Row, Bounce, Turn & Sway Your Boat

Nothing like adding a little creativity to an old classic!  This time, we're taking the ever-faithful "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and adding a little more activity to it.

Songs with motions and movement are excellent for toddlers, Pre-K'ers, Kindergartners, older kids, etc., because movements enhance learning. Those who may not be so quick to pick up a melody may still be able to do simple motions in rhythm, thus still providing great training in musical ideas and patterns.

So, for this activity, grab your kiddo/s and sing through "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" (If you don't know it, just type the name into Google. I would have put a link on, but they're all so cheesy I couldn't bring myself to do it. So, find one if you need to... and I apologize in advance for the cheesiness).

There are tons of things you can do with this simple nursery-rhyme song, but today we used it for some 'pretend play' in boats.

Here's what we used:
1. Laundry baskets (if you're doing this with a class or more kids than you have baskets for, you can stop into any wholesale club like COSTCO, BJ's, etc. and grab some of their many empty, low-sided boxes)
2. Stick for the mast (wrapping paper role or a stick from your yard)  
3. Paper and markers for creating a flag or sail.
4. "rowing" devise (large wooden spoon, etc.)
5. Clear packing tape.

After the kids know the song, have them create a flag for their boat and then tape flag to their mast, and tape mast to boat.

If you have a blue blanket of some sort, that would be great for water. Ours was a little small, but it still worked OK.

 Have kids 'man' their boats and sing through the song - in a round if they're old enough - and do the motions. Then, use some different motions instead of "row" - like sway, speed, drive, shake, run, bounce, turn, tickle, etc. They can make up more as they go. You can help by showing the motions for each word as you all sing it.





Here they are with "hide" your boat, I think... or maybe it was "sleep" your boat...

You certainly don't need a boat to do these - they will be just fine being creative with this no matter what!

After we were done singing, the boys continued to play in their boats for a while - it was neat to listen to their imaginative play. :-)

Be creative and have fun! :-)

"Head and Shoulders" a la Haydn

Probably the most meaningful way to understand music is to MOVE to it. I was just telling a piano student yesterday, as she was struggling through a Minuet, that it's really silly that we sit and struggle over music when in fact, Minuets were meant to be "felt" as you danced to them, rather than labored through in painstaking repetition. When it comes down to it, making meaningful movements to music enables the mind to feel and understand rhythm and melody better than anything else!

This activity today is a short example of getting kids moving to music - in this case, a very well-known classical melody: the 2nd movement of F.J. Haydn's "Surprise Symphony." It's my simple version  from a more detailed presentation of this activity presented by John Feierabend  (John Feierabend is one of my favorite Music Ed. guru's out there. He and his wife have a passion for music, movement and getting the littlest among us involved in music making. Pick up any of his recordings, books, etc. for a broad and meaningful beefing up of your little one's musical experiences).

So, again, for this activity, we used the 2nd Movement from the "Surprise Symphony"
(For those out there wondering, "what is a movement anyway?" A movement is a part of a symphony. There are usually 4 movements (sometimes more or less), which make up the classical model of a symphony. Kind of like a book with 4 chapters. Each is a little different, they may have new characters or settings, but they are all connected to the main story).

The materials needed are only: a recording of this movement and some little kiddos!

What makes this a "surprise" symphony is that Haydn sticks loud chords in an otherwise quiet piece of music (when he was composing this, he was reacting to the annoying tendency of some audience members to fall asleep during the typically slow 2nd movement... he was a funny guy, that Haydn).
The rhythm and structure of the opening line lends itself to a simple sound-description using "Head and Shoulders Knees and Toes"

First - Teach kids the actions and the words:

Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes, (tapping for each syllable)
Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes,
Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes,
Now a quiet splat.    splat.  (stay down on "toes" then say quietly, "splat")

Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes, (same: tapping each syllable)

Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes, 

Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes, 

Now a great big splat.   SPLAT!!!  (stay down on "toes", then jump with a loud, "SPLAT!")

When I told the boys we were going to play a game with "Head and Shoulders" and a SPLAT!, they were very excited... mostly for the "Splat" mystery. :-)  

Practice the motions, then tell them we're going to do it with the "Surprise" song. Tell them to listen to the piece (the first 35-40 seconds) and tell you when they hear the loud "Splat." Usually their faces will light up in a big smile when it happens. :-) 

Next, try this activity with them... keeping it quiet until the big splat! 

See the video below for how we did it (and you will see baby M wandering around too, with his hands on his head to be like the brothers... it's a family affair here!) 

Give it a try - it's especially fun in these winter months to have a few movement activities up your sleeve when you're spending more time indoors. :-) 

Counting and Clapping in Rhythm

Counting is recently my kiddos' favorite thing to do. So, what a great time to do some simple practice with counting in rhythm!

Did you ever do those hand clapping games on the playground when you were little? Like, "Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack, all dressed in black, black, black, etc...." Or the other ones where you slapped hands backwards and forwards while chanting and counting to astronomically high numbers....? (those were the ones the really smart girls did....)  These types of games are so valuable on a  number of levels:

• They are fun games that make practicing counting (in whatever sequence it involves) a more challenging and motivating activity.  
• They are spoken/sung in rhyme and rhythm, enhancing and strengthening the child's innate rhythm. 
• They involve hand movements which increase muscle-control and agility.
• They are a meaningful and enjoyable activity between friends, bringing smiles and satisfaction.   

So, I'm not going to try anything complicated with my 3 and 4 1/2 yr. old boys yet; we'll start basic!

First we got thinking musically by singing and clapping one of our favorite songs, "A Sailor Went to Sea, Sea, Sea"

Here are the words and for the melody, go Here!

A Sailor Went to Sea
A Sailor went to sea, sea, sea
To see what he could see, see, see, 
But all that he could see, see, see
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea. 

Hand motions: 
You can be as creative as you'd like,
We always clap each other's hands on each "sea, sea, sea" (or "see, see, see").
We also sit up tall on "sailor"
We put our hand to our forehead to 'peer out' on "to see what he could..."
Put our hands up to the side in an "Oh well" manner on "but all that he could..."
Put our hands to the floor on "was the bottom of the..."

We get incrementally faster and faster - it's fun. :-)

Then we moved to a clapping and counting chant.
First have child choose a number.

Then, in rhythm, chant and clap:

"Let's see how high we can count,
watch my count to _____"

Then, with either you or another child, clap hands together in rhythm (as much as possible anyway, depending on your child's age/ability), counting up to that number.

J chose numbers that didn't take us quite as long, like 8 and 12.
K wanted more exciting ones in his little 4 yr. old mind, like "32" and "21 and 11 and 16"
"So, you want 48?"
"Yeah!!!"
You can also have them alternate clapping each others' hands with the front and back of their hands. Keeps it a little more exciting... :-)

This is uber simple and you can adapt it to practice any type of number recitation, but it was great practice and we had fun with it; hope you can too!

"Make-It-A-Song Monday" Simple Games

Well, on rainy/indoor days, it's good to have little games to do when your little cuties need some one-on-one time.  Today, we were doing a simple hide-the-marble game for baby M (only it was a marshmallow... then a grape, since he didn't care for the marshmallow).

So, when doing simple activities, it's usually a great opportunity to make a simple song to accompany it. Again, children are naturally drawn to melody.  After just hearing words all day, it's a refreshing change for your tot to hear something musical out of your mouth. :-)

A super simple way to make a singable melody for young ones is to only use 2 notes.  Two simple notes to use with younger kids are the same that you sing in the tune, "Rain, rain Go away;" or in the typical doorbell ring in your house (if you sing "Ding, Dong" you'll have the notes! Or, if you happen to be in western New York sing,"Let's Go, Buffalo").

Those two notes (called a minor third)  are both appealing to young children and are easily singable for their little voices.

So, we gathered some materials:
3 cups, some treats and a few kids. :-)

Sing along as you hide a treat under a cup and move the cups around:
"Peek a Boo, where are you? Here I come to find you..."  or something similar.

Sing while or until they start picking up cups. When your little one finds the treat, rejoice! And let them eat it and try again and again (depending on your treat, as I'm sure 20 marshmallows might not be so great....).

What other simple games do you play with your little one/s? Consider adding a simple song to the game to add a musical component and get more music in your day!

And... just to get you smiling, go check out this adorable video clip I found on YouTube. No idea how well the Hyland's Baby product works, but I just might go get some because of their awesome, rhythmic ad! :-)

Go Here!

Enjoy! :-)

Circle Games - A Tisket, A Tasket

Childhood rocks.

But, I feel like sometimes as a mom of young kids, I complain too much about the energy drain I feel at the end of the day, or the amount of whining I listen to, or the time needed to care for the needs of three young boys.

Sometimes simple things like childhood games remind me of the precious joy that is inherent in these little creatures and the priceless worth of their giggles and smiles.... those cute and adorable moments do  a lot of good for the weary mama. :-)

So, here is a circle song that children have played for many years (since the late 1800's) either as a reminder to you or a new one to learn.
It's great for a playdate activity, daycare activity, family activity, sibling activity (if you're one of those super-moms with lots 'o kids), etc....

First the words and melody:

A Tisket, A Tasket
A tisket, a tasket,
a green and yellow basket
I wrote a letter to my love (or friend),
and on the way I dropped it.
I dropped it, I dropped it,
on the way I dropped it,
A little boy (or girl)
he picked it up
and put it in his pocket.


Here's a link to the Melody: Go HERE!

How to play (same basic idea as duck, duck, goose):
You will need an item to use as a letter... either a play letter from another toy, a real envelope, a handkerchief, etc....

Children sit or stand in a circle (Or, if you have older ones, they can circle around in one direction while the "letter carrier" skips around the circle in the other direction).

One child is the letter carrier who circles around the others while all sing through the song.

At the end of the song, letter carrier drops the "letter" and whatever child it lands behind picks it up and chases  the other around to the vacated spot.

Originally, if you were tagged, you had to confess who your "love" was. But, if you think this may not appeal to your kiddos (it might be a good ego-booster to have some of those little girls or boys say their love is "Daddy" or "Mommy"), you can have a tagged child sit in the middle, go again, or just sit down, since the child who was just chasing will probably want to be the letter carrier now.

Enjoy!

For another option for a Circle Game, check this one out too: Doggie, Doggie

Seek and Find Game - "Doggie, Doggie"

When I was about to take my first teaching job, my former teacher and dear friend, Janet was counseling me in how to set up a music classroom and was giving me ideas to use with the kids. This song is one she taught me over the phone and it has stayed in our repertoire since then.

It's a simple song about a dog and a bone. Here are the words:
Doggie, Doggie, where's your bone? 
Somebody took it from your home. 


Simple? Yes. That's why it's great. Kids can memorize this little number in a jiffy.
The melody is similar to "Rain, Rain Go Away."
Here are the boys and I singing it for your listening pleasure:

 In teaching kiddos to sing with you, the two notes used primarily in this song are easy for little voices to imitate (the minor 3rd for all you music nerds out there).  So, use them often!

Also, kids voices naturally sing higher than adult voices, so when you teach or sing these songs, sing a little higher than you might be used to and it will be easier for them to pick up the melody than if the pitch is low. Not too high, of course.... I'm sure you get the idea.

This activity/song works best in a group, but if you have at least two kids, you're probably good to go, or if you're having a playdate or need a group game to do in a teaching situation. etc.

Materials:
Dog Bone. (I bought this one for a few dollars, but use one you have around or cut a dog-bone shape out of cardboard.)
Optional: Doggie. (As stated before, my boys do better with these things if there is an animal prop involved).

Teach kids the song (if you have a bunch of kiddos, sit 'em in a circle).

One child is the doggie and covers his/her eyes while another child hides the bone in the room.

"Doggie" opens eyes and tries to find the bone while everyone sings, "Doggie, Doggie..."

When "Doggie" find the bone there is much rejoicing (yay!!) and then that child becomes the hider.

Keep going as long as their interest holds. Don't drag it out... they won't want to play it again. :-/
Some children may need help closing their eyes....

Alteration:
If doing this in a classroom with children sitting in a circle, you can also have hider put the bone behind another student. While hiding, everyone sings the song. Doggie opens eyes and has 3 guesses as to who is hiding the bone.  

Then follow up with a book or two about dogs. My pick today? P.D. Eastman's "Go, Dog Go." All my boys love this one. Enjoy!