Parents Guide of Las Vegas

Features
Music and Young Children
Benefits of Early Childhood Education
Cashing in on Clutter: Consignment and More
Integrity Taekwondo
City Lights Music Together
Do Musical Toys Teach Musicianship?
Getting to Know Family Music
Kumon Centers Develop Academic Excellence
Nevada State College
The Power of Listening:
Goal Setting
Daycare/Preschool Directory

Departments
September 2009 Letter from the publisher
Contest Winners
Dining Out
Recommended Reading
Featured Teacher: Mrs. Mary Luna
Roper Report
NevadaPEP

Dear Parents,

Thank you once again for spending a few minutes with ParentsGuide of Las Vegas. The magazine continues to get better each month. The support of our advertisers, and the response from our readers, is overwhelming. I realize a very large part of our success is the direct result of the relevant content that we provide each month.

I would like to make special mention of our team of local editorial contributors. Dr. Sabra Smith, Jincy Dean, Cassie Rice, Carey Creel Roper, and Audrey Sherwood are all Las Vegans who are able to provide superior insight into what local parents should know.

I don’t have room to review the credentials of each of our local contributors, but suffice it to say they are experts in their fields. I am confident that you will enjoy reading their columns each month.

This month we are focusing on music. It is has been said that music is another language and that it is a universal language. How much richer our children are for the experience of learning to appreciate music, and in many cases, learning to sing and play music?

Please enjoy the time you have to spend with ParentsGuide.

Best,

Mark Sherwood, Publisher

These 2009 Harvest Festival contest winners received tickets just for signing up on
www.ParentsGuideLV.com:

Shirin Weisman Stacey Risolio Kim McPherson-Kreitter Maire Kubik Abeda Agier-Merazada Maria-Luisa Martina Channing Mason Sarah Jones

Denise Wideen won the ParentsGuide of Las Vegas August birthday party
contest for a Free birthday
party at SkyZone or 
LV Mini Gran Prix.

There are a couple annual events not to miss this month that are great fun for the whole family. If you plan ahead you can even save some money. If you’re ready for some Italian culture, food and entertainment head to the 39th Annual San Gennaro Feast, Sept. 15th-20th. On Tuesday, opening night, check out the Gigantic Fireworks display at 9pm and Moms ride FREE on all carnival rides, a family tradition because San Gennaro loves moms. As they enjoy giving back to the community, look for free money given away daily! Try the mouth-watering sausage and peppers, pasta, pasta and more pasta!

Be a Greek for a Day! The 37th Annual Greek Food Festival, running Thurs, 9/17- Sun. 9/20 has some of the best aromas and festival fare around. The Honey puff doughnuts, Greek fries and homemade baklava are to die for. The church sells a coupon book valued at $22 for just $17 that includes admission, a combination plate; sampling some of the most authentic & delicious Greek cuisine, plus a soft drink.

Dining out in this economy is a real treat, saving more than you expected, even better!

I’ve found some great deals this month at local restaurants.

Black Mountain Grill, a favorite neighborhood restaurant, is doing a Buy One Entrée Get One Free, daily from 3:30 pm – 5:30pm. Definitely take advantage of this one, while it lasts! The eclectic menu features incredible nightly specials, which change weekly, such as their melt in your mouth, buttery Miso Sea Bass and Crab-Stuffed Filet for example. Beware of the irresistible dessert tray upon entrance!

Balboa Pizza Company at the District, Green Valley Ranch, has two great promotions: Tuesday night is Buy One Pizza, Get One Free (with the purchase of 2 beverages) from 4pm-12am. Same time on Wednesday nights, enjoy ½ off their full rack of ribs. I have to say, these Hula Luau Baby Back Ribs are the best ribs I’ve found and the Maui Waui fries compliment them perfectly.

Mimmo Ferraro’s on W. Flamingo: I’ve always loved this Italian restaurant at full price, but now locals can save a whopping 35% off just for showing local ID. No coupon or gift certificate required. Splurge on the award winning Osso Buco. Here you’ll find Italian cooking is truly an art. Look for their new location on Paradise, opening this fall.

LBS: A Burger Joint, at Red Rock Casino has an amazing deal that’s better than your average Happy Hour; Enjoy ½ off EVERYTHING on the menu 3-6pm, Monday – Friday. Specializing in beef burgers made from all natural 21 day dry-aged beef, offering the “Do It Yourself” for ultimate burger customization!

I love chicken wings, boneless even better. Wingstop – The Wing Experts is cooking up 50cent boneless wings on Mondays & Tuesdays! Troy Aikman was right when he dubbed them the best wings he’s ever had in his life. Try the lemon pepper and garlic parmesan paired with their specially seasoned fries with homemade ranch for dipping.

If you know of any special dining promotions, please send them in. Look for our exciting new “Kids Dining Out Calendar” premiering next month in the October issue of ParentsGuide.

If you would like to have Lauren feature a restaurant in next month’s “Dining Out” column send her an e‑mail Dine@ParentsGuideLV.com.

By Dr. Sabra R. Smith

It is quite evident that with the haze and craze of ‘Back to School,’ parents have been faced with such pivotal decisions as, “Which school should I send my child to this year?”, “What program will offer my child the best learning opportunity in a fun and safe environment?”, and “What activities should I expose my child to now in an effort to ensure his or her success in the future?” Unfortunately, with such focused attention on academia and cognition, many of us have taken little time, if any, to entertain the importance of music and the arts on the overall growth and development of our children. Did you know that music fosters growth on all levels including social, emotional, physical, and cognitive?

Not only is music an instinctive, universal language that children grow to love and rely upon, but it is also a viable means of self expression. Children use music to express themselves when they want to hear their favorite lullaby sung to them by a loved one, when they feel the need to listen to soft melodies as they fall off to sleep, when they create beats and rhythms using musical instruments in a fun or learning environment, or when they intuitively sing and dance to their favorite song. Through the use of a myriad of harmonious sounds, engaging rhythms, and creative melodies, music affords children of all backgrounds the ability to connect to themselves and to one another, cultivating a sense of unity and oneness, an important quality of self-realization and socialization.

In addition to its socio-emotional and physical aspects, music also develops higher thinking skills and is a sure way for children to experience body-mind integration, a critical factor in readiness and mastery of such subjects as reading, writing, and arithmetic. Scientific studies have shown the side of the brain that lights up with such tasks as working math problems or performing spatial reasoning functions like putting together a puzzle or matching geometric patterns is the same side of the brain that lights up when reading and playing music. Thus, whether it is in learning to sing or to play, music has the ability to enhance reasoning and other higher order thinking skills like analysis and creativity.

What would happen if all children, like learning the ABC’s and 123’s, were exposed to singing or playing instruments at an early age? How many Wolfgang Amadeus Mozarts would we have in our schools, communities and society-at-large, who by the age of four, could pick out tunes on the piano and by the ripe old age of five was composing his own songs? Needless to say, Mozart was also excellent in arithmetic. While I am in no way purporting that all young children exposed to music will become musical protégés or mathematicians, I am suggesting that music is something parents should consider when determining what experiences to engage their young children in as a means to promote overall growth and development with the potential of having a lasting, powerful impact.

Dr. Sabra R. Smith has her Doctorate in Education and is Lead Administrator and Director of Education for John Robert Powers Las Vegas. She is also author of the book, Innermost Parts: Theory of Spiritual Relativity, Law of the Abundant Life. To contact Dr. Smith call: (702) 429-7487 or (702) 364-9900.