by Holly Lesnick (aka Ms. Holly)

My 8 year old son Aiden and I have a daily morning ritual. Before I’m allowed to even get up and out of bed, my husband cuddles him while carrying him to our room. Aiden crawls on me, and we cuddle and hug for a long time. Before that, I am always groggy, and tired and craving my coffee… but something happens after that hug. It invigorates me, and brings me a sense of happiness and peace. I’ve always had a feeling it does the same for him too.

Well today, I came across a simple article at benefitof.net, on the health benefits of cuddling, and it confirmed what I already knew to be true! Cuddling has many health benefits!

I’ve learned through this article, that cuddling reduces stress and induces oxytocin release. Oxytocin is produced primarily in the hypothalamus and acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain. This article also states that cuddling actually lowers blood pressure, along with improving mood and relationships. Well, no wonder I’m better after my daily morning hug with Aiden, then before it!

In Kindermusik class at Grow and Sing Studios, we have what we call “quiet time”. I dim the lights, grab my guitar, and asked parents to take their child to their own space in the room where they can bond together. I quietly walk around and serenade, leading these quietly bonding families in song. I spend many moments educating parents that relaxation is a learned behavior and that the earlier we learn to relax the better. Well, in addition to this benefit, in every class, families are enjoying the health benefits of cuddling as well.

So try to get in some cuddles today, and get healthy!

Ms. Holly at Grow and Sing Studios cuddling with her son Aiden.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! We hope you enjoyed your day with your family and your precious little ones.

We are about to begin our final week of Spring Kindermusik classes. Summer classes resume the week of June 17th so we will be on a break. THIS IS A PERFECT WEEK to do a free preview class to see what our classes are like, or if you are in our classes, to bring a friend!!

Tuesdays – Avalon Park, Dr. Phillips, Port Orange

Wednesdays – UCF/Oviedo, Hunter’s Creek, Port Orange

Thursdays – UCF/Oviedo, Lake Nona, Deland

Fridays – Downtown

To find out what classes are available this week and to schedule your preview class contact us at 407-970-2774 or email us at .

Come see what we are SO excited about!
Grow and Sing Studios
“Connecting Families Through the Magic of Music”

We are SO excited to announce that our brand new website is LIVE. This new Grow and Sing Studios website works on ALL devices, from smartphones to tablets/ipads to computers! Check it out! It’s now much easier to navigate from anywhere and enrollment is easy!

We want to give a huge thanks to Rhubarb Productions for creating our site, and all their guidance and patience through the process. Our studio is pretty busy these days, with a lot of offerings and locations and it took a lot of work to get our page just right!

Our new Grow and Sing Studios page at www.growandsing.com lists all our class options, piano lessons, birthday parties, and SO much more. Read what parents are saying, learn about our staff, and view our gallery of pictures. We also have beautiful pages dedicated to our new programs, Simply Music Piano Lessons and New Mommy Meetup mommy and me classes.

Grow and Sing Studios
“Connecting Families Through the Magic of Music”

Photo by Rachel V Photography: http://rachelvphotography.com

We are celebrating a milestone! We have just reached 1000 “likes” on our Facebook page. To celebrate our amazing Grow and Sing Studios community, and thank you for all the support, we are going to have some FUN and give away HUGE prizes (and little prizes too)! :)

To participate, please share a photo or video on our facebook wall of any of the following:
Your child (with you perhaps)

• Enjoying Kindermusik in class
• Using Kindermusik materials at home
• Enjoying some music or musical instruments
• dancing/singing
• other musical and bonding activities
• funny musical moments

(you get the idea!!)

This photo contest will run through May 15th.  ONE entry per family!

On May 16th the following prizes will be given away:
1) Winner of “most creative picture/video” will win a $200 Grow and Sing Studios gift certificate which can be applied to classes, birthday party, or any other Grow and Sing Studios service. This prize may be gifted!
2) Another winner will be picked at random draw for a $95 free summer semester (or if you are already enrolled in summer, you can apply this credit to another service). This prize may be gifted!
3) 10 more names will be randomly drawn to each win a 10 song download card to play.kindermusik.com (Kindermusik’s e-music site)
4) 2 more names will be drawn for out-of -towners only to each win a copy of “Connect Through Music“, our music and movement DVD created by us!

If you do not live in the Central FL area and don’t have anyone here that you think would benefit from a prize related to free classes, please note that in your entry, and we’ll enter your name only for the download card and out of town prizes. 

We hope you will have a GREAT time with this contest ,and we can’t WAIT to see all the amazing photos we know you have, or will take. : )

We have an amazing lineup of Summer programming! From baby classes, to family style, to art and babysigning. We even have DROP OFF classes for ages 4-7 so mom can go get a starbucks and relax!!! Check out all our summer information here  and join us today!

Visit our website
Join us on facebook
Email us at

Today is a “guessing game”. There will only be one winner.

Question:
GUESS THE AMOUNT OF CHILDREN ENROLLED IN KINDERMUSIK AT GROW AND SING STUDIOS THIS SPRING (Jan – May). Hmmm… :) WHOEVER COMES CLOSEST WINS! ONE GUESS PER PERSON.

If there is a tie, the winner will be the one who answered FIRST! The prize is a fun sampler of Kindermusik fun! The winner of today’s question will receive a bag full of goodies which includes a Kindermusik CD called “Indian Elephant Tea”, Chime Ball, Blue pair of Zig Zag Blocks and a humongous scarf! WOW! :)

This question expires at midnight! The winner will be announced tomorrow! You do not have to be local to play. We’ll happily ship you your prize!!! If you’ve already won, you can STILL PLAY.. :)

GOOD LUCK!
https://www.growandsing.com
http://www.facebook.com/growandsingstudios

Spring is Coming!

Time to register for Spring classes. We are offering 25 classes in 4 different locations. Lots to choose from. Payment plans are now accepted, and coming VERY soon —- online registration!!

Click here for our classes page. Classes fill fast, and space is limited, register today! :)

I wanted to share some precious photos taken in one our Village classes.

Dream Cloud Dance

Kindermusik Village: How do you do? Pleased to meet you!

Kindermusik pumpkin!

We had a blast last week painting pumpkins in Art & Book Time class. I wanted to share a few photos!