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French Friday: fleur

May 4th, 2012
by Caitlin.
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I will be the first to admit that French pronunciation is très difficile. Take our word of the week for example, the simple little word for flower: fleur.

Don’t be fooled by its unassuming letter u. Fleur sounds nothing like “floor”, the eu together does not make an “oo” sound. The French letter e, and eu for that matter, sound like the noise you make when you get punched in the gut and get the wind knocked out of you: euh! Similar to our schwa sound [ə], I try to remind students that they “should” say “[ə]” – the same vowel sound as in the word should. Don’t get me started on the Philadelphia accent though – they “shoo-wood” say “oo”!! Then we’re back to the drawing board.

Posted in: child language learning, French Friday.
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French Friday: Jour de la Terre

Apr 27th, 2012
by Caitlin.
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Last Sunday, we Americans celebrated Earth Day. It’s only been since 1970 that April 22 was dubbed Earth Day in the USA. For the French and many other countries, however, Le Jour de la Terre corresponds with the equinox on March 20 or 21.

Planetpals reminds us to make every day Earth Day, no matter where you are in the world! Click the link for ideas on Earth Day activities, teaching aids, earth science and history on Planetpals – for grownups and kids.

Posted in: child language learning, French Friday.
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Worldly-wise Wednesday: Philadelphia International Children’s Festival May 3-5

Apr 25th, 2012
by Caitlin.
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Let’s face it: when I hear “international” and “children” in the same sentence, my ears perk right up. The Philadelphia International Children’s Festival is an annual favorite in our house. And with the $25 Children’s Festival Fun Pass, it can be affordable too! With your pass you enjoy three shows, access to the Children’s Festival FUN ZONE and a free lunch on Saturday, May 5. You can guess where we’ll be that day!

The 28th Annual Festival performances include something for everyone in your family: Space Panorama for your aspiring astronaut, John Tartaglia’s ImaginOcean for your future marine biologist, PASTA! A Pop Ups Puppet Musical for your indie-rocker wannabe, and much more. In addition to the fun lineup of performances, you can’t miss the FUN ZONE, included in your ticket price. Facepainting, crafts and other hands-on activities are sure to please!

The festival will run from Thursday, May 3 through Saturday, May 5 at Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. For tickets, call 215.898.3900 or visit http://www.pennpresents.org/tickets/childfest.php.

See you there!

Posted in: global kids, worldly-wise Wednesday.
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Sunday fun day: a Spring poem by Tori

Apr 15th, 2012
by Caitlin.
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A Spring poem by Tori, age 6


Spring looks like pretty Easter eggs.
Spring smells like pretty flowers.
Spring tastes like yummy sweet colorful ice cream.
Spring sounds like wind blowing on the trees.
Spring feels like big blue kites sailing in the wind.
I love Spring because it is so warm and I can play outside every day.

Posted in: Sunday fun day.
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Monday Moves: Park Ponderings

Apr 9th, 2012
by Alison.
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Sorry I missed posting last week. I’ve been thinking about writing about the parks that I love or love to visit or think should get more limelight. Whatever the reason, the weather is so beautiful one must get thyself and thy own kids out of doors (have I been reading Shakespeare?).

Last weekend the family packed up and drove five hours to Pittsburgh. I was nervous at first for our first “long” car ride but the kids did amazing and now I want to travel with them more. I HIGHLY recommend Pittsburgh as a great place to take the kids for a long weekend kind of trip. There really is SO MUCH TO DO THERE. I know it’s surprising because when you mention Pittsburgh it sometimes gets a bad rap but there is so much good there. PARKS ESPECIALLY!!!

So let’s feature a park, or two, in Pittsburgh. This goes out to our fantastic friends, Linda, Todd, Nadia and Dini not only for hosting us for the weekend but for living in an awesome place that has lots of green space to explore.

Park #1: Frick Park

We ventured to Blue Slide Park in Frick with cardboard in hand to slide down the famous “blue slide” although not totally that color anymore. The kids had so much fun and us adults almost had heart attacks watching them zoom down the slide but it was an all around good time.

Read this below from Pittsburgh Parks website:

Blue Slide Playground

If you are traveling down Beechwood Boulevard and see lines of children heading down the street with cardboard boxes in hand, you know they’re headed for the Blue Slide. The popular playground at Beechwood Boulevard and English Lane takes its name from the slide built into the rolling topography of the land, but there is much more to discover here. A castle-themed playground occupies the lower level of the playground, ascending to the Blue Slide, and then finally to a climbing structure where kids can see the downtown Pittsburgh skyline.

Park #2: Highland Park

Highland Park is calm and a wonderful place for a walk. Check out the park website and visit the many playgrounds, walking trails and the Pittsburgh zoo for a fun day in Pittsburgh.

Remember to click on the links for more info. Next week I’ll feature a Philadelphia area park. If you have suggestions please comment. I’d love to hear what parks you love to take your kids.

Thanks Leach family!

Namaste til Tuesday…

Posted in: Monday Moves.
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Two-cents Tuesdays: First Limb of yoga- yama

Mar 27th, 2012
by Alison.
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On Tuesdays we are starting to learn about the 8 limbs of yoga– a suggestion for a way to live your life.

Yama, the first limb of yoga, is about integrity and how we conduct ourselves. Some of us go to a religious school once a week (on Sundays or Saturdays, etc.) to learn about moral and ethical standards. Many of us talk with our children about ways to behave at home, at school, in public and on and on. Yoga does this as well and it’s built into this path called the eightfold path of yoga by Patanjali.

Yama is #1 of 8… The yamas focus on your behavior and how you act. They are  nonviolence, truthfulness, nonstealing, non-excessiveness, and non-possessiveness.

The yamas are a suggestion for a way of life. For kids, it can be about holding the door open for someone else, being quiet in the library or a restaurant, or saying “thank you” when you are given something. It can be about telling the truth when there’s a problem rather than telling a lie, taking a deep breath rather than pushing someone that you are upset with (we know toddlers do this often!), or learning to give some toys away to children who need them rather than keeping more than you need.

So no matter what age your child is these are lessons all kids can practice every day.

Posted in: two-cents Tuesday.
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Monday Moves: Downdog

Mar 26th, 2012
by Alison.
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Down Dog, wagging tail

 

Wagging tails human and dog

 

Little yogis can you guess which pose this is? The classic downward facing dog with a twist…wagging your tail! To do get on all fours and then push your bottom up  to become an upside down “V”. Once you are in downdog then lift one leg up high toward the sky and way your “tail” back and forth.” Now put that leg down and lift the other leg and wag. Great job!

Moms and Dads if you are in down dog getting a quick stretch in, have your child crawl underneath like a tunnel. This is always a hit.

I could not resist the second photo that captures our dog Sigmund wagging his tail next to Elle’s pose. Too cute.

Namaste til Tuesday….

 

 

Posted in: Monday Moves.
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Two-cents Tuesday: Intro 8 Limbs of Yoga

Mar 20th, 2012
by Alison.
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The 8 Limbs of Yoga…something we learn in yoga teacher training, yet it can take months, years, a lifetime to learn. Some of the actions (limbs) we do because we’ve always done them, some we need reminding, some we should try to incorporate into our life. Whether you are a newbie or veteran, I thought we as parents, and our kids, can truly benefit from learning the 8 Limbs of Yoga. So, for the next 8 Tuesdays I will be learning and reviewing right along side you.

I’ll try to keep each post concise and link to other blogs if you want more information. To start: Alluem Kids a yoga studio based out of Crandord, NJ just completed the 8 Limbs. Way to go! Check out their site:

http://alluemkids.blogspot.com/2012_01_01_archive.html

See you next Tuesday with the first limb, yama.

Posted in: two-cents Tuesday.
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Monday Moves: Mouse

Mar 19th, 2012
by Alison.
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It’s yoga day again. Yay! Let’s learn a new pose this week shall we? Have you incorporated the previous weeks’ poses into your daily life? I hope so!

Today’s pose is “child’s pose” but for kid yoga we like to call it “mouse.” It’s a great pose to do at the end of a yoga class to rest and relax. So give it a go…

If you are having trouble settling your child before bed or a nap have them go into mouse pose and rub their back for a little while. Play some soft music and let the relaxation begin.

Namaste til Tuesday…

Posted in: Monday Moves.
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Alex & the Kaleidoscope Band at Steel City Coffeehouse in Phoenixville

Mar 14th, 2012
by Caitlin.
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We are all about Alex & the Kaleidoscope Band in our house. Raising global, mobile kids comes easy when you pop in one of their CDs! Our girls love to sing and dance to the multicultural rhythms.

We couldn’t agree more with the Film Advisory Board, which states: “The beautiful arrangements and lyrics ignite compassion, promote awareness, and open our thoughts that we are all as one in this vast world.”

If you and your kids haven’t heard them live, you haven’t lived! Now is your chance, at their latest CD release party on Sunday, March 25 at 3:00pm at Steel City Coffeehouse in Phoenixville, PA. It’s just a click away to buy tickets! Hope to see you there! We’ll be the ones front row and center dancing up a storm.

If you love Alex & the Kaleidoscope Band (and we know you will), please take a moment to visit their Kickstarter campaign where you can help them reach their goal. As of press time, they are 61% there!

Posted in: worldly-wise Wednesday.
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