Connie Leads a Thirty-Minute Romp Through the Alphabet!

Hello!

I was invited by Kids & Company, of Toronto, Canada, to lead a thirty-minute video movement session for young children in May. Kids & Company requested a presentation that would get children up and moving while spending more time indoors during the Covid quarantine. 

I thought it would be fun to create a short activity for each letter of the alphabet. I devised 26 movement prompts that children and families can do together. This creative movement session will definitely use a lot of that great kid energy!

Click here to view the presentation:

DANCE THE ALPHABET!

Keep on Dancing, Everyone!

Connie

www.movingislearning.com

MOVING IS LEARNING!

Go Back To School SINGING!

Hi there!  I'm Miss Carole of Macaroni Soup, and it’s that time again!  Many students are already back in classrooms, and those that aren’t will be there soon.  Preschoolers and Kindergarteners look forward with anticipation, excitement and sometimes a little anxiety.  How do we make the first weeks less stressful and more engaging? 

                               MAKE MUSIC!

Children of all abilities enjoy the experience of making music – singing, dancing, and playing rhythm instruments.  It’s never wasted time!  

• Healthy social interaction and emotional connections made in those first weeks will last all year long.  
• Plus active participation in music is a great platform on which to build early literacy skills such as rhyme, pattern, sequence, vocabulary, and phonological awareness (that's the short list!)
• Children need to connect the neural pathways in their brains in multiple ways - Active Music provides yet another access point.

I love to put a simple little ditty such as “Back To School” into their heads.  It’s a positive message about school, and takes less than 15 seconds to sing!  It's also a steady beat - you can clap it joyfully as you're singing!

  

BACK TO SCHOOL!                           By C. Stephens c.2016

Back to school, back to school            

I’m so glad we’re back to school!

Learning something every day

School is where we learn and play!

Now what’s next?  Add something with motions that are easy to follow and repetitive.  A “zipper song” is perfect – the song repeats itself verse after verse, changing the motion each time.  Think “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” – the animal and animal’s sound changes but the song is basically the same.  

Here’s one of my favorites:

THE WIGGLE SONG

Tune:  “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow”

My hands are starting to wiggle

My hands are starting to wiggle

My hands are starting to wig-gle

Around and around and around!

Easy, right?  Do what the song tells you to do, turning around in place on the last line.  Now sing it again with “foot”.  Next?  “Hips!”  Yup, it’s Elvis Time!  “Head” – sing it softer so that they do a gentler shaking of their heads.  It’s safer!  If you have space to really get the wiggles going, end with:

Now all of me is a-wiggle

Now all of me is a-wiggle

Now all of me is a-wig-gle

Around and around and around,

Sit down!

Need more help? You can hear a clip of this song on my "Sticky Bubble Gum" cd or on its' Song Of The Month page - HERE, where you'll find even more instructions.  

Next?  What could be more fun than singing the alphabet in different languages?  Um, I mean animal languages!  “There’s a Dog in School” by Bill Wellington is such fun, AND it’s also a zipper song.  Children will get the hang of it quickly.

What are we going to do?

THERE’S A DOG IN SCHOOL

(on my “H.U.M.” cd – listen to it HERE)

There’s a dog in school – OH NO!

What are we going to do?

As long as there’s a dog in school

He’ll have to learn his alphabet, too!

(woof the traditional ABC song – the whole thing!)

For motions – I put hands to cheeks, a la “Home Alone” face for “oh no!”  Questioning hands to sides for second line.  Waggle pointer finger for third line, and hands on hips for fourth line.  But you can make up your own motions, too!

    What other kind of animal could be in school?  Let the children make suggestions.  Be prepared for ALL kinds of animals beyond cats, ducks, etc.  Rabbits?  Let’s all HOP the alphabet!  Giraffes?  Well, I had to do a little research on this one!  The zoo docent told me that giraffes have a very long neck, but no vocal chords, so they can’t make a sound.  What do they do?  They nibble leaves off tall trees – one hand in the air making a mouth opening and closing, and sing the words “nibble nibble, nibble nibble, etc!

    Remember to change the gender of the animal, too – “She’ll have to learn her alphabet, too!” I’ve found that there are lots of male pronouns in music for children – cows, cats and more can be females!

B-I-N-G-O!

Now let’s get dancing!  A simple circle or partner dance will be just the thing.  Try “B-I-N-G-O!” for a great circle dance.  Hear it on my “H.U.M. – Highly UsableMusic”  recording, and check out the complete directions on the Song Of The Month page on my website HERE.  Be sure to do the "surprise ending!"

"Jump Jim Joe" - tap your toe!

OR teach “Jump Jim Joe” – a favorite partner dance for 4’s and older – or start with “The Muffin Man Dance” – for 3’s and younger.  Both were featured in my JANUARY 2015 blog – check it out!

Call it what you want – a brain break, energizer, arts exploration – music and movement are a must for developing healthy brains and bodies! 

              Have you had some music today?

Check out my AUGUST 2015 post for more Back-To-School musical ideas!

Yours for a Back-To-School Song!

"Miss Carole" Stephens

Macaroni Soup!  Active Music for Active Learners!

For information about professional development workshops, concerts and classroom visits contact Carole at 847-384-1404 or carole@macaronisoup.com.

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

Dance Energizers! Four Brain Break Movement Activities

Spring is here!  Doesn't it make you want to jump for joy and shake off those winter blahs? Here are four energizes for children -- short movement activities that can do double, and even triple duty.  They are brain breaks, they can get the heart and muscles revved up, and they can address developmental and academic benchmarks all in one fell swoop.

1.  FOUND OBJECTS

Materials:  Bag of found objects -- Place 8 or 10 small items that evoke movement, such as a top, a plastic grasshopper, a Koosh ball (pictured), a candle, a feather, a stretchy band, a spring, a pipe cleaner, a bouncy ball, a snow globe, etc.
Space:  This activity can be done in a large space or can be performed in place.
Concepts addressed include listening to and following directions, recognizing and incorporating different movement qualities into the body, age-appropriate motor skills, creativity, vocabulary

Activity:

Pull the first object (for example, the top) out of the bag.  Ask the students, What is this?  How does it move?  Watch while it spins.  Can you move like a top?  What does the top do when it stops spinning? Can you fall on your side like the top?  Pull out the next object, discuss its properties, ask the children to move like the object, and continue through your collection.  

Found Objects

To conclude the activity, ask each child to dance like the object that was their favorite.  Or, put on some lively music, and ask the children to do a free dance using movement ideas from all of the objects.

2. DANCE AND FREEZE

Materials:  A musical selection, or a tambourine or drum
Space:  This activity can be done in a large space, either indoors or outside, or can be performed in place

Concepts addressed include listening to and following directions, creativity, age-appropriate motor skills, body control

Activity:

The directions for this are very simple, but they can be expanded to make the activity more challenging.

Begin by asking the children to move any way they wish while the music is playing (or you are beating the tambourine or drum), but when the music stops, they must freeze.

Build on this activity by asking them to stop in different shapes:  The next time you freeze, balance on one foot!

Other suggestions include: freeze in  a twisty shape, a wide shape, a low shape, an upside down shape, a shape that has three body parts touching the floor, etc.  Finish the activity by asking the children to freeze in a silly shape while making a face.

Dance and Freeze

3.  DANCE AND STOP WITH PROPS

Materials:  Scarves or streamers of different colors; an upbeat musical selection
Space: This activity can be done in a large space or can be modified and performed in place, inside or outdoors
Concepts addressed include listening to and following directions, group interaction, creativity, age-appropriate motor skills, body control

Dance and Stop with Props

This activity is a further expansion of the previous one, Dance and Freeze.  

Activity:  

Each color streamer will represent a specific movement instruction.  For example:  

• Green:  March
• Red:  Skip (for five+ years old) or gallop 
• Blue:  Move in slow motion
• Yellow:  Move in the low space
• Purple:  Flowing, turning movement

Make sure that the children understand the instructions.  If the children are very young, choose two different colors/movements, and add more if the children are ready for this challenge.  

Pass out the streamers, and play the music.  When the music stops, the children freeze.  Repeat this several times, and then on the next freeze, ask the children to trade for a different color streamer, and they will then do the appropriate movement represented by the color of their new streamer. 

Other examples of movement ideas to expand the activity:

• Hop or jump
• Tiptoe
• Baby steps
• Giant steps
• Shake
• Axial movement (move as if on an axis -- turn, jump, go up and down, move limbs, but stay in one spot)
• Walk in an uneven rhythm
• Move like a robot
• Move like a rag doll
• Let the children think of more ideas!

4.  CONGA LINE

Materials:  Pom-Poms if available, music with a conga beat -- Examples: 1.  Do the Conga, TPH Productions,  Children's Party;  2.  Shakers, Debbie Clement, Debbie's Ditties 4 Come Dance S'More! (or the instrumental version, in the CD included with my book, One, Two, What Can I Do?  Dance and Music for the Whole Day)

Space: Enough space for the children to dance in a line, inside or outdoors

Concepts addressed include hearing rhythms and then translating them into movement, spatial and body awareness, motor skills, counting

Conga Line!

Activity:

Teach the conga rhythm:  
The conga rhythm is four counts, with the first three being soft, and the fourth accented:  soft, soft, soft, loud . . . soft, soft, soft, loud . . . soft, soft, soft, loud.

Try it with clapping:  three claps, and then a loud accent clap.

Try it with stomping:  Three quiet stomps and then a loud one.  

Now you can play with this rhythm.  Line the children up, and have them follow you in this rhythm, as you walk:  three quiet stomps and one loud, repeating it until they feel comfortable with this rhythm.

Now try different ideas to accent the fourth beat:  a small bent-leg kick on count 4, raising one or two arms on count 4, make a face on count 4, freeze on count 4, or freeze in a funny shape on count 4.

Try the above variations with music.  

Pass out the pom-poms, and try the above ideas using this prop.

Take your conga line down the hall for a fun transition to another activity, or outside for recess!

Happy Spring, and

Keep on Dancin'!

MOVING IS LEARNING!

Connie Bergstein Dow
www.movingislearning.com




©2014 Connie Bergstein Dow

Dance Brain Breaks

Greetings!

With another school year rolling around, this is a good time to have some quick tricks handy whenever the children (or you!) need a quick break and energizer:  a Dance Brain Break!

Here are three lively ideas (Start Fidgeting, Gestures, and Up and Down with Counting) that take very little space and can be done whenever and wherever needed.
(adapted from my Redleaf e-news article Just Add Movement:  Five Activities That Can Turn Squirming Into Learning)

START FIDGETING!

Fidget Different Parts of the Body:

Say to the children, "Can you fidget your arm?  Your thumb?  Your heel?  Your tongue?  Your legs (both at the same time?)?  Your  torso?  Your head? (etc.)  Then say, "Try to fidget as many body parts as you can at the same time!"

Fidget and Freeze:

Say to the children, "Everyone fidget and squirm as much as you can while standing in one place. But when I say 'freeze,' everyone do the opposite, and stand as

still as possible."  Repeat several times. 

Then add counts:  "Can you fidget for 8 counts?" (freeze in between).  "Can you fidget for 10 counts?  Can you fidget for 2 counts?

Fast and Slow Fidgets:

"First fidget as slowly as you can, like a slow motion action scene in a movie.  Even blink in slow motion!

Now squirm and fidget as fast as you can!"

Repeat several times.

Good-Bye, Fidgets!

To finish the brain break fidgeting activity, ask everyone to wave good-bye to their fidgets.  "Wave good-bye with your hand, then your foot, then your knee, then your head, etc., and then try to wave them all at the same time!  'Say, good-bye fidgets'!" 

Optional: Play an upbeat song or instrumental like "Shakers" by Debbie Clement for this part of the activity.

GESTURES

Have children think of as many gestures as they can. Ask them if they can think of ways to say things with their bodies instead of their voices; for example, by shrugging their shoulders, pointing, shaking or nodding their head, making faces, stomping their feet, or hugging. Ask children to try to have a short conversation using only gestures. If you wish to extend the idea, set a time limit, perhaps fifteen minutes, during which everyone can communicate only with gestures.

III

UP AND DOWN WITH COUNTING

This is a quick game to grab the attention of little ones, and is a good way to get children sitting on the floor for a seated activity. Make sure the children are at least an arm's width apart from each other. Ask them if they can get from standing to sitting in five slow counts, using all five counts to get to the floor. Once they’re on the floor, ask them to repeat the activity, this time going from sitting to standing. Then reduce the count to four slow beats, and then three etc. When you get to the "one" count, slow down even more so that the children are falling in a safe, controlled way, catching themselves gently with their hands, and then repeat the single count up and down several times, finishing with the children sitting on the floor.

Expand the idea by starting with a higher number.  Another idea is to count forward on the way down, and backward on the way up.  Repeat several times for a quick workout!

Keep on Dancin',

Connie

MOVING IS LEARNING!

www.movingislearning.com

Copyright 2013 Connie Bergstein Dow