My class took skin colored construction paper and traced
their hands on the paper that best fits their skin tone. We
cut out 10 of each child's hand (one for each friend).
Everyone exchanged their hand prints and glued the handprints
on a paper plate wreath. For the finishing touch, they cut
out 3 red hearts and glued them onto their wreaths.. And then
we go into a discussion of everyone is different. Some people
wear glasses, some people have red hair...etc.
Taki needs a sled to carry food and supplies over the ice and
snow. Cut a small pudding box at an angle. The bottom half
will be the sled. Paste two ice-cream bar sticks to the
bottom of the sled for runners. Then tape two straws on the
sides for handles. Tuck a napkin into the sled fro a warm
blanket. Taki is ready to skim over the frozen snow!
Bring in several different presents, some wrapped very
pretty, simple and then just a plain box, inside they all
have the same gift; I usually put in stickers. The children
look at the boxes we talk about them and then open them. Same
message while the presents are all wrapped different, the
inside is the same; again like people.
Bring in a dozen brown eggs and a dozen white eggs. The
children break into pairs, observe the eggs, and then open
them up. The message is very clear. While the eggs are
different on the outside, they are the same on the inside,
just like people. We then cook the eggs for a snack.
Find a record or tape of popular songs that use many
different instruments (drums, guitars, horns piano, etc.)
Give each child an imaginary instrument. Set up the stage
and turn on the music. Everyone strums, drums, blows, or
plays along (and dancers are welcome, too). Turn off the
lights and use a flashlight for special 'spotlight'
effects.
Children love music! This activity gets them involved and
helps them develop a sense of rhythm and beat.
Materials: music, flashlight (optional)
'I haven't understood a bit of music in my life, but I have
felt it.' IGOR STRAVINSKY
In a cabin in the wood, (make a roof)
Little old man at the window stood, (shade eyes)
Saw a rabbit hopping by, (make rabbit ears and hop)
Knocking at the door. (knock)
'Help me! Help me! Sir,' he said, (raise hands twice)
'Or the hunter will shoot me dead.' (make gun w. 2 hands)
'Little rabbit, come inside, (beckon)
Safely to abide.'(stroke back of one hand with the other)
Fill celery sticks with cream cheese, cheese whiz or peanut
butter. add peanuts or raisins to make the keys. Let the
children pretend to play a song on their flute before eating
it.
Sit in a circle. Each child has a turn pretending to play a
musical instrument. The other children should try to guess
what instrument is being acted out.
Present a fresh coconut to the children. Let them hold it,
shake it and tap it. Discuss the sounds they hear. Crack
open the coconut and eat the meat. Then ask the children
what you can do with the shell halves (use it as a musical
instrument of course!!) Let each child have a turn using the
shell to make music!
When mother takes her saxophone, And father his guitar.
We children run to join the fun, No matter were we are.
Joanna plays a tuning chord,And Clifford beats his drum;
Then Father says, 'Look out below. For here we come!',
You ought to hear the music then!
You'd like to hear me clash
My cymbals on each other 'til.
They clash! clash! clash!
I never want to stop you know
For, oh, it is so grand,
To clash and clash the cymbals in
Our home-style family band!
Anyone can make a terrific sound and play a tune by using
things on hand. Place a piece of paper across the back of a
comb and hold the paper tightly on both sides. Hum into the
comb. The vibration will create a note. Jum a tune to play
a song. Experiment with different kinds of paper to get the
perfect sound. Join together with other musicians and play
favorite songs. Try 'Michael Row the Boat Ashore.' On
someone's birthday, play 'Happy Birthday to You!' During the
holidays, play carols and fill the world with joy!
Materials: combs, paper
I hear bells, I hear bells
Hear them ring, hear them ring.
Ting-a-ling-a-ling-ling, Ting-a-ling-a-ling-ling
Hear them ring, hear them ring.
I hear drums....Hear them beat...Rat-a-tat-a-tat-tat.
I hear horns....Hear them blow...Beep-e-beep-e-beep-beep
I hear sirens, hear them roar..I hear phones, hear them
blow..I hear whistles, hear them blow..I hear motors, hear
them rev.
A trumpet, A trumpet, Lewis has a trumpet.
A bright one that's yellow, A loud proud horn.
He blows it in the evening, When the moon is newly rising
He blows it when it is raining,In the cold and misty morn
It honks and it whistles
It roars like a lion
It rumbles like a lion
With a wheezing huffing hum
His parents say it's awful
Oh really simply awful BUT
Lewis says he loves it, It's such a handsome trumpet
And when he's through with trumpets
He's going to buy a drum.
Use instruments and add kitchen utensils to create a musical
monsoon. Begin with the sounds of a gentle breeze and soft
rain. Slowly build up to howling winds, crashing thunder,
and a torrential downpour. Let the storm die away to light
showers. Look for the rainbow!
Darken the room to help the children enjoy the full sound
sensations of their musical monsoon.
Materials: inventive instruments, pots, pans, lids, spoons,
etc.
Play wordless music - classical, jazz, big band, or
children's melodies. Give each child paper and a black
crayon or marking pen. Ask the children to draw an
illustration of the sounds, moving from one side of the paper
to another. It is not necessary to create a line drawing.
When complete, have the children 'paint the music' by adding
any form of abstract bold colours or blends to further
illustrate the feeling of the music. Talk about how the
music makes a person feel. Listen to contrasting styles
& compare drawings. What colours seem happy? What makes
an illustration scary,slow,fun? One is never tired of
painting, because you have to set down not what know already,
but what you have just discovered.
Turn on the music and ask the children to tell you what they
'hear'. Does the music make you feel happy, sad, angry or
excited. Is this fast, slow or medium music. Play the music
once again, this time ask the children to draw or paint a
picture that tells how they felt about the music.
Use the straws with large diameters (like the ones at
McDonalds). Cut 6 or 8 straws, varying their lengths. Glue
them between two strips of decorated card.
Make parade hats for your marching band...what could be more
fun! Give each child a large piece of construction paper or
plain paper and have them decorate it. Bring the two ends
together so it forms a cylinder that fits the child's head,
staple or tape the ends together. Tape on a brim that has
been precut and you now have marching band hats!
Give each child a paper towel roll, let the children add
their own decorations, paper, glitter, paint or colour with
markers. Then attach strips of crepe paper to one end. The
children can use these when marching, moving them to the
tempo of the music.
Give each child a small sealed bag that contains peanuts in
the shell. Have them listen to Sharon, Lois and Bram's song
Peanut Butter (Smorgorsbord Tape). Then ask them to shake
the bag to the music! Can they guess what is inside of the
bag? Listen to the song again and crack open those peanuts!
A true musical snack! Have the children listen carefully as
you pop some popcorn for snack. Discuss the 'music' the
popcorn makes. Loud or soft sounds, fast or slow etc...
After enjoying this tasty treat ask the children to duplicate
the popping corn using musical instruments.
To make a rainstick from a paper towel tube, roll up a strip
of aluminum foil about a third longer than the tube. Gently
curve the foil into S curves and insert into the tube. Tape
the two ends and cover after filling tube with 1/4 to 1/2 cup
rice or macaroni, or sand, or whatever material you
choose. Decorate.
Each child finds a partner. Have the pair sit face to face
and toe to toe, holding hands. As one person leans back, the
other leans forward. Keep up this rowing motion while
singing 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat.' Then begin an adventure
across the lake or down the river. Watch out for the rapids!
Whoa, we're tipping over. Splash! Swim to shore!
Cover one side of two blocks with coarse sandpaper. Have the
children hold the blocks in their hands with the sandpaper
sides facing. They rub the blocks together while keeping the
musical tempo.
Take two styrofoam cups, fill one half full with rice or
dried beans, tape together and have the children decorate
them. Presto a musical instrument!
OR
Put a number of bells, seeds, pebbles or seeds into a paper
plate. Cover that paper plate with another and staple or
tape them together. Decorate then shake!!
Fill empty dish detergent bottles (the ones with handle's are
best) with about 1/2 cup of one of the following. (rice,
sand, lentils or beans - each will give a different sound).
Cut up squares of coloured tissue paper and paste all over
the outside of the bottle - this makes it very attractive.
Cut a hole in the lid of a shoe box and secure the lid well
to the box. Cut a hole in one end of the box large enough to
attach a cardboard tube to resemble the bridge of a guitar.
Stretch three or four rubber bands of varying thickness
around the box, across the hole in the lid. Add a bridge by
slipping an unsharpened pencil under the rubber bands. The
children pluck the rubber bands and make different musical
sounds.
1 c butter, 2 c brown sugar, 3 eggs separated, 2 squares
bitter chocolate melted, 1 c raisins, 2 t cinnamon, 1 t
cloves, 4 c sifted flour, 1 c chopped nuts, 1 c strawberry
jam, 2 t baking powder mixed in 1 c buttermilk
Cream butter & sugar. Add egg yolks and stir. Add
melted chocolate and stir. Add raisins. Add cinnamon,
cloves, and flour, stir. Stir in nuts and jam. Now add the
baking powder to the buttermilk and quickly stir into the
cake mixture. Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites.
Quickly pour mix inot greased and floured angel food cake
pan. Bake at 350 degrees until cake stops singing, about 45
minutes. Once cake is baked,the effect if over.Contributed by
Beth
After listening to the tape 'Peter and the Wolf', we decided
to make up our own musical accompaniment to the story
'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'. We used an assortment of
percussion instruments, home-made instruments and kitchen
utensils. Playing back the recording of our performance
proved to be very entertaining.
Of course, the possibilities are endless. We hope to do
'Little Red Riding Hood' next. Maybe a spooky Halloween
theme would really spark the imagination of the oldr
children.
Hands are clapping, clap, clap, clap
Hands are clapping, clap, clap, clap
Hands are clapping, clap, clap, clap
Clap your hands, my darling.
(Also use: Toes are tapping, Arms are swinging, Fingers are
wiggling, Eyes are blinking, Tongues are clicking, Heads are
nodding, Fists are pounding, Hips are twisting, Elbows are
bending, etc.)
Materials: 8 glasses, colours water
Add water to glasses - small in first...full in last.
Tap the glasses gently with a spoon or pencil. Vary the
water levels slightly to get the notes of the scale correct.
(Old McDonald, Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Pop Goes the Weasel,
Jingle Bells)
11123 (Row, row, row your boat)
32345 (Gently down the stream)
888555333111 (merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily)
54321 (life is but a dream)
Which glass makes the highest note? Which one makes the
lowest? Can you sing 'do re mi fa so la ti do?'
Using an assortment of jars and water you can create a
xylophone. Fill the empty jars with water, varying the
amount of water in each. Let the children tap the jars and
hear the different sounds they make. Have the children try
and place them in order from low to high sounds.
When Goldilocks went to the house of the bears
What did her blue eyes see?
A bowl that was big, a bowl that was small,
A bowl that was tiny and that's not all
She counted them 1 - 2 - 3
When Goldilocks went to the house of the bears
What did her blue eyes see?
A chair that was big, a chair that was small
A chair that was tiny and that's not all
She counted them 1 - 2 - 3
(repeat with 'bed' and then with 'bear', and substitute for
the last line. 'They growled at her Grrr Grrr Grrr'.
Punch slots in the lids of ten baby food jars.
Write the numbers one through ten on the jars.
Give the children some pennies and have them drop the
appropriate number into each 'piggy bank.' Questions:
1. How many pennies will you put into this bank?
2. Could you put the banks in order from one to ten?
3. Which bank has the most money in it? The least?
4. If you wanted to buy a piece of penny bubble gum which
bank would you get the money out of?
5. If I wanted you to give me six cents from two banks,
which two would you use? How about eight cents?
6. Show me a bank that has the same number of pennies as
your age.
7. Count all of the pennies and tell how many are there.
Propose the following situation to the children: Mary and
Jeff have just made a peanut butter sandwich. They used the
last two pieces of bread. They cut the sandwich in half and
were just getting ready for their first bite when into the
room comes Randy. Randy would like some of the sandwich.
What can Mary and Jeff do?
Use the problem solving steps described in the overview of
this chapter.
Each peach pear plum
I spy Tom Thumb.
Tom Thumb fast asleep
I spy Bo-Peep.
Bo-Peep around the corner
I spy Jack Horner.
Jack Horner up a pole
I spy King Cole.
King Cole drinking juice
I spy Mother Goose.
Mother Goose gave a shout
That means you are OUT.
Mary had a little lamb....little lamb....little lamb
Mary had a little lamb.
Its fleece was white as snow. Continue with...
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go.
It followed her to school one day-
That was against the rule.
It made the children laugh and play
To see a lamb at school.
And so the teacher turned it out,
But still it lingered near.
(Next page)
And waited patiently about
'Til Mary did appear.
Why does the lamb love Mary so?
The eager children cried.
Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know!
The teacher did reply.
Sing a Son of Six Pence - Hide gold coins around the room
(these could be pennies or just orange circles cut from
construction paper), let the children try and hide the coins,
talk about how hard they are to find if hidden on the same
colour object Have pies with numbers and black birds to put
in pies, or write numbers on pies and put dots on black birds
and match them that way. Alphabet letters could also be used
with upper and lower case letters. Have a small clothes line
and pins for children to hang clothes on in housekeeping
area. Snack could be bread and honey. I like to buy a real
honeycomb for the children to look at and taste. It is fun
to chew the was but encourage children to spit it into a
napkin when done. Contributed by Bobbie
(jwagman@inwave.com)
Mary Had A Little Lamb - glue cotton balls to lamb shape, if
shape is right size it can have clothes pin legs, Discuss
other things that are white, Play a game called List where
one person would name something white, and the next person
names something different that is white.
Little Boy Blue - make haystacks for snack which is just
chinese noodles mixed with melted chocolate and put on wax
paper in small clumps that resemble hay stacks. Make horns
from toilet paper rolls. Put wax paper on one end and secure
with a rubber band. Use as a kazoo.
Contributed by Bobbie in WI (jwagman@inwave.com)
Mother Goose - Wear a long gathered skirt, and cover it with
a long white apron. Make a dust cap hat which is a big
circle that is gathered a few inches from the edge to fit
your head.
Three Little Kittens - Make cat bag puppets, bake little
pies, have a mitten matching game, play - when I wore my
mittens I ate____ go through the alphabet or just let little
ones try to remember what the person before them said.
Little Miss Muffet - make spiders by cutting out a circle,
eight strips for legs and glue them on and use smaller green
circles for eyes, cottage cheese for snack, musical chairs as
tuffets. Contributed by Bobbie in WI
(jwagman@inwave.com)
Author of Mother Goose celebrates a birthday on January
12.
- Dramatic - Children dress in their favorite nursery rhyme
character & pretend to be character.
- Lunch - Humpty Dumpty Eggs, hot cross buns. Dip the water
from Jack and Jill's pail, for dessert have Gerogie Porgie
Pudding. For snack have apple crisp pie. Children could try
to eat snack with their mittens on. Snack would be bread and
honey.
- Art - Decorate paper fiddles, Mary Contray flowers with
real shells or silver bells, Hickory Dickory Mouse ears,
Decorate appliance shoe box for Old Lady Lived in Shoe, Old
King Cole Crowns (contributed by Bobbie
jwagman@inwave.com)
- Sing - Rock a by Baby, Hush Little Baby
