing. I hope this will be a good way to keep my clients informed to our day, as well as any announcements that need to be made.
I am sure that - like anything else - I will get better as I go along. This will be a good place for Parents to see what our day is like and share some of the news of the day, week, month. In an effort to cut down on paper waste - Here, I will post the Daily activities, meals, or any notices that I need to share.

Click Here for Kindermusik Class Schedules

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