Lately music has been on our minds, and in our hands and in our feet! We’ve begun using a speaker in the gym, to incorporate some music into our end-of-gym transition and give kids another way to move their bodies. Sometimes it’s quiet music, and we do some yoga poses together. Other times, we stand up and try action songs, like “Che Che Kule,” (Susan Salidor’s version) or “Silly Little Ostrich,”by Bill Hooper.
One day when we were singing the ABC song at group time, a teacher played along on a harmonica. We talked about whether it was the ABC song, or the Twinkle song, and kids spent a few rounds listening and singing and noticing that they’re the same tune, and could be sung either way. Then we introduced some instruments to the kids, demonstrating the sounds each made, and naming them. We have tambourines, various types of shakers and maracas, a rain stick, a cabasa, circular xylophones, ridged wood blocks, and thumb pianos. We passed them out so each child had one, and played a few songs together.
Now the instruments are available during play time, and children have found different ways to incorporate them into their play. Sometimes there is an impromptu “band” playing together. Other times, they might accompany songs in games like the babies jumping on the bed (to the tune of monkeys jumping on the bed.) We expect at some point there will be a marching band making its way around the classroom, and hope to add more types of instruments in time.
We’ve also had some Dance Sessions at group time. Recently a teacher shared a new song she’d heard on the way to school, and invited kids to get up and dance. “I Feel Like Dancing,” by Jason Mraz, inspired all kinds of moves, and most kids were excited to get up and dance together. Another day, kids were invited to vote during play time, about whether they would like to dance to a new song. We used a simple “ballot” system, with two envelopes marked yes and no, and each child’s photo to designate their choice. As a teacher asked the question, kids could drop their photo in the envelope with their answer. Later, at grouptime, we displayed the results. All the photos were posted below yes, or no, so that kids had a good visual representation. They helped us count, and figure out whether yes or no had the most votes. Since ten kids said yes and five kids said no, we had another great dance session to a song called “Sunshine,” by One Republic.
We hope you all have a chance to jam and dance with us on your next assist day, and find some opportunities at home to put on those dancing shoes and shake a leg!
Best,
Sarah and Anita