Prenatal & First Year

PRENATAL & FIRST YEAR - The Senses Every time a child is born it brings Experts who study the acquisition of their babies long before they are born with it the hope that God is not yet language tell us that the basis for learning find that these songs are very soothing to disappointed with man. one’s mother tongue begins in the womb. the infant after birth. —Rabrindranath Tagore In the study of the lives of great In 1995 I met with Mrs. Shinnichi Poet laureate of India and Montessorian musicians it is often found that exposure Suzuki, of the Suzuki Method of Talent to good music began in the womb. Education, in Matsumoto, Japan, to share Parents who learn songs to sing to ideas on environments for young THE FIRST YEAR children. For Montessori and Suzuki the THE SENSES purpose is to create a loving relationship between child and adult, to give the child We know very little about what a the joy of accomplishment and developed baby really experiences during those nine talents, and, by meeting the needs of months in the womb, what he senses, children, to help create a more peaceful feels, intuits, thinks about, understands. society. We discussed the best way to But we do know that he responds to help children and agreed that our work voices and to sounds and to music. So we must begin before birth. offer the best by every day spending The skin, the first and most some quiet time talking to him, singing, Babies do not just "eat and sleep." important sense organ, is complete after and playing beautiful music. They are learning all the time. seven or eight weeks of pregnancy. The EUROPEAN MUSIC BOX THE WORLD SINGS GOODNIGHT This beautiful wooden heirloom is It is in these early days of life that the child from an age-old company in Poland. Each begins to absorb the pitch, intonation, rhythm, all of music box is hand-made and painted with the sounds of language and music. The love that all softly colored whimsical drawings of stars, peoples of the world feel for their children is moons, angels, or scenes from expressed through these songs. On this CD the voices nature—each shipment is of mothers, fathers, grandmothers, and brothers bring different but always beautiful. a special richness to the lullabies of thirty-three The most important element countries, including France, Japan, the USA, India, though is how is works. There is Italy, Senegal, Argentina, Egypt, Sweden, Canada, a wooden knob at the bottom England and others, each sung in the native tongue. which, when pulled, plays the AA266 $16.95 melody. At first the adult will operate the music box but LULLABIES—BOOK & CD eventually the young child will be This charming songbook, containing all of our able to play the music whenever he or she family's favorites (!) pairs favorite lullabies with art desires as it hangs on the wall at child from the Metropolitan Art Museum’s collection in level. It is 4.5" in diameter. The most New York—even the infant can take in the great art common melody is Brahm's Lullaby. along with the music. The songs included represent a BT400 $40.00 wide variety of musical styles and traditions, ranging from lullabies by famous composers and poets to simple, anonymous folk songs. INTERNATIONAL LULLABIES Piano notation and guitar chords are included. The 60-minute CD teaches the Each of these three CD's songs to the child and to the adult alike. Hardcover, 96 pages, color. 9.5" x 9.5" provides a wealth of music of a (*) AA100 Book $25.00 cultural heritage in the original (*) AA102 CD $17.00 rhythms and languages. Each is a (*) AA105 Set of both $41.00 full hour in length and contains a leaflet of information about the CLASSICAL PIANO FOR INFANTS songs. The African CD features Our grandson wore out two of the G'Night CD! the music of Ladysmith Black A lovely introduction to the best of classical piano Mambazo. The Celtic collection is music for the child. The pieces are carefully selected from Ireland, Scotland, Wales. to provide a charming introduction to a broad cross- The Latin songs are from Brazil, Spain, Puerto Rico, section of world-famous music which has been Venezuela, Cuba, and Argentina. This is not only "go to sleep" favored by a wide audience over the years. They are of course also excellent music, but good dance music for all ages! preparation for a child's later study of music. The morning music is cheerful and AA210 African Lullabies, CD $16.95 more invigorating, and the bedtime selections calming and peaceful. AA212 Celtic Lullabies , CD $16.95 AA276 G'Morning Johann CD $16.95 AA214 Latin Lullabies, CD $16.95 AA286 G'Night Wolfgang CD $16.95 (*) = new items Toll-free USA ORDER number (9-5 Monday-Friday, PST) : 888-880-9235 1 PRENATAL & FIRST YEAR - The Senses sense of smell is ready to function by the a speaking person. It is not an accident to get it really clean" and enjoy ourselves second month of pregnancy. The sense of that the focusing distance of the eyes of a in this important communication. And taste is active by the third month. The newborn are exactly the space between we can listen: to music, to silence, and to ear completes its structural development his face and that of the mother while each other. during the second to the fifth month of nursing. Perhaps the best first An adult can engage in a pregnancy. communication experiences are provided conversation with even the youngest It is possible that the fetus absorbs while nursing the baby. child in the following way: when the the particular characteristic rhythms of We can feed the child's intense child makes a sound, imitate it—the pitch the mother’s language. In a sense the interest in language, and prepare for later and the length of the sound: baby "maaaa fetus is already at work, learning spoken language, by speaking clearly, not ga" adult "maaaa ga", etc. One often gets language! using "baby talk", by not raising our an amazing response from the child the —Silvana Montanaro, M.D. voice to an unnatural pitch often reserved first time this happens, as if she is saying Psychiatrist, Montessori teacher trainer for speaking to pets, and not "At last, someone understands and speaks oversimplifying language in the presence my language!" MUSIC AND LANGUAGE of the child. After several of these exchanges In the first days, months, and the first We can tell funny and interesting many children will purposefully begin to year of life the infant is especially stories of our lives, recite favorite poems, make sounds for you to imitate, and interested in the sound of the human talk about what we are doing "Now I am eventually will try to imitate the adult’s voice and in watching the face and lips of washing your feet, rubbing each little toe sound. This is a very exciting first FOR THE VERY YOUNG: FIRST FOREIGN INFANT ART GALLERY LANGUAGE CD'S Because laws dictate, for good What a wonderful way to safety reasons, that young children introduce the child to the sounds now travel in the back seat of a car, it and song of many languages at is difficult for the driver to engage him exactly the time when language is in conversation. We recommend using being absorbed. Familiarity at this this "art gallery" to display family age will make learning languages pictures, pictures of favorite animals, later much easier. toys, and so forth, to entertain the child According to recent research when traveling. This ingenious device on brain development, the sounds displays black and white, and then of language(s) a child hears early colored, images for the very young infant. in life will be the easiest to It can easily be hung in front of the infant car seat and it can also be used in the reproduce later. home: prop it against a chair or the wall when the child is spending time on a These popular CD's futon or play mat on the floor, anywhere in the house. The 12.5" x 13.5 plastic present favorite songs, such display has 4 pockets and a selection of 10 double-sided cards, or 20 images, as "The More We Get which can be changed to suit the child. Age: Birth to 5 months. Together," "Head, Shoulders, BA160 $13.00 Knees & Toes," and other favorites, in many languages. INFANT STIM-MOBILE Also there are common This developmental mobile, which contains expressions, colors, numbers, both black and white figures AND color figures, has the alphabet. They are great received international recognition. There are 10 fun for adults who always wanted to learn languages. A black and white reversible cards for the workbook with all of the words is included with each CD. first weeks, and 10 brightly colored NOTE: it is important to offer as many as possible, reversible cards for your older baby. because the world is shrinking and one never knows what This mobile comes with a languages our children will want to know in the future. sturdy upright fastener for CB220 French $15.95 attaching the mobile to a crib, CB225 Spanish $15.95 CB230 German $15.95 but if you do not use a crib it CB235 Italian $15.95 is easy to hang it from a CB240 Chinese $15.95 hook in the ceiling. Be sure CB245 Japanese $15.95 to keep it out of reach of CB250 English $15.95 the child.

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