For any of you new moms out there, I hope you've taken the advice in my last blog and have been reading "with" your newborns.  Once you start, make it a habit, and your baby will automatically grow up with reading "in their systems."  It'll be a built in part of their lives.

As I said last time, I'll be talking about the types of books that you should get for baby's first books. Here's a list:

1.  Board Books - These are made of very sturdy, thick cardboard and can withstand all the abuse that little ones can dish out: the chewing on, drooling on and whatever else on!

2.  Plastic Books - These books have pages made of plastic.  My children's favorite book was a plastic book about bath time.  They could pick it up easily because the pages could bend.  And, I loved it because when it got dirty, I could wash it off with soap and water!

3.  Books that have something in it that makes a noise; i.e., squeeze it and it squeaks.

4.  Books made of fabric.  I made a couple of quiet books for my children.  They all loved those!  Even though the babies couldn't perform the skills the book taught, they still loved holding it and pulling on the different parts.  Or watching me do the different things.  There may now be fabric books that are just story books.  Oh yeah, I remember seeing something in a fabric store a couple of years ago.  You can buy fabric on the bolt that is all ready for you to cut up and sew together to make up a story book.  Then when these get dirty, just throw them in the washer!


There are soooo many fun quiet book pages you can make out of just flannel and felt!  Look up "Quiet book" and "Quiet Book Patterns" on Google Images.  You'll get a lot of free ideas and see how easy it is for you to make one.

Well, happy story time with your precious little ones!

I can't believe it's been over a month since I last wrote.  I knew this entry would be easy to write up, but this summer has gotten away from me.  And, in this short time, my two new grandbabies have already changed a lot.  They're able to focus on things much longer which helps them to be more content to sit and look at their surroundings.  It just reminds me how special and extremely short these newborn days are!  In a few months, once they become mobile, they will no longer be a captive audience to your stories; having no option but to sit there and listen to you!

Doreese

Newborns - Is it Really Worth My Time to Read to My Newborn Baby?!

Oh my . . . What a busy summer it has been for me so far!  We have welcomed two new grand-babies into our lives; a little boy and a baby girl!  What precious gifts from Heaven they are.

In pondering what I should blog about, I decided to talk about some specifics in how to approach reading with your newborns.  Notice I said "with" and not "to."  In my opinion that makes all the difference in understanding why you should read to your infants.  I would guess many new moms have heard it said that they should start reading to their babies right from birth.  But many dismiss it, believing their babies are too young to get any real benefit from it, so they wait until their child is a year or two old to get serious about reading "to" them; when their baby can "get something out of the experience."

But, babies enjoy hearing the sing-song rhythm in your voice as you read nursery rhymes or stories that rhyme.  At a few months, they enjoy seeing brightly colored pictures.  But keep it simple; just one or two objects per page.  You can point to the objects and talk about them or describe them. For example, tell your baby the color of the "thing;" what it's made out of, etc. as well as what the "thing" does.  It doesn't really matter, just so long as you are snuggling them in and talking soothingly to them.  You could even sing songs while looking through books.  The songs don't have to match the pictures.  Just so the baby connects the comfort they feel while you are reading with he/she.  But, when using nursery rhymes, many of them do have tunes you can readily sing:  Mary Had a Little Lamb, London Bridges, Jack and Jill, etc.

It's the importance of your baby's time spent with you that is important; not the subject matter.  Time spent cuddling, listening to your voice and seeing something with color and movement.  Yes, infants even enjoy the movement and sound of the turning pages!

Next time, we'll discuss the types of books you should get for your baby's first books - of his/her own!

Doreese

Summer Time at the Library

Time to "Plan ahead."

With summer almost here, it's time to check into your local library's summer services. Sign your children up for Story Time before the slots are filled. Take your children to the library often during the summer. It's a great way to keep them enthused about reading; if they get to go and choose their own books!!!

And, to all of you great moms who do soooo much to teach and build up your sons and daughters, 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

Doreese

4th and Final Music Installment: Music and Personalities - Paul Harvey, Lab Mice and Wizards of Waverly Place

PAUL HARVEY NEWS, ABC 1991 . . . on the Rest of the Music Story

"Music is everywhere, in bird song and in babbling brooks and in laughter, even in the stars.  Music is the universal language that transcends time and space.  Music is one of the SEVEN FORMS OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE.  Yet education - as is - is almost totally geared to nurturing linguistic and logical - mathematical abilities alone, leaving the other five forms neglected.  At elementary school level in the U.S., more than half have no full-time music teacher.  And thus our schools tend to refine intellects but neglect to discipline emotions.  And undisciplined emotions keep getting us into trouble.  Somebody who may be smart as all get out, if emotionally colorblind, is an unguided missile to self-destruct.  Without the arts - including music -  we risk graduating young people who are 'right brain damaged.'  For anyone to grow up complete, music is imperative."

Effects of different kinds of music on mice

Suffolk, VA, high school student David Merrell finished first in regional and state science fairs by demonstrating the effects of music on lab mice.  Merrell played classical music to one group and heavy metal to another for 10 hours a day.  After three weeks, the mice exposed to classical music made it through the maze in a minute and a half.  The rock music group took 30 minutes.  Said Merrell:  "I had to cut my project short because all the hard-rock mice killed each other.  None of the classical mice did that."

I have also heard of the same effects on plants.  When classical music was played to one group of plants, they flourished.  When hard rock was played to another, they shriveled up and died.

I'll let you draw your own conclusions from those studies and take appropriate actions to make sure that your child flourishes.

Wizards of Waverly Place

Last January an episode of Wizards of Waverly Place convinced me I was making the right choice in talking about the importance of music in connection with learning ability and personality characteristics.  I recorded it and just went to review it, and it's gone.  But the jest of it is that Justin convinces the Principal that they should play classical music during lunch.  He gets permission and things are off to a promising start.  Then, the rebel girl and Justin's sister, Alex, bring in a live hard rock band.  Well, at first it seemed great to everyone but Justin.  Then after just a few days, all the students were rebellious and out of control!  

So, both the absence of music, and the presence of the wrong kind of music can have ill effects on children.  From my experience though, classical music is best introduced when children are very young, and continued throughout their life living with you.  If you wait until your children are teenagers, you will have a harder time getting them to embrace it.  As I've said before, if you don't have your children learn how to play classical music on an instrument, at the very least, make sure that they listen to it often, just as background music even.  When you find a piece you particularly like, you could share it with us.

Doreese

The Influence of Music in Problem Solving

Just a few days ago, I decided for some reason to play one of the Handel CD's I bought over a year ago.  I haven't listened to classical for quite some time.  And, I tried to believe that I was getting smarting just by listening to it!  Again, I encourage you to just play classical music.  If nothing else, at least make sure your children hear classical music.  There are different types.  All composers are different.  Some I like, some I don't.  So, if you don't like something, don't give up.  Keep at it til you find something you enjoy.  Ask your local music store for suggestions.  Go on Pandora and type in "Clair de Lune," and see what other music compares with that; or other songs that you all ready know you like.

Debussy - Clair de Lune;                        the great Beethoven                                                       

Einstein

GJ Whitrow said, "Einstein often told me that one of the most important things in his life was music.  Whenever he felt hat he had come to the end of the road or into a difficult situation in his work he would take refuge in music and that would usually resolve all of his difficulties."  Einstein:  "Improvise and arrive at solutions.  Improvise and come up with solutions." 

I, for the first time, just finished reading one of the short stories about Sherlock Holmes; there being 56 in all.  It's called, "The Red-Headed League."  In the middle of solving a case, Holmes said,

            "And now, Watson, that does it.  We're ready for lunch, and then off to our violin concert, where there are no red-headed clients to bother us."

            That afternoon, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson sat in St. James Concert Hall, with the great detective - himself a talented musician and composer - waving his long, thin fingers in time to the music.  When the concert was over and Holmes and Watson were leaving the hall, Holmes finally brought up Jabez Wilson's case again.

            "I believe, Watson, that a serious crime is being planned, but I feel that we have a chance of stopping it."

           

And, of course, in the end, he, Sherlock, did stop the crime.  But, music appears to even have a great help in thinking of solutions to crimes!  True, Sherlock is a fictional character, but at end of the "About the Author" page it says, "Probably no other author has been able to create a fictional character who has become so real to his readers as Arthur Conan Doyle did with Sherlock Holmes."  I would guess that Doyle himself was a music lover, if not a musician.  Also, once Holmes was established as a worldwide legend, Doyle himself was regarded as an expert crime solver and solved many real-life cases.

And, think about it; a TV show, or movie with NO music.  Movie producers even know the value of having background music playing to help it's viewers more fully soak in the message trying to be conveyed.  A scary scene is not nearly as scary without the scary, intense music  (As if to prove my point, my granddaughter just now said, "They always play really scary music for the bear hunts."  "I know, I can hear it," said her sister.)   The girls are in the living room and my husband is upstairs watching the hunting channel.  But, pretty weird, right?  So, yes, music is very important!  A romantic scene wouldn't be nearly as sweet without the beautiful music.

But, putting things simply, there is something about classical music and the way it connects to the brain that helps with many things, especially in math and science, and of course, in learning musical instruments.   But, before those concepts, comes learning to read, which I believe is also greatly helped by the enhanced brain connections. If you want detailed reasons for "why" google "Classical Music and the Brain."  You will fine nearly 7 1/2 million articles!  Just reading the titles alone are quite convincing!

Next time, I'll be talking about the effect different kinds of music can have on personalities.

Doreese

Music Installment #2 - Pre-Natal and Newborns

Today was an exciting one for our family.  My daughter found out if they are going to have her 4th boy, or finally get a baby girl the end of May.  They came over and the boys all excitedly announced, "We're having a girl baby!"  And, my other daughter who has two girls is expecting a boy baby the first part of May.  That was very exciting news too!

Because of the two little grandchildren on the way, I decided to share this part about music that addresses Pre-natal, and Newborns.

Pre-Natal

Anthony De Casper of the University of North Carolina has shown that fetuses store in their memories complex songs that are sung to them daily during the last trimester.  After delivery, babies respond with increased attention to these familiar songs.  (The Times-Picayune 3/13/95)

Babies - Soothing tapes placed in hospitals.

What the hospitals have noticed, says Woodford, is that restless babies, even some babies in pain following surgery, will nod off to sleep, sometimes as soon as the tape is turned on.  Hospitals are not generally the most comforting of places.  There are too many frightful procedures, too  many strangers, too many alarms and beepers and TV sets, all creating a 'Startle effect.'  But lullabies and heartbeats are calming, even in the worst of situations, he says.  More than 30,000 of the tapes have been stolen (ooo, Kind of freaky, but on "Good Luck Charlie" a guy just now was practicing his violin, a classical piece.  Teddy bursts into the room and he says, "Huh, that was exciting for a second."  I thought so too, that's why I'm telling about it!) from US hospitals since they were first introduced seven years ago.  Woodford also says nursing homes have found the tapes helpful in calming down Alzheimer's patients."  (Elaine Jarvik, Deseret News)

From my own personal experience, my unborn children were exposed to great music at church.  Then, when I was expecting my fourth baby, I started my first child in piano lessons.  The Suzuki method.  It has you play the tapes of the songs they are going to be learning every day.  My three children were ages 5, 4, and 1.  So, they were all young enough to greatly benefit from listening to it.  Then, when I was expecting my 5th child, the older children were listening to more advanced classical music every day.  And, after my 5th baby was born, she began sleeping through the night at age two weeks!  It seemed miraculous.  I just thought she must have known that with four other little kids, I needed her to be a happy, calm baby.  But, after reading this, I have to seriously consider it was the music that could have had something to do with it.

I highly recommend playing classical music and lullabies for your little children, and those who are "on the way." 

Doreese

First New Year's Resolution for Parents: GET MUSIC INTO MY CHILD

My last blog of last year had to do with music, and I will be leading this year off by talking about music again.  The next few posts, we'll be discussing the influence of music on education.

Why should you care about music?  Because there is a direct relation to higher test scores and exposure to good music, as well as personality traits, and lots of other good stuff!

I'm using information from articles by Michael Ballam posted online 10/24/2002.  

1.  Developing "neural circuits" or pathways of synaptic response which causes and retains learning

      "Last October researchers at the University of Konstanz in Germany reported that exposure to music rewires neural circuits."   A study was done of nine string players, and the amount of the brain dedicated to the thumb and fifth finger of the left hand was significantly larger than in non players.  How long the players practiced each day did not affect the cortical map.  But the age at which they had been introduced to their muse did.  "The younger the child when he or she took up the instrument, the more cortex he or she devoted to playing it.  Like other circuits formed early in life, the ones for music endure."

      Chugani played the guitar as a child, then gave it up.  As a father, he started taking piano lessons with his young daughter.  She learned easily but he couldn't get his fingers to follow his wishes.  "Yet, when Chugani recently picked up a guitar, he found to his delight that, 'The songs are still there,' much like the muscle memory for riding a bicycle."  The musical brain learning window is 3 to 19 years.  Few concert-level performers begin playing later than the age of 10.  It's much harder to learn an instrument as an adult.

               

Next time I will talk about what we can do about developing the "musical muscle" in our children's brain.  And, don't stress out if it is impossible for you to give your child an instrument and music lessons, there are still things you can do!

Doreese