Blog http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog Nurturing Pathways Blog eng MONDAY MISSIVE WINTER 2012 WEEK 6 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-winter-2012-week-6 This week we will be exploring Pathways and Body Shapes! What a great way to explore the space around us by finding the curvy, zig-zag and straight pathways we can move on. We will punctuate those pathways with the corresponding body shapes: curved, bent and straight shapes. A fun week to move our bodies at a gross motor level on the exact pathways used to write all the letters in the alphabet. When your baby or child becomes familiar with how these pathways feel, it is easier for them to develop their fine motor hand coordination. http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/70 MONDAY MISSIVE WINTER 2012 WEEK 3 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-winter-2012-week-3 This week it is all about Body Parts. Body parts come on-line sequentially during the early years of development starting with the mouth informing the hands and feet how to reach, grasp and release. All gross motor movement using the whole body precedes fine motor movement. As a child matures, the challenge becomes using body parts separately from one another. When we challenge them to use two hands differently or to just wiggle their fingers, the motor pathways in their brains become stronger. We will have fun finding all our body parts and shaking, wiggling, twisting and gluing them to props. http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/69 MONDAY MISSIVE WINTER 2012 WEEK 1 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-winter-2012-week-1-20120120085153 We will have fun exploring SPEED this week...fast, medium and slow. Discover how to rev up your muscles and then slow them down. Fun is awaiting with this high contrast dance concept that keeps the babies and children highly engaged and anticipating what will come next, fast or slow. The process of motor development requires placing a demand on the motor system to move in new and novel ways. The challenge will be moving slowly, great for refining motor coordination. The baby to three year old masters motor development as their first language because it is the foundation for learning. 80% of the brain is dedicated to processing sensory-motor experiences, only 20% is used for cognition. Taking the time to focus on your child's motor skills and sensory experiences now will pay large dividends into their future. http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/68 MONDAY MISSIVE WINTER 2012 WEEK 1 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-winter-2012-week-1 Concept of the Week: Self-space and General Space movement. We will explore many different ways the body can move in one place like turning, twisting, jumping, swinging and shaking and contrast that with moving through space. We will travel through the room galloping, sliding, running, and marching. We will play with props that we can use in one spot and take with us through the general space. This concept is foundational to dance and movement - the understanding of one's own personal space and relating to the space around us. Practicing movement in one spot improves self-control and listening skills and moving through general space helps us relate to others and successfully navigate the world around us. These basic skills underlie strong social skills. http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/67 MONDAY MISSIVE FALL 2011 WEEK 10 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-fall-2011-week-10 To celebrate the season we are going to explore Relationships this week in class. We will find all kinds of props, body parts, and other friends to relate to using our prepositions - on, over, between, through, beside, near and far etc. Exploring these spatial relationships improves three dimensional thinking used by architects, sculpture artists, and engineers to name a few. Great fun and great developmental food for your baby or child's growing mind. http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/66 MONDAY MISSIVE FALL 2011 WEEK 9 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-fall-2011-week-9 This week we will be exploring free and bound flow - the fun stuff! We will see what happens when we hug all our muscles to our bones and then let them go - like ice and water. This concept will lengthen your baby or child's attention span due to its inherent contrast and it will refine how well their muscles fire - it is called motor grading. People that we think of as graceful have refined motor grading. http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/65 MONDAY MISSIVE FALL 2011 WEEK 8 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-fall-2011-week-8 It is all about Size this week! http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/64 MONDAY MISSIVE FALL 2011 WEEK 7 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-fall-2011-week-7 This week we get to have fun with body parts! We will move our many body parts and learning how to move them individually one from another. Not only does your baby or child build their motor skills from gross motor to fine motor, they become articulate movers and thinkers the more they practice moving individual body parts like wiggling fingers, shaking arms, bending elbows, wiggling toes, rolling shoulders and stomping feet. You are giving your little one a fabulous opportunity to expand their movement potential and when they see what is possible they are eager to learn and try new things. When you build their confidence with new motor skills you are creating a strong foundation for learning. http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/63 MONDAY MISSIVE FALL 2011 WEEK 6 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-fall-2011-week-6 Are you ready for Energy? It is time to explore 4 different types of energy; swing, hang, thrust and shape. Your baby or child has a preferred "home" pattern that defines a way of moving with thinking. This week we will have fun playing with swing energy for relaters, hang energy for creators, thrust energy for doers, and shape energy for thinkers. Notice how your baby or child lights up during different activities. Very often our "home" energy coordination pattern is different than our child's. Variety is the spice of life! The Concept is great for developing the capacities of the whole brain. One thing is for certain we will all feel energized after playing with energy! http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/62 MONDAY MISSIVE FALL 2011 WEEK 5 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-fall-2011-week-5 Let's FOCUS this week and find out what we can learn when we look at an object, everything at once, or close our eyes and use our internal focus. http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/61 MONDAY MISSIVE FALL 2011 WEEK 4 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-fall-2011-week-4 This week we will be learning about Attack - Sharp and Smooth. It will be great fun making our muscles relaxed and soaring around the studio and contrasting that with sharp movements. We will feel the exciting contrast in Attack and use it to develop attention span, refine motor coordination and listening skills. Introducing the ability to change your muscle tension at will gives them more choices and new discoveries that enrich their play. We will have fun with this one! http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/60 MONDAY MISSIVE FALL 2011 WEEK 3 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-fall-2011-week-3 This week we will be playing around with our balance! On and off, standing on one leg, tipping over and using props to balance on our body parts. It will be great fun for everyone as we strengthen the vestibular system - our best friend for developing motor coordination, listening skills, paying attention to a task, and maturing the brain. The Vestibular system, located in the inner ear tells us where our bodies are relative to gravity. We can be balancing on one leg or walking along the balance beam or tipping and tilting on the ball or waltzing around the room to strengthen the Vestibular system. A strong sense of balance and position in space helps baby's and young children feel confident and capable; what a great feeling to foster for lifelong learning! http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/59 MONDAY MISSIVE FALL 2011 WEEK 2 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-fall-2011-week-2 This week we will have fun going in different directions. We will go up and down, forwards and backwards and side to side. The directions we move in are the same directions our brain uses to process information. Information moves up and down through our brain stem, forwards and backwards through each hemisphere and side to side between the two hemispheres. So we move, so we think. The more we move, the more we stimulate the nerve pathways to develop. Its all good and as good for us as it is for our baby or child. http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/58 MONDAY MISSIVE FALL 2011 WEEK 1 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-fall-2011-week-1 This week we will begin our journey with Self Space and General Space, exploring what we can do in one spot and what we can do traveling through the room. We will wiggle, shake and turn in one spot and gallop, slide, march, run, creep and roll through general space. Being able to hold our bodies in one spot takes self-inhibitory control, improving attention span and self-control. The contrast between dancing in one spot and moving through space is very engaging for your baby or child. "Attention is the gateway to learning!" -Robert Sylwester http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/57 Monday Missive Final for Spring 2011 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-final-for-spring-2011 We will be exploring relationships - those things that make the world go round. Over, under, between and through - how many different ways can we relate to props, people and body parts? Not only will we be increasing your child's vocabulary and comprehension this week, we will also solve lots of motor problems. Robust neural connections are created through novel motor and sensory experiences alternated with repetition. Both are vital for healthy development. http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/56 Monday Missive Spring Week 9 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-spring-week-9 This week we will be exploring ENERGY. Thanks to the sunshine we all have more energy and a fresh spring in our step. So off we go to explore swing, hang, thrust and shape! These are four essential energy coordination patterns codified by Elizabeth Wetzig. We all have a home pattern that grounds us in a way of moving with a way of thinking that feels very comfortable to each of us. Our children can have a home pattern that compliments or contrasts our own - adding spice to the parenting journey. Swingers are natural relaters, shapers think first and then do, hangers are helpers with a capitol H and thrusters love a productive day. We will explore how each of these patterns like to move and have fun discovering our child's home pattern as well as our own. The goal: to enjoy all four ways of moving and be able to easily move from swing, to hang, to thrust, to shape depending on what the present situation demands. And always to return to our home pattern to recuperate. This concept more than any of the others expands your child's creative potential. http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/55 Monday Missive Spring Week 8 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-spring-week-8 Saturday Classes: This week we will be exploring the fun concept of ATTACK! We will play with contrasting sharp and smooth movements and feel the change in our muscle tension. Attack can be felt and heard with the sharp snap of the streamers and jumping, slashing, and popping movements. Smooth can be felt with free flowing scarves and twirling, flying, and floating movements. The brain loves contrast and the body does too! Contrasting Muscle tension wakes up the brain and body and refines motor coordination. Babies can feel these contrasting muscle tensions in Moms and Dads bodies and easily integrate this into their movement at an older age. We will also simultaneously engage the four lobes of the brain - holistic learning at its best. I will have pictures to show you in class this week of the four lobes that process, sight, sound, movement, and tactile experiences. Movement, music, props and play are the fertile soil for healthy development! All Other Classes: This week we will be exploring 6 directions that we travel in through space as well as in one place. We can take our bodies up and down, forwards and backwards, and side to side. A diagonal is a combination of forwards and sideways so it is not considered a "pure direction". Fantastic fun for spatial orientation and balance. Directions through space mirror the neural pathways used to process information in the brain. Our bodies mirror the workings of our mind in a seamless flow of space and thought. We will be strengthening those neural pathways and simultaneously engaging the four lobes of the brain - holistic learning at its best. I will have pictures to show you in class this week of the neural pathways and the four lobes that process, sight, sound, movement, and tactile experiences. Movement, music, props and play are the fertile soil for healthy development! http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/54 Monday Missive Spring Week 7 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-spring-week-7 This week we will be exploring the fun concept of ATTACK! We will play with contrasting sharp and smooth movements and feel the change in our muscle tension. Attack can be felt and heard with the sharp snap of the streamers and jumping, slashing, and popping movements. Smooth can be felt with free flowing scarves and twirling, flying, and floating movements. The brain loves contrast and the body does too! Contrasting Muscle tension wakes up the brain and body and refines motor coordination. Babies can feel these contrasting muscle tensions in Moms and Dads bodies and easily integrate this into their movement at an older age. http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/53 Monday Missive Spring Week 6 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-spring-week-6 Focus, Focus, focus - what is my focus? What am I looking at and how does that change my direction in space? This week we will be hunting seeking and finding body parts, props, and each other as we explore three kinds of focus - single, multi, and internal. A very significant developmental milestone occurs between birth and two: one's self image. This internal map of me is created during the first two years of life as a child explores the world with their body and develops their motor skills. Internal focus is the ability to see our selves from the inside out. Self-confidence is built upon this foundation. As we explore focus this week we will notice how multi-focus (looking at many things at once) is far more demanding than single focus as we look at objects and people around the room. Focus teaches us great lessons about attention, recuperation, and trying to do too much at once! http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/52 Monday Missive Week 5 Spring 2011 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-spring-week-5 This week we will be exploring SIZE: small, medium and large With three sizes to explore, on different levels - low, middle, high, we can mix and match and make large shapes down low, and small shapes up high. We will explore giant steps and tiny steps, expanding and contracting, shrinking and growing that all move from our core out to our distal ends. The core-distal pattern is the first movement pattern in utero. We will have fun spreading wide and getting small in a ball. The brain stem is stimulated by core-distal movement and has a very calming affect on the nervous system. http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/51 Monday Missive Week 4 Spring 2011 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-week-4-spring-2011

 Hi Families-
This week we will be racing around and slowly rolling on the ground exploring speed.  We will explore fast, medium, and slow movements.  Not only is it fun and exciting to contrast our speed it is a great work out for grading our motor control.  For some children whose internal motors run fast going slow is challenging.  For those mellow slow going children moving fast pushes them out of their comfort zone and opens up new experiences and a different way of feeling in their body.  Connecting with speed at a young age with structured movement activities is a fabulous way to expand your baby or child's spatial awareness, motor control, and creative play capacities.  When you look at the research on Happiness it becomes clear that children who explore more, play more, and feel happy because of it.

Keep up the great work - I admire all of you.  You are all a beautiful example of loving, playful, committed, and thoughtful parents.  We enjoy dancing with you every week.

 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/50 Monday Missive Week 3 Spring 2011 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-week-3-spring-2011 Hello Families- I trust that Saturday put some spring back into everyone's step! This week we are exploring weight...heavy and light. Muscle tension is a marvelous thing to play with because it totally changes the way we feel as well as how we move. When we need to lighten up it is great to know that we can change our muscle tension and that will affect our mood. When we use heavy stomping steps and push and pull we recuperate from all of that exertion with light movements; flying, floating, and twirling. This is a wonderful opportunity to develop self control, confidence and an awareness of how our muscle tension affects how we feel! http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/49 Monday Missive Week 2 Spring 2011 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-week-2-spring-2011 Hi families- Off we go to week two of spring quarter. Yes we have class this week! Body parts - so many body parts! We can glue them together, we can stretch them, shake them, wiggle them, bend them and twist them and swing them. This week will be rich with naming body parts, doing body puzzles, working on body shapes, and finding one body part to move while holding the rest still. Attention span will improve with lots of motor coordination and motor problem solving this week. The brain uses the same neurons for thinking as for doing. Motor challenges and dancing then plays a double role in your baby's or child's life - refining their motor abilities and improving their thinking processes. It is so great to know that while we are having fun in class we are doing double duty for the body and brain! http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/48 Monday Missive Week 1 Spring 2011 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-week-1-spring-2011 Yippee it is time to dance this week and kick off our spring quarter! We will be exploring self and general space. While staying in one spot we will explore the space around us shrinking, swaying, jumping, shaking, turning, melting etc. And contrast that exploring the big room running, galloping, slithering and sliding in many different directions and on different levels. Developing impulse control starts in infancy and greatly affects school success later on. Working with the body holding it in one spot before traveling through space, is a great gross motor exercise in impulse control, especially when we move slowly in our self space! There will be many words this week describing what we are doing and by repeating what you hear us say to your child will increase their vocabulary and comprehension - so talk away! Classes are all still accepting enrollment so if you have friends who would like to sample a class for $15.00 please invite them to join us. Christine and Jennifer are also happy to come to your PEPS group or parenting group and give an hour presentation on the body/brain connection. For those of you who are new to Nurturing Pathways welcome. We are excited to dance with you. To those who are returning, welcome back. Please come ready to start classes on time everyone. Enjoy your parent handout on "Touch and the Emotional Mind" Lead With Your Heart, Dance With Your Feet - Christine Roberts Founder, Nurturing Pathways, Inc Check out the New Website!!! www.nurturingpathways.com info@nurturingpathways.com P 425 280-3805 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/47 Monday Missive Final for Winter 2011 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-final-for-winter-2011 Happy Spring Everyone - Just a reminder Saturday April 2nd classes are being held at Phinney Ridge Neighborhood Center. Waddlers 9:30AM Babies 10:30AM Toddlers 11:45PM If you have a make-up to do feel free to join Jennifer on April 2nd - that is the last Saturday class for winter. Spring Session beings April 13th - June 17th - Look for a Monday Missive on April 11th! * Wednesday night 6:30PM - 8:30PM Room 6 School Readiness Workshop * Join Christine to discover the pros and cons of different school curriculum, * public versus private, and * what would be a great fit for your child. * You will explore what matters to you * Siblings may need different learning environments due to their learning style - see how one size does not fit all and how to set your child up for success in school. * Walk-ins welcome * Bring a Friend and get $5.00 second person * Tell your friends about this workshop Feel confident and relaxed about your child's next step! http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/29 Monday Missive Week 10 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-week-10 Relationships are at the heart of our Nurturing Pathways experience. The babies and children are learning to relate to their bodies, their friends, and the space around them in creative and engaging activities. As parents we are enriching our relationship with our child or baby watching them grow and develop. A great combination all the way around! We will have fun exploring all the prepositions possible with our body parts, props and each other and smile our way into spring~ Jennifer and I want to thank you for your dedication, inspiring parenting skills, and wonderful babies and children that we feel so grateful to dance with. Please take the time to fill out the evaluation this week if you have not already and double thank you for telling your friends about Nurturing Pathways and encouraging them to take a trial class. Your good word means everything to us. If you have time to post a note to a yahoo group that you belong to I know folks really appreciate reading the feedback. http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/28 Monday Missive Week 9 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-week-9 HIGH, middle, low.... where can we go with our bodies in space using all three levels and what are all the creative ways we can get there? It is fun to roll down low, grow up high, balance in the middle and discover all the possibilities in between. Our brains just like our bodies have three levels as well. The low brain is the survival center. the middle brain is the emotional center, and the high brain is the thinking area. Babies first slither like a lizard and then they crawl, and lastly walk. At each stage the baby is stimulating the connections in the corresponding brain center. It makes perfect sense when we see that the baby first has to organize its ability to survive and then it learns how to utilize its emotions for social emotional bonding, and the last priority of the brain, is to think, plan and figure out how the world works. I love the efficiency of development - all that the body does supports brain development and it is good for the brain at any age! http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/25 Monday Missive Week 8 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-week-8 As Spring is approaching(we hope) it's time to explore energy. We will be hanging, shaping, swinging and thrusting this week. These 4 energy coordination patterns express a way of moving and thinking that helps to define our temperament and how we like to be related to. Swingers love to connect with others, hangers like to daydream and doodle, thrusters like to get things done, and shapers like to think first and then act. It will be great fun finding out which energy coordination pattern you and your child enjoy! Please see the attached parent handout for a deeper look at the energy coordination patterns. http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/27 Monday Missive Week 7 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-week-7 How fast, how slow, how medium can we go? Controlling our muscles to fireslowly takes a lot of self-control and internal locus ofcontrol; meaning working our body from the inside out. Going fast is the opposite, firing muscles quickly and expending a great deal of energy in a short amount of time. From slow to bursting with energy, speed refines our motor control. Becoming articulate movers takes practice, lots of practice. Speed is exciting and fun and grabs everyone's attention! So here's to playing with speed - perhaps we can usher inspiring faster with a little speed dance this week!* Enjoy your Parent Handout this week on The ABC's of Children's Needs http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/26 Monday Missive WEEK 5 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-week-5 We can all be three sizes at different levels as well as traveling through space with tiny steps, big lunges, and medium galloping; giving us lots of choices for how we move and what we want to express. Size is an interesting concept. At birth brains are small, 1 pound, by one year they are medium; 2 pounds, and between three and four they are large weighing 95% of their adult brain weight of 3 pounds. With our brain growing from small to big in a very short period of time, this is why we refer to this time as the formative years. The brain is learning how to learn and developing its systems to do just that! A lot of our movement this week will stimulate the brain stem in particular because we will be practicing curling and uncurling from our core. In development this is called the core-distal pattern and it calms and focuses the mind because it stimulates the brain stem or reptilian brain. Good stuff for healthy development. http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/24 Monday Missive Week 6 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-week-6 This week we are going to play with body shapes. We will be making fun, bent, straight or curvy shapes. Not only does this help children understand the alphabet kinesthetically, it gives them a wonderful opportunity to practice their motor problem solving skills. As we like to say in Nurturing Pathways® , a nimble body makes a nimble brain! Exploring body shapes will give us lots of opportunities to stretch and twist and bend our bodies. I saw a quote this past week that said, "Love is possible with understanding, understanding opens the door for compassion, and with compassion this is love." http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/30 Question For Parents Week 3 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/question-for-parents-week-3 What are you noticing about yourself during this stage? http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/23 Question For Parents Week 2 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/question-for-parents-week-2 What are you noticing about your child? http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/22 Question For Parents Week 1 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/question-for-parents-week-1 What is pressing on your mind about parenting? http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/21 Monday Missive Week 4 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-week-4 Hi Families! Here comes February!!! The days will get longer...we're headed in the direction of Spring. Speaking of directions, that's what we are doing this week. We are going to explore six pure directions up/down, side to side, and forwards to backwards. We will be traveling through space utilizing the same directions our mind uses to process information; up and down through the brain stem, forwards and backwards through each hemisphere and side to side between the two hemispheres. This is just one of the examples of how the brain mirrors the body, which is why practicing these motor skills has such a positive impact on our mental skills. http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/31 Monday Missive Week 3 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-week-3 Hello Families! This week we will dance the day away exploring our fabulous body parts! Body parts body parts- there are so many to explore and learn how to articulate! I love the developmental journey from whole to part that babies to toddlers go through. Babies spend their first year learning about their body parts and how to use them to become mobile and refine their all important eye-hand coordination. The second year waddlers revel in their new balancing skills and practice a lot of whole body motor movements like walking, turning, running, and climbing. As they enter their toddler and preschool years they begin to isolate one body part from another and wiggle fingers, shake their head, glue their nose to their toe, and make a variety of balancing shapes plus a whole lot more! The body is an amazing tool for learning and with 80% of the brain dedicated to sensory motor processing (Jane Ayres) it deserves a place of central importance in the early years. Just like language development-a child can not know a word until it hears it spoken to him; he can not know all of his movement options until he has it shown to him. http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/32 Monday Missive Week 2 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-week-2 This week we will be exploring FOCUS one of my favorite concepts with little ones because it helps them develop their attention span. Attention is the gateway to learning and it is through the RAS (Reticular Activating System) that we sort and filter all of our learning. This week while we find things to focus on around the room and focus on our own body parts we will be putting a demand on that system to expand its capabilities. Children listen, watch and learn with greater ease down the road practicing these skills during the formative years. We will explore single and multi focus. http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/33 Monday Missive Week 1 http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-week-1 Happy New Years Everyone! This week we will begin our quarter with Self Space and General Space. Exploring our space either as a returning student or as a new student is a great way to get acclimated and comfortable with the room. Self space movement is all non-locomotor. We can wiggle, jump, turn, stretch, shrink, grow, and burst without ever leaving our spot. Not only does this build vocabulary, it is fun to explore all of the possibilities and expand our movement repertoire. General space movement is locomotor movement that takes us through space galloping, sliding, running, crab walking, lunging, and rolling for example. There is a fun word called Proprioception that your baby or child is developing during the first 4 years that lets them know where they are in space, how to orient, navigate and coordinate their movement for a given task. This weeks's dance concept is a wonderful opportunity for your child to develop this major building block for motor development. http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/34 Monday Missive Week 10 Fall http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-week-10-winter It is all about body prepositions this week, motor planning and problem solving! The brain is a marvelous machine using the same neurons for both thinking and doing. The motor band that extends in front of the ears across both hemispheres uses the same neurons for figuring out how to get over, under, behind, beside, around, and near or far from a block as it does to put puzzles together, build legos, read a map, navigate a social interaction and not get lost in the store! The value of exploring relationships in a fun, safe learning environment is your child's ability to generalize what they learn in a class to other life situations. http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/35 Monday Missive Week 9 Fall http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/monday-missive-week-9-fall Flow is all about muscle tension and working with grading our motor control. Free Flow never stops and is always in a state of motion, whereas bound flow requires a lot of muscle tension and makes us feel like robots. The contrast in muscle tension is great for releasing the protein IGF-1 that moves into the brain and builds the neural connections in the brain for learning. It is vital for babies and young children to engage in this kind of heavy work and work their bodies to build their brains. Enjoy the great naps after class this week after we engage in some bound and free flow! http://www.nurturingpathways.com/blog/post/36