What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the word “music?”

Most of us focus on the entertainment aspect: we listen to music or make music to have fun and relax. We talk with our friends about our favorite bands and songs, we share playlists on social media outlets. We listen to the radio in the car to make commute time a bit easier. Some of us even goof around and dance with our kids to their favorite tunes. Music helps us have a good time.

Musi...

Posted on March 04, 2013 at 6:00 AM by Suzuki-Orff School of Music

Poetry has been a part of my life since I was a kid. Now, as the host of the weekly Poemtime series at the Poetry Foundation, I help bring poetry to life for kids and kick-start an early interest in poems.

Here are some tips I’d like to share for introducing poetry to your kids at home:

Mix it up –It’s no secret that kids get restless quickly, so one thing I like to do is have a variety of poems ready: long, short, classic, new. Rather than read from an a...

Posted on December 19, 2012 at 6:00 AM by Dylan Swisher

I’m always fascinated by the hype surrounding Chanukah (or Hanukah, or Hanukkah…) because, in terms of Judaism, it’s a pretty minor holiday.  I think it gets a lot of press because of its proximity in the calendar to Christmas and, as Jews assimilated to life in the U.S., especially after WWII, they needed something comparable to make themselves feel more a part of this society.  But how to explain this to my young kids who walk around in December seeing all of...

Posted on December 20, 2011 at 7:45 AM by Beth Cohen-Dorfman

One of the best part of living in the city is the opportunity to learn about and experience so many different cultural traditions. NPN has started a new blog series to highlight some of the various cultures and traditions that you may want to share with your family! Today's topic- Diwali, the festival of lights from India.

I love celebrations and November is a great month for our family.  During the last week of October, we celebrated Diwali and our new year Sal Mubarak. Diwal...

Posted on November 08, 2011 at 9:25 AM by Maulee Tolia