Xtreme Toy Zone

I Am In Charge

We acquired a puppy collie in June and, of course, the first few weeks were a challenge.

I took the puppy to buy some items, one of the few stores that you can take an animal while they are on a leash. Within minutes, the dog refused to move and then take off in different directions with this wonderful, tending "I myself am choking to death and walking at a 90 degree angle" pull.

When threatened with prosecution the pooch in the store, I stooped and gathered the stray animal in my arms, repeating my mantra over and over again: "I am in charge!"It took much effort on my part to do that.

The burden of raising our new puppy brought a lot of education of children in early memories.

For starters, we had some rules in our house: One, you go to church on Sundays (except, of course, you're a brain surgeon). Two, you learn to swim so you can get out of the pool. Three, you can play the piano until you leave for college (do not make a living at it, just have on hand for parties and other social events).

Source: Patch.com

Piano Bears Musical Storybook DVD: Little Bear's Musical Garden ...

by admin

Illustrated, narrated, kids piano Storybook featuring the Piano Bear Characters, Mrs. Treble Beary and her new piano student, Little Bear. Young piano students love following along with Little Bear to learn what piano lessons are all about in a fun way that kids easily understand and appreciate. Written and narrated by Cynthia Marie VanLandingham, this charming Read-along Kids Piano Storybook is beautifully illustrated and opens with piano music from Mozart. This is a delightful introduction to piano lessons for children ages 6 to 11. Parents will enjoy reading along too, while this insightful story prepares their child to succeed in piano lessons. This is a powerful learning tool for parents, piano teachers, and classroom instruction. Purchase printed copies of this book and other stories in the Piano Bears Series on Amazon.com....

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Piano for kids « Early Retirement Extreme Forums

by teewonk

My wife and I are thinking of getting a piano for the kids. What kind of piano should we get and how could we get it for cheap? Any thoughts on teaching?

I would think a real piano would be more durable than an electronic piano. Craigslist usually lists a few free ones at any given time. I would have to figure out how to move it and how to keep it up and tune it. Tuning it would require some tools, but I don't know details. I would be willing to tolerate it being slightly out of tune if I did it myself.

An electronic piano would be easier to move both now and in the future, and it wouldn't go out of tune. It would have volume control and the possibility of using headphones, which would be really convenient in our condo.

Having first hand experience with wasting money on lessons, we would teach them how to play ourselves. Does anyone think it would be a bad idea for us to teach our kids? We have 3 years of mostly unfruitful lessons between us, and we wouldn't be aiming for winning piano competitions, just the ability to play music.

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