RockIt Times AmuseLetter
My KidRock Valentine!

Keep the good times rolling for your preschooler!

February 2005 - Issue 11

If music be the food of love, play on.
~ Shakespeare

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I'm having a lot of problems today writing an editorial about Valentine's Day.

I'm not sure why. I LOVE Valentine's Day! I love the pink and the chocolates. I love the lace paper doilies that always end up in some craft at my house. It's the one time of the year that I can get my rather boy'ish boys to do something like glue a pink ribbon on something.

I guess my favorite part of Valentine's Day is that it truly is a day about "giving" not "receiving". Seeing children in the store more concerned with what Valentines they want to give, with no mention of all the stuff they want to get in return.

One of my best memories of childhood is the time I spent making my Valentines with my Mom. If you've been reading the RockIt Times for a while now, you probably know that I had one of "those" Moms. (I was lucky enough to have one of "those" Dads, too.) She was a teacher and always a student, but still managed to find time to do all the important things with me. Like help me make my Valentines.

It wasn't the Valentines themselves that I really remember. It was the time I spent with my Mom that was special. The way that she never made me feel like I was cutting in on something more important. The way she always encouraged me to do something different. The way she supported me in developing my own personality and style, even though the personality and style I developed might not have been exactly what she had foreseen for me.

I knew that if I always did my best, whatever I did would be beautiful and wonderful to my Mother.

Since Valentine's Day is meant to let people that you love know how much you appreciate and love them...I want to take this opportunity to tell my Mom, Helen Van Meter, that I love her. We don't always agree. It seemed that we rarely agreed as I was growing up. But the values that she taught me, and all the time she spent with me, has made me a better person and a better Mom.

In light of creating more "family time", I'm serving up a double dose of fun in this issue. Twice as many crafts, snacks and rhymes to help you enjoy your time with your child. And they WILL remember...no matter how rebellious they become as they grow up.

What is it they say? The heart shaped apple doesn't fall far from the tree. :D

Happy Valentine's Day!
Mari

P.S. One more thing. Thanks for being a RockIt Times reader. I love putting this AmuseLetter together for you. I hope you enjoy it and take the time to use it as a play guide with your own child or even a play group.

And a big ~KISS~ to my Mom and Dad. They read this AmuseLetter, because they love me and they think everything I do is cool. Either that, or they are still checking up on me. Either way, I love you Mom and Daddy!

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My Valentine

Why wait for a birthday to have a party? Celebrate with your favorite little Valentine by hosting a sweet-tactular Valentine's party that is guaranteed to be fun for one and all!

This party theme may include the following songs or other rockin' tunes:

• I'm A Valentine For You
• Lacy Hearts
• H-E-A-R-T
• Who's Got the Beanbag
• Limbo Rock
• Follow the Leader
• Silly Dance Contest

Reserve your party date today! Email to parties@rockitkids.com or call us at 847-961-6584.

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Valentine's Day Cups

Materials:

• Styrofoam or paper cup
• Foil
• Popsicle stick or straw
• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Red paint
• Green tissue paper (optional)

Instructions:

1. Cover the cup with foil.
2. Cut a heart out of pink paper.
3. Make a red thumb print on heart with paint.
4. Glue the heart to the top of the popsicle stick or straw.
5. Fill the cup with green tissue paper and insert the hearts.
6. Make a second heart to attach to the front of the cup that says:

Thumbody Loves You!
It's Me!
Love ____________

These make great grandparents' gifts!

Lollipop Mice

Materials:

• Colored construction paper
• Crayons or markers
• Hole punch
• White pipe cleaners cut in short lengths
• lollipops (flat or round)

Instructions:

1. Cut out hearts from construction paper. (Note: The one in the picture is 4" across.)
2. Draw a nose and eyes on each.
3. Punch four holes above the mouse's nose.
4. Thread a short length of pipe cleaner though the top set of holes and another through the bottom set of holes.
5. Slip a lollipop down behind the whiskers to hold.

These are very fun Valentines to create. Since the paper hearts can be mass-produced (by you), it is easy to make a lot of them to use for classrooms or playgroups. If you are only making a few, you can trace the hearts on the paper and let your child practice his or her scissor skills! My two sons worked together, with my oldest son drawing the eyes, and my younger son drawing in the noses.

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If you are in our neighborhood, we happily provide stress-free, interactive children's party entertainment for any function. Or, make it a Kid Rock day no matter where you live, with our perfectly assembled gift bags and party favors!

Visit the official Kid Rock website at http://www.rockitkids.com/
for more information!

Heart-shaped Pizza

Make a pizza that shows you care! (AND know how to have fun!)

No need to make your own pizza dough. Just grab a can or two from the refrigerated dough section of your grocery store!

Put down a bit of flour and let your child shape the dough into a heart shape. Then decorate it with your favorite toppings and bake!

Valentine Fruit Pie

Ingredients:

• Prepared graham cracker crust
• 1 can strawberry pie filling
• Cool Whip
• Conversation hearts

1. Fill the graham cracker crust with the strawberry pie filling.
2. Top with Cool Whip.
3. Decorate top with conversation hearts.
4. Chill for 2 hours.

Older children should be able to make this entire pie themselves, with your guidance. Very young children will enjoy decorating the pie with the conversation hearts. Turn this into a fun counting game as you decorate and be sure to read all the cute little sayings on the hearts!

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The Love Bug
It begins with a grin (smile broadly)
It turns to giggle (put both hands on mouth and giggle)
You start to laugh (throw head back and laugh out loud)
Your legs start to wiggle (put feet in the air and shake)
You look all around for someone to hug (move eyes back and forth)
What can you do (shrug shoulders)
You've caught the love bug (give yourself or someone else a hug!)
ACHOOO!

Love Is A Circle
Love is a circle,
Round and round (make a circle with arms)
Love goes up, (raise arms up, reach up on tippy toes)
And Love comes down, (reach to floor, squat down)
Love is on the inside, (pull hands inward towards chest)
Trying to get out, (pull hands away from chest)
Love is whirling and twirling about! (twirl around in a circle)

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Family Time
by Rondi Hillstrom Davis and Janell Sewall Oakes
Copyright Nine Twenty Press

When you pick up any magazine, it’s easy to find an abundance of articles to help you organize your life. Most offer tips for cleaning out the closets, shuffling the papers on the desk, finding ways to organize the kid’s toys.

But, here’s a different twist. We’d like to help you organize your time to find some precious, extra moments to spend with your family.

Many parents are frantic because there doesn’t seem to be enough hours in a day to manage their work, home life, and kid’s activities. They’re frustrated when they see others who seem to do it all. The number one question parents ask us is, “How can I find more quality time to spend with my kids?”

Stay focused on what’s really important.

Do you waste valuable time? Clear the clutter in your life. Do you buy lots of toys and gifts to compensate for your lack of family time? What your kids really want is you, not the latest, greatest toy. How much time is wasted cleaning up the clutter? If the junk has taken over, pitch it.

How much time do you spend carpooling? Do you really need to sign your kids up for another after school dance lesson? Is your cell phone off? Or, are you wasting your time on endless phone conversations while running your kids from one activity to another?

Do you eat dinner together as a family? Are phone calls and other interruptions allowed during dinner? Is the television off?

• Let everyone help. Do members of your family share in the household chores and responsibilities? Even the youngest children can help by making their beds, putting away toys, and setting the table. Insist that each task is done before moving on to another activity.
  
  
• Set small goals and be specific. Resolutions are made with enthusiasm. But, very often they're forgotten in a month. Making a resolution for the entire year is difficult to keep. Saying that you want to spend more time with your family is too vague. But, promising to spend 1/2 hour each night reading aloud with your children is much more achievable. Start with small goals. They’re easier to accomplish.

No one can give you more than 24 hours in a day. But, it’s your choice in how you choose to spend that time. Even an extra 10 minutes a day is a worthwhile goal. Once you see the benefits, you’ll be motivated to set additional goals.

Winter Comforts

Now that you’ve set aside a few extra minutes each week, enjoy some of these winter activities with your family.

• Start with dinner as a family. Make a new recipe. Let the kids help in the planning. Be sure to include some of their favorite foods.
  
  
• Make one night a week Eat Dessert First Night.
  
  
• Dedicate 30 minutes after dinner to family time. Buy a new board game, set up an ongoing jigsaw puzzle, read a story aloud together.

• Bundle up and go on a family walk.
  
  
• Make snow angels or build a snowman together.
  
  
• Schedule one Saturday or Sunday a month as family day. Plan an outing. Try hiking, snowboarding, skating, movies, or a museum.
  
  
• Take a drive in the country and stop for a cup of hot chocolate before the ride home.
  
  
• Explore nearby towns or historic landmarks. Arm the kids with cameras.
  
  
• Start a family project to send to relatives next Christmas. Create a family cookbook or photo album.
  
  
• Set aside an hour to bake a batch of sugar cookies. Pull out all of the sprinkles and decorations.
  
  
• Dedicate one day as Pajama Day. Let everyone stay in their PJs for the entire day. Build a fire in the fireplace, read books together, watch movies, play board games.

Enjoy your family and your new found time.

Rondi Hillstrom Davis and Janell Sewall Oakes are the co-authors of the award-winning book Together: Creating Family Traditions. To check out their website that's jam packed with family ideas, visit http://www.togetherparenting.com To subscribe to their online AmuseLetter, go to http://www.togetherparenting.com/feedback.asp

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Do you have pictures from your Kid Rock class or party that you would like to share? Maybe a picture of your child with a RockIt Times craft or snack that they made? A drawing from your preschooler?

Send them to me! I'd love to share them!

You can mail me at:

Mari Peckham
c/o Rock-It Productions, Inc.
2413 W. Algonquin Rd., PMB#607
Algonquin, IL 60102

or...

Email them to me:

I look forward to hearing from you!

Do you have comments or suggestions for us? We love to hear and share what our readers think! Please send your feedback to us at: rockittimes@rockitkids.com

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Rock It Times © Copyright Rock-It Productions, Inc., except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide. Reprint only with permission from copyright holder(s). All trademarks are property of their respective owners. All contents provided as is. No express or implied income claims made herein.

This ezine may be accessed online at: http://rockittimes.rockitkids.com

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Mari Peckham
RockItTimes@rockitkids.com
IPRA "Outstanding Teacher of the Year" Award Recipient
Publishing Editor, Rock-It Times

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