GRAND Magazine - March 2009 - 11

tips & hints GRAND CENTRAL + share & show + comments & conversation + links & legacies + wise whys & wherefores CRisp piCks: EDitoR’s ChoiCE The Butterfly Wagon, made in Colorado from birch and handcrafted willow, has tilted backrests and durable tongue-and-groove joints. Wagon has inflatable tires for the best shock absorption— and if you’ve ever watched a boy grab a wagon and go down a hill, planning to be stopped by the fence at the bottom…you’ll appreciate that feature. Manufactured by Mountain Boy Sledworks ($199 from Green by Design , a treasure house of beautiful, safe, local, clean and crafted products). The Boomer Burden: Dealing with Your Parents’ Lifetime Accumulation of Stuff, by Julie Hall . What can I say? Buy this book and give it to your parents, or hope (or fear) that your daughter-in-law will buy it and have your son hand it over to you. We have too much stuff by a farmer’s mile, and it’s gone way beyond frugal or eccentric: It’s now a genuine illness listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) —hoarding. And if you don’t have the problem, you will once you inherit a houseful of checks from 1947, high school photographs of strangers, and 37 platters. Do you wanna dance? Babies are born with rhythm; children need to develop motor skills and coordination through active movement. Specifically, the patterns and sequences of dance form basic foundations of learning—the development of memory, the practice of clockwise and counterclockwise movement, and the identification of right and left. Children learn cooperation through dance. They need to hear, feel and experience the strong beat of rhythm. Learning kinesthetically (through movement) assists children with sequencing, repetition and reproduction of sound, rhymes and rhythms in language, as well as shapes, sets and patterns in math. So…let’s dance! Okay, we all know Ring Around the Rosie, the Hokey Pokey, and the Chicken Dance. But, after hundreds of hours of these selections, even the most patient grand is ready to move on. • How about demonstrating the Twist, its faster version the Peppermint Twist, the Swim, the Monkey, the Pony, Mashed Potatoes, Hitch Hike, the Bristol Stomp or the Bunny Hop? (Need a refresher? ) • For a more relaxed dance with the grandkids, reintroduce the Stroll, made famous by the Diamonds in ’57. • Rock-and-roll, especially from the early ’60s, is loved by children for the silly lyrics and the strong beat (“Purple People Eater,” “Monster Mash,”  —the latter, a special favorite among 4- and 5-yearold boys. (When viewing YouTube for dancing purposes, don’t forget to hit the icon on the lower right of the screen to enlarge the image.) • The Macarena  ; or how about “Arsenio Ruf Ruf” in Baby Loves Salsa Live.  • Line dancing: Most teenage girls know the steps to “CottonEyed Joe,” and if you’ve forgotten, check it out . • Disco: From the Bee Gees  and Donna Summer to Abba . • Cossack dances? Not just for The Nutcracker anymore:  Grab a little hand, turn up the music and dance your heart out! —Chris King A’loni, VA Aleah, OH Sarah and Hannah, MI Angelina, IL Brandon, MI Carlee, NY MARCH 2009 GRAND 11 Click and connect to more resources instantly where you see this symbol: 

GRAND Magazine - March 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - March 2009