The Laurie Berkner Band Blog

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day, everyone! 

We are thrilled to celebrate our wonderful Earth today (and everyday!)

One of the great things about being a kid is all the fun things you can do to help the environment AND have a great time doing it.

Here are some fun, Earth-friendly activities:

1) Go for a walk and pick up litter.  Don't forget to sort between recyclable material and landfill garbage - you can even drop off compostable things at your local compost drop-off! You can play games while you do it, too - try "I Spy" or see who can pick up the most litter!

2) Make an eco-friendly snack. Go to your local Farmer's Market and pick out local and organic foods, then go home and start cookin'. 

3) Use those old bottles or egg cartons to make planters! First, get some seeds (we like Seeds of Change). If you're using a plastic soda bottle, have a grownup help cut the top off so you are left with the bottom 5-6". Next, decorate your bottle bottom with such recycled things as cardboard from cereal boxes (color or paint it!), pieces of cloth from old clothing, pictures from magazines or catalogues, etc. Poke small holes in the bottom.  Then, fill your planter with dirt and plant your seeds! Egg cartons make excellent herb gardens :)

4) Have old CD's and records lying around?  Make this clock!

5) Take some time to talk about nature, why it's important, why we are thankful for it, and ways we can help make it strong and healthy.  Read books, tell stories, and think about what would life be like without trees and nature. It feels good to give thanks!

6) Listen to this song!

Can You Imagine?

7) Next time you want to buy a toy, think about going home and making one, instead!  It's really fun to figure out what you love about a toy, and then recreate it for yourself. You can make trucks out of toilet paper rolls and dolls out of old clothing.

8) Reuse old baby food jars to make beautiful candle holders for your home or gifts!

Enjoy, and let us know what you do today!

Obstacle Course

Throw on some music and get ready to race!

It's easy to make a fun obstacle course at home, and it's a great way to create an exciting indoor activity for these chilly months!

Here's what you need to do:

1) Pick a space

The bigger, the better!  Living rooms and playrooms are perfect.  Make sure you clear away any items that could be bumped or stepped on before you start, and be sure the space is safe!  Setting up pillows near corners or couch feet is a good idea.

2) Gather supplies!  Some good obstacle course items include:

• couch pillows
• hula hoops
• trampolines (the small ones!)
• batons/hockey sticks/baseball bats/other types of long sticks
• small tables
• jump rope
• several pieces of newspaper
• beanbags or stuffed animals
• Stop watch

3) Set up the events!

You can get VERY creative with your course, but here are a few suggestions:

• Stagger 4-5 couch pillows in front of each other, and jump from one to the other.  You can make special rules like if you fall off or touch the ground, you have to start over.
  
• You can also use couch pillows to make a tunnel - use 3 pillows to make 2 walls and a roof, and try to go under it without knocking it over - if you do, you have to set it back up and start over!
  
• Hula hoops can either be placed on the floor in front of each other, and the course-runner can jump into each, or a helper can hold them sideways and the course-runner can crawl through them.
• Trampolines - have the course-runner jump 15 times on the trampoline (try it on one leg, or alternating!)
• Have a helper hold your hockey stick (or other long stick) low to the ground, and have the course-runner either jump over it or LIMBO under it.
• The course runner should shimmy/army-crawl under the table - for more fun, cover it with a blanket to make an enclosed tunnel.
• Have the course runner walk a short distance using the 3 pieces of newspaper - he or she must always step on a piece of newspaper, so to move forward, he or she must pick up the last paper stepped on and place it in front of his or her feet.  (This one can get VERY silly!)
• Place beanbags or soft stuffed animals in a line, and have the course runner weave in and out!

4) Explain the rules to everyone playing, and be sure to have a grown-up around to make sure everything is safe.  You can have your grown-up time you to see how long it takes, or just practice using your body in different ways.

5) Make it a more fun team-effort by creating a relay (when one course-runner is done, pass a "baton" to the next person.  You even can have your grown-up time you and try to beat your collective time!)

Last week, Laurie's daughter Lucy made a course for her doll using things like straws, measuring cups, and rubber bands.  You can try this with stuffed animals or action figures - why not even try mimicking your own course in miniature?

Have fun, and remember to be sure everything is safe before you start!

December Contests: Week 4 Winner!

Wow, we've had a ton of fun reading all the great responses to our contests this month.  The holidays are almost over, and we can't wait to jump into 2011!

The contest question this week asked about your favorite New Years Eve traditions! 

Our winner this week was:

Tabitha

With this great idea:

To remember the past year, we make a picture collage of the past year. We put both the good and the tough times in the collage (like the birth of our newest child and birthdays, or my oldest going through surgery again., and any times that we want to remember (my oldest really playing in the snow for the first time). We put the collages in our children's memory books so that they will always have them to look back on. Looking forward to the next year, we don't make resolutions. Resolutions often get broken. Instead, we get together as a family and set goals for ourselves. We talk about where we want to head as a family. For example, this year we want "daddy" to finish his dissertation and graduate from school. We would also like to work on adding another member to the family-- a little brother or sister. Also, we would like to reunite as a family-- my husband works to far away to commute, and we currently own our house, so we are apart a lot. So this year our goal is to find a way to be together again. When you set goals you tend to reach for them-- they are very positive things. Of course, to celebrate we do the usual-- aglio olio dinner, champagne and sparkling grape juice toast, banging pots and pans at midnight, and a big feast after midnight (we are big Italian family, so lots of food involved!) It is lots of fun!

And the runners up were:

Andrea T, Britt D., Marcus Johnson, Kate E., and Natalie

With these fun ideas:

Britt D:

On New Year's Eve, our family likes to spend time with our friends.  We have a close knit group of 6 familes and there is 9 children all under the age of 5.  We like to get together for dinner, somthing easy and fun-pizza, pasta bar, pot luck.  We do a holiday grab with the kids and play music (especially LBB!!) and we dance!  We do an early toast with the adults and have sparkling cider for the kiddos.  It's an early night for us all but it is so much fun!!
 
To remember last year, my husband and I like to look through old photos of the year, especially since our son is 20 months old we like to look at photos from his birth on.  We also make a family New Year's resolution.  Our resolution this year is to make sure we have more family sit-down meals.  It's hard with our work schedules but we want to make a true effort to make it happen.
 
We hope everyone in the LBB and their families have a Happy New Year!!
 
Happy Holidays!
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Marcus Johnson:

Our New Year's Eve consists of one thing: FIREWORKS!! We would go outside late at night and throw snappers, send bottle rockets to the moon, and light sparklers to brighten the night sky. As far as remembering the previous year, we don't really focus on that...we're too busy looking at what's ahead, because that's where our best days are located. If the fates allow, my family and I hope to see you all in 2011! Much love.

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Kate E.:

On the morning of New Year's Eve, we do some type of fun physical activity as a family. If we have snow, we go sledding or if not, we go for a hike. Then we settle in with some hot chocolate and finger sandwiches to watch family videos from the year. Our 3 sons love seeing & remembering everything they were up to during the year. Our local bowling alley has an early New Year's Eve party for families, so we bowl, eat pizza and countdown to the New Year at 8 pm. Our 10 year old wants to try to make it to midnight this year, so we'll see how long he lasts! Our 2 youngest will be sound asleep when the new year rolls in, but the rest of us will bang our pots outside and call relatives who live far away to wish everyone a Happy New Year!!!! After everyone sleeps, we'll make brunch together on New Year's Day and talk about what we hope the new year will hold for our family. Then we watch the parades and get outside for some more family fun!
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Natalie:

First, we turn off the computers, then we make Popcorn and watch old movies and picture albums of relatives to remember those who have gone. We also play family games, (usually board games). We (kids included) stay up late and like to watch the ball drop at times square on TV. It is also fun to watch other time zones celebrate New Years!

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Andrea T:

We celebrate New Year's with a few close friends at a house party (where kids are not only allowed, but encouraged!) We all put on our party hats, blow our noisemakers, dance to kid-friendly music, and play kid-friendly video games on a big-screen. We ask everybody young and old to remember the best parts of the year before our apple juice toast to the New Year at ~9 p.m. (Then all the parents send our littlest ones off to slumber in a spare bedroom). The grown-ups party on with Dick Clark on t.v. until the ball drops!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

I'm Gonna Catch You

 

Happy Halloween!

Our pumpkins are carved, we're finishing up our Halloween costumes, we have some fresh batches of pumpkin seeds, and we're all set for Halloween!

We hope you have an awesome time this Sunday - and we want to know all about your costumes!  Please be sure to post your photos on our Facebook page and let us know how you made them/where you found them.

Need Laurie Berkner Band Halloween costume ideas?  Click Here!

How about some great fall-themed activities? Click Here!

Having a pumpkin day? Check out some pumpkin-themed ideas and tips by clicking here!

Don't forget to check out our Halloween Webcast.

Happy Halloween - be safe, have fun, and don't forget to munch on a couple of healthy snacks in between all those sweets :)

Pumpkintivities!

Mmmm... pumpkins.  We really love pumpkins.  There are so many things you can do with them!  They smell good (don't they remind you of all the yummy things about autumn?!), they taste good (Pumpkin pie... need we say more?), they look good, and they even FEEL good (that pulp is pretty fun, huh?)

Below are some of our favorite pumpkin activities that we'd love to share with you this Autumn!  We hope you enjoy them, and please tell us about YOUR great pumpkin ideas!

Decorating

If carving a pumpkin is a little too much for little hands, you can substitute a knife for:

1) A paintbrush and paints

Make a face, a landscape, or a spooky Halloween picture.  You can also simply paint the pumpkin a different color - a purple pumpkin? WOW!

2) Toothpicks and veggies

Make a "Mr. Potatohead"-like pumpkin by skewering different fruits and veggies into a fun face.  Use baby carrots for a nose, radish disks with grapes in the middle for eyes, or make a mouth with some bok-choy!  You can also make a fun veggie-platter by sticking dip-able favorites into a fun pattern on pumpkins for your guests to enjoy.  Who says you can't play with your food?

3) Glue and sparkles, felt, foam shapes, googly eyes, or even construction paper!

Even the smallest pumpkin-enthusiasts can put together a beautiful pumpkin masterpiece with some household craft supplies.  Practice making shapes, seeing how the pumpkin's shape affects placement, and working on spatial relations!  Then, proudly display your masterpiece for all to see!

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Playing

1) Pulp

If you've carved a pumpkin, you probably have a big bowl of squishy, seedy pulp waiting to be used.  Simply spread out a layer of newspapers on the ground or table and dig in!  Feel the way it squishes between your fingers.  Use scrap paper and a scoop of pulp to "paint" orangey pictures with using your fingers.  Try slopping the pulp into your hands to make funny noises.

2) Seeds

Pick out the seeds from the pulp and arrange them into fun shapes on scrap paper.  Notice how they leave a little orange mark, and experiment with making pictures this way.  If you are outside, try squeezing the seeds between two fingers and shooting them  into a cup or bowl (like pumpkin Tiddly-winks!)

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Eating

1) Pumpkin Seeds

When you're finished playing with the seeds (assuming they haven't traveled too far from the bowl or gotten too dirty!), wash them and remove all the pulp from them.  Preheat the oven at 350 degrees and dry the seeds on a paper towel.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or sprinkle with olive oil or vegetable oil in an even layer.  Spread the seeds on the sheet in one layer, and bake for 10-20 minutes, or until the seeds are golden brown. Sprinkle with a little salt or other spices and serve!

2) Pumpkin Gnocchi

Cut the shell of your pumpkin into medium-sized chunks, sprinkle with a little olive oil, and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, until the meat is tender.  Remove from oven and cool.  Scrape the meat from the skin and mash together into a smooth pulp.  In a large bowl, mix 1 cup flour, 1 egg, 1/2 cup pumpkin meat, a sprinkle of nutmeg, and a pinch of salt into a dough (add flour if it is too sticky).  Roll 1/4"-1/2" logs of the dough onto a floured surface, and cut into gnocchi-sized dough balls (about the size of a quarter).  Boil water in a pot and add salt.  Add gnocchi. In a pan, heat your sauce (fresh sage and butter/olive oil is delicious, but you can use any favorite pasta sauce!).  Gnocchi is finished boiling when it floats to the top.  Add to saucepan as gnocchi finishes cooking.  Serve and enjoy!

 

 

"You Time"

Being a parent/caregiver can mean you are constantly scrambling for a little "you time" - We asked our Facebook fans for ideas to create a safe, fun experience for your little ones - here are some of the responses!  Thanks to everyone who participated!

Cynthia Villar Vitale
Edible play-dough! I love the Pillsbury crescent/pizza dough - I roll up a small amount into a ball, and give one to each of my girls... They create whatever masterpieces they want (most recently a basket filled with 'cherries' and then I bake it, and they eat it! It keeps them busy while I am cooking, and keeps them in the kitchen with me for some quality time!

Kellie Jorgensen Schultz
I have a huge tupperware 3/4 of the way filled with dry beans (pinto?). Also in the tupperware are shovels, measuring cups, little cups, etc. The kids dig, pour, pile, to their hearts content. When they are finished we just put the lid on & put it away!

Jana Cheney Kirby
I have a "bucket" that the kids will sit down with. It has items like beans, uncooked pasta, buttons, pipe cleaners (and so on) that the kids will glue on paper. They make collages while I make dinner :)

Kina N Jason Reid
I place a piece of paper inside a large gallon size ziplock bag, then get a moist sponge, cut it into a couple smaller peices and squirt a little paint on them. Seal the bag, and let the kids start pounding away. It looks really cool when the paint splatters and it makes a neat picture, but best of all, the mess is conatined within the bag and when you are done you can throw it away without having to hose down your table and your toddler!

Dawn Leone Van Brunt
I give the boys the Sunday paper coupons and they flip through and find the things we buy! Then they sticky note them and I go back to cut them out! Helps me get them involved in healthy eating and saving money! Plus they feel "big" for helping me shop!

Webcast

Today, Laurie showed up at the office with a feathery hat.

A little while later, Bobby Golden rode to the office on his brand new electric bike with a cowboy hat and costume in his backpack.

Shortly after that, Lucy (Laurie's daughter) came to the office with a leopard headband and dress in HER backpack.

We moved the couch to a new position, put some cool Halloween curtains up behind it, and everyone got changed into their costumes!

Laurie tuned her guitar, Bobby found some excellent shaky eggs, and Lucy practiced her dance moves while Corinne, Shannon, and Katie (Laurie's helpers) set up lights and a camera.

"WHY!?", you ask?

Well, because today we are shooting a very special new webcast just in time for Halloween!  We are very excited about our upcoming season of webcasts, because we have some new and special segments that we can't wait to share with you!

The webcast will air on October 28th on our website! For past webcasts, click here!

Stay tuned for the webcast, where we'll talk about Bobby's, Lucy's, and Laurie's costumes, play games, sing songs, and much more!

Finger Play!

We love finger play songs!  (Finger Play Songs = songs that are accompanied by hand or body movements)

It feels really good to be able to act out songs, and it's a fun way to teach music to kids who aren't ready to talk/sing yet, but who want to rock out!

Did you know that the LBB has a lot of finger play songs?  Some of them can be seen with the hand motions in videos, and many others are great for making up your OWN motions!

You can see the moves for "Open Your Heart" on our Valentine's Day webcast

You can also see the finger play for "Moon Moon Moon" by clicking here

Another fun song to do finger play to (instructions are in the song!) is "These Are My Glasses", which is on Whaddaya Think of That?

09 These Are My Glasses

Want to make up your OWN finger play?  Here are some songs that are great for hand and body motions:

Under a Shady Tree:

• “Drive my Car” (find Laurie's movements in the liner notes of this album!)
  
• “Who’s That?”
• “Blow a Kiss”

Victor Vito:

• “The Crabs”

Buzz Buzz:

• "Telephone" 
  
• “Lots of Little Pigs” (try using toes as pigs!)

Whaddaya Think of That?:

• “I’m a Little Snowflake”
• “What Falls in the Fall?”  

Tomorrow is Day 5!!

Hi everyone!

Just a friendly reminder that tomorrow is the halfway point for our "10 Days of Giveaways" contest!

If you haven't heard about it yet, now's the time - prizes are getting better everyday!

Tomorrow, you will be able to win an autographed poster from the whole band.

On Friday, you can win your choice of our 3 books, autographed by Laurie!

On Saturday, we'll be giving winners signed DVD's

Sunday brings autographed T-Shirts

Monday's prize is a MONTH'S SUPPLY of Honest Kids from Honest Tea

And Tuesday will bring one lucky winner an awesome LBB gift basket, a 6 MONTH SUPPLY of Honest Kids, and an autographed copy of "The Best of the Laurie Berkner Band"!!!!!!

For more info on the contest, check out our Facebook Page and our event: http://www.facebook.com/LaurieBerknerBand?v=app_2344061033#!/event.php?eid=131235513571222&index=1

GOOD LUCK!

Make a Variety Show!

It's a rainy evening here in New York City, and on rainy days nothing is better than a creative indoor project.

Everyone (big and small) has a story, a talent, or something to share, so why not express them by putting on a Variety Show?

All you need to do it gather mom, dad, your babysitter, siblings, friends, and anyone else who might be around!  Everyone might want to participate, or some might just want to be the audience.

Create your show by gathering all your ideas and special skills and putting them together.  You can:

• Dance
• Make a song
• Play some instruments and make up words (See our making-musical instruments post!)
• Make puppets (socks are great for this!) and do a puppet sketch
• Show off your artwork
• Show off your special skills (hula-hooping, standing on one foot, ball-bouncing, crossing your eyes, making funny faces, etc)
• Whatever showcases YOU!

If you're feeling especially creative, you can make a set, costumes, and even do special lighting (for example, make a spotlight with a desk lamp).  Put on fun clothing, make signs pointing your audience where to go, or put on songs you love to play between acts.  It can be really fun to have an announcer or MC between acts.  You can also design your own tickets to your show!

If you want to share your shows with us, video tape them and send them to us at [email protected]!  If you'd like us to share them on Facebook, just let us know in the e-mail!

Break a leg!