"Dinosaur Romp" Active Song goes DIGITAL!

"DINOSAUR ROMP!"

YIPPEE!!! I have translated another of my original children's songs into DIGITAL format! In the zipped file you get an MP3 version of the song, a powerpoint format of the lyrics and some Pdf's for some fine motor dino fun. 

The song has a hard-driving beat. 

Think AC/DC goes to PreK.

Think T-REX on wailing guitar. 

You're going to need your air guitars for this one! 

Let me demonstrate my AIR Guitar for you. 

That's how you really wail. 

Throw back your shoulder and it howl. 

That's a dinosaur hat on my head from the dollar store....

so be on the look-out! 

Here's another Dinosaur hat variation. 

I remember finding this on a vacation trip in a novelty store. 

Be on the look out. 

As I ALWAYS promise you: 

"If you put something on your head, you will have more eye contact from the kids!" 

The best way to go on a Dinosaur Romp is to think of playing "Follow the Leader." 

YOU get to be the leader -- unless you invite me! 

Here is a classroom of PreK's with their air guitars 

and following along as we stomp through the prehistoric swamp.

Dinosaurs make the PERFECT art project. 

They lend themselves to 'interpretation.' 

Take a look at an entire Bulletin Board full of handpainted and PERSONALIZED Dinosaurs in the Preschool setting. 

True Confessions................ 

The zipped file is not quite zipped up. 

We have safely arrived in sunny DENVER!!! 

Got back here to Clement central around 'our' east coast midnight. 

Still need to get this together, but the RockieWonders are monopolizing my heart. 

Maybe later today?

Or more likely..... tonight after they go to bed! 

Yes. That's the plan.

Zip and upload after they hit-the-hay! 

Childhood Obesity: My Pledge + Progress

OBESITY.

Childhood Obesity. 

An alarming reality that is sweeping the nation. 

In America? 

One child in five is 'officially' overweight by the time they reach kindergarten.

[Source]

As I travel and present at conferences around the country, I am occasionally able to sit in on the presentations of others. While in Georgia for GAYC, I was able to listen in recently and SEE the slides shared via the CDC on the growing trend in America toward the ever-expanding rise of obesity across this country. 

Take a look for yourself. These maps are truly disturbing.

Take a look at where the stats begin in 1985.

Then compare the stats every 5 years. 

Alarming. Disturbing. Downright distressing. 

You can go directly to the CDC to see each map closely. 

Now look at this century.

Believe it or not -- it gets worse. 

A LOT WORSE! 

2005. 

AND YET STILL WORSE! 

2010. 

After 'seeing' these maps at GAYC, I developed those two slides above to include in my own powerpoint presentation a week later in Richmond Virginia. I am a visual learner. SEEING all of this visual 'evidence' was a game changer for me. 

For at least the last three years I have been GIVING workshops entitled: 

"Stemming the Tide to Childhood Obesity: Let's Get Moving!" 

I have been inciting my participants to get up and get moving. To get heart rates up. To drink more water. To dance throughout the day. I have even included poignant stories as illustration to bring home the need for more 'active' lesson plans. 

[Spoiler alert: I am on the verge of securing my very first, real, blog sponsor! I'm so excited, because it is a product that will directly connect to this issue of obesity and contribute to getting kids moving. STAY TUNED. I will insert the link just as soon as the ink-is-dry! Hopefully I can get all of my ducks in a row by NAEYC. Come visit me in booth #1213 to see for yourself!] 

For example. While in Arkansas last fall, one of my participants came up to me afterward to share that she had a student so morbidly obese that no other child 'picked' her in the classic game "Duck, Duck, Goose" because the little girl could NOT get up off the floor fast enough -- every one of the other children, as the 'duck' child could run all the way around the circle before the heavyweight goose-child could rise up. The teacher went on to lament that the obese girl regularly came to school with FOUR cupcakes in her lunchbox. INCREDULOUS! FOUR cupcakes?!?!?!

I asked the teacher if she had relayed her caring concerns to the parents. This well meaning teacher said "No." She didn't think that was professional/appropriate on her part, since the child's weight didn't deal with academics. Suffice it to say. We had a heart-to-heart. I challenged this caring teacher to share her concerns with the parents and to address the cupcake-issue head on. 

I wonder if she gathered the courage? What would you do? As educators, as caring adults, we need to be concerned about the WHOLE child. 

Nearly two years ago I wrote an article for our collaborative on this topic. You can click over to "PreK+K Sharing" to read my thoughts as 2012 was launched. It's awful to know that things are only worse these many months later. 

Now. Here's where the rubber meets the road. Let's get personal. 

Do you know your own BMI (body/mass index)? 

Click right here for your specific calculation.

Take a look at mine as summer began.

As summer began, I was at my Highest.Weight.Ever = 153.4 pounds. 

{That is the most I have ever, ever weighed. 

Nine months pregnant with my second child I was 153 pounds even.

Trust me. I remember.} 

My name is Debbie. 

I am a 'stress' eater. 

I am a sluggard.

I can easily be happily entertained with a laptop for hours on end.

Internet connection? Make that ALL day delirium! 

Immediately after the GAYC presentation I calculated my BMI.

Truth? Hard truth. I realized that my own BMI at my highest weight was literally at THE crossroads between normal weight and OVERweight. 

Lightbulb moment.

Today. At 146.4 I'm headed in the right direction. 

So begins the next chapter of my adventure: 

BMI WAKE-UP CALL! 

We have moved. Literally. Houses. States.

Everything's NEW and SHINY in our newly painted, new-to-us home. 

Our development has a communal work-out room. 

Can you see where I'm going with us?

A TREADMILL! 

An ocean shoreline beach! 

It's time to make daily activity the priority.

***I have a pledge to make. This is important stuff. 

If you leave a comment below this article and tell me truthfully that you have calculated your own BMI, if you include your email address, I will send you an Mp3 copy of my song

"Eating Healthy."  

This is a whole new era.

If you're following me on Instagram, you already know I have my first iPhone!  

It turns out that 'moving' is good to get one MOVING. 

All of this carting of boxes and sewing of curtains and walking about the house, putting things away and thinking up new projects is good for the scale,

which tis good for the BMI. 

Yesterday was finish-and-HANG-the-curtains in my 'studio' day!

OH yeah! LUV me my IKEA fabric! 

   

Speaking of IKEA fabric......

Our bedroom is the most kinda-sorta 'finished' of our little haven. 

From just the right angle it looks like everything is in place! 

But if I allow you another glimpse, 

you'll see the project that still awaits. 

I literally have an empty canvas that is calling....... 

It's 36 by 36" and I have an idea percolating. 

I also have a full week before I fly out to my next journey.

The thing about blogging, even photography in general...... 

You get to edit. Crop. Fix things by where you focus. 

Let me explain. 

Part of 'creativity' is allowing yourself sufficient time in the muckin' about phase. 

Look at our bathroom, now that I have the curtains altered and hanging in place. 

Here's a look at reality, just outside the frame..... 

....... I did move the vacuum cleaner and curtain remnants, 

but hopefully you get the idea. 

Focus on what is looking good! 

Remember when you are reading along on someone's blog and have the sinking feeling that your room, your kitchen, your children, your life will never look that "pulled together" ~~~~ that there is always some serious editing and staging that goes into any given finished blog article. Trust me. I know! 

My new friends on Instagram are just having the first peek at a couple of my favorite earlier projects that are DIY in nature, easily 'replicated' and hopefully provide some inspiration. I promised I'd provide the links here. My HAPPY mixed media collage is already hanging in our front foyer. So this place feels like 'home.' 

If you want to see that unfold in real time, go back to this link to see the messy, happy fun I had. Or better still, just click back earlier this summer, to see how this project incited a whole cyber project without my even knowing it. Talk about the power of the internet! 

Now shift gears to a very sentimental piece. 

My 'angel' project is especially near and dear to my heart. That is what I painted upon the death of my dear friend 'Saint.' Engaging in a creative activity during such loss was therapeutic. Seeing her brightly restored, with flair and hair, everyday offers me hope. I know she watches over me. You can go back in time to read about our relationship as fellow Breast Cancer survivors. 

Note-to-self: That's a book I need to write, all in one place. The woman was heroic in her battle. The connection between the two of us was worth distilling into words. 

Here is the progress as documented on that Easter weekend between her passing and the funeral. Only Pat would have the perfect timing and to leave Earth in the midst of Easter weekend. So fitting. So Pat. So fortunate to have met and spent quality time with her. 

Now. Back to 'real time' and the unfolding of our new little place. This marks a whole 'nother level of fun ahead. I had been seeing the cyber-ads for a site called Zulily. I have taken the dive into understanding what their concept is all about. Deals. Sales. Price slashes. If you see it, you'd better order it, before it is no longer available. 

We needed an area rug for our dining room area. I searched on Zulily. I found something terrific. I didn't order it at that moment because I got distracted. It was 'gone' by the time I remembered a couple of days later. AKKKKK. VERY fortunate for me that just a week later, they had a different set of area rugs deeply discounted, because I found the RUG OF MY DREAMS at a crazy low price I could afford. I had learned my lesson! I ordered it immediately! 

LOOK AT MY NEW HAPPY RUG!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
Perfect BEYOND words for our happy house! 

My happy rug marks a new evolution for my blogging/pinning experience. 

Moving forward, as I have time, I will occasionally be pinning directly from Zulily to my newest pinboard entitled: 

"Shopping, Sharing, Saving"

And here's the full disclosure:

I'm an affiliate. 

When you make your first purchase at Zulily as a result of one of my pins, I get a thank you gift credit.

How cool is that? 

I thought you'd like to see the dining room as it is now!

Thanks to IKEA for the light fixture, red shelf and curtain fabric. 

Stay tuned for the 'make-over' on this mirror. See the bad spot? 

That was a crazy long ramble about my progress on the theme, 

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" 

I want to be a great-grandma! 

That means I want my BMI in the healthy range.

That means I need to "Move more + eat less." 

I want to have time and space to be creative.

I am heading in the right direction for all of the above.   

Movement & Dance Part 5

Ladies and gentlemen!!!! I bring you the final installment in this particular portion of my interview with Connie Dow, author of Redleaf's "One, Two What Can I Do?" and national expert on movement and dance for young children. Connie is giving us her 7 benefits of including these art forms within your school day in response to a question posed by Vanessa Levin. The question stems from how to encourage teachers who may feel silly in front of other adults. Connie is taking the time to outline the significance of movement + dance in the hopes that if teachers realize the comprehensive benefits that are possible, they will be willing to engage in some 'sillyness' for the sake of optimizing their time with children.

Take it away Connie, we're ready for number five!!

5^th Benefit:  Emotional Growth

Also From NDEO:

Dance promotes psychological health and maturity. Children enjoy the opportunity to express their emotions and become aware of themselves and others through creative movement.  A pre-school child enters a dance class or classroom with a history of emotional experiences.  Movement within a class offers a structured outlet for physical release while gaining awareness and appreciation of oneself and others. Dance fosters social encounter, interaction, and cooperation.

6^th Benefit:  Creativity

 Could nurturing the creative side of our children be a key to the future success of the United States?  There is no question that education in the U.S. is in need of some serious revamping.  As stated in the 2007 report of a comprehensive study of the American workforce,  “Whereas for most of the 20^th century the U.S. could take pride in having the best-educated workforce in the world, that is no longer true.” In proposing solutions, the authors of the study point to the development of creative thinkers as one of the keys to success:  “Seeing new patterns and possibilities is the essence of creativity . . and creativity, innovation, and flexibility will not be the special province of an elite. 

It will be demanded of virtually everyone who is making a decent living, from graphic artists to assembly line workers, from insurance brokers to home builders.”

The creative arts, by definition, nurture this aspect of the developing child.  Movement specifically allows students to approach tasks “through the body, or kinesthetically,” and come up with new answers.

Connie, you know how I feel about creativity!!

7^th Benefit   The Whole Child

Dance, as an art form and physical activity, is part of the education of the whole child.  The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

 believes a comprehensive approach to learning recognizes that successful young people are knowledgeable, emotionally and physically healthy, motivated, civically inspired, engaged in the arts, prepared for work and economic self-sufficiency, and ready for the world beyond their own borders.

ASCD calls on parents, educators, policymakers, and communities to join forces to ensure our children become productive, engaged citizens. Our children deserve an education that emphasizes academic rigor as well as the essential 21st century skills of critical thinking and creativity.

Take us home, Connie!! Wrap it up for us!!! Go Connie, Go Connie!!

Developmentally appropriate practice dictates that we educate the whole child.  Furthermore, academics and physical activity are not mutually exclusive.  A number of researchers have found that regular physical activity contributes to improved school performance. As neurophysiologist Carla Hannaford states in her book Smart Moves:  Why Learning Is Not All In Your Head: “because movement activates the neural wiring throughout the body, the whole body, and not just the brain, is an instrument of learning.

I hope this blog entry has provided lots of food for thought, and reinforced your instincts to bring the delightful arts of creative movement and music to your learning environment!

Keep on dancin’,

 Connie

I have just added this article to the link-up being hosted by "PreK+K Sharing" on all things to encourage children to be ACTIVE!!!

Movement & Dance Part 4

Learning. I'm learning! This summer I've spent learning. Learning about how to connect my blog to a bigger world. I still have a lot to learn! Yet my efforts are working!!! Welcome to my slice of the rainbow!! If this is your first visit -- I'm so very thrilled that you've found me, found us!! We're in the midst of an awesome interview with Connie Dow, author of  Redleaf's "One, Two What Can I Do?" and national expert on dance + movement for children. 

Connie is in the midst of sharing her 7 benefits of incorporating dance + movement into the lives of children. (I personally feel these are benefits for the whole of the human species, but we won't split hairs here.) 

Connie, thanks for being so patient with my blogging format. Please continue.

2^nd Benefit: Curriculum Enrichment

"One example of how movement can easily align with the Core strategies is to be found under the Learning and Experiences and Environment category:  Children learn best through play and concrete experiences that are tied to familiar aspects of their world.  Through movement, children can experience a concept in their bodies and learn the concept kinesthetically.  (See the earlier example about learning the concepts of opposites in a game about fidgeting by clicking here.)

Another example from this Learning Experiences and Environment category from the Core Knowledge and Competencies points to the importance of nurturing curiosity, thinking, and problem solving skills.  Movement activities are the perfect forum for imaginative play and individual and group problem-solving tasks

Ohio’s Early Learning Content Standards can also easily be addressed through movement specifically for dance in the ODE Fine Arts Academic Content Standards, one of the benchmarks for Kindergarten is for the children to: 'Invent movement phrases that use the elements of dance, space, time, force, and body.'

Movement time is learning time, and can be used to teach virtually any subject, crossing all learning domains. Movement can supplement another lesson, and can be used in short bursts, in transitions, and in games to get the children settled down for a quieter activity, as well as an entire lesson built around a theme. Simple and inexpensive props, such as streamers, scarves, simple costumes, music and other art forms can be incorporated along with movement."

Tell us more!! Tell us more!!! Go Connie, Go Connie!!

3^rd Benefit:  Physical Development

"Movement development in young children mirrors brain development in infants.  There is a body of work on this subject called Brain Dance, being developed in Seattle by Ann Green Gilbert.  Her basic premise is that through a specific series of simple movements, we can tap into the parts of the brain that are stimulated in the same order and patterns as they were during brain development. Green Gilbert is a proponent of using these movements as a kind of brain/body warm up, one or more times a day, before a test, when children need a break, etc., and as a way to get the brain stimulated and the body moving.

Movement activities can make the learning of motor skills, such as marching, hopping, jumping, galloping, sliding (sideways galloping), and balancing fun and enriching.  And, once the children have mastered a skill, such as marching, you can use the elements of dance (the body, time, space, and energy), to create tasks around that motor skill, which helps reinforce the skill, and taps into the imagination as well. 

Taking the simple movement of marching as an example and using the elements of dance, you can say,  “Can you march backwards, sideways, low, high, in a circle, swinging your arms, could you march with only one foot?  What is that called?  Can you lie on your back and march with your feet?  Your arms?   Can you march making lots of noise with your feet?  Can you march looking like you are making a lot of noise, but being as quiet as a mouse?"

Guided movement fosters total body fitness. Young children are naturally active, but directed movement/dance present opportunities to expand and explore movement possibilities and skills. In addition, physical activity is always part of programs in the fight against obesity, such as the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” initiative.

According to the website of the National Parent Teacher Association, despite mounting evidence that kids need an outlet to blow off steam, learn to interact with others and get the exercise they need, nearly 40 percent of American elementary schools have either eliminated or are considering eliminating recess.

National PTA President Anna Weselak, says “Children who are physically active do better in the classroom. The research tells us that even if it means a reduction in class time, providing more time for physical activity can lead to increased test scores.”

 Whooohoooooo we're on a roll now, give us just one more for today, Connie!!

4^th Benefit:  Social Development:

From NDEO, the National Dance Education Organization:

Movement is a good arena for children to work on problem-solving skills, cooperation and taking turns, listening and understanding, and working together as a group. Dance fosters social encounter, interaction, and cooperation.  Children quickly learn to work within a group dynamic.  Movement is communication, and many children may find movement time as their time to shine."

Wow!!! Are you smiling? I am!!! Thanks for this installation, Connie. Your concluding benefits will be posted tomorrow, in the words of my father, "God willin' and the creek don't rise."

The two of us are working diligently behind the scenes to polish off our NAEYC workshop outline. We only have a 60 minute slot which has the potential to make us a tad bit crazy. Having this conversation in the midst of our planning is a huge benefit to us. Thank you for your participation.

One more thought as I wind up this post. Today as I opened my email I received word that my song/book "Red, White and Blue" was ordered yesterday by these three amazing programs: Congregation for Humanistic Judasim of Fairfield County in Connecticut, The Children's Learning Center of Cartersville, Georgia AND the Imagine-osity Family Home Childcare & Preschool of Decatur, Alabama. Do you realize how thrilling that is? That's a lot of diversity in my inbox!! Makes my heart do leaping and sideways galloping -- known to some as sliding.

Thanks so much to my blogging buddies & mentors for holding my hand as I venture forward into the brave new cyber frontier on the horizon. As a result of all of your nudges & encouragement I have a much wider audience and children from Connecticut to Alabama will benefit. Only in early childhood could you craft a word like Imagine-osity for your business name!!!! [Honest-to-goodness, people I didn't make that word up! I think I need a trip to AL!]

P.S. The pictures of me-in-action in this post were from a library performance in Richland County, Ohio earlier this summer. Who knows how many times I've made the circuit for them? That's a library system that knows how to throw a summer reading program. I had 12 performances in 4 days time!!! 

****Remember, through the entire month of September, all orders of my newly award winning INDIE Award of Excellence picture book, "Red, White and Blue" can receive a 20% savings off the cover price by using the promo code: RWB911 at my website.