Making Music

Some of my earliest memories involve music, and good music is still one of my greatest joys today. My mother loves music too and shared that with me. In fact, when I was only 6, she gave me my first album (yep – the old vinyl kind) of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. There was always music in our house – records and the radio when we were younger, and then our own as my brother and sister and I got old enough to make music ourselves. I really believe it is a gift to instill an appreciation of music in your children. It can be a comfort, a joy and an inspiration.

There are lots of formal programs to teach music to kids: the Suzuki method is one of the most well known. We’ve all seen the groups of 3 and 4 year olds with tiny violins. Programs like that are great, but it’s easy to expose your children to music in ways that can be fun for the whole family.

Put on your favorite CD or play the radio and encourage your child to tap, walk or dance to the beat. Different tempos and beats can make her feel calm, happy or energized. You can also talk about what sounds you both hear. Challenge her to hear a voice, a drum, a piano or a guitar. She’ll begin to listen more closely and appreciate the different themes and harmonies that make up the song.

If your child expresses an interest, you may consider purchasing a simple instrument for her to explore. A Lap Harp is great for this because it’s easy to play and get quick results. Our model comes with song sheets that fit right under the strings, so it’s easy to see which ones to pluck to play the melody. Encourage her to perform for the family and let everyone have a turn. Make sure to applaud and cheer loudly for everyone. There’s nothing like positive reinforcement to keep a kid interested and working on a skill.

Guitar or piano lessons might be the next step for your 6 to 8 year old if she seems to want to develop her musical skills even further. It’s usually easier for the child (and the teacher) if they have some basic reading skills before starting formal lessons. And there is a certain level of fine motor skills that are required so the child can get the results that will keep her interested in pursuing her lessons.

Whatever you do, make it fun and do it as a family. I have to say that some of my favorite memories are of my family standing around the piano harmonizing to hymns and old songs. Mom and I still compare notes on the latest CD releases and attend concerts together whenever we can. The love of music is a gift that will last a lifetime for your child.

by Lynn G, Director of Marketing

Valentines Day

In the deep cold of winter, what a wonderful time to have a holiday such as Valentines Day! The holiday to celebrate that warmest of emotions~ LOVE!

Whether you’re looking for a thoughtful gift or wishing to make your own, we have put an assortment together that you won’t see anywhere else. Out unique crafts provide everything you need for homemade valentines, necklaces, bracelets, beeswax candles, and beaded hearts for decorating your windows. Each craft carries the standard HearthSong 100% satisfaction guarantee and many can only be found exclusively at HearthSong.

In the spirit of Valentines day, we encourage you to take a little time to make a little memory with your little ones this Valentines day, to give just a little token of your whole lotta love! May the spirit of Valentines Day be with you everyday of 2010.

by Amanda J, product manager, HearthSong and Magic Cabin

Cabin Fever Days Activities

When days are cold and gray and the kids are itching to move, parents need to find lots of fun indoor activities to keep everyone happy.   Some of my favorite activities were always centered in the kitchen – baking cookies or making modeling dough from scratch offer kids a basic knowledge of kitchen tools. Of course make sure Mom or Dad always supervises use of  the stove!  And it’s fun to add food coloring to the modeling dough while the cookies bake!

Try asking them why flour and salt combined with heat make modeling dough.  Do you know?  Look it up on the computer and everyone has learned something new! Add cornstarch to water and make a liquid that acts like a solid – why?  Here’s another opportunity to learn a little science while having fun.

For those Moms and Dads that don’t enjoy the kitchen that much, try making Valentines for the kids to give out at school with our Valentine Kit.  Or dance to the Hokey Pokey in our musical skirt.

Other ideas would be to play games where kids have to move, jump, stay quiet or hide.

I recently watched a father and daughter in the airport pass the time by inventing different arm, leg and whole body positions.  At first it was Dad coming up with all the movements but quickly the child (around 8 yrs old) began to make up her own and have Dad copy her.  They were having fun and the child was getting all that energy used up before the flight.  This is fun for almost any age child and keeps parents fit as well.

Making a fort out of the couch cushions is a kids’ delight.  Add sheets and a flashlight and they’ll play all kinds of imaginative and fun games.

Older kids can be a little more challenging especially if you want to get them away from the TV or computer games. We offer these kids creative ways to express themselves.  Try using Gel Gems to decorate the front window – there are endless ways to arrange these colorful pieces and make a pretty contribution the whole family can enjoy.  Or challenge them to a building contest using any one of our Connectagons sets – who can build the tallest, widest, prettiest, or scariest creature?  It will inform their understanding of how structures are built, challenge their creativity and they may even learn a little bit about geometry while having fun!

By Roberta J, senior product manager

Playing in the Snow

When you’re a kid, snow is magical. The world outside gets really quiet and everything is clean. And there’s a pretty good chance school will be cancelled! When I was growing up, Mom would bundle us up in lots of layers – so many it was hard to walk. But we would trudge outside with all our stuff and play until our fingers and toes felt like icicles.

We had a regular sled that we all shared, but I think these kick sleds would have really been fun. We could have traveled pretty far through the fields with one of those. The Zipfy Mini Luge also looks like a blast. I know my brother always went for speed and he would have loved this. A couple of times he built mini jumps for the sleds to go over and this mini luge would have flown over those!

Of course, with the Olympics coming up, every kid is going to think they are Shawn White or Gretchen Bleiler. Our snowboard has adjustable foot holders that work with regular snow boots, so it’s a great way to give your future champion a taste of the sport. And don’t forget the helmet – it even has earmuffs for warmth!

And what would a good snowfall be without an all out snowball fight? We would have really been able to turn out some great ammunition with a Snowballer. In my neighborhood, it was always the boys against the girls with everyone ending up tired, laughing and covered in snow. Then it was time to go inside and get warm and dry and have some hot chocolate.

What are your favorite memories of playing in the snow? We’d love to hear about them.

by Lynn G, Director of Marketing

HearthSong’s Campaign to Reforest America is Growing Strong

In October, HearthSong joined with its sister brand, Plow & Hearth in the Campaign to Reforest America and we’re so excited about the results so far. Along with Magic Cabin and Wind & Weather, the companies pledged to donate a tree for every transaction completed between October 15^th and December 31^st. Our sales were better than expected and so, the companies will donate over 729,000 trees to be planted in North Carolina, Louisiana and Pennsylvania.

The Campaign to Reforest America began in October, 2008 when Plow & Hearth set a goal of donating one million trees within a year. They partnered with the National Forest Foundation and the Virginia Department of Forestry and this past October announced that they had successfully reached the goal. That same day, Tim Hopkins, the company’s president announced that the company was renewing its efforts and set the goal of donating another one million trees in the coming year.

This year’s Campaign to Reforest America expanded to include Plow & Hearth’s sister brands Wind & Weather®, HearthSong® and Magic Cabin®. During the holiday season, after every purchase, customers received an email asking them to select one of three state-based programs where their seedling donation will be directed.

• 31% of customers chose to support the Coastal Roots program in Louisiana, which teaches school children about coastal habitat restoration and allows them to plant and nurture trees.
• 30% directed that their tree be planted in North Carolina. There, contributions of longleaf pine seedlings will help restore the habitat of the Red Cockaded Woodpecker, a species whose population has dwindled to only 1% of its original size.
• 39% of customers chose to send their tree to Pennsylvania in support of the TreeVitalize program. This effort allows trees to be planted along streams to aid in providing clean water and restored habitats for trout and other stream life.

In addition to these state efforts, HearthSong and its sister brands have continued the Planting Two for One® program whereby the Company donates two trees for every one used in catalog production to the Virginia Department of Forestry.  Through this program, the company has planted over 1.5 million trees in Virginia during the past eighteen years.

It’s pretty amazing to work for a company with such a strong history of caring for the environment. I think everyone here is proud of the Campaign to Reforest America.

by Lynn G, Director of Marketing