What's your presence online?

Broadband growth. Eighty-four percent of U.S. households will have broadband access by 2008, according to eMarketer. This opens up the pipe for marketers to develop video, music, and other unique branded content to reach the masses in more personalized, entertaining ways.
Source: ClickZNetwork

Tune In drops today

Check your email inboxes for the latest issue of Tune In, a free e-enewsletter for parents and children. This one's a little bit different this time around, with more video features, and links to products. Let me know what you think and email me at mmcginn@kindermusik.com

When your child cries, harmonize

Ok.I sheepishly admit that I check People's online magazine. Every day. And today I found this little Kindermusik cure from a new dad:

"He's the happiest little fellow," says Big & Rich's "Big" Kenny Alphin, 42, of 4-month-old Lincoln (with stylist wife Christiev, 43). "He never cries really loud. And if he starts to whimper, I'll just harmonize with him."

Go outside and play

Okay, this is me, around age 5 or 6--about the same age as the kids in a new study in the Kansas City Star, which basically found that TV is more violent than ever.

■ Nearly eight incidents of violence per hour. Even when Wile E. Coyote-era “cartoony” violence is extracted, the average dropped to only 6.30 incidents per hour. “To put this figure in perspective,” the report stated, “consider that in 2002 the six broadcast networks combined averaged only 4.71 instances of violence per hour” during prime time.
■ Nearly two cases of “verbal aggression,” like insults and abusive name-calling, every hour.
■ At least one “disruptive, disrespectful or otherwise problematic attitudes and behaviors” per hour.
■ Sexual content appeared, on average, 0.62 times per hour, usually in the form of provocative pictures of female characters.

My concern is that kids may see far more violent incidents on TV than they can even remember to ask you about. I'm not anti-TV. I'm just pro "go outside and play." I'd rather worry about a child climbing a tree and falling down, than worry about what he's watching on television.

I don't think Beatrix had an iPod

Still, this is a quick little sideshot of Renee Zellweger on set of a new movie about Beatrix Potter, the Peter Rabbit creator, illustrator, and author.

Wonder what she's listening to.

What do parents think about Kindermusik?

You could break into their houses and read their diaries. What? Not your style? ‘n k.

Instead you could go to Technorati. It's a search engine, like google. Only you’re searching the online Web logs, aka blogs, of tech-savvy parents who love posting pictures, progress notes, and other dimple-inducing vignettes about their little muses. Think of it as an online baby book. Quite a few write about Kindermusik.

So. Take a look. See what parent’s value about their child’s time in Kindermusik. And while you're there, you'll probably come across a few other blogs created by Kindermusik Educators.

Remember the rhythm

In my film class last night, my teacher said one of the most important skills any director or filmmaker could possess is a little musical understanding. He had just described one dramatic edit he used in a film as a “coda.” He snapped his fingers to illustrate the 4/4 rhythm in the action between edits.

He went totally Kindermusik.

Premies

New study in Pediatric finds that early education for premies boosts long term skills.

Mahna, Mahna

See what happens in class today if you hum a little of this melody. Hum it in the grocery store line. The coffee shop line. Then let me know how many people actually say back, "Mahna, Mahna." I'll bet lots.

"Mahna, Mahna" was one of my favorite Muppets' songs. And because Jim Henson and the Muppets were so well loved by so many people, it can provide an instant connection between strangers. Try it out.

Not so coincidentally I've been thinking about Jim Henson a lot lately. He used puppets to inspire imagination. We, as Kindermusik Educators, use music. And in class, you give parents the information and insight they need to inspire a child's imagination. Open their minds to finding a more creative, musical way to help them engage, play, interact, and learn with each other.

Inspire imagination. Make it a musical mind.

Mahna, mahna.

Show me a craft

This morning I took pictures of the crafts featured in the new Young Child camp, Tell Me a Tale. With a new folk tale featured each musical day, the young ones let their fingers do the learning when they make the main character from the story that day:

Totem pole: Rolled up construction paper, googlie eyes, pipe cleaners, foam shapes, glue, and clothespins
Sock donkey: One mismatched sock, googlie eyes, a bag of beans, rubber bands, and clothespins
Alligator (or is it a crocodile?): Construction paper and brown grocery sack
Black paper: Crayons, paper, and lots of black crayons. The kids will scratch away at the black to show the color below.

What else do you want to know about summer camps? Drop me an email at mmcginn@kindermusik.com

New Summer Camps will be ready to ship on May 1st. Current camps start shipping April 1st.

New summer camp craft snaps

Bubbles: More than meets the eye

Some of the simplest things, like bubbles, can do so much good. Watching soap bubbles can soothe a baby's fussy mood in an instant. Blowing bubbles can help develop lung and breath control. And early on for a child, simply reaching up and popping up a sudsy circle is a sign that she's working on eye-hand coordination, and fine motor control.

What you'll see. Around 5 months, your baby reaches her whole arm towards something she wants. Eventually she’ll grab, and perhaps switch something from hand-to hand. Also around this time, her eyes uncross and her vision improves as she focuses and scans slowly moving objects. Those two developing skills come together as your baby watches you blow bubbles. Plus it’s relaxing, like watching curtains blow in the window. Add a little music and this playful time becomes a soothing ritual as your baby grows.

My cup runneth over

This little one, here. This little one making the face. Not even knowing that her overall strap can't keep up with her shoulders. This is Stella and she has taken my heart and I don't even want it back. She can have it.

This is Stella Thill. Her mom, Rachel, was my best friend in seventh grade almost 20 years ago. We met up again this past weekend and I'm glad to say she's still my best friend. Now I have one more, too.

The new look of summer

Next week, we'll have the new summer camp brochure ready for you. Available now are free photos, display ads, and banners you can use now to get started. One special note, though: At Home Materials in the Village camp includes a Cage Bell, not a scarf. We'll have that corrected on the Web site Tuesday.

Also of note: The woman and child in this picture is Kindermusik Educator Darcie Brown, and her son. You can read more about her and how she's using her blog, Web site, and more to help families learn more about Kindermusik and the Little Brown Music Studio in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

Come All You Playmates

Educators have been asking for the link to the video we put in the Family Time email yesterday. If you have Quick Time, you can watch the link here.

Forward families a link of their own: http://www.kindermusik.com/videos/QT6_256_ComeAll.mov

Next week, we'll post the Quick Time and Media Player versions for you, too.

My hands are small, I know

Strengthening the finer muscles in your child’s fingers do a lot more than help her hold a pencil—it can help her manage her mind, too. When your child uses her hands, she strengthens the frontal lobes in her brain, which is also responsible for fine motor skills, planning, focused attention, and the ability to think before she acts.

Play on little ones.

Educator and advocate

Kindermusik Educator Sarah Flack believes it never hurts to ask. So she recently invited everyone to the ribbon cutting ceremony of her second studio location in Laredo, Texas. Almost everyone showed up, too, including Richard Raymond from the Texas House of Representatives.

Learn more about the event when we talk with Sarah in the Educator Profile section on the Teacher’s Lounge next month.

“I sent out invitations to people that admittedly may have been out of my league, like my state representatives," writes Sarah. "It turns out that Richard Raymond is a music lover and a great proponent of early childhood education. He gave the welcoming speech at the ribbon cutting and presented me with a beautifully framed certificate of congratulations from the Texas House of Representatives.

“We held a 10-20 minute demonstration class, and I sprinkled FOLs and funny stories throughout. It was so incredibly awesome to see these serious business men and women let down their guard and experience being a child again.”

Dred violin

Hip-hop violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain.

A new era in visual animation

Disney and Pixar animations merge.

Punxsutawney Phil

Phil saw his shadow, that means six more weeks of winter coats for those on the cold side of the globe. Happy groundhog day.

Given the implications of a few more weeks of buttoning up, let's settle that old issue once and for all: "Put on a jacket or you'll catch a cold."