 We were thrilled to be invited to the VIP Cast Party for the new exhibit at the Cape Cod Children's Museum at the end of September! The museum is a fantastic resource for our community and we definitely recommend you head on down to check out the newest exhibit!! Amy & Julie from Cape Cod Moms attended the event which kicked off with a tv interview with Mashpee TV along the red carpet as we entered. Once we gave our thoughts on the community we eagerly went inside to check out the new center which has been delighting the kids ever since!  The newest exhibit turns the focus towards television production. Kids who utilize the center will be able to dress up in costumes, choose from a large variety of backgrounds and put themselves on the green screen! The center has a camera which projects images both inside the studio and out on the wall outside of the studio so that everyone in the museum can see how much fun you are having! As you can see we all had a lot of fun pretending and experimenting with different scenes like weather newsman, the red carpet, as well as my personal favorite: a Walking Dead scene (just for the adult cast party). We tried our best to look extra tough with a fairy wand!
 One of the reasons that we really love this exhibit is that it helps bridge the gap for children from the creation process through to the publication process. Many times our children are exposed to the creation process but lack the opportunity within the community to showcase that work and truly see the end result post publication. After speaking with people from both the Cape Cod Children's Museum and Mashpee TV, we learned that there ideas and plans to possibly look at helping the children take the tv production process even further and reach further into the community in a way we haven't seen before.
We look forward to the fun times ahead and we can't wait to hear what you think of the new exhibit! Once you check it out, come back here and let us know what you think!
1 Comment
 I did not expect to be thinking about John Denver and the Muppet's Christmas album in the middle of July. The heat is reason enough to conjure imaginary mountains of snow, but my thoughts drifted to one of my favorite childhood music memories after I took my son to our first Music Together® class at Meryl's Music. Wondering if there might be a reason why I specifically thought about Christmas carols from my childhood after the first class, I went to Google for some answers. It turns out that the part of our brain which follows the notes in a piece of music is the same part that stores memories. Even though the class did not involve any of the songs specifically from my favorite childhood album, there must have been enough similarities to bring that musical memory of mine back to the surface. This also explains why I can still (proudly) sing all the words to Milli Vanilli's Blame it on the Rain when I probably haven't heard the song in ten to fifteen years. Music is now being used as a therapy with Alzheimer patients as a way to recall important events and emotions. Some may argue that taking an infant or toddler to a music class is more for the caregiver in attendance than the child. Others will cite a growing body of research that suggests an early introduction to music is vital for a child's development. While listening to Mozart may not make your child the next Einstein, exposing your child to music has many positive benefits. When children interact with the music they hear, by singing and playing along, they not only develop an early sensitivity to pitch (such as recognizing when a note is off key) but research has demonstrated that musical interaction can lead to improved social and communication skills. I don't need exhaustive research studies to tell me this. Intuitively, I believe music is as important as language and that the two are often intertwined. I learned my ABC's by singing them and have a catalog of songs taught to me when I was a child, which bubbled back to the surface of my sleep-deprived brain after the birth of my son. Parents and caregivers have been singing lullabies to soothe their children far longer than any research studies or specially marketed baby genius CD's have been around. Music is a fundamental part of our culture and is one way in which we express our range of emotions. Music is everywhere. It is so completely integrated into our society that you often do not even realize you are hearing it (until you catch yourself humming or singing along). The car radio. The commercial jingle. The opening credits of a movie. You hear music at the grocery store, in elevators, at the dentist or the airport.  When I signed up for Music Together® I had a picture in my head of a group of children unencumbered by self consciousness responding to the music by dancing and singing. I wasn’t far off. The class was 45 minutes of playful fun and it was easy to see which children had been attending previous sessions. While my son remained a cautious observer during the majority of the class, the children who had taken classes before enthusiastically picked up instruments, tapped in time to the beat, and joyfully ran around our group interacting with each other and the music. You leave the first class armed with a beautifully illustrated songbook, a music CD that contains all the songs covered during the session, and an informational brochure containing a DVD. Determined to make the most of this class, I popped the CD into the car stereo and was pleasantly surprised. It is actually really fun to listen to and a few days after our first class I have already played it several times. The songs have a variety of tempos from slow and smooth, to lively Latin beats that my son already seems to show a preference for. A key aspect of this program is right in the title; music together. So in the spirit of full commitment I will be belting out the songs in the car as we bop around town on errands and have instituted a daily dance parade around the living room with improvised instruments. It is already quite obvious to me that my son mimics the actions of the people who love and care for him, so my level of involvement is important. The repetition of the music outside of class encourages him to recognize the songs and there is nothing better than watching your child express himself as he moves to the beat by bopping, clapping, swaying. The playfulness is infectious and we are having a great time. Perhaps when my son is grown, instead of having a head full of John Denver and Milli Vanilli, some of his musical memories will be songs he and I learned in Music Together. Music Together® is a parent-child music class of mixed ages from birth to age five. Classes focus on interactive play where both the caregiver and child share songs, play instruments, and participate in rhythm chants and movement activities. Classes of mixed ages foster family-style learning where the younger children watch and imitate the older ones, and the older children learn by leading the younger ones. Meryl's Music and Arts Centers offer a variety of classes for children (from birth to age seven) at studios in Harwich, S. Yarmouth, Bourne, Eastham, and Sandwich. Please visit www.merylsmusicandarts.com for more information. Disclaimer: This review was made possible by Meryl's Music & Arts. All thoughts are the blogger's own.
Your Questions Answered by Our Advisors - Taxes & Financial Activities To Do With Your Kids!6/26/2012 The following two questions were submitted to Cape Cod Mommies Advisor: Gary DellaPosta, Gary, I have a few questions regarding Bloggers and taxes: What is the difference between business/hobby for blogging? How does one determine that? How does a blogger claim review items that were received in exchange for a post? I know that it is bartering, but what are the official rules? Should quarterly taxes be filed? Should I register as a DBA at my local town hall? Also, how can a blogger claim the dependent care deduction if s/he doesn't receive a 1099? ~Emily The business versus hobby rules can be complex. However, if the business shows a profit in 3 of 5 years, it cannot be classified as a hobby. If the IRS classifies a business as a hobby, then any losses cannot be deducted. The items you receive in exchange for blogging are considered bartering. The fair market value of the item is the amount of income you must claim. If the item sells for $19.95 online or in a store, then $19.95 is the amount of income you have to report. Filing quarterly taxes would depend upon your overall tax situation. You are only required to register as a DBA if you are doing business under a fictitious name (ie.: The Green Grocer). If you have net income (after all expenses) from your business, you will be qualified to claim the dependent care credit. Gary, How can I teach my kids good financial skills? ~ Leslie Once they reach school age, children should start learning rudimentary financial skills. You might start to teach your kids in the following areas: Their Allowance. Give your kids control over their own money (their allowance and whatever monies you give them that are not earmarked for some particular purpose). You can make suggestions to them about what they should do with it, but allow them the final say on what happens to the money. Let them see the consequences of both wise and foolish behavior with regard to money. A child who spends all of his money on the first day of the week is more likely to learn budgeting if he is not provided with extras to tide him over. Savings And Investment. Beyond the basics of budgeting and saving, you'll want to get your child involved in saving and investing. The easiest way to do this is to have the child open his or her own passbook savings account. If you want your child to get familiar with investing, there are various child-friendly mutual funds and individual stocks available. Taxes And Credit. Kids can start using credit cards at an early age with parental counsel and involvement. They can learn the concepts of incurring and paying off debts both from credit card use and from small loans that parents make them. If children have to file tax returns-as they would with an IRA--allow them to participate in the process; this will get them used to the idea of yearly tax payments. For more information please contact our office 508-540-3683 or email us at info@dellapostacpa.com 
I love finding new and exciting places to shop for my kids. I'm sort of a crazy organic mommy always in search of safe, non-toxic toys for my kids. Since I'm obsessed with handmade items on etsy.com, I thought I'd give their toy section a browse. This may or may not have been a good idea! I literally could spend hours going through each page and liking all of the great products! If you haven't been of etsy.com before, you're welcome:) Here are a few my favorite toys I've found so far.......  HEART Sorting Game, Waldorf Toy Counting and Color Learning Set About the product:Rainbow colored heart sorting game for color and counting learning made in the waldorf tradition. This set includes 12 LARGE size wooden hearts (2 in each color of the rainbow) and 6 rainbow hued wooden bowls all painted in AP certified non-toxic acrylic paint. This set is unfinished, but you may choose to have a light finish of shellac (a non-toxic all natural sealant made from the Lac Beetle and pure grain alcohol) or a rub of beeswax and olive oil.  Pretend Play with Owl Puppets About Product: Set of 5 Owl Finger Puppets. I handcut each one from felt and machine sew them together for durability. They are decorated with felt pieces, wiggle eyes and nontoxic fabric paint. Each set comes with an original laminated rhyme for everyday use. The set also works well with many other rhymes and songs. Perfect for preschool, daycare or to give as a gift.  Wooden Stacking Blocks About the product:This large hand-crafted wooden rainbow stacker is perfect for your little ones to spend hours imagining with. One moment the rainbow can be made into a tunnel the next it is an arch. The possibilities are endless with this toy.Each of our Rainbow Stackers are uniquely handcrafted and are one of a kind.  Organic Numbers & Shapes BLOCK SET About the product: LEARN TO COUNT!! A classic wooden number block set for little ones of any age - handcrafted from gorgeous local or sustainably sourced hardwoods, silky smooth, and full of natural color! This 10-piece set will grow with your child - it works well for beginning to count, and as little one grows it becomes a more challenging learning tool with geometric shapes.  Custom Sophie Scarf!
About the Product: Tired of your baby's toys flying out of the car seat/stroller/playpen?? How many teething giraffes have you bought?? I bring you the solution: the Sophie Scarf! Handmade with a lovely cotton blend, this toy tether will keep your little one's toys easily accessible. The crocheted scarf has several natural button holes - so just make sure the button is securely through one of them and off you go! Attach the other end to your baby's hand, their stroller or car seat, even your diaper bag! No more worrying about the grossness that toy might be covered in after falling on the ground. No more lost toys! |
Parent Resource GuideTravel & VacationsCape Cod BirthdaysCape Cod Family
|
Cape Cod Moms Blog Mommies Mom Blog Parenting Blog Product Reviews, Stories, Resources, Calendar, Local, Support, Events
- Home
-
Mommy Blog
- The Parent Pod
- Cape Kids Cast
- Dads' Den
- Family Climate Series
- Family Dynamics Series
- Navigating Separation & Divorce Series
- Travel & Vacations
- Sex Abuse Series
- Book Reviews
- Interviews With ShopLocal Bussinesses
- Babysitting Safety Series
- Etiquette Series
- Home-School Series
- Love Series
- Infant Sleep Series
- PTSD Series
- About Us
- Calendar
- Parent Resource Fair
- Resources
- Directory
RSS Feed
