My 8 year-old son is an artist. We found that even though his school did offer art classes as part of the regular curriculum, it simply wasn't enough for him. So, we enrolled him in an after-school program. He has been taking art lessons 2 hours once a week after school for 2 years ever since.

He's also a budding entrepreneur and figures if kids can make money selling lemonade on street corners, then he should be able to sell his art. He keeps asking me to make copies of the originals so he can sell them on the street corner. In response, I keep telling him that we don't live in Paris. We live in the Utah suburbs where people drive, don't walk, and no one stops to buy art on street corners. He isn't convinced.

While I may discourage him from selling art in our neighborhood, I am more than supportive of him pursuing his artsy dreams.

Six Ways to Help Kids Nurture Their Artsy Side

He may or may not make money off of his art, but to keep him motivated and excited about it without immediate financial compensation, we've done the following six things:

1. Encourage him to enter art contests.

Our school has a great annual art contest, which is run by our PTO. Each year has a different theme and allows one entry per child into six different categories. My son has loved entering this contest, which starts as a school-wide initiative and then advances onto a regional competition.
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2. Showcase his art in our home.

We have an easel in the front room and rotate pieces of his art for all to see when they enter our front door. The validation is rewarding for him and keeps him trying his best and coming up with new and amazing pieces.
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3. Enroll him in after-school small-group art classes with a professional.

His second mother is not a relative, but his art teacher. While Connor is shy at school and often described as "quiet as a mouse," his art teacher says she can't get him to stay quiet. He is full of energy, talkative, energetic and his real personality shines and comes out in full force in her art studio. He takes one 2-hour lesson once a week with a group of 5 other students and he comes alive during his art classes.

4. Expose him to a variety of art mediums.

Allowing him to use chalk, water color, colored pencil, and charcoal has been great for his painting and drawings. But, we saw a real burst of creativity when we started exposing him to 3D art, photography, video, among other things. The more mediums he has to play with, the more his creative juices flow.

5. Provide him with his own art studio.

While our house isn't big enough for a dedicated space, we did separate the boys into their own rooms and provide Connor with his own art desk. No longer are we finding minute scraps of paper in his bed and scissors next to his pillow. He keeps everything in his room and in his art desk drawers—close enough to be creative on a whim, but not in bed with him.

6. Share his art with others.

I have never seen Connor as proud as when we share his artwork with others. We were asked to perform a family talent at our family reunion last summer. Our family shared the kids' talents with the rest of the family. My husband showcased all of Connor's favorite pieces and you would have thought the kid had died and gone to heaven, listening to his family ooh and ahh over his artwork.

What is your child's passion? How does your school help feed that passion? What after-school programs or lessons do you take advantage of to encourage him or her to develop skills?

Featured image courtesy of Flickr.

The post Education: How to Channel Your Child’s Artistic and Creative Talents appeared first on Mom it Forward.

6 Ways to Bring Peace into Your Home

• Begin by removing clutter. Anything that causes you stressful thoughts should be removed from your sight. Fill your home with things that make you happy, pictures that bring back memories and smiles, or cherished family antiques.
• Use warm colors. Light, calming colors create an inviting atmosphere. Consider blues, greens, and other natural colors that send the message of cozy and quiet.
• Give yourself lots of space. Don’t fill your rooms with so much furniture that you can’t move around. Leave room for walking around your furniture comfortably and an area you can play games on the floor.
• Don’t let the summer days be the end all of nature. Bring nature indoors with plants and natural light. Open blinds and curtains to invite the warmth of sunlight and place plants around your rooms.
• Attend to your sense of smell, which is the sense most strongly associated with restoring memories. Use your favorite method to spread your favorite scent throughout your house to create comforting and peaceful memories.
• Invite peaceful tones. Music can completely change the mood of any situation. Consider your activities for the type of music you play. You should also consider other options such as calming sounds. Remember, the tone of your own voice and the way your family communicates can also alter the levels of peace in your home. Strive to speak with calmness and understanding.

Peace and tranquility can be the key to a healthy lifestyle. Do your best to make a harmonious home and create an area where your family can come together and create memories without the stress of the world.

What do you do to create peaceful spaces in your home?

Feature image courtesy of Flickr.

The post Home Management: How to Create a Peaceful Home appeared first on Mom it Forward.

This can be a tough choice, especially for a musically-inclined child. It’s difficult to pigeon-hole a child at that age and cut off so many opportunities. Yet for many, the decision has to be made.

How to Help Your Kids Choose Between Band and Choir

Here are some things to keep in mind during the decision process to help you and your child choose what’s best:

1. Recognize your child’s talents. It’s not always easy to tell in middle school what your child is going to be good at. Chances are his voice is still developing, and he may be plagued with constant pitch changes for a while. On the other hand, instrumental music talent is often easier to pick up on. The motor skills necessary to play an instrument and play it well are already firmly in place by the time your child hits middle school.
2. Consider your child’s interests. It’s not just about whether she’s good at something; she also has to be interested. Both band and choir require a certain amount of practice and commitment. With band, you may also be looking at a financial commitment if you don’t already have an instrument. Keep in mind, though, that you can always rent an instrument and see if the interest level continues before making a big purchase.
3. Determine how much musical knowledge you want your child to have. Choir, for the most part, limits students to four parts. In band, music can literally have a dozen different parts over several different instruments. Band, in that way, provides a much deeper knowledge of how music works and how it plays together.
4. Examine the commitments. Both band and choir usually require regular rehearsals, as well as performances, festivals, and more. If your child is thinking about band, it can eventually lead to participating in marching band or jazz band, where they will attend many home football and basketball games. This isn’t a problem, of course, but you should understand the type of commitment that your student could be asked to make as time goes on.
5. Think about cost. Choir is almost always less expensive than band, since students already have their instrument (their voice, that is). Band instruments can run anywhere from $150 up to $2,500 depending on the instrument and quality. On the other hand, many schools partner with a manufacturer or a distributor to offer students well-made instruments at a reasonable price, and may offer financing, as well. Consider what you can afford as you’re making the decision.

Even if you feel like you’ve made a mistake and put your child in band when they should be in choir or vice versa, don’t worry. By the time they get to high school, they will likely be able to do both.

 Are your kids in music classes? How did you decide what music classes to put them in?

Image courtesy of flickr

Suzie St. George is a blogger at TakeLessons. Since 2006, TakeLessons has provided safe, affordable, and fun singing and music lessons to students of all ages. Students can find music teachers in over 2,800 cities nationwide, for subjects such as singing, guitar, drums, piano, and more.

The post 5 Tips to Help Your Child Choose Between Band and Choir appeared first on Mom it Forward.

How to Make Your Child's Room a Creative Space

Open Up the Space

Creativity can happen anywhere, but a big, open space helps. Your child can’t dance to the music if there’s nowhere to dance. When designing your child’s room, don’t take up every inch of floor space with the necessities. Tuck dressers and toy boxes into the closet, or move them outside of the bedroom. Make sure there's enough space in the middle of the floor for your child to build a fort, put together a train set, or put on a production.

Build a Stage

The little performers in your life usually make themselves known. They’re the ones who dramatically repeat the lines from movies or belt tunes at the top of their lungs. If you do have a young performer on hand, consider adding a stage to his or her room design. Building a safe 2-inch high stage in the corner of your child’s room is an easy single-day project that can have big results. Kids with confidence, who like to perform in front of family and friends, often have an easier time with public speaking later in life. This can prove useful in school, work, and beyond.

Tailor those tools you keep near the stage to your child’s interests. If your son has demonstrated a love for music, keep musical instruments or a karaoke machine on stage. If your daughter is a little actress, keep costumes nearby so she can practice different characters.

Make a Desk Space

Children who like to draw, paint, or write need a place to do so. An easel set-up provides an ideal place for young painters, while a flat-desk is better for those who sketch by hand. A desk also provides a good place for young writers to work. Consider keeping a lap desk around for your little writers or artists, as well. Then, your child can get in a little creativity when he or she isn’t feeling well or just before bed each night.

Plenty of toy manufacturers make child-size easels and art desks. When selecting a desk or table, though, consider a full-size piece of furniture that can grow with your child. As your child moves through school, the desk can serve as a place for both creativity and school work.

Install a Creativity Wall

Don’t relegate your child’s artwork to the desk or easel. There are plenty of things you can do with a wall that lets your child use that space creatively, as well. Chalkboard walls are a modern trend that makes an entire wall of your child’s room a space for writing down ideas or creating temporary artwork. Then, once your child is through with the design or idea, they can erase it and start again.

If the idea of chalk dust floating around your kid’s bedroom is a little worrisome, consider installing dry erase boards and providing markers instead, or hanging magnetic boards and providing sets of magnetic poetry. You’ll get the same potential for creation without the potential adverse health effects.

Another temporary option is to give your child several sets of wall clings, so they can create a design on the wall and change it out at any time. Choose wall clings like letters or fantasy scenes to encourage expression through words and the exploration of other worlds.

Keep Creative Stock

If you want your child to be creative, make sure they have the supplies to be creative. Keep a set of drawers or a shelving unit stocked entirely with art supplies. Include all the usual suspects, like drawing pads, canvases, crayons, paint, stencils, and stickers, but don’t forget items that encourage other forms of creativity.

Keep bottle caps, buttons, stones, cardboard and other objects that could be used to create collages. Encourage your children to be creative with found items, which is a good way to bring up the subject of environmentalism and reusing objects.

When it comes to fostering creativity, it’s important to remember that your child’s room doesn’t have to be as neat and tidy as the rest of your house, or as neutrally-colored. Bright colors are thought to stimulate passion, a creativity-enhancer. So, consider letting your child’s color palette serve as the basis for his or room design to provide a space inspiring enough to let creativity soar.

What are you doing to foster creativity in your children?

Featured image courtesy of Flickr.

Elli blogs for InGoodMeasure.net and also works in content marketing for YourLocalSecurity.com, an online authority in home security and one of the Nation's largest seller of ADT Security Services. You can learn more about them here.  You can find out more about Elli on Google+.

The post Creativity: How to Make Your Child’s Room a Creative Space appeared first on Mom it Forward.

Controls from my iPhone

And then there’s the sound quality. This isn’t your grandmother’s sound system. This is crisp and clear auditory bliss. Plus, I'm one of those guys who likes to feel his music as much as hear it—one time my music shook a clock off the wall (a story for another time)—and my Sonos system passed that test as well. I can play songs from my iTunes collection, stream from Pandora, Rhapsody, or Spotify, or listen to live radio from hundreds of radio stations in virtually every country around the world. The Sonos Wireless HiFi System has changed the way I listen to music in my home. For Father’s Day, I’m hoping for Sonos speakers for my garage, patio, and many other rooms in my house. Actually, this might take a few Father's Days to get them all.

If Sonos is something you think the father in your home would enjoy, be sure to visit Target before June 9 to take advantage of their exclusive in-store promotion: a free wireless bridge with purchase of a Play:3 or Play:5 music system.

What are some other Father's Day gift ideas for tech savvy dads?

I was sponsored by Sonos for this post. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The post Father’s Day Idea: Sonos is Music to My Ears appeared first on Mom it Forward.

I learned right from the beginning that taking a more direct approach didn't work. They didn't take at all to me sharing the cold hard facts with them by saying, "That is a flute. Mozart wrote this." So, I changed my approach.

3 Steps to Helping Kids Appreciate Classical Music

Here are some things you can do to teach your kids to appreciate classical music:

1.) Create a CD.

To begin, I bought my favorite 15 songs and downloaded them from iTunes to a CD so I could play them in our CD player downstairs so we could cuddle on the couch while we listened. I made sure to include songs from diverse composers, in a variety of genres, and that showcased many different instruments.

2.) Play the music often.

We would start the day off playing the CD. Or, when the kids started fighting, we would click play and we could tell an immediate change in our environment.

3.) Create an emotional experience.

The thing that worked the best for us was helping the kids have an emotional experience with the music. I would sit with them on my lap and make up stories to the songs. I would tell and retell those stories every time we heard the songs. I noticed that after a while, instead of calling the songs by their names, they started calling them, the "horse song" or the "fairy song." To this day, when we hear those songs playing, my kids can tell me the stories we shared.

My goal at that time in their lives wasn't to educate them, but rather to help them appreciate the music. They are still learning composers and genres and their music education has a ways to go, but they love classical music.

What tips do you have for helping kids to learn to appreciate classical music? What are the benefits of them having this appreciation?

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

The post Storytelling: 3 Steps to Help Kids Appreciate Classical Music appeared first on Mom it Forward.

I had zealously pursued my degree in journalism, and didn't want to be bothered with such a trivial course. But the day in that class that they played Smetana's The Moldau, I was spellbound, replete with chills that coursed up and down my skin in time with the trills of the violins. A door opened for me that day, one that I had not realized existed, even though I'd taken violin and piano lessons for years. It was a door that opened up onto the power of creativity and the beauty and meaning of music.

Now, as a parent, I know that I have a great responsibility to help my children find that door too. At the very least, I have a deep-seated hope that they'll have that epiphanic moment, the true awakening their creative juices. I, like other parents, teach them piano, expose them to good music in a variety of genres, and try creative tips like these offered by other moms who are successfully teaching their kids about music. A few more helpful tips were provided at a MomItForward Twitter Girls' Night Out, sponsored by Quaker, a few months ago.

6 Tips for Strengthening a Kid's Music Education

1. Plug into free online homeschool music teaching resources, some of which you can find just by googling.
2. Find out about the lives of the people that compose, write, or play the music you want your kids to learn. Gretta Johns of @TheJohnsFamily plays the piano and has 10-year-old and 7-year-old girls that play violin, a six year-old son that plays drum, and a husband that plays the guitar and mandolin. She says her kids learning about the artists has brought the music to life for them. AllMusic.com can be a good resource for this, says @Creep4Ward.
3. Know or make up stories to go with the music, if there are no vocals, says our own @jylmomIF. For instance, the Moldau portrays the course of a river.
4. Check out Quaver Music or Pfeiffer House Music, music curriculums for parents, both of which Gretta highly recommends.
5. Show examples of how "practice makes perfect," says @jylmomIF, who adds: "Offer incentives. Validate a ton!"
6. Be consistent in your practice expectations, but provide your kids' opportunities for choice, whether in song selection or reward.

 What is your favorite type of music? What are you doing to expose your children to good music?

The post Music Education: 6 Tips for Teaching Children to Appreciate Music appeared first on Mom it Forward.

5 Tips for Incorporating Music Learning Into Home Life

1. Play "Family Idol." Staci Salazar, aka popular MomItForward tweeter @7onashoestring, says when they do this, they have one kid perform at a time, the others act as a judge, and the only rule is that only positive feedback can be offered. She should know how "Idol" works; she recently took a friend to "American Idol" to try out. This was their experience:
   
2. Make a big deal of their home performances by having tickets, making popcorn, putting up "red carpet" and other simple props bought at the party store, etc. @cafesmom recommends this.
3. Expose your kids to Zydeco music. It is easy enough for us to expose our children to many different types of music, and encourage them to gain their own taste (within the boundaries you set), but Zydeco is a type of uniquely American folk music that can broaden their horizons even more. It's suggested by @cedarhillmom.
4. Check out Pandora free internet kids' radio, recommended by @m_mduncan, to discover new bands. Also, consider using sites like Grooveshark.com (recommended by @thetattoedtype) and Playlist.com for free access to specific songs and customizable playlists.
5. Encourage them to put together a performance. If you are comfortable with it, and your kids possess enough skill and are old enough, consider letting them put together an actual performance, taping it, and putting it up on YouTube or your own blog.

What are your children's natural talents? What ideas do you have for helping them develop their natural abilities? How can you introduce them to new opportunities that will best bring out their talents?

The post Music Education: 5 Tips for Growing Your Children’s Musical Talent appeared first on Mom it Forward.

Children can use the included matching ring and bracelet to magically unlock effects: kids hit those soaring high notes with ease, hear their voices echo across the stadium and transform into a rocking robot as the crowd cheers in amazement! Use the built-in MP3 input jack to connect to an MP3 player and sing along to your child’s favorite tracks, or unplug and go solo- everyone is a star!

The following are some key features of the Mic:

• Echo-Tastic Voice Effect
• Hi-Note Voice Effect
• Robot-Riffic Voice Effect
• Drum Roll Sound Effect
• Crowd Cheering Sound Effect

The Voice Rockrz Mic allows kids to tap into the magic and have fun with the music they love!

Party Topic

Join Voice Rockrz and our panel of parents as we discuss music education. The party will be held on Monday, September 19 from 9-11 p.m. ET (8CT, 7MT, 6PT). Click here to see details about the giveaway and enter for a chance to win.

Party Details

• What: Girls’ Night Out (#gno) Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
• When: Monday, September 19 from 9-11 p.m. EST (8 CT, 7 MT, & 6 PT)
• Where: Party with us on our very own Custom Tweetgrid! (Use hashtags #gno and #VoiceRockrz)
• Topic: Music Education
• Who: Brand Panelist: @VoiceRockrz, Community Panelists: @c2cmom @jenrab @scrappinmichele @littletechgirl @7onashoestring @cafesmom, Moderators: @jylmomIF @Dadventurous @troypattee @MomItForward
• Party Favors: Click here to enter the giveaway.
• RSVP: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jylmomIF).

RT @MomItForward Join the @VoiceRockrz #gno Twitter party 9/19 (9-11 ET) about music education http://bit.ly/q2UVJ0 #VoiceRockrz PLS RT

Note: Mom It Forward accepts paid sponsorships for most #gno Twitter parties. During the parties, brand sponsors provide tips, techniques, expert advice, and information on party topics. Mom It Forward is grateful for the giveaway prizes, coupons, and discounts that sponsors also provide to the Mom It Forward community in conjunction with #gno Twitter parties.

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When, Why, and How Should I Start My Kids' Music Education?

According to music educator and researcher Robert Cutietta, the window during which children's brains are most malleable to these types of education is between birth and 11 years of age. Panelists and parents agreed that it starts with incorporating it into everyday life:

@jefkaminsky: "I have one daughter who started with a "dime store" keyboard toy, then she started piano lessons at around 4 years old, and now she's 9 and plays piano and takes cello lessons & sings in a chorus!"

@c2cmom: "@beccasara 's daughters recently had a wannabe rockstar birthday party. Made their own music video. SO fun!"

@jylmomif : "I played the piano every day with my kids when they were babies & put them on my lap w/their fingers on my hands."

@kiscodad: "The Library of Congress' National Jukebox (http://www.loc.gov/jukebox) should be used in every school.  (The National Jukebox makes historical sound recordings available to the public free of charge. )

@pluslily: "Music appreciation is like creative writing or improvisational dance: no sound is wrong and it helps you think outside the box."

How, When, and Why Should They Learn a Language?

@noahcomprende: "Research has shown that young kids have an easier time learning languages. They can mimic accents well."

@ashtonzmommi: "Learning another language also teaches them acceptance and appreciating for another culture(s)."

@cutemonsterdad: "Rule 1 for teaching a new language, make it fun. Rule 2, speak it often every chance you get. Rule 3, see rule 1."

@7onashoestring: "Young kids are sponges. They love games. My son gets discouraged and loses interest. Good curriculum helps!"

@jackferraiolo: "Same with language...thinking about the world from a different angle and translating that to your own experience."

Of course, panelists from PBS Kids @jefkaminsky, a producer for Clifford, and @jackferraiolo, a writer for WordGirl, provided some of the best resources, as in two new series: Chuck Vanderbuck and Noah Comprende. Says @jackferraiolo: "The Chuck Vanderchuck series teaches kids about all different music genres. Chuck was born out of an idea that David Lee Roth would make an awesome music teacher...to a degree." The Noah Comprende series and site make learning Spanish vocabulary fun for both kids and adults. "We are hearing that parents are using Noah to learn Spanish, even without their kids," says @noahcomprende. Both the Noah and Chuck have parents' sites with activities.

So, if you're frustrated or stymied on the subject of teaching your child music or languages, don't give up! It's worth it and there are many resources available!

Why is it important for kids to learn a new language and music? What important skills are taught through this type of education?

Top photo courtesy of Flickr.

The post Resources: Teaching Life Skills Through Language and Music appeared first on Mom it Forward.