Thanks Stacy, it means so much to hear from the graduates. This is our most difficult day and always a nerve racker. The kids are so cute, and every year it’s a whole different crew and a whole different set of problems.

Putting a play together with 35 very young children is a lot like herding cats, as I’ve said before. The first consideration is getting the right lines to the right children. Letting some kids stretch, some explore, some discover, and some just ham it up – depends on the child. That means at least seventy lines to memorize; but at the same time, seventy lines to write and coordinate! Then, are we right about this line and that child? Can he do it?

How many kids on stage can the play stand? If there are too many, it’s chaos. If there are too few, the kids get lost. How many times will they practice before they just want to play? Will they remember where they stand, what movements they must do?

Costumes are another ordeal. Simplicity counts, but humor and realizm have to mesh so that it all makes sense. And then there’s backdrop. We need something that gives the sense of “Play” but also the room to move in our tiny space.

It’s a challenge, but we think it’s worthwhile – except at night when Miss Kelly and Miss Judy pace the floors and wake up every 30 minutes with “what if…”

Thanks again Stacy for the kudos. It means so much especially today. Faith was a spectacular artist and we enjoyed her as Queenie too.

Turkey is good for you. Here’s the World’s Healthiest Foods food of the week!

Food of the Week . . . Turkey
Turkey is our food of the week. Did you know that a 4-ounce serving of turkey breast contains only 1 gram of fat and is the leanest type of meat you can include in your diet? It is easy to reduce the fat content of turkey because most of it resides in the skin, which can be easily removed. By including a serving of turkey as part of your Healthiest Way of Eating, you will not only be reducing your fat intake, but fulfilling 65% of your daily value for protein! Protein is the building block not only for structural tissues, but also for immune defense cells, and it is involved in just about every other physiological function in your body. Turkey also provides 47% of the daily value for selenium (a powerful antioxidant co-factor that helps protect against the damage to cell structure and DNA caused by free radicals), as well as many of the B vitamins, which are essential for energy production. So, sharing your Thanksgiving meal with family and friends also means sharing a w! ! ealth of health-promoting benefits with those you love!Did you know that, unlike other starchy vegetables, sweet potatoes are classified as an anti-diabetic food? Recent studies have shown that sweet potatoes help stabilize blood sugar levels and lower insulin resistance, a problem caused by cells not responding to the presence of insulin, which then prevents the transport of sugars from the blood into the cells. Some of sweet potatoes’ anti-diabetic properties are believed to come from their high concentration of carotenoids such as beta carotene (the redder varieties also contain lycopene), which, along with their vitamin A and vitamin C, act as powerful antioxidants to help combat free radical activity that would otherwise damage cells and cell membranes. Sweet potatoes also contain unique root storage proteins with potent antioxidant activity. These proteins, along with sweet potatoes high content of carotenoids and vitamin C, may also make them helpful! ! in reducing inflammation, such as that involved in conditions like asthma, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Every year this is a hard time for me when I remember that two of my children were in the Navy. One of my daughters served in the first combat position for females on a fast frigate.

My son served on a nuclear submarine. His sub went to the North Pole.

Both children are out now and secure in other jobs. But my heart goes out to all servicemen and women because I know what their families are thinking and praying about.

For two of my children who are Veterans:

It’s a madhouse at school…too much is going on. Today the fund raiser comes in by truck between 3:00 and 5:00. We will call you to pick up all food items.

This is my least favorite week through the entire year, but it always seems to end well. I get really nervous about the play. Right now, most of the kids know their lines. Getting them to project is the hard part. Trying to get them to remember where to stand is almost like herding cats. It’s a young group, and when your four year olds are holding down the fort… it makes for some sleepless nights!

The play is one of the best things we do, however. It’s a real community effort. Every year I think that we should do this or that differently about half way through, and then I remember that kids only want to do this for about two weeks, and then they’re tired of it. We take time out of class to practice, practice, practice, and half the time we are practicing being quiet. And that’s a good thing to establish — that we can be quiet. But try to explain that to very young children.

The behavior of an entire group changes with the play. It’s almost remarkable how much they learn. It’s a real growing experience and one – when it’s over – teachers regard with a real sense of pride – right now I think teachers are feeling a little like we’re on top of the pyre waiting for the white horse of Friday evening about 5:00 p.m.!

Mrs. St. Louis has made costumes again. She’s really good at inventing and bringing those inventions to reality. Now if we could get her to paint more…

The good news is the Thanksgiving Play is already coming to life. The kids are learning their lines with great pizazz. Emma knows her lines with the kind of enunciation that could only be hoped for. Jackson is a ham; we knew it! Caitlyn is very expressive, and her voice is LOUD. We think we will try to get her to demonstrate to some of the whisperers! I’ve been delighted all week with the effort. Now getting the turkeys to look like turkeys is going to be the hard part. Last year we used plastic garbage bags, but this year E had this delicious idea, and we went with it.

Lots of Indians, lots of Pilgrims, lots of good faith between them, and that includes the turkeys. Some jokes, some laughs, some fun. That’s the way a play is supposed to be.

This week we will begin to block the play. That means showing children how to come out on stage and stop, wait, and deliver their lines on time. It’s a group effort and an effort well worth the work and the experience.

With very young children, you only have two weeks to get the play started and finished, because after that, they don’t want to play anymore. So from the git go, it’s a run to the finish line.

I hope our parents enjoy this as much as we do. It’s going to be performed Friday afternoon at 3:00. Please plan to attend for your child. Grandparents and other interested parties are more than welcome. Please bring a small snack to share.

Judy

Comment: I know, I know; I spend half my life condemning soda pop as a blight on the whole of Western Civilization. Now here’s some real ammo! It’s the bad news! I got this article from E.

A MUST READ

In October of 2001, my sister started getting very sick. She had stomach spasms and she was having a hard time getting around. Walking was a major chore. It took everything she had just to get out of bed; she was in so much pain.

By March 2002, she had undergone several tissue and muscle biopsies and was on 24 various prescription medications. The doctors could not determine what was wrong with her. She was in so much pain, and so sick she just knew she was dying. She put her house, bank accounts,
lifeinsurance, etc., in her oldest daughter’s name, and made sure that her younger children were to be taken care of.

She also wanted her last hooray, so she planned a trip to Florida (basically in a wheelchair) for March 22nd. On March 19 I called her to ask how her most recent tests went, and she said they didn’t find anything on the test, but they believe she had MS.

I recalled an article a friend of mine e-mailed to me and I asked my sister if she drank diet soda? She told me that she did. As a matter of fact, she was getting ready to crack one open that moment.

I told her not to open it, and to stop drinking the diet soda!

I e-mailed her the article my friend, a lawyer, had sent.

My sister called me within 32 hours after our phone conversation and told me she had stopped drinking the diet soda AND she could walk! The muscle spasms went away. She said she didn’t feel 100% but she sure felt a lot better. She told me she was going to her doctor with this article and would call me when she got home.

Well, she called me, and said her doctor was amazed! He is going to call all of his MS patients to find out if they consumed artificial sweeteners of any kind.

In a nutshell, she was being poisoned by the Aspartame in the diet soda…and literally dying a slow and miserable death.

When she got to Florida March 22, all she had to take was one pill, and that was a pill for the Aspartame poisoning! She is well on her way to a complete recovery.

And she is walking! No wheelchair! This article saved her life. If it says ‘SUGAR FREE’ on the label; DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

I have spent several days lecturing at the WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE on ‘ASPARTAME,’ marketed as ‘NutraSweet,’ ‘Equal,’ and ‘Spoonful.’

In the keynote address by the EPA, it was announced that in the United States in 2001 there is an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. It was difficult to determine exactly what toxin was causing this to be rampant. I stood up and said that I was there to lecture on exactly that subject.

I will explain why Aspartame is so dangerous: When the temperature of this sweetener exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants. The methanol toxicity mimics, among other conditions, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. Many people were being diagnosed in error. Although multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, Methanol toxicity is!

Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis, especially with Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers. The victim usually does not know that the Aspartame is the culprit. He or she continues its use; irritating the lupus to such a degree that it may become a life-threatening condition.

We have seen patients with systemic lupus become asymptotic, once taken off diet sodas.

In cases of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, most of the symptoms disappear. We’ve seen many cases where vision loss returned and hearing loss improved markedly.

This also applies to cases of tinnitus and fibromyalgia. During a lecture, I said, ‘If you are using ASPARTAME (NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc) and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting, pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, unexplainable depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss you probably have ASPARTAME poisoning!’

People were jumping up during the lecture saying, ‘I have some of these symptoms. Is it reversible?’
Yes! Yes! Yes! STOP drinking diet sodas and be alert for Aspartame on food labels! Many products are fortified with it! This is a serious problem.

Dr. Espart (one of my speakers) remarked that so many people seem to be symptomatic for MS and during his recent visit to a hospice, a nurse stated that six of her friends, who were heavy Diet Coke addicts, had all been diagnosed with MS. This is beyond coincidence!

Diet soda is NOT a diet product! It is a chemically altered, multiple SODIUM (salt) and ASPARTAME containing product that actually makes you crave carbohydrates. It is far more likely to make you GAIN weight!

These products also contain formaldehyde, which stores in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs. Formaldehyde is an absolute toxin andis used primarily to preserve ’tissue specimens.’ Many products we use every day contain this chemical but we SHOULD NOT store it IN our body!

Dr. H. J. Roberts stated in his lectures that once free of the ‘diet products’ and with no significant increase in exercise; his patients lost an average of 19 pounds over a trial period.

Aspartame is especially dangerous for diabetics. We found that some physicians, who believed that they had a patient with retinopathy, in fact, had symptoms caused by Aspartame. The Aspartame drives the bloodsugar out of control. Thus diabetics may suffer acute memory loss due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are NEUROTOXIC when taken without the other amino acids necessary for a good balance.

Treating diabetes is all about BALANCE. Especially with diabetics, the Aspartame passes the blood/brain barrierand it then deteriorates the neurons of the brain; causing various levels of brain damage, seizures, depression, manic depression, panic attacks, uncontrollable anger and rage.

Consumption of Aspartame causes these same symptoms in non-diabetics as well.

Documentation and observation also reveal that thousands of children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD have had complete turnarounds in their behavior when these chemicals have been removed from their diet. So called ‘behavior modification prescription drugs’ (Ritalin and others) are no longer needed. Truth be told, they were never NEEDED in the first place! Most of these children were being ‘poisoned’ on a daily basis with the very foods that were ‘better for them than sugar.’

It is also suspected that the Aspartame in thousands of pallets of diet Coke and diet Pepsi consumed by men and women fighting in the Gulf War, may be partially to blame for the well-known Gulf War Syndrome.

Dr. Roberts warns that it can cause birth defects, i.e. mental retardation, if taken at the time of conception and during early pregnancy. Children are especially at risk for neurological disorders and should NEVER be given artificial sweeteners. There are many different case histories to relate of children suffering grand mal seizures and other neurological disturbances talking about a plague of neurological diseases directly caused by the use of this deadly poison.’

For those of you who have big dreams, here’s a metaphor:

Mouse brain imaging helps understand appetite

By Jess Halliday

From Food Navigator

Comment: As a member of the EVV Early Childhood Development Coalition, my job is to examine the city’s need for understanding obesity in very young children – the causes and the steps we, as childcare providers and teachers, can take to help families safely bring overweight children into the normal range. These are the kinds of articles I’m reading these days. Thought readers might be interested.

11/8/2007 – A new imaging technique that shows increased neuron activity in mice’s brains when they are hungry could be a key to understanding appetite, satiety, and why some people become obese.

In the past, researchers investigating appetite and satiety have had to rely on subjective methods like asking human subjects how hungry they feel at any given moment, or watching how much is eaten. These are considered to be rather unreliable, especially as appetite can be altered by other factors such as mood.

But scientists at Imperial College in London and Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan, believe their brain-scanning method, which uses magnetic resonance imaging, to be a far more objective.

If work currently underway to extending it from mice to humans is successful, it could far-reaching implications for countering obesity.

“Appetite and appetite control are important components of why people put on weight,” said corresponding author Professor Jimmy Bell of Imperial College. “We know very little about the mechanisms behind these processes and why they can vary so much between individuals.”

For a study using the technique published in the latest Journal of Neuroscience, Bell and team gave a group of mice one of two types of hormone: pancreatic peptide YY (PYY), which is known to inhibit appetite, or ghrelin, which increases it.

They were also given a contrast agent of manganese ion.

The researchers then used the imaging method to look at the part of the brain’s hypothalamus that has already been established as playing a part in regulating appetite. They found that contrast agent was taken up by the neurons when the mouse felt hungry, so that they were lit up on the scan and the researchers could actually see them firing.

By contrast, when the mice felt less hungry the neurons became less active and the signal decreased.

In fact, the use of contrast agents to look at the anatomy of different cells. But this is said to be the first time a contrast agent that is taken up by hunger neurons has been identified – and therefore the first time researchers have been able to observe their response to different stimuli.

Obesity is recognised as having reached epidemic proportions in the Western world.

According to the figures prepared by the International Obesity Taskforce, there are variations in prevalence of obesity (body mass index of BMI over 30) across Europe but there is a marked upwards curve. Population obesity rates range from 10 per cent to 27 per cent in men and up to 38 per cent in women.

More cinnamon at school please! This morning we had whole wheat and wheat germ pumpkin, apple, cinnamon waffles with freshly made vanilla syrup – and guess what – this wonderful breakfast which the kids ate and ate was really good for them. According to this article, cinnamon is good for you, so we are going to do a lot more cinnamon.

Cinnamon, ground

Although available throughout the year, the fragrant, sweet and warm taste of cinnamon is a perfect spice to use during the winter months.

Cinnamon has a long history both as a spice and as a medicine. It is the brown bark of the cinnamon tree, which is available in its dried tubular form known as a quill or as ground powder. The two varieties of cinnamon, Chinese and Ceylon, have similar flavor, however the cinnamon from Ceylon is slightly sweeter, more refined and more difficult to find in local markets.

This chart graphically details the %DV that a serving of Cinnamon, ground provides for each of the nutrients of which it is a good, very good, or excellent source according to our Food Rating System. Additional information about the amount of these nutrients provided by Cinnamon, ground can be found in the Food Rating System Chart. A link that takes you to the In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Cinnamon, ground, featuring information over 80 nutrients, can be found under the Food Rating System Chart.

• Health Benefits
• Description
• History
• How to Select and Store
• How to Enjoy
• Safety
• Nutritional Profile
• References

Health Benefits

Cinnamon’s unique healing abilities come from three basic types of components in the essential oils found in its bark. These oils contain active components called cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl acetate, and cinnamyl alcohol, plus a wide range of other volatile substances.

Anti-Clotting Actions

Cinnamaldehyde (also called cinnamic aldehyde) has been well-researched for its effects on blood platelets. Platelets are constituents of blood that are meant to clump together under emergency circumstances (like physical injury) as a way to stop bleeding, but under normal circumstances, they can make blood flow inadequate if they clump together too much. The cinnaldehyde in cinnamon helps prevent unwanted clumping of blood platelets. (The way it accomplishes this health-protective act is by inhibiting the release of an inflammatory fatty acid called arachidonic acid from platelet membranes and reducing the formation of an inflammatory messaging molecule called thromboxane A2.) Cinnamon’s ability to lower the release of arachidonic acid from cell membranes also puts it in the category of an “anti-inflammatory” food that can be helpful in lessening inflammation.

Anti-Microbial Activity

Cinnamon’s essential oils also qualify it as an “anti-microbial” food, and cinnamon has been studied for its ability to help stop the growth of bacteria as well as fungi, including the commonly problematic yeast Candida. In laboratory tests, growth of yeasts that were resistant to the commonly used anti-fungal medication fluconazole was often (though not always) stopped by cinnamon extracts.

Blood Sugar Control

Cinnamon may also significantly help people with type 2 diabetes improve their ability to respond to insulin, thus normalizing their blood sugar levels. Both test tube and animal studies have shown that compounds in cinnamon not only stimulate insulin receptors, but also inhibit an enzyme that inactivates them, thus significantly increasing cells’ ability to use glucose. Studies to confirm cinnamon’s beneficial actions in humans are currently underway

Calcium and Fiber Improve Colon Health and Protect Against Heart Disease

In addition to its unique essential oils, cinnamon is an excellent source of the trace mineral manganese and a very good source of dietary fiber, iron and calcium. The combination of calcium and fiber in cinnamon is important and can be helpful for the prevention of several different conditions. Both calcium and fiber can bind to bile salts and help remove them from the body. By removing bile, fiber helps to prevent the damage that certain bile salts can cause to colon cells, thereby reducing the risk of colon cancer. In addition, when bile is removed by fiber, the body must break down cholesterol in order to make new bile. This process can help to lower high cholesterol levels, which can be helpful in preventing atherosclerosis and heart disease. For sufferers of irritable bowel syndrome, the fiber in cinnamon may also provide relief from constipation or diarrhea.

A Traditional Warming Remedy

In addition to the active components in its essential oils and its nutrient composition, cinnamon has also been valued in energy-based medical systems, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, for its warming qualities. In these traditions, cinnamon has been used to provide relief when faced with the onset of a cold or flu, especially when mixed in a tea with some fresh ginger.

Description

Cinnamon is the brown bark of the cinnamon tree, which when dried, rolls into a tubular form known as a quill. Cinnamon is available in either its whole quill form (cinnamon sticks) or as ground powder.

While there are approximately one hundred varieties of Cinnamonum verum (the scientific name for cinnamon), Cinnamonum zeylanicum (Ceylon cinnamon) and Cinnamomun aromaticum (Chinese cinnamon) are the leading varieties consumed. Ceylon cinnamon is also referred to as “true cinnamon”, while the Chinese variety is known as “cassia”. While both are relatively similar in characteristics and both feature a fragrant, sweet and warm taste, the flavor of the Ceylon variety is more refined and subtle. Ceylon cinnamon is more rare in North America than the cassia, the less expensive variety, which is the most popular in the United States.

History

Cinnamon is one of the oldest spices known. It was mentioned in the Bible and was used in ancient Egypt not only as a beverage flavoring and medicine, but also as an embalming agent. It was so highly treasured that it was considered more precious than gold. Around this time, cinnamon also received much attention in China, which is reflected in its mention in one of the earliest books on Chinese botanical medicine, dated around 2,700 B.C.

Cinnamon’s popularity continued throughout history. It became one of the most relied upon spices in Medieval Europe. Due to its demand, cinnamon became one of the first commodities traded regularly between the Near East and Europe. Ceylon cinnamon is produced in Sri Lanka, India, Madagascar, Brazil and the Caribbean, while cassia is mainly produced in China, Vietnam and Indonesia.

How to Select and Store

Cinnamon is available in either stick or powder form. While the sticks can be stored for longer, the ground powder has a stronger flavor. If possible, smell the cinnamon to make sure that it has a sweet smell, a characteristic reflecting that it is fresh.

Oftentimes, both Ceylon cinnamon and Chinese cinnamon (cassia) are labeled as cinnamon. If you want to find the sweeter, more refined tasting Ceylon variety, you may need to shop in either a local spice store or ethnic market since this variety is generally less available. Just like with other dried spices, try to select organically grown cinnamon since this will give you more assurance that it has not been irradiated (among other potential adverse effects, irradiating cinnamon may lead to a significant decrease in its vitamin C and carotenoid content.)

Cinnamon should be kept in a tightly sealed glass container in a cool, dark and dry place. Ground cinnamon will keep for about six months, while cinnamon sticks will stay fresh for about one year stored this way. Alternatively, you can extend their shelf life by storing them in the refrigerator. To check to see if it is still fresh, smell the cinnamon. If it does not smell sweet, it is no longer fresh and should be discarded.

How to Enjoy

For some of our favorite recipes, click Recipes.

A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

Enjoy one of the favorite kids’ classics – cinnamon toast – with a healthy twist. Drizzle flax seed oil onto whole wheat toast and then sprinkle with cinnamon and honey.

Simmer cinnamon sticks with soymilk and honey for a deliciously warming beverage.

Adding ground cinnamon to black beans to be used in burritos or nachos will give them a uniquely delicious taste.

Healthy sauté lamb with eggplant, raisins and cinnamon sticks to create a Middle Eastern inspired meal.

Add ground cinnamon when preparing curries.

Safety

Cinnamon is not a commonly allergenic food and is not known to contain measurable amounts of goitrogens, oxalates, or purines.

Nutritional Profile

Cinnamon is an excellent source of manganese and a very good source of dietary fiber, calcium and iron.

For an in-depth nutritional profile click here: Cinnamon.

In-Depth Nutritional Profile

In addition to the nutrients highlighted in our ratings chart, an in-depth nutritional profile for Cinnamon, ground is also available. This profile includes information on a full array of nutrients, including carbohydrates, sugar, soluble and insoluble fiber, sodium, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids and more.

Introduction to Food Rating System Chart

The following chart shows the nutrients for which this food is either an excellent, very good or good source. Next to the nutrient name you will find the following information: the amount of the nutrient that is included in the noted serving of this food; the %Daily Value (DV) that that amount represents; the nutrient density rating; and the food’s World’s Healthiest Foods Rating. Underneath the chart is a table that summarizes how the ratings were devised. Read detailed information on our Food and Recipe Rating System.

In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Cinnamon, ground

Multicultural Music In Early Childhood

Children should be exposed to music from all over the world from as early an age as possible. This article explains why and lists the benefits.

Comment: this is a WONDERFUL article and so true. During Halloween week we listened to scary music and moved with it to express our ideas of scary things. The kids loved it.

By Marlene Rattigan

Music is a universal language. Exposing children to the music, songs and dances of other cultures should simply be another aspect of the music and movement program, integrated quite naturally on a daily basis. In the home setting, if another language is not spoken, exposing children regularly to the sounds of another language through music is a good idea.

Why is it a good idea? Young children learn by being actively involved in the process, through exploring and experimenting, through copying and acting out. And so it is with learning music, including the music (and language) of another culture, the foundations for which are best learnt while developing primary language. As such, a successful early childhood music program must incorporate movement (including dance) and should quite naturally involve learning across the curriculum. In other words, through music, the child can also develop language, mathematical concepts, physical development as well as social and emotional outcomes. Music, of course, is not exclusively reserved for the school domain. At home or in a childcare centre, music, including music from other cultures, should form part of the structure of everyday play. EVERY child has the right to a musical education. Like other forms of verbal and non-verbal communication, exposure to music should start at birth and even before.

It is important to bear in mind that not every child will naturally take to singing or learning to play a musical instrument. Physical expression through dance and drama is the way some children prefer to enjoy their musical experience. How wonderful to extend that experience by using the dances, the music and the costumes from another culture. And what child doesn’t love dressing up?

In musical interpretation there should be no pressure on the child to “get it right” because there is no right or wrong but simply the joy of participation. When a child feels successful at something, the child gains enormous confidence. This is critical where children are suffering from low self-esteem due to poor academic achievement. The more you can extend the creative arts experience, therefore, the better.

Furthermore, by exposing children to other cultures in a positive way, they gain understanding and learn acceptance of others. They need to be made aware that somewhere in another corner of the world are children just like them. These children are also having fun by singing songs, chanting rhymes, playing games and dancing. In this way inherent social values are gained, especially discovering that difference simply means diversity. Thus, it encourages a sense of harmony and inclusion rather than discrimination and distrust.

Studies show that exposing children to the sound, rhythm and intonation of language and music from diverse cultures assists them to discriminate between sounds, which assist with the acquisition of language skills. Listening is a skill that needs to be taught, as opposed to hearing which is a sense we are born with. Listening to the sounds of another language encourages concentration. In time, it starts to make sense, in the same way that as babies, we all learnt to understand the spoken word. Introducing children to Languages Other Than English (LOTE) cannot start soon enough. Far from confusing children, learning another language actually enhances the learning of their mother tongue.

Unlike adults, children absorb the language of another culture easily. Children who come from bi-lingual households quickly learn to discriminate between the two languages and use them both appropriately. They soon become aware that communication, in whatever form, gets them what they want.

Whether in a classroom, a nursery or at home, children are naturally attracted to the sounds of another language. Most adults can remember the foreign songs that they learnt at school. How many English songs from school can we remember? And why limit it to songs? Include fingerplays, dances and relaxation music. To the child, it is not important what the words mean as the music conveys the mood and that is everything.

Music is a universal language. Exposing children to the music, songs and dances of other cultures should simply be another aspect of the music and movement program, integrated quite naturally on a daily basis.