Conference moira::parenting

    My 3 1/2-year old daughter has expressed an interest in taking dance
    lessons.  
    
    -What kinds of things should I look for when choosing a dance
     class?  
    -Have your preschoolers' experiences in dance class been
     positive?  
    -Is 3 1/2 years an appropriate age to start, if the child has
     expressed an interest?
    -Can you recommend any dance schools in the Shrewsbury, Westboro,
     Northboro, MA area? (Please respond to this last question vie e-mail to 
     FUNIES::CAISSIE)
    
    Thanks,
    
    Sheryl
                                                

    I'd look for a place that isn't too competitive and will let her "play"
    instead of being serious at her age.
    
    Another question is how they handle the recital.  Is there pressure for
    everyone to partake?  How much do the costumes cost?  What are their
    expectations in terms of parental involvement?
    
    My daughter is allowed one activity at a time, and so far she has
    picked other activities.  But from talking to friends, these are the
    things that I would want to know.  Gina says she is doing gymnastics
    this fall, and will start dance after Christmas.  So, I have been
    thinking about this too.
    
    judy

    
    Oh yes, I forgot your last question.  I think 3-1/2 is appropriate.
    
    judy

    Are you familiar with Gymboree?  Not the store.  They have centers that
    have play/climbing equipment suitable for small children.  The classes 
    are divided up according to their ages.  
    
    It costs about $100 for a 12 week enrollment, once a week for less than
    an hour, but if you can do it, the kids love it.  I take my grandaughter
    once a week, and she has a grand time.  She's almost 2 1/2.  
    
    Check it out.
    
    Lorraine  
            

    re .1
    
    My daughter started ballet/dance lessons last September, a few months
    before her 3rd birthday.  Her daycare center is next to a ballet school
    and they walk them over once a week to classes.
    
    She absolutely loves it.  The teacher/owner, Sally Gould in Chelmsford
    and Billerica, looks to be in her 50s and seems very good with the
    kids.  It might also be a little more fun since my daughter goes to
    school with everyone in the class so they are all friends.  At 3 they
    really don't learn ballet - its more like creative movement to music.
    
    Yes, there is pressure to participate in the recital since they spend
    about half the year practicing for it.  Although I wasn't too keen on
    the recital, and initially didn't even sign my daughter up, we did go
    and my daughter seemed to enjoy it.  The costume was about $40, the
    tickets to the recital were about $8 per person.  We skipped the $30
    video of the event and the photographer picture packages.  There were
    also 2 rehersals during weekday afternoons which were a bit of a pain
    because they were during working hours.
    
    At the recital there was a definite difference in abilities of the 3
    year-olds vs. the 4 year-olds.
    
    Carol

    re .4
    
    A new Gymboree center is opening up in Acton on Rt 2A in the Nagog Mall 
    (where Rugged Bear is).  Also a similiar type of thing called Kids in
    Motion is opening up just down the street across from Talbots in the
    mall with the maternity shop and florist shop.  They are both
    expensive, each class is about $9+.
    
    Carol

    Could you explain the Gymboree class in more detail?  Do
    the toddlers interact with each other or just with the 
    parent?  Is it directed play?  I have a 17 month old - is
    this too young for this class?
    
    Thanks,
    Terry

    I'm going to start my 15 month old in Gymboree in September.  I took my
    daughter from the time that she was 6 months and stopped when she was
    nearly 4 years old.  From the time they are 2 to 3, kids are an absolute
    delight at Gymboree.  But they seem to like it at any time and it's a
    good way for them to explore and for you to learn how to play with them
    to help them developmentally with gross and fine motor skills.
    
    Here's how the class runs, it's about 45 minutes:
    
    Arrive and sit in a circle
      Sing a few songs, with appropriate movements (number of songs depends
      on the age of the child.   Babies, you do a lot.  Older kids ask for
      more, but the 2 to 3s just want to play!)
    Instructor announces theme for the day and some of the "games"
    Combination free/structured time
       The instructor typically tries to direct some activity that is done
       in turn, or sometimes a few kids at a time, depending on the activity.
       If your child doesn't want to participate, then you play on
       something else.
    Parachute time
       The kids ride on the parachute or sit under it while the parents and
       instructor sing songs and move the parachute.
    Bubble time
       The kids each get a special bubble to pop.  
    Songs, games, and goodbye rituals
    
    The room has lots of mats, climbing apparatuses, slides, hoops, large
    inflated objects, etc. that are set up differently each week.  The
    theme of the week may be a variety of things:
      
      o  Swinging, jumping, and other motor activities
      o  Colors or other things that the kids look for and are incorporated
         into the motor activities
      o  Concepts for kids to learn (like stop/go, right/left, etc.)
    
    All this changes with each class to be developmentally appropriate for
    the particular age group of the class.
    
    I was pleased with the class very much. I would think the quality of
    the instructor is critical.  I also enjoyed learning songs and games
    that I never knew.  I remember many of them and play with my son and he
    likes them a lot.
    
    judy

You might call Gymboree, sometimes they let you take
one class free - a test run.

    My 4-year-old daughter has been talking about "dancing school" for
    about a year now, and I'm having a hard time finding what I want for
    her.  I live on the North Shore of Boston, and with a 7-year-old in
    soccer, I really don't want to drive all over creation if I can help
    it!
    
    I checked into a local dance academy, which wanted either $200 a month
    or $150 for the entire term -- can't really tell which from the
    brochure -- and we would have to enroll from September to May.  Parents
    can only observe during one week in the fall and one week in the
    spring.  I DID NOT like that.  There is a recital that you have to buy 
    a costume for, and you
    must buy white tap shoes and pink ballet shoes.  Each one-hour lesson
    consists of a half-hour of tap and a half-hour of ballet.
    
    Frankly, this sounds to me like an awful lot for a little miss/mister. 
    I mean, Holly likes to dance and she loves music, but I really don't
    think she's as committed as all that.  I was looking for more of a "joy
    of movement" or "creative movement" type of class that would go from,
    say, September to Christmas, with the option of picking it up again in
    January if you want.  Any help/ideas/comments out there?
                       

    re .7 and .8
    
    Can't much improve on the detail in .8....very good!  All I can say is 
    that Olivia enjoys it immensely, especially the parachute, and has
    shown a lot of improvement in her motor skills.  She's a little slow in
    that, and got much braver, etc. with climbing.  At first she wouldn't
    have *anything* to do with a ladder...then before the first 12 wk.
    session ended, she was trying those, too. 
    
    I take her most of the time, but sometimes her Dad or Mom go, (not too 
    often because they work).  I particularly like it because I stay with her, 
    and don't have to leave her somewhere.
    
    She's in the 2 year old group now, and we'll be staring up again in
    September.  I hope she has the same instructor, because she became quite
    fond of her last year.  It got so that if she hurt herself during the
    clase, she'd run and tell "Patty" before she told me!!
    
    Lorraine

    Thanks for your answers to my note about dance class for my 3 1/2-year
    old, Sarah.  She is so excited about taking dance lessons.  She says she
    wants to be a ballerina when she grows up.
    
    I looked into various dance programs in my area, and decided to go with
    one in Northboro.  We will pay by the month ($35 per month for one
    class per week), so it's not a huge financial investment if it doesn't work 
    out.  
    
    Classes for preschoolers are geared toward movement and rhythm.  Some 
    pre-ballet and pre-tap are included in the curriculum, but the instructor 
    doesn't sound as though she has unrealistic expecations for the children.  
    
    The recital is optional. And though there is a dress code (girls must 
    wear a leotard and tights), it wasn't as stringent as at some other 
    dance studios.  (Some insisted on a certain color leotard; others said 
    no ponytails, hair must be worn in a bun, etc.)
    
    So, Sarah's first class is on September 12.  We'll see how it goes.
    
    BTW, I liked the ideas about Gymboree.  I'm sure Sarah would enjoy that
    too, but she loves the idea of dressing like a ballerina, so we'll try 
    the dance class first.
    
    Thanks!
    
    Sheryl
        

    
    re. 10
    
    My daughter dances at Nancy Chippendale's in North Andover, this
    is her fifth year there. At Chippendale's, the kids have a choice
    of tap, jazz, ballet (and hula, later on). The younger kids have
    1/2 hr lessons and they can take any one or any combination of
    dances. The recital at the end of the year is optional. Parents
    can observe one day a month or so. Enrollment starts in Sept and
    payment is monthly. I'm not sure if a student can skip a month
    or so, since they work on their recital (something that amounts
    to a broadway show) all year long. They are a very good dance studio, 
    their students (dance companies) win a lot of awards. I think an
    1/2 hour lesson is about $20 a month.
    
    Eva

    I know this is a long shot, but...
    
    I just signed my 3+ year old daughter up for dance classes for Friday
    afternoons.  (I work Mon-Thurs)  She is/was SO excited to take them.
    Well, I just got a call from the director saying that she was the only
    one signed up for the Friday afternoon class.  My only other option is
    Wednesday am (not a possibility with work) or Saturday (not really a
    possibilty with the amount of travelling on weekends that we do).  I
    was wondering if anyone knew of any dance centers with classes on
    Fridays in the Westford/Littleton/Acton/Boxboro/Chelmsford area.  I
    have tried calling a few places in the phone book, but haven't had much
    luck.  Thanks for any/all help.  (Feel free to send me EMAIL at
    LANDO::POST for any suggestions.)  I may end up going a gymnastic or
    gymboree route instead.
    
    					Thanks in advance.
    
    						--Traci

    Hi,
    
    My 8 1/2 year old daughter has expressed an interest in taking
    gymnastics ( since scheduling problems prevent us from joining the
    local cheerleading squad ).  Does anyone have any information and/or
    recommendations of centers in the So. NH ( Salem,Windham,Pelham,Methuen
    MA) area ?  How do these centers typically schedule new students ?  Can
    you generally just join anytime, or are there blocks of time where they
    sign up new students, so everyone starts learning skills at the same
    time ?  
    
    Thanks,
    Sharon ( send recommendation replies to KAHALA::FOREMAN )