1. Keep Watch

Keep those eyes peeled! An innocent, rambunctious child may encourage headfirst dives down the slide, but a watchful parent will have the foresight to prevent incidents before they happen.

2. Inspect Equipment

This is especially important with equipment that may appear weathered or has gone unused for some time. If you spot a potentially hazardous defect, inform your local parks and recreation office. And metal parts can get a bit hot under the midday sun, so a quick feel test may be another smart, preventative action.

Also make sure that your first-aid kit is up-to-date and ready to go before heading out!

3. Dress for Success

Wearing the right outfit at the park can prevent a lot of boo-boos and discomfort. Try to avoid loose articles and items, like scarfs or jewelry. We recommend wearing close-toed shoes for some extra snugness and protection.

And consider bringing a change of clothes – just in case!

4. Mind Your Manners

In addition to the more obvious mismanaged equipment, mishaps can also occur from poor park etiquette. Be sure to teach kids about general social guidelines and manners at the park.

“Maybe don’t stand on the swings, little Timmy!”

5. Snack and Hydrate

To avoid dehydration, or a “hangry” group of kiddos, remember to pack healthy snacks and water. Fruit, granola bars and other simple, nutritious treats should do the trick. And always make sure to have plenty of water!

Share With Us!

We hope your family finds these tidbits helpful for your next trip to the park! Share your own suggestions on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using #mothergooseclub.

We also have plenty of nursery rhyme videos that can help inspire proper social behaviors (and fun!), such as “On the Playground“, “Hello Friend”, “Swimming in the Swimming Pool” and “Mr. Sun”. Happy rhyming and playing!

While the gifts of leading a life in music seem infinite, there are a few gifts that consistently resurface in my life as a professional violinist, teacher and co-founder of Mozart for Munchkins.

The first of these gifts is that music is good for us. The study of music provides lifelong tools essential in our role in the world. It refines discipline and patience, cultivates social skills, sharpens our attention to detail and broadens our knowledge of other cultures. I recently came across a beautiful description that provided clarity on the power of music education: “And, like math, you don’t teach music in order to make musicians, and you don’t teach math in order to make mathematicians. We need these things. We need to learn how to be precise, how to listen carefully, how to collaborate closely.” (Author unknown).

The second gift of music is that it connects us. After eight years of rigorous conservatory training, I joined the faculty at a private music school in midtown Manhattan with thirty students. It was go time. I learned quickly that in order to be a good teacher, one has to first be willing to make a human connection. After the connection is made, then work on the violin can commence.

It has become a tradition in our household to turn on familiar musical favorites with our toddler (such as Vivaldi’s Four Seasons) while my husband and I enjoy our morning coffee. Exchanging a quick glance with our little one when he recognizes the music instantly is powerful. Similarly, the non-verbal connections made between musicians performing with one another in concert can sometimes feel more impactful than verbal dialogue.

Our babies were just three and eight months old when my co-founder Sara Sherman and I launched Mozart for Munchkins, an interactive concert series for children and families based in New York City. Throughout the journey of building our business from scratch and refining a deeply heartfelt mission, it quickly became clear that we were taking on a responsibility to cultivate a connection between music and people, and to help secure a place for classical music in the fabric of our culture. Witnessing the sparkle in an infant’s eyes as they hear and feel the vibrations of the violin for the first time is otherworldly. Never before had I played a movement from a Partita for Solo Violin by J.S. Bach while letting a toddler gently tug on the scroll of the violin. The connection and energy exchange from musician to a person, no matter their age, is one of the most powerful connections I’ve felt. This connection is particularly vivid in the eyes of a child – a child’s honesty is unsparing.

Our concerts conclude with an “instrument petting zoo” where children are invited to touch and try out the instruments. With a bit of guidance, children and their families share the connection of discovering something new and wondrous.

The third gift of teaching music is that it reminds us that we are all students for life. The role of teacher and student are interchangeable identities as we ebb and flow through our lives.

As a young violinist, I remember my violin teacher’s glossy, chocolate brown violin that sounded like silk. I would practice every morning before school, and, while my parents listened from the other room, I would softly speak to myself imagining I was my own teacher. As a kid, this was the ultimate kind of “playtime”. The conversations that I had with myself were intricate, involved and meaningful. Practicing an instrument as a young child can be a lonely thing. I had the company of myself.

It is perhaps my greatest mission to help guide my students into becoming their own teachers. We are, afterall, our life’s greatest teachers. During lessons, I often place my violin on the opposite shoulder to enhance my understanding of what a beginning violinist might experience. My students benefit the most when I’m able to put myself directly into their world. Alongside our 22-month old son, my students are my greatest teachers. As Itzhak Perlman said, “When I teach others, I teach myself.”

Leading a life in music is a precious gift. Music is good for us, music connects us and music reminds us of our ever-changing role in the world. Sharing a love of music through Mozart for Munchkins has been one of the greatest honors of my life. It is our hope that our concerts become the spark that ignites and sustains a lifelong love of music in the lives of children and their families. Planting the seeds for a love of music will help to secure its place in our world, ensuring that the gifts of music are shared for generations to come.

Up on the housetop, reindeer pause.
Out jumps good old Santa Claus,
Down through the chimney with lots of toys,
All for the good little girls and boys.

Ho ho ho, there he goes,
Ho ho ho, through the snow.
Up on the housetop,
Click click click,
Down through the chimney
With good Saint Nick.

Look in the stockings filled so high.
He made his list and he checked it twice.
Amy got a dolly that laughs and cries.
Billy got a fire truck with flashing lights.

Ho ho ho, there he goes,
Ho ho ho, through the snow.
Up on the housetop,
Click click click,
Down through the chimney
With good Saint Nick.

Hey! He ate the cookies.
He drank the milk.
Billy thinks he heard those jingle bells.
He got a bike, all blue and red,
And Amy got a teddy bear for her bed.

Ho ho ho, there he goes,
Ho ho ho, through the snow.
Up on the housetop,
Click click click,
Down through the chimney
With good Saint Nick.
Up on the housetop,
Click click click,
Down through the chimney
With good Saint Nick.

View on YouTube!

And when she was good,
She was very, very good,
But when she was bad, she was horrid.

There was a little girl
Who had a little curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead.

And when she was good,
She was very, very good,
But when she was bad, she was horrid.

View on YouTube!