Ice Skating at First Pres... Click Photo for Photo Gallery.

I was determined to get to First Pres after being sick last week and boy was it a circus inside! Today was circus day and the little ones were dressed in all sorts of adorable outfits. There were ballerinas, chickens, clowns, giraffes, cowboys, and tigers to name a few. We had such a good time today... no tap and ballet for the girls... just strictly creative movement for all of my classes. With the playground covered with snow I wanted to make sure all my energy filled circus performers had the chance to release some much needed wiggles.

We started with Bop Until You Drop which gave me a great chance to take some cute pictures of everyone in their costumes. Next, I asked them all to sit down and we talked about the snow. I told them that their "red pond" (the carpet) had frozen and we were going to go ice skating. One little one told me "Miss Kim, we do not have ice skates"... oh yes we do! I took wax paper and cut it into little rectangles and we put our skates on and skated away. What a perfect gross motor skill this was. They had to concentrate on each foot's movement and how to continue to glide without losing the paper under their feet. Even Mrs. Michaels joined in when she saw what we were doing. In the girl's class we pretended to be Disney Princesses On Ice! What a fun time.

Next we went on a circus parade with our wonderful rainbow ribbons. We made a rainbow, a sun, a silly snake, and a rocket ship. We danced to some of our favorite songs and the boys did their favorite song "Jump Up". We rescued a hurt little monkey as we pretended to be Diego. We popped bubbles on the parachute. It was so good to see my little ones and to get so many hugs after not being there last week. I enjoyed dancing with you today and I will see you next week!

Love,

Miss Kim

FreeStylin' Click Photo for Photo Gallery.

When I was in dance class at East Carolina University I remember my first "official" modern class. It was quite unique and something I had never experienced before. I was exposed to the expression of movement and dance through dance improvisation. I could not help but to think of that when I told my little boys last week and this week that we were going to "freestyle". One little boy asked me "what is freestyle Miss Kim"? I told him that whenever he heard the music start to play, to listen to the music, his brain would hear and interpret the music, and then tell his arms and legs what to do. In other words "do what you feel". If you feel like hopping, hop. If you feel like moving your hips, shake them. If you feel like bouncing like a ball, then bounce. If you feel like being a break dancer, go for it.

Move how you feel.

Boy was I in for a treat. In both the boy's and girl's classes they made me actually stop and take a breath... to enjoy this moment of watching these children doing exactly what they felt. There were break dancers trying to spin on their backs. There were little ballerinas on their toes. There were robots moving with sharp marching movements. There were funky chickens bent at the knees moving through the crowd. There was one fella that shook his knees in and out while pointing his fingers in the sky then to the ground. There were two girls holding hands spinning round and round laughing. This all made me so happy that I opened the door and called for the director and some of the teachers on break. They stood at the door watching and enjoying watching these children move so freely.

We did plenty of other things but I want to share with you our last 10 minutes of class. We did our own version of a snow dance complete with a song. I told the children that when they wake up in the morning to tell their parents to get up and put some snow clothes on. I told them to tell their parents that they were going to make a snowman! We practiced how to do it and decorated it. I told them if the TV was on to turn it off and go outside and play in the snow. One little boy as serious as he could be told me "uh... Miss Kim... if football is on my Daddy is not going to turn it off... no way"! I started to laugh and told him to let Daddy watch his football game!

I hope they all have fun and stay safe in the snow. But most of all I hope they remember what we did this week... to continue to move how you feel and enjoy expressing themselves in such creative ways. They made my day this week... now... parents... all you have to do is play "All The Single Ladies" by the Chippettes and Chipmunks from the Squequal and you will see what I mean!

Love,
Miss Kim

Chipettes In The House! Click Photo for Photo Gallery.

First Pres CDC was just happy as it could be today as I walked in. The little ones were eating their breakfast/snack and started stuffing it in faster when they saw me.

The big girl's were first and they filled the hall with laughter and energy. We worked hard today perfecting our steps. I am making sure their shuffle technique is correct which means a lot of repetition... I just have to make sure everyone is doing it the right way. We got in the frying pan and then did "butter butter popcorn" or "shuffle hop step". We reviewed our heel ball changes and worked on our new dance. In ballet we worked on all of our ballet steps and positions. We stretched our legs and started backbends. Wow, some of these girls have to be made out of rubber!

My older boys marched upstairs and went straight to sleep. We Bopped Until We Dropped and then suited up in our finest Pirate attire. We sailed away to look for the treasure and then dug it up once we found it. We worked on our gross motor skills and on agility. We did cartwheels again and started backbends. These boys have to realize they need to use their arms muscles and their leg muscles to lift themselves off the floor. We played cat and mouse with the parachute which was so much fun... thanks Brayden for that idea.

My little boys were next and we flew to our spaceship and blasted off. We Bopped Until We Dropped and then we dressed up like Pirates... just like the big boys. Miss Puffy flew in and we stretched our legs. We worked on skipping by cooking popcorn in the frying pan. We listened to all of our favorite songs while doing push-ups, skipping, marching, jumping jacks, and hopping on one foot. We played cat and mouse... wait... we tried playing cat and mouse with the parachute but we need a little more practice.

My little girls finished out the day. When they lined up I just could not help but to smile looking at them. One little girl had her dress on with ballerina shoes embroidered on the front, another sweet little one told me to look at her pretty ballerina socks, and another adorable little girl told me to look at her "pink dancing skirt". I told her that I was going to take her picture when she spun around because her skirt would flare out... all I could see in her eyes at that very moment was "WOW". We did all of our normal things since repetition is so important at this age. Daddy duck did call and the girls went fishing. As we were lining up to go one little girl asked me if I could come play with her at her house. I told her anytime... what a compliment.

My title to today's blog reads "Chipettes In The House". This is because I had several girls and boys ask me if I had the song "All The Single Ladies" from the Chipettes/Chipmunks movie The Squeakquel. I made sure to get it and bring it last week... boy I did not know what would happen next. The girls and the boys go through a total transformation when that song is on... it is amazing. I have laughed until I have cried last week and this week. The older girls wanted me to show them how to move their hips like the Chipettes do in the movie. So, I showed them the best way I knew how. Then, one of my older girls who just happen to be my BIRTHDAY GIRL TODAY told me "Miss Kim, if you need help knowing how to shake your hips just talk to my mom... she knows a lot about shaking her hips"!!! I told her thank you... and I would be calling her mom for a hip shaking consultation! Like I said before, I laugh until I cry... over and over again.

Love,

Miss Kim

Cabin Fever!!! Click Photo for Photo Gallery.

Whoa... is all I can say after my classes today at First Presbyterian CDC! Today was a super energetic one filled with children that needed to burn off some excess energy... and I was the one who was ready to dish it out!

My day started with my big girls as always. They are so proud that they tell their teacher over and over "I am going to dance class now"... again... thank you teachers for all your patience! We Bobbed Until We Dropped, worked on heel, toe, heel, together, and heel ball changes (rocking baby Annabelle). We started our new dance to "We Got The Beat"... ok mommies... that song was popular when I was in 5th grade by what band? The first day care Mommy to leave the correct answer in my comment box gets a free "Pretend With Miss Kim DVD"! We worked hard on stretching and holding ours arms correctly when standing in first and second position. I tried hard to get all of their energy out in the end with the parachute... but they still had some left over.

My big boys were next and what a big group we had! The little boys came after the big boy class now that we have enough to have two classes. We Bopped Until We Dropped, dug up a buried treasure after swimming with the sharks... ARRRGGG... worked on our push-ups, jumping jacks, and skipping to Jump Up... and popped popcorn in the frying pan. We stretched our legs again and turned into bears! We bear walked all around looking for honey and then a big bee came buzzing around trying to sting them... hmm wonder who that bee was? We gathered the honey and ate it all up... yum yum! We worked on cartwheels and to my amazement almost all the boys can do this which is just amazing to me. I still love doing cartwheels on the beach or grass with my kids... now parents your little boys can do cartwheels with you! Miss Puffy flew in again and made us sit straight and tall. We bounced forever trying to pop as many bubbles as we could... or until I would see them slow down! After everyone had a turn we got under and played in our clubhouse (parachute).

My little girls were ready for me when I brought the little boys back down... "it's our turn now Miss Kim"... sure is! I love how these little girls seem to dress for the occasion... this just makes my day. I love that they think that we are really going to our princess castle and they are totally in the moment as I open the doors to our chariot (elevator). We Bopped Until We Dropped, rode the bus to Dora's party, dug holes in the garden, and popped popcorn. We danced with Miss Puffy, worked on our ballet steps, and ended the class with the parachute. The girls decided they wanted to swim on the parachute... a new one for me.... like I said... little ones teach me things everyday. As we left the room I told the girls that they make me so happy and I little girl (my eye cover upper... if you read my trick pony post) told me "Miss Kim... my Mommy makes me happy". What a lucky Mommy.

Love,Miss Kim

Miss Kim is back at Wee Care!!! Click Photo for Photo Gallery.

Although I did not hear "Miss Tim is back, Miss Tim is back" as I entered Wee Care this morning I did hear something as I passed a classroom... from my adoring fans... "I just saw Miss Kim... really... yes... she just walked by"... I know the teachers just love how I walk past their rooms and their nice calm students suddenly start bouncing and talking loudly... sorry teachers!

I started with my boys and welcomed two new additions... yeah! They really seemed to enjoy themselves but I think that my experienced boys had just as much fun showing them what to do and how to do it. I loved the cowboy boots on two of my little boys. Today we Bopped Until We Dropped, went on a treasure hunt dressed up like Pirates, practiced our jumping jacks, push-ups, burpees (cheeseburger French fry), and even stretched our legs with Miss Puffy. These boys do not get tired and I love that. I tried really hard to make them tired but they wanted to do it again and again (Jump Up from Imagination Movers). We popped bubbles on the parachute seeing just how high we could jump. The boys always let me know that they can jump higher than I can!

My girls were so much fun. We had two new students to join in and they did a great job. Smiles are so contagious and both of those girls had smiles for days. We reviewed almost all of our tap steps that we learned to date as well as teach the new girls what we know. We rode the bus through the town and spun every time the light turned red. We learned about our hamstrings and how to stretch them. We played a fun game with our friends to help us become more flexible. Ballet time was next and we calmed down and lowered our voices. We practiced our positions and steps. I am so proud that this group knows their terminology so well.....they never forget! We danced with Miss Puffy and stretched our legs even more. Daddy Duck called and we had to go fishing. We played parachute to end our day complete with their favorite bear that gets to be thrown up in the air over and over. Great job today young ladies!

It was great being back at Wee Care today. I enjoyed hearing what the children got for Christmas. My favorite things I can remember were Spiderman, cars and a car carpet, and a Barbie Nutcracker movie. Thank you parents for allowing me to be a part of your children's day and thanks to Miss Rolanda for having me at Wee Care!

Love,
Miss Kim

Miss Kim Is Back!!! (First Pres CDC Session III Begins!) Click Photo for Photo Gallery.

Miss Kim Is Back!!!This is what I heard as I entered the doors at First Presbyterian CDC this morning....except it really was "Miss Tim is back, Miss Tim is back"... music to my ears.

I gathered my older girls up and reminded them of our rules as we headed up the stairs. They seem so much older to me even though it has only been a couple of weeks. I looked at a couple of them and remembered last year at this very moment when I first started teaching them and thought how quickly time has past and how lucky I have been to be a part of their time here at First Pres. We reviewed our steps and made corrections to our sounds. We worked on ball changes by babysitting baby Annabelle. We talked about our hamstrings and how we need to work hard to stretch them. We did an exercise where they had to reach out and touch their friend... oh the grimaces that came with that...I hope that I captured some of those looks in the pictures. I told the girls to help Mommy and Daddy stretch their hamstrings too.

I combined my older and younger boys just for this week only. Hopefully I will have a couple younger boys sign up so they can have a class all to their own. We went on a bear hunt today (after ten requests at least). We sailed away in a pirate ship, dug up a treasure and then we were chased by other pirates! We worked on our burpees (squat thrusts), jumping jacks, and push-ups. We did those over and over to Jump Up by the Imagination Movers....hint hint to parents....put that song on and watch what they do! Miss Puffy flew in and we stretched our legs after all that work. Daddy Duck called and we listened so well to the instructions of the game. We ended our class with the wonderful parachute.

My little girls were last and we had two new girls! Yeah! I was so proud of them both. I was especially proud of one of the new little girls since she had tried my class before and it ended in tears. She was just amazing today... wow... what a year will do when a little one is just not quite ready... never give up! We reviewed our steps by going on a picnic and digging holes in the garden. We rode on the bus that likes to spin when there is a red light. We Bopped Until We dropped and danced to Miss Puffy. We worked on first position and plie'... "Miss Kim always says...no ugly bottoms"... they wanted me to say this over and over! We finished with the parachute and played in our tent underneath!

Today was a great day full of smiles and laughter. I asked everyone about Christmas and what their favorite gifts were. Some of my favorite were a Shaving Set, a BIG candy cane, an Ariel doll that her hair changes colors when you put her in the bathtub, a truck that dances, and an IPOD Touch! It was so great to be back.

Love,
Miss Kim

That is what I call determination... "just cover my eyes and they won't be there"!

Over the years I have had so many parents so concerned with whether or not their child will actually perform in a recital, show, or program. "Miss Kim is going to teach a class full of 15 three year olds to do the same exact thing at the same exact time on a stage in front of an audience full of glaring parents"... sound unrealistic? There is one very important difference... I expect them to do it. Never will you hear from my mouth "she is not going to do it" or the like. That is the problem right there. Parents voice their expectations and the children will do exactly what their parents expect from them. Believe me; I catch myself doing it with my own children. Do not do it.

Countless times parents bring their little ones to dance class in their arms and the first thing they say to me is "Sally is really shy and scared so I think I should come in with her". Right there you just took any power that Sally had right out of her. Moms vocalize their expectations (or lack of....maybe so they themselves will not be so disappointed) and their children's ears are wide open. I can tell immediately if a child is truly shy and needs her mom or if she is just playing her mom like a fiddle.

For example, when dance class begins you will find me bent down at the door to my room ready to greet my little dancers. Why do I do this? First I want that child to see a smiling face that is happy to see her. Second, more than anything I want that child to walk in that room all by herself....without mom. Why? It gives that child a sense of security that they can do this all by themselves. It is also "their territory". Yes, there are some children that need their mom to come in with them, sit and watch so they know this is a safe and fun place to be. There is nothing that makes me prouder than to see a little one who previously had a hard time walking in all by herself, put her bag up, get on her number, and wave bye to Mommy.

I recently performed "Miss Kim's Nutcracker" with my day care students. It was so much fun but a huge undertaking. Almost everyone performed... I had a couple little ones that escaped to Mommy but that is ok. There was one little girl that just made me tear up right on stage. She is always well behaved, great listener, and she loves dance class. It was her groups turn to perform and she looked out and saw all the people. She continued to dance but covered her eyes. That is what I call determination. She worked through her insecurities and handled the situation of being overwhelmed in the best way she knew how... "just cover my eyes and they won't be there"! That touched me so much. Now... what do you think she would have done if her Mommy was right there... you got it... run right to her and then she would have never gained the experience of figuring it out on her own.

My youngest son Walker is a prime example. Yes, I am guilty of smothering him with way too much attention... I admit it. Before he performs on stage, at church, or school I do not hardly mention it. I do not blow it up to this huge expectation that he might feel he could never accomplish. I simply tell him that today you are going to ... and Mommy and Daddy are going to have so much fun watching you. I know that it is best if I am not around beforehand because that would totally mess him up. During his church choir performances he has dropped his hand bell, growled at other children, and kept his hands down his pants the entire time. Needless to say, he is entertaining to us and everyone else in the church.

Parents, have you ever noticed how well your child behaves in that type of situation or in a classroom, and then we go and get them and they just totally fall apart? Why is that? Well, I seem to think it is their comfort zone; they are free to release emotions. Just like when we moms have a very hard day and we finally see our husbands and fall apart... either by yelling or screaming at them (we never do that do we?)... or just wanting them to hold us. I feel like it is the same with children.

So, the next time your child starts something new, remember to allow them to do it own their own. I know you want to see everything that is going on, but the reward of watching your child do something all by themselves, and allowing themselves to enjoy what they are doing, is far more rewarding than hearing "Mommy....don't leave!" over and over again.

Miss Kim

TMS Dance Team

Come One! Come All!

Turrentine Middle School Dance Team Fundraiser - Come eat and we'll receive 15% of your ticket!

Come eat lunch or dinner at Blue Ribbon Diner in Burlington, NC on Tuesday December 15th between 11:00am and 10:00pm.

You have to have a flyer with you to turn in with your payment for our dance team to receive 15% of your total check.

Here's the link to PRINT OUT our flyer. YOU MUST BRING THE FLYER TO BLUE RIBBON DINER!

Please do this for my girls. We are preparing to go to competition in February as well as perform in ACE's Stage Struck performance. So, when your tummy is growling on Tuesday please remember to eat at Blue Ribbon Diner and bring your TMS Fundraiser flyer with you!

Thank you so much,

Kim Black
"Miss Kim"
Turrentine Middle School Dance Team Coach

Let the Nutcracker Begin at Wee Care! Click Photo for Photo Gallery.

For the past two weeks we have started "Miss Kim's Nutcracker" in preparation for our special show on December 17th at 4:30.

I started with my boy's first and we walked like soldiers to the room. Class starts like normal with everyone taking a little rest then popping up to Bob Until You Drop. The boys always are ready to perform "Jump Up" where we work on our jumping jacks and burpees. The boys also have to have a microphone so that they can sing along while they move. We had some new boys join our class today which made our class so exciting. The boys that have been taking creative movement already love to be my leaders and show the new boys what to do. I love their energy and their enthusiasm.

Today in my older girl's class we learned a tap danced to "Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer" and in ballet my girls also learned a very sweet ballet dance to "Away In A Manger". My girls worked on placing their feet back to first position after lifting their foot for passé. We also worked hard on pointing our feet and toes when we do arabesque'.

In the middle of class I asked everyone to sit down while I read them the story of The Nutcracker. We start out around the Christmas tree decorating it, and opening presents. We opened our special present from Grandfather and it was a Nutcracker! We danced with our Nutcracker until Fritz took it and broke it! We then went to a land of snowflakes, sailed to the land of the sweets, and danced with Mother Ginger. At last we sailed off into the night sky and waved good-bye until next week!

Miss Kim

Let the Nutcracker Begin! Click Photo for Photo Gallery.

For the past two weeks we have started "Miss Kim's Nutcracker" in preparation for our special show on December 10th at 4:30pm. Class starts like normal with everyone taking a little rest then popping up to Bop Until You Drop. My little girls practice Boogie Woogie Piggy while my older girls practice Shake Your Groove Thing. Both boy's classes get to do Jump Up where we work on our jumping jacks and burpees. Today in my older girl's class we danced to Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer while my little girls did a very sweet ballet dance to Away In A Manger.

Something cute and funny always happens in Miss Kim's class. We were popping bubbles in my little boy's class (marching on the parachute) when one of my little boys ran and gave me the biggest hug. I looked at him and he had the most wonderful smile on his face. I told him "you are my sweetheart"... his facial expression quickly changed to a very serious look. He looked at me and said "no, I am my Mommy's sweetheart"... and I said "you sure are"!

In the middle of class I asked everyone to sit down while I read them the story of The Nutcracker. We then got into our circle to start acting it out. I took a little longer than normal getting the music started and only of my little girls told me "Miss Kim, we really need music to do this"! Love her. We start out around the Christmas tree decorating it, and opening presents. We opened our special present from Grandfather and it was a Nutcracker! We danced with our Nutcracker until Fritz took it and broke it! We then went to a land of snowflakes, sailed to the land of the sweets, and danced with Mother Ginger. We had so much fun doing this and hope that we can pull it all together for the show.

Miss Kim

Session II Begins! Click Photo for Photo Gallery.

What a beautiful day we have been blessed with and what wonderful children I have been blessed with at First Presbyterian CDC. Our first day of Session II started out great. I combined some new students and have come up with a fantastic grouping of children for next weeks classes. This week you will see some girls and boys mixed together. The reason I did that is because I was deciding placement due to age, ability, and attention. Next week we will start bright and early at 8:45 am and continue until 11:45 am due to such high enrollment. We now have four classes: young boy's creative movement, young girl's tap/ballet, older boy's creative movement, and older girl's tap/ballet. I am just thrilled to be able to bring creative movement and dance to so many girls and boys.

I will need to combine the blog since I combined the groups today. I had several new little boys today but they seemed like they have been taking class for weeks. They had huge smiles on their faces since they were finally going with their friends from their class. We Bopped Until We Dropped, rode in Barney's Car, and even rode the bus with Dora. Both boys' classes boarded a pirate ship in search of buried treasure. We had to walk like pirates, talk like pirates "Arggghhh", swim with sharks, and dig in the sand for the treasure. I cooked them up in the frying pan and we worked on skipping. We did our normal jumping jacks and burpees to Jump Up. The older boys learned how to do cartwheels by placing their hands on two rocks and jumping over the alligators in the river. I had several boys' almost master cartwheels so watch out tonight when they get home! With my younger and older tap and ballet girls we separated the room with tape down the middle.....that was really fun. The little girls got to do Boogie Woogie Piggy for the big girls then the big girls got to do Shake Your Groove Thing for the little girls. We learned how to be a respectful audience by sitting in our seat while watching a performance, not getting up during a performance, not talking during a performance, and clapping like ladies when they finished dancing. We danced ballet to Beauty and the Beast and ended our day with the parachute.

I asked everyone what they were going to be for Halloween and I loved all the answers I got. I hope everyone has a safe Halloween... who knows... Snow White may stop by Friday at school to see you! ?

I look forward to starting on our special "Miss Kim's Nutcracker" next week. I will be reading the book and starting the dances with each group. It is the traditional Nutcracker with a Miss Kim fun twist. It is going to be great. I will spend only about 10-15 minutes each week on this so that we are still learning and developing.

Love,
Miss Kim

TMS Dancers Eighth Grade Salute! Click Photo forPhoto Gallery.

I wanted to write a blog post about my Turrentine Middle School Dance Team since I have not written anything since the summer.

My girls danced their last football game of the season yesterday and what a wonderful game it was. It is always so bittersweet because I know that this is the 8th graders last time they will dance on the football field wearing a TMS dance team uniform. I know they have basketball, competitions, and Stage Struck coming up but it is still a time of mixed emotions. This has just been such an amazing year with this team from wonderful leadership to extremely fun times together. This group has so much fun together and has tremendous energy. I watch them dance and they have huge smiles on their faces and look like they are having such a good time... even if we did not know 80% of the songs the band was playing!

My wish is that the 8th grade girls continue to be the best that they can be. Take in every moment. Parents, burn that image of your little girl in your brain because as most know things are so different once they enter those high school doors... good things to come... but just different.

So this post is to recognize my 8th grade dancers... Caroline, Samantha, Kathryn, Haley, Sara, Holly, Lauren, Destiny, and Naomi. I am so proud of you and what you did on that track and football field... now let's continue to grow, learn, and shake our biscuits on the basketball court!

Love,

Miss Kim

Wee Care 9/24/09! Click Photo for Photo Gallery.

When I showed up at Wee Care today the children were waiting for me at the door... hey Miss Kim, I love you Miss Kim, I ready to dance Miss Kim... what a greeting.

I gathered my sweet boys and we walked to our room. We entered our room and they boys knew to lie down as I started Bop Till You Drop. We worked on our jumping jacks, pushups, and burpees and practiced them over and over as we listened to Jump Up from Imagination Movers. I have to say these boys are so funny. They like to do the jumping jacks, pushups, and burpees but they love to play the drums, guitars, and dance even more to the song Jump Up. If you want to see what I am talking about just get the song and play it for them and see what they do! We loaded up our race car and took a trip in the Barney Car. When I asked them what red and green light meant they told me stop and go... when I asked them what yellow light meant one little boy said "my mommy tells daddy that it means sloooooowwww down"! Love it! You should have seen this little boy's expression when he was telling this to me... hmmm... wonder whose daddy drives a little too fast? We stretched our legs and played see saw with our friends. Miss Puffy flew in and we talked with her and stretched our legs even more. Daddy Duck called and we had to go fishing again! That silly alligator was waiting for us but he did not get us! We finished our day with the parachute and everyone got to pop bubbles today. All the boys were excellent listeners today... thank you for that. Miss Kim was really proud of you.

I gathered my tap and ballet girls and we zipped our lips and put our hands on our hips. We walked into our classroom and went right to work. I always let them do Bop Until You Drop first to get out that much needed energy. We then reviewed our tap steps that we now know very well. Miss Puffy flew in and wanted to go swinging so we taped her to our foot... careful, don't hurt her wings! Swing, swing, stop (shuffle step). After that we got into our frying pan and cooked up some popcorn. We had to put butter on our popcorn before I ate it up... butter, butter, popcorn (shuffle hop step). We practiced our tap dance to Shake Your Groove Thing and the girls not only dance to it but sing too! Dora called us and we had to load up the bus and go to a party. After we rode and sang The Wheels On The Bus with Dora, Barney called! We went for a ride in Barney's car and sang the Itsy Bitsy Spider as well as Mister Sun. Next we turned into ballerinas and danced with Miss Puffy. Next we worked on all of our ballet steps. Then we turned into scarecrows. We were so nervous that the farmer man would see us move... especially when Mr. Crow came to sit on our arms and tickle our noses. Whew, farmer man left and we were able to scratch our noses... oh no... Farmer man is back! Quick, back into our scarecrow pose (arabesque'). We danced to Beauty and the Beast and finished the day with the parachute. We had another great day at Wee Care! Parents you are going to be so impressed when you see what these kids can do!

Miss Kim

Exciting Day! Click Photo for Photo Gallery.

When I showed up at First Presbyterian CDC today I could feel the energy in this place. Was it the clouds outside? Was it the rainfall from the past couple of days? I am not sure but let me tell you my movers were very energetic today!

I gathered my older tap and ballet girls and we zipped our lips and put our hands on our hips. We walked into our classroom and went right to work. I always let them do Bop Until You Drop first to get out that much needed energy. We then reviewed our tap steps that we now know very well. Miss Puffy flew in and wanted to go swinging so we taped her to our foot... careful, don't hurt her wings! Swing, swing, stop (shuffle step). After that we got into our frying pan and cooked up some popcorn. We had to put butter on our popcorn before I ate it up... butter, butter, popcorn (shuffle hop step). We practiced our tap dance to Shake Your Groove Thing and the girls not only dance to it but sing too! We turned into ballerinas and stretched our legs to Miss Puffy. One little girl was so proud of her pointed toes...she asked me to take a picture...so I did! Wow, look at those ballerina feet in crocs! Love it! Next we worked on all of our ballet steps. Then we turned into scarecrows. We were so nervous that the farmer man would see us move... especially when Mr. Crow came to sit on our arms and tickle our noses. Whew, farmer man left and we were able to scratch our noses... oh no... Farmer man is back! Quick, back into our scarecrow pose (arabesque'). We danced to Beauty and the Beast and finished the day with the parachute.

My boys were next and they were waiting at the door for me...thanks teachers! We loaded up our space ship and off we went. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Blastoff!!! We sang "flying high in the sky I look back and wave goodbye as our spaceship is flying away! Past the Earth, past the stars, I see Jupiter and Mars as our spaceship is flying away!" We entered our room and they boys knew to lie down as I started Bop Till You Drop. We worked on our jumping jacks, pushups, and burpees and practiced them over and over as we listened to Jump Up from Imagination Movers. We stretched our legs and played see saw with our friends. Miss Puffy flew in and we talked with her and stretched our legs even more. Daddy Duck called and we had to go fishing again! That silly alligator was waiting for us but he did not get us! We finished our day with the parachute and everyone got to pop bubbles today. We loaded up our spaceship and returned to planet Earth.

My little dancing girls were last and they were ready and waiting for me at their door as well. We entered our princess castle and started our lesson with Bob Until You Drop. Dora called us and we had to load up the bus and go to a party. After we rode and sang The Wheels On The Bus with Dora, Barney called! We went for a ride in Barney's car and sang the Itsy Bitsy Spider as well as Mister Sun. We practiced our dance Boogie Woogie Piggy which makes me giggle and smile so big. Next we turned into ballerinas and danced with Miss Puffy. We practiced our ballet steps and then performed them to Beauty and the Beast. I love how the girls transform when they hear that music start...they immediately believe that they are Belle with her beautiful yellow dress on. They dance with happiness and confidence throughout the entire song. They end the dance with a curtsy and clap like ladies. I am so proud of them; I have to remind myself that they are so young. I am so proud of how far they have come in such a short period of time... parents you are going to be amazed!

Miss Kim

Wee Care Rocks! Click Photo for Photo Gallery.

I walked into Wee Care this morning and there stood a wooden clown sign saying "Happy Birthday Miss Kim"....thank you Wee Care! I love walking through the doors since everyone is always happy and makes you feel part of their family.

I started the day off with my boys. They marched like soldiers to our room with their arms by their sides. They ran to the carpet and lay down while I went over our rules one more time...

1. Do not touch our friends.
2. Do not touch toys.
3. Stay on the carpet...most of the time.
4. HAVE SO MUCH FUN!!!

I then put on Bop Until You Drop and the boys went to town moving and grooving to the beat....such as....bouncing, flying their airplane, wiggling, being an astronaut in outer space, and last spinning like a helicopter. We then went on a birthday picnic for Miss Kim and those ants just had to march in and try to eat everything up! We dug holes for our seeds and worked on coordination by trying to dig each foot in the ground, one at a time. Next we worked on jumping jacks, burpees (cheeseburger French fry), pushups, and skipping. I put on the song Jump Up and we worked on gross motor skills. William loves to play the drums while Ian and Gable play the guitar. Tyler loves to jump, jump, and jump some more. Holden just does whatever Miss Kim does. They want to do that song over and over so Miss Kim gives in and we keep on working hard. Next we popped some popcorn (skipping) and got ready to stretch. Miss Puffy flew in and we worked on stretching our legs. Holden loves to talk to Miss Puffy! I showed the boys how to stretch their legs by playing a game called "see saw". They found a partner and held their hands. They sat down and made their feet touch their friend's feet while they rocked back and forth stretching their legs. I told them that when we stretch our legs we can run super fast. We finished the day with the parachute and everyone got to pop bubbles. Then Williams asked me (like he does every week) "Miss Kim, can we please hear Imagination Movers just one more time"... and so we did it again... whew... I had to of done 100 jumping jacks with these boys today!

I gathered my tap and ballet girls next. We walked like dancers with our hands on our hips to our class. We started our class off with Bop Until You Drop except we pretend we are birds, butterflies, mermaids, and bunnies. We reviewed our tap steps and added two new ones today. Toe back was our first new step we learned. We gave dog bones to our dogs Otis and hmmmm... Miss Kim forgot! Oh well, they had to bury their bones in the back yard....sometimes the dogs did not listen. We also learned shuffle step. We shoo shooed the kitty and doggie away from baby Annabelle with our feet. We also got in the frying pan and after we popped popcorn we put butter on the bottom of our feet and popped up (shuffle hop step). We learned to boogie and then we did our dance to Shake Your Groove Thang. We started ballet and danced with Miss Puffy. We stretched our legs like the boys doing the see saw game. We lined up in our ballerina line and reviewed our ballet steps. We learned tendu' and arabesque' (far away) today. Then Daddy Duck called so we had to go fishing. Our day ended with the parachute and we made a special little house and stayed under and played for a little while. The girls did a great job today and they always have smiles on their faces. See you next week!

Miss Kim