I wasn’t sure how my four-year-old would react to seeing The Nutcracker performed on stage. Although this was actually his second viewing of the production, I don’t think that at two-years-old he really understood what he was seeing. As it turns out, my preschooler was able to understand much of the story in Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece.
Before we arrived, I prepared my son by letting him know that we would be watching ballet dancers perform a story set to music. I sang the tune to a few of the songs with which I knew he would be familiar, and I let him know that there wouldn’t be any words in the story. He would have to pay attention in order to let the dancers show him the story. My son let me know that he was excited about watching the dancers since he also loved to dance, but that he didn’t want to be a ballerina.
During the performance, he was completely captivated by the motion on stage. He loved the Nutcracker and, as a typical boy, thought it was cool when the rats and the soldiers had their battle. He was excited when he recognized the music, and he even enjoyed the ballet dancing, and I think he was a little shocked to see how good the male dancers were. He did note, however, that he still does not want to be a ballerina. He would rather do flips. (I am envisioning Cirque de Soleil.)
Overall, it was a wonderful experience. My preschooler learned more than I will ever know about the performing arts, and he enjoyed the live production. I am hoping to make The Nutcracker an anual event for our children. It will be interesting to listen to what they discover and like about the performance as they grow older.
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Written by Laura on December 16, 2011
As your child is learning to recognize various shapes, challenge her to find them in her world around her. Here is an easy to make game that your child will enjoy at home or in the car.
Create a set of Bingo cards using the generator available at http://www.mathworksheetwizard.com/kindergarten/shapes.html. Each time you click on “Make Worksheet”, the program will create a new Bingo c
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Written by Laura on December 14, 2011
In our family, we have a list about about a dozen or so chores that our children help with when assigned to them for the week. One of the chores our kids actually fight over is setting the table. Our boys love this job because, if they are table setter, they get to decide which color plate each child receives and who gets which color of cup. These are very important decisions in the lives of yo
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Written by Laura on December 12, 2011
Here is an easy, long term activity you can do with your child to practice identifying letters and the sounds they make all while strengthening fine motor skills. My own son is very tactile and this has proven to be the best method for him to learn his letters. He enjoys working on this project a little bit at a time and seeing his work displayed when he is finished.
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Written by Laura on December 9, 2011
Most often throughout the day, I am very focused on all of the wonderful things my preschooler has to tell me. In any given day, I may learn about his new friend at preschool, a piece of artwork he just made, or why he is going to be a superhero, named Jack, when he grows up.
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Written by Laura on December 7, 2011
I can remember my own mother telling me that she was about to “hit the end of her rope”. I never really understood the analogy. But now, as a mother as well, I have found myself using the same words, and I am pretty sure it has something to do with the unravelling of nerves.
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Written by Laura on December 5, 2011
Christmas toy catalogs are taking over our house. My kids, like most others, love to look through them and ooh and aah over all of the possibilities that could make it onto their Christmas wish lists. They will spend hours pointing out their amazing finds to each other, as they circle dozens of toys in each catalog.
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Written by Laura on November 30, 2011
Whether it was a fear of new people or the white beard and red suit, I am not really sure. Either way, my son was not about to take the risk even if it meant not telling him what he wanted for Christmas. Thankfully, Santa still receives requests via snail mail, and each year I seize the opportunity to reinforce the steps necessary for writing a friendly letter.
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Written by Laura on November 28, 2011
I recently read about an activity that I am going to try with my children this year for Advent. It is called a “Good Deeds Chain”. Due to the fact that our children are so young, I am going to change it a little bit to better meet our needs. I am hoping it will help make my children more aware of the actions they are taking and how they are treating each other.
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Written by Laura on November 25, 2011
Putting pictures or events of a story in order is a skill that takes a bit of practice for children to completely grasp. Usually, kids do not have difficulty understanding the progression of events, but rather, they may not have already memorized the names for the numbers used to put those events in order.
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Written by Laura on November 21, 2011
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