Dance at home: Freeze Dance and Favorite Music

This is one of the simplest and most fun things you can do with your child. All you need is your favorite music and a little bit of space. Turn on the music and start dancing. Press pause on the player and stop moving and tell your child to  "Freeze".  If she needs help with understanding the concept then hold her hand or gently guide her to a pose. Be patient, if the child is still dancing or moving it's not a big deal. You can either go with the flow and dance with him and try the game again another time, or you can keep the momentum going and continue to dance and freeze with the music a few more times and eventually the child will get the idea.

If you are not a dancer don't fret. I'm not asking you to do some fancy moves. Keep  this in mind-- no one is watching except your child who still thinks everything you do with him is awesome! Just bounce up and down, rock side to side, or spin in circles. Try holding hands with your child or lifting her in your arms to start with.

Hint: The most important thing is to have fun with your child. Do try to relax and enjoy the moment. Take advantage of the precious smiles and give lots of hugs and kisses.

Leave a comment. Tell us what is your favorite music to listen to with your child. What is playing in your car right now?

Note: The photo above is of my girls when they were 2 and 3 at our house in Indianapolis. They were always in dress up clothes which is why Arianna's leotard is so stained -- she wore it all the time! Obviously your kids don't need to get dressed up to dance but it might make it more fun!

Dance at Home Series and Free Books!

In an effort to draw more attention to my class and my blog I'm going to start a new series of blog posts and I'm going to need your help. 

I'll be posting regularly with ideas of fun things to do with your child at home. These activities and exercises will be taken from things we do in class. The idea is that even if you can't come to class you can still be inspired by the blog to get active with your child at home. Look for activities that will involve stretching, dance, finger plays, songs, outdoor exercise, crafts, etc.

What you can do to help is become a follower, check back often, and leave comments. Tell your friends about the blog and have them do the same.

To make it more exciting I'll be doing 3 giveaways. That's right, I'm giving away 3 singalong books for free. All you have to do is leave a comment on a post to come.

It doesn't even matter if you're not in Columbia. I will ship the giveaways within the US and the stuff that I'm posting can be done anywhere!  Here's a peak at one of the books. It is a very popular one from Barefoot Books and comes with a singalong CD!

Stay tuned for the Mommy & Me dance at home series of posts.

Columbia Ballet School Company Dancers Present

The Wisdom of Dr. Seuss

Five original ballets

3 PM March 27

Richland Northeast Auditorium

Columbia SC

Green Eggs and Ham

Choreography by Jhe Russell

Oh! The Places You Will Go

Choreography by McCree O'Kelley

The Sneetches

Choreography by Jen Kruidenier

The Cat in the Hat

Choreography by Joy Alexander

The Lorax

Choreography by Anita Ashley and Ann Kent

Contact me for ticket information.

Thursday 11:15 show canceled

I found out today that they canceled the Thursday 11:15 performance of Beauty and the beast. They will still have all the other shows but for some reason they didn't get enough sales to hold the one we chose! I'd still like to go on Thursday so we are planning to attend the one that starts at 9:30. We'll meet in the lobby at 9:15.

Join Me: Beauty and the Beast Ballet

Columbia City Ballet is doing  Beauty and the Beast Ballet for their educational outreach performance. See details on the side under special events or go here for more details.

I am going to take my kids to the Thursday11:15 performance and I'd love for you to join me. I have been to several of these educational outreach performances and they are great for little ones. The performance is only an hour long and the seats are only $5. This is a real ballet with professional dancers but they shorten it to accommodate schools. Since you are homeschooling if you have preschool children at home then you can register early and get a free educational packet.

From their website:
At only $5 per seat, this can't-miss opportunity to learn about various dance forms, history and stagecraft is not only a wonderful learning experience but also a superb value. Students and adults of all ages are invited to attend these special Koger Center performances for the same low price.

Two weeks prior to every performance, Columbia City Ballet will send an educational packet to every registered teacher who has paid in full. Materials may include the history of ballet, informative games, ballet terms and information on proper ballet etiquette.

Most performances last from 45 minutes to an hour, including a Q&A and demonstration session. 

Leave a comment if you want to come. Also let me know if you like the idea but just can't make it to this event. I hope you'll join us!

Holidays

I will take a break for two weeks over Christmas/New Year's so there will be no classes on December 20th and 27th.

Idea:  Mommy and Me ballet class makes a great gift--just wrap up some ballet shoes or a leotard and you'll have one happy child. Remember the new prices are $85 for 10 classes and $45 for 5 classes. First Class Free!

Check the side bar of the blog to find out about some of this season's most fun things to do!

About those new prices...

10 classes for $85 or 5 classes for $45

When you purchase one of these discounted rates I will give you a card to keep track of the classes you are attending. I will also keep a record of attendance in case you lose or forget your card.

Don't worry, you do not have to attend classes consecutively. That's what is so great about this deal. Parents still have the freedom to drop in whenever!

I hope you will take advantage of these special prices that will save you 10% - 15 % every month.