Children’s Music and Games for Valentines Day

Valentine’s Pencils are an excellent alternative gift for this special holiday.  If your child got some, perhaps, instead of sharpening them, you might want to be creative, and make them into instruments.  Last year, my students enjoyed this challenge, and I posted a slide show of their creative works of art and music:  Homemade Instruments Made from Pencils.

I’ve posted a fun Animal Valentine video, as well as two other fun videos on my other blog:  Kids Love Animals.  Share the love and the learning.

It doesn’t take long online to find some excellent Valentine’s Game and Activities for children, but my daughter’s favorite is on The Kidzpage .  It has puzzles, and coloring pages to print, and fun online games.

SONGS FOR TEACHING is an excellent site that has the lyrics to wonderful songs for children, and it has a page full of Valentines Songs.  You can even listen to someone singing it, and if you like it, you can download it for a small fee.

Kindermusik families may remember some of their favorite songs from their Home CDs that are perfect for this day of family love.  Many of these are folk songs, so you may know them as well.  I am trying to include enough of the songs to help you remember how to sing it.

Skinnamarink a-dink-a-dink, Skinnamarink a-do, I LOVE YOU!   – Village: Dream Pillow

Love Somebody – Yes, I do… (3 times while pretending to look around for someone to love, then)… I Love Somebody and it’s YOU, YOU, YOU!

You are My Sunshine, my only sunshine.  You make me happy when skies are grey.  You’ll never know dear, how much I love you.  Please don’t take my sunshine away.

Mama loves, and Daddy Loves, and Everybody Loves a little Baby.    – Village: Dream Pillow

I love my Family, my family, my family, my family, take a look and you will see…  They’re OK with me.   on Family Time:  Our Kind of Day

Tell Me Why the stars do shine,  Tell me why the ivy twines,  Tell Me Why the skies are blue, And I will tell you just why I love you.      on Village:  Do-Si-Do

Shady Grove, my little love, Shady Grove I know, Shady Grove, my little love, bound for the Shady Grove.     on Village:  Cock-a-Doodle Moo

Cuddle Up A Little Closer Baby Mine, Cuddle up and be my little Valentine

Let Me Call You Sweet Heart, I’m in love with you.

Wiggle (4 x), Giggle (4 x)… Little Sack of Sugar, gonna eat you up   on Family Time: Our Kind of Day

Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland   - on Village: Dream Pillow

Find out more about Kindermusik at www.kindermusik.com !

Enjoy singing and playing with your family this Valentine’s Day !!!  LOVE, Ms. Debbie

Going Green – Ideas and Products

Recently, I have been surrounded with people who are GOING GREEN –  focusing more on our environmental impact:  Kindermusik International, and my daughter’s school, Lakeland Montessori.   

This blog posting is intended to list some great websites, blogs, etc. that I recommend for learning more, learning how, and learning about some really cool products that are available (if you really need to buy anything at all.)  I will continue to add things here as I find them – just to keep all the Green Stuff on the same posting.

You can reference my thoughts about Kindermusik’s new efforts here, or you can go directly to their blog, http://www.kindermusikgreen.blogspot.com , where they have a lot more information than JUST what Kindermusik is doing.

If you are interested in keeping up with all the aspects of becoming GREEN, check out:  http://www.thedailygreen.com/  – a website that is “the consumer’s guide to the green revolution”.  Includes blog postings with creative & inexpensive ways to “be more green”.  And there is a newsletter to which you can subscribe. 

 

I thought their gift ideas were quite unique!  For example, check out these websites for plantable paper, handmade paper that can be planted, and wildflowers will grow.

 

http://www.plantablepaper.com/index.htm 

http://www.swallowtailfarms.com  (click on Plantable Paper)

Lakeland Montessori found an excellent website that offers a wide variety of products to help in this process.  At www.greenraising.com , everything offered promotes reducing the impact we have on the earth, as well as supporting hard-working people in fledgling companies in third world countries.  Any purchases during the next year offer 10% of the sales to our school.  During the check out process, just select “Lakeland Montessori Schoolhouse-FL” from the drop-down list of affiliates.    Highly recommended items: 

• Wrap-n-Mat – this ingenious mat replaces sandwich baggies, wrapping around food items and closing with Velcro.  Then, it opens up into a clean, reusable placemat.  Easy to clean!  I ordered 2 and switch them out every other day – and no longer use zip lock bags in Cora’s lunch.
• Aluminum or Stainless Steel Bottles – stop using plastic bottles, this works everyday!  I NO LONGER buy plastic bottles of water!!!  You can also get these locally at your sports stores.
• TWIST Euro cloths & Loofah Sponges – made with cellulose from renewable tree farms.  These work great, and even run through the dishwasher well to sanitize them.  I like the Loofah sponges the best.