Pianos and a plastic baby

[primsong]

Big day for my darlin' daughter - we got a Yamaha Clavinova digital piano today, and she is utterly delighted to finally have the tools she needs to compose her music as it ought to be, different instruments and all. It sounds *sooo* neat! I want her first cd. :-D The "regular" piano has been moved downstairs for her younger sister to practice on - she couldn't wait to play it -

BUT

She had a baby to take care of. A plastic baby. A plastic, computerized, realistic baby that cries, needs to be changed, fed, burped and held. It will record if it has been frightened by loud noises, hit or otherwise "abused," or if it was left for a long time without being cared for. It's really quite amazing... They have 10 of these at the school and volunteers for extra credit get to take one home and care for it round the clock for 2-3 days. Gives them a real glimpse of what it's like to have an infant!

Results so far? "I'm *never* having children!" Hee hee... And "Mom! Help! How do I burp him?!" as the infant wails with it's very realistic cry, getting louder.

Haha!

Comments

[voontah.livejournal.com]

And we had to make due with an egg (which my class partner promptly lost).

[primsong.livejournal.com]

Yes! That's what we had in our school also. I didn't have to do it, but I remember my brother having to tote around an egg for an entire week. He abused his egg when he took to decorating it with a face, etc. and one of the pens cracked it a little. I know of another school that used bags of flour swaddled in a baby blanket.

I'll be going to wake her for school in a few minutes - we'll see how she survived the first night.

[solodancer.livejournal.com]

ha!! Tori's freshman year she was supposed to take one of those home for Health class. It wasn't extra credit though, it was part of the grade for the class. She was so irritated. She said, I'm too busy (and she was, she had volleyball practice almost every night of the week and homework and youth events, etc) to take care of a baby! And besides, I'm not having sex so I'm not going to have to figure out how to balance all that with a baby. Why should I be punished when I'm not doing anything to deserve it!?

She had a point and I agreed with her. So...I opted her out of the program. I'm sure the teacher thought I was bein naive, but I know my daughter. She knows she's too busy to have a baby in her life and she plans on keeping it that way for quite some time.

She tells me that she will be a very good aunt some day.

[primsong.livejournal.com]

You'd think they'd reserve them for the girls who seem more at risk, but then how to they pick them without outcry and denial? Sigh... I love the brand name written on "Junior's" little tee-shirt - "Think It Over Baby"

The girl babies are easier to care for than the boys, LOL... she tried to get a girl but they were all gone already, hence this little finicky boy.

[estellye.livejournal.com]

My brother and sister-in-law have a clavinova and it's a very cool piece of technology. I like that it plays with a realistic piano feel and it sounds wonderful. She's going to love it! I remember the old electric organs. You could push a button and it was supposed to sound like trumpets or violins or french horns. It always sounded like an organ to me, lol.


That "baby" is hilarious! What a cool teaching tool and a good experience. I agree with Solodancer's decision, though. The kids who take the responsibility seriously, are probably not the ones who will need it. I'm sure any child of yours could opt out if it weren't for that tempting extra credit.

[primsong.livejournal.com]

The school has so few that they go to volunteers for credit first come, first serve. She has straight A's but was curious to try it - I'm not sure if she's regretting that now, heh. She was bleary this morning - "Junior" had kept her up past 11, woke her up at 1 a.m. and didn't let her sleep again until 3. Sounds like a baby to me!

It's pretty cute - it even snores lightly when it's asleep.

And yes, the Clavinova is fabulous! We had to set a kitchen timer so the kids could each have turns playing with it, everyone wanted to at once. My grandma had one of those parlour organs, with a button that said "ROCK" and another that said "POLKA" and so on - yup. All the instruments sounded like an organ to me too, LOL! This one is an entirely different creature - wow.

[my-cocoon.livejournal.com]

Shelly is due next weekend.... Rose could try out her "talents" with a real one too ;-{>

[primsong.livejournal.com]

Hoorah for your expanding family! :-)

At this point, Rose has concluded she doesn't even want to work in the church nursery, LOL - not her cup of tea, at least not at this point in her life. She is holding up well, though - 3 of the 4 boys and one girl that took them home have returned them after only one day, too frustrated with trying to care for them. This is now day 2 and "Junior" is still with us.