Dance a Voyage to Outer Space!

It is getting cold outside, and dance is a wonderful outlet that allows children to be active indoors and use their imaginations for creative play.  This is a short dance and music activity based on the song Grocery Space Trip by Debbie Clement.   The activity, as well as the music, are available in my book One, Two, What Can I Do?  Dance and Music for the Whole Day, with a double CD of songs and instrumentals by Debbie Clement.

Get ready to count down for blastoff!

 Grocery Space Trip

Space: A large, open space is best for this activity

Props: Crayons and drawing paper

Modifications for Different Learners: This activity involves a quiet drawing section and a more active movement section.  Children may participate in either or both sections.

Teaching Tips: The song is rich in images and movement prompts.  It is perfect for exploring ideas through three mediums: drawing, music, and dancing.

Music:  Grocery Space Trip, by Debbie Clement, from the CD accompanying the book One, Two, What Can I Do?  Dance and Music for the Whole Day*

Pass out paper and crayons, play the song Grocery Space Trip, and ask the children to draw something based on images in the song.  Play the song a few times, while the children work on their drawings.

Ask them to put their papers aside, while they go to a home spot to be ready to dance.  Explain that now they can dance about what they drew and other parts of the song.  Play the song again while the children respond to the music and their pictures with movement.

Movement prompts in the song are: riding in the grocery cart, pretending the cart is a rocket ship, getting ready for a space trip, countdown from 10 to blastoff, flying through outer space, traveling through the stars, looking at the planets, landing on the moon, heading for home, going through checkout line.  Call out any or all of these prompts to spur more ideas as the children are dancing.  Finish the activity by asking the children to imagine they are landing, and end up back on their home spots.  They may want to add to their pictures now, as they will have many new ideas from the movement, and from the other children.

Keep on dancin',

Connie

www.movingislearning.com

https://www.scbwi.org/members-public/connie-dow

        

MOVING IS LEARNING!

*One, Two, What Can I Do?  Dance and Music for the Whole Day with double CD by Debbie Clement is available through Redleaf Press:

http://www.redleafpress.org