Satire on Sleep

For all of you moms out there, a diatribe on sleep by accidental blogger, Ava Neyer, which I promise you will all relate to.  Still laughing:)

Kinderconcerts with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra

 About a week and a half ago, I took the kids to see the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra's "Kinderkonzert," Lemony Snicket's The Composer is Dead.

Having never been before, I wasn't sure what to expect.  The term "Kinderkonzert" threw me off a bit - I worried that my kids would be too old, but it sounded good enough (and it was affordable enough) to give it a try.  I am so glad I did.

We arrived at the Pabst Theater an hour before the concert because the MSO plans activities for the children.  At one station, children could take colored round stickers and add them to a blank staff printed on paper.  They could then take the music they 'composed' to one of the band students on hand, who would play the notes for the children.  At another station, the children could design buttons for themselves (this didn't really relate to music at all, but my kids still loved it:).

The best station, by far, was the "Instrument Petting Zoo" provided by the White House of Music.  The children could actually try out child-sized violins and cellos; hold clarinets, flutes and piccolos and bang around on a snare drum.  Both of my kids are considering playing violin, so it was wonderful for them to have the opportunity to try it out with bunches of other kids doing the same thing.

The concert itself was truly magical.  I needn't have worried that my children were too old - in fact, I would say they were the perfect ages.  I would highly recommend that the MSO change the name of these concerts to "Family Concerts" instead - they really are for all ages.

All three of us laughed uproariously at the daft inspector who was investigating the 'murder' of the composer by questioning each section of the orchestra.  It was funny, educational and the orchestra was phenomenal - I couldn't believe that they did all the work to put the concert together only to perform it once!

If you have a chance to go, I highly recommend the MSO Kinderkonzerts!  The next one is Sunday, May 19th at 2 p.m. at the Pabst Theater and is entitled, Buttons and Buttercup, featuring the music of Mozart's famous opera, Bastien and Bastienne.  Be sure to get there an hour before to enjoy the activities!

"I am not leaving my profession, in truth, it has left me."

I came across this resignation letter written by Gerald J. Conti, a high school social studies teacher from New York, on my favorite blog, Teacher Tom's Blog, and it is making the rounds on the internet - you can even find it on the Washington Post site.  Mr. Conti so eloquently frames what is wrong with our public school system, I felt I simply must share his insight.  I can't really add any more to improve this piece, I can only say I heartily agree.

Thinking of Camp this Summer? Go For It!

There's a great Ted Talk I came across today about how Summer Camp helps prepare kids for the skills they need for today's job market. The skills needed were identified in a study done by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and they include thinking critically, creativity and the ability to communicate and collaborate with others among the top five of the list.

The argument is that with all of the time children today spend on electronic devices, their communication and collaboration skills are suffering greatly.  Summer Camp forces kids into an environment in which they must learn to work with others and live without technology, therefore helping to build these skills that they need.

The speaker, Steve Baskin, tells a tale in the video of two college roommates who are not getting along at all.  How are they dealing with it?  By airing their grievances on facebook, of course!  A sad tale made even more pathetic because it is true - we are raising human beings who do not know how to interact properly with other human beings.

The solution, says Mr. Baskin, is not necessarily to ban technology, but to make sure our children have the opportunity to experience life without it and to give them experiences, such as summer camp, that help them practice their interaction with real, live people.

I would argue that regulating a child's access to technology and simply allowing children to play with other children, leisurely and without planning or interruption from grown ups, will have the same affect - it seems to be working in our household, at any rate.  I would also argue that the way our public school system is commonly arranged also encourages isolation.  While they are surrounded by people, children have less and less time to actually interact with each other at school or to freely express their ideas or pursue their creativity; one of the many reasons why we homeschool.

Bottom line:  if you're having trouble unplugging your kid, summer camp may be the solution.