‘Miss Jenny’ belts out smart tunes
Waikele Elementary first-grade teacher Jennifer Fixman Kramer, best known as “Miss Jenny,” who writes catchy tunes to teach reading and math skills to her students, has a new DVD out called “Phonics Time.”
Through 28 animated songs, “Phonics Time” teaches children basic letter sounds, rhymes and more advanced concepts, such as the “magic e.”
It is the latest addition to a growing list of products developed by Miss Jenny, which are based on the belief that children can learn more easily through music.
Other products include “Early Phonics,” “Advanced Phonics” and “We Love Math,” which are available at Education Works and bookstores throughout the isles.
Miss Jenny will offer four seminars for teachers and parents:
» Aug. 17: Using Music in the Classroom: An Overview
» Sept. 21: Using Music to Teach Phonics Concepts
» Oct. 19: Using Music to Teach Math Concepts
» Nov. 16: Linking Science, Reading and Writing With Music
The seminars are from 6 to 7 p.m. at Education Works, next to the Dole Cannery theaters in Iwilei. Seminars cost $5 (and every attendee will receive a $5 coupon toward Miss Jenny’s products).
Call Education Works at 237-5351 for more information. Samples of songs can be found at www.edutunes.com.
— Nina Wu
Shinto shrine offers blessings for students heading back to school
In a back-to-school tradition that dates back centuries, a local Japanese Shinto shrine will hold a blessing for students from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.
The ceremony will be at Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu, modeled after a shrine in southern Japan that celebrates a government official in ancient Japan who is considered “the deity of education,” said a volunteer at the Hawaii shrine. The official, Michizane Sugawara, fell from grace because of political machinations and was exiled, but posthumously became the object of an “almost cultlike” reverence for his scholarly achievement, said the volunteer, who asked not to be identified.
“For some 1,800 years, students have been going to the shrine (in Japan) to receive divine blessings for their learning (and) to become more enthused about education,” the volunteer said. “We’ve continued that tradition here in Hawaii.”
The 10-minute ceremony is performed in traditional Shinto style, with a priest cleansing students of negative energies and blessing them with positive energy. Students of all faiths may participate.
The Hawaii Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine is at 1239 Olomea St. For information, call 841-4755 or visit www.e-shrine.org.
— Steven Mark
Honolulu in top 10 for family living
Honolulu is No. 7 on Parenting Magazine’s annual top 10 list “Best Cities for Families,” rising from No. 26 last year.
The cities in the survey were ranked according to data from 84 categories, including quality of schools, affordable homes, low crime rates, jobs and parkland. A total of 100 cities were ranked.
Parenting Magazine called Honolulu a tropical paradise with “clean air, loads of sun and surf, and state obesity rates well below the national average.” The magazine also cited Honolulu’s low unemployment rate, an “under-23-minute commute” and the lowest property taxes on the list as well as the lowest crime rate of the top 10 winners.
The magazine also mentioned that 14 public schools have received the Department of Education Blue Ribbon School Designation for Excellence.
The top 10 list follows:
1. Washington
2. Austin, Texas
3. Boston
4. St. Paul/Minneapolis
5. Des Moines, Iowa
6. Madison, Wis.
7. Honolulu
8. Omaha, Neb.
9. Seattle
10. Louisville, Ky.
For the complete list of 100 cities, visit www.parenting.com/article/2011-best-cities-to-live.
Free inspections offered for car seats
Is your child car seat or booster seat installed correctly?
You can find out for sure by having it checked by Child Passenger Safety Technicians at Windward United Church of Christ from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. today. The technicians are certified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Traffic crashes have been cited as the leading cause of death for children over the age of 1, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Up to 80 percent of child car seats and boosters are not installed or used correctly, the group said.
The inspections, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, are aimed at reducing deaths resulting from improperly installed child car seats.
Windward United Church of Christ is at 38 Kaneohe Bay Drive. Inspections will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Call 432-8938 for more information.
Kaiser Permanente will also be doing free car seat inspections by appointment from 3:30 to 6 p.m. on Aug. 26 at its Waipio Clinic, 3288 Moanalua Road. Call 432-2260.
