Slip, Slap, Slop!

It's that time of year again (thank goodness!) - time to break out the sunscreen.

For Dr. Glick, the former president of the American Cancer Society in Mesa, Ariz., the single most common skin problem he sees in young children is sunburn. "Eighty percent of all skin cancer is caused by sunburns that occur before the age of 18," he says.

Follow the common prescription: Slip on a t-shirt, Slap on a hat, and Slop on the sunscreen.

There is some controversy about whether or not children under the age of 6 months can use sunscreen. A doctor recommended to me that I could use sunscreen on my baby, but to be sure to wash it off and not let it stay on the skin longer than a couple of hours. It seemed like a reasonable compromise to me!

If a child suffers a sunburn, Dr. Glick says to hydrate the skin, use Advil or baby aspirin, and cool soaks.

Dan the Music Man - Criss Cross, Oh my Gosh!

This video is based on the concepts of a book called Brain Gym. It uses different movements to enhance cognitive development. For more information on this subject, you can also read Smart Moves, by Carla Hannaford. It is amazing how our brain and movement are connected!

In the Backyard

Summer camps start this week, and most all of you are doing Creatures in My Backyard. Here are some great ideas for bringing music outside. Thanks to Sarah of Loredo for these ideas!

1. Turn up the music and dance together in the backyard. No radio? Sing to your child or, even better, sing together as you dance. Dancing together helps with balance and coordination.

2.Load up the wagon or stroller with stuffed animals and have a zoo parade down the sidewalk, complete with homemade instruments and lots of animal sounds. Imitating animal sounds is a great way to help with language development.

3.Be sound detectives as you visit the park or walk in your neighborhood.Who can notice the most sounds? Who found the most unusual sound? Who heard the quietest sound? Listening intentionally builds attention skills that come in handy in school.

4.Look for outdoor objects that can be transformed into instruments. Sticks,
clean trash cans, pebbles, and sand all can become great soundmakers (and
help children think more creatively).

5. Overturned bowls make great drums in the wading pool. Add 3 or 4 bowls and a set of spoons to drum with, and you've got the recipe for a wading pool concert--not to mention building coordination and strengthening those finger and arm muscles!

Next Week!

The Vancouver International Children's Festival is on next week! Last year we didn't buy tickets to anything, we just showed up, and it was a blast. There is lots to do - musical exploration tents, a giant covered sandbox, a preschool tent, a clay tent, and lots more. It's well worth a trip over the bridge!


Bobs & Lolo, two of my favourite children's performers will be there. They have a new cd out, too!

Can you Believe It?

It's the last week of classes already! (For most of you anyway... The Saturday classes hit a number of holidays, so they are meeting this weekend, and again on the 26th. Monday's class is meeting for the last time next Monday.)

Be sure to sign up for summer camps! Busy Days for babies, Creatures in My Backyard for toddlers & families, and On the Road for preschoolers. We also have a Sign & Sing class running.

Check the schedule, and send me an email soon. A couple of classes are close to capacity. The next set starts up the week of May 28th. If you decide to do it again in the height of summer, it's only $55 because you will already have the home kit! (The website says there are different curricula running in July/August - I haven't been able to get down to the office computer to change it yet! We are repeating the curricula in July/August because I can't order the others from Kindermusik International this year.)

Sarah teaches on Saturdays, and Jessica teaches on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays. I will be teaching on Tuesday afternoons and possibly Thursday in July/August.

Looking forward to seeing you this summer!

Fiddle-Dee-Dee!

A little ditty for the Our Timers. Lots of great animal pictures to see - and a catchy tune too!

Join the Fight Against Childhood Cancer

Kindermusik families are among the most healthy and active families! I am always amazed at what so many of you do. We also have families in our Kindermusik community that are facing childhood cancer. In that light, I have created a team for the HSBC Childrun on Sunday, June 3rd.

There is a 5km fun run around Queen Elizabeth Park and a 1km Kidzone, a traffic-controlled route inside BC Children's Hospital grounds featuring fun activities for tots to tweens.

Entertainment starts at 8am, and the runs start at 9am.

I am encouraging all of you to either join the team or make a donation. Funds raised through HSBC Childrun go towards critical research into the causes and treatment of childhood cancer.

I hope you will join us on race day! My goal is to raise $1,500 and have 15 people participate in the race. Participants of all ages will receive a team t-shirt.

To date we have raised $200 and have 7 people on the team. If you are thinking of joining the team, you must do so by May 10th!

Thank you so much for your support!