Kindermusik of Thunder Bay
1314 Oliver Road Thunder Bay, ON, Canada

Candi’s classes are great!

Giddy up, fourth graders! (You’ll recognize this music from The Lone Ranger.)

Remember this Kenyan runner Abel Mutai who was just a few feet from the finish line, but became confused with the signage and stopped, thinking he had completed... the race. A Spanish runner, Ivan Fernandez, was right behind him and, realizing what was happening, started shouting at the Kenyan to continue running. Mutai didn't know Spanish and didn't understand. Realizing what was taking place, Fernandez pushed Mutai to victory. A journalist asked Ivan, "Why did you do that?" Ivan replied, "My dream is that someday we can have a kind of community life where we push and help each other to win." The journalist insisted "But why did you let the Kenyan win?" Ivan replied, "I didn't let him win, he was going to win. The race was his." The journalist insisted, and again asked, "But you could have won!" Ivan looked at him and replied, "But what would be the merit of my victory? What would be the honor in that medal? What would my Mother think of that?" Values are passed on from generation to generation. What values are we teaching our children? Let us not teach our kids the wrong ways and means to WIN. Instead, let us pass on the beauty and humanity of a helping hand. Because honesty and ethics are WINNING!

Yes, the Rotary Carol Sing is still happening this year but from the comfort of your own home!!! All of the music will be put together by local singers and musi...cians. Make an evening of it, sing along with the carols and get into the Christmas Spirit next Sunday, December 13th at 7:00 pm. Just tune into http://trinityunited.church/livestream/ This is a great fundraiser for the Christmas Cheer Fund, a charity that has extra importance this year during these difficult times. See you there! See more

May we raise children who love the unloved things - the dandelion, the worms & spiderlings. Children who sense ... the rose needs the thorn & run into rainswept days the same way they turn towards sun... And when they're grown & someone has to speak for those who have no voice may they draw upon that wilder bond, those days of tending tender things and be the ones. ~ Nicolette Sowder wilderchild.com Art by Lucy Campbell lupiart.com

One of the great things about having our own children is that we can create our own traditions as well as honour the ones passed down to us!

Mommies have the biggest, most important job in the world.

Yay! Christmas is coming!

LoVe by Madeleine Gaastra: The problem is we look for someone to grow old together, While the secret is to find someone to stay a child with! (Charles Bukowski...) What does LoVe mean to 4-8 year old kids? Slow down for a few minutes to read this... A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?' The answers they got were broader, deeper, and more profound than anyone could have ever imagined! 'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore... So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.' Rebecca - age 8 'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.' Billy - age 4 'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.' Karl - age 5 'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.' Chrissy - age 6 'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.' Terri - age 4 'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.' Danny - age 8 'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and just listen.' Bobby - age 7 (Wow!) 'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate.' Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet) 'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it every day.' Noelle - age 7 'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.' Tommy - age 6 'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.' Cindy - age 8 'My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.' Clare - age 6 'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.' Elaine - age 5 'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.' Chris - age 7 'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.' Mary Ann - age 4 'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.' Lauren - age 4 'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' (what an image!) Karen - age 7 'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross...' Mark - age 6 'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.' Jessica - age 8 And the final one: The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry.' (this made me cry!) Now, take a few seconds and post this for others to inspire and spread LoVe like butter! And then be a child again today!

Kookaburra sits in the old gym tree...!

Days are long, years are short. Savour each minute along the way!

Back to school this year is ideal for NO ONE. Not for teachers. Not for parents. Hybrid is not ideal. Virtual is not ideal.... Face-to-face in the midst of a pandemic is not ideal. For every kid who is anxious to get back to the classroom there is another who has anxiety about returning. For every parent who wonders, How am I going to manage this? There is a teacher wondering, How am I going to manage this? Often, a person wears both titles. For every kindergarten parent who is sad that this is how their child will begin their education, there is a parent of a senior who is bummed that this is how their child will end theirs. For every person angry about their child having to wear a mask, there is a person who is petrified their immune compromised family member will get ill. Life has thrown us a huge curve ball. A plot twist if you will. It will not be easy. We will be challenged. We will get frustrated. I hope we rise to the occasion. I hope we help one another. We will all need help. I hope we treat each other with grace. We will all need grace. I hope we realize that at the end of the day, our kids need us to be the light. Set the tone. See the good. Take a really unfortunate situation and do our best to make it okay. For them. For us. - Stephanie Krause

I did this fun sun catcher project with my girls. Cardboard butterfly wings with shapes cut out, then covered with cellophane. Instagram @bethanythatsme

This is so hard for everyone. Thanks, Dave, for capturing our sadness so weekly!

These are such precious memories!

Exactly. Words by Altogether Mostly

Play is the answer to how anything new comes about. Jean Piaget ... Photo by Pranav Kumar Jain, Unsplash

Three year olds do this without special effects, too!

Dear husband: One day, we’ll miss all of this. Life will not always be this raising-little-kids level of chaos. But right now we have all this beauty. All this wonder. All this joy. Right at our fingertips. Read the full piece here: https://trib.al/0IAyDb1

Sophisticated fun. Our new hit. La la la, joy, joy, joy

Days are long, but years are short...

Always so good to remember...

Storytelling! A lovely way for children to experience the magic of the orchestra!

Zooming my way through Kindermusik classes and piano lessons!

We all need to keep singing!