Movement Activities for Teaching Listening Skills

Hello!

For this month's blog post, I am linking to a guest post I  wrote for Free Spirit Publishing, the company that published my picture book From A to Z with Energy! 26 Ways to Move and Play.

I have created three new movement activities that are designed around three popular songs for kids. The songs and activities are fun and lively, and children will listen and wait for cues in the music before responding in movement. This is great practice for waiting for and recognizing cues, and developing listening skills and impulse control.

Link to Blog Post:

http://www.movingislearning.com/blog/posts/36240

Keep on Dancin'!


Connie
www.movingislearning.com

MOVING IS LEARNING!

"Bird Count" Picture Book, With a READ AND DANCE Lesson Plan

GREETINGS!

For this blog post, I am introducing a beautiful new picture book by Susan Edwards Richmond, with gorgeous illustrations by Stephanie Fizer Coleman, and published by Peachtree Publishing Company, Inc.

        This book will be released on October 5, 2019!




Here is a 
READ AND DANCE lesson plan to present to young children, to enrich and enhance the enjoyment of this book! This lesson is a collaboration between Susan and myself; I developed some movement prompts based on her book, and she created this full lesson plan around my movement ideas, tying it to arts and early literacy standards. She includes materials needed, explanation of how to present it, accommodations for children with special needs, and an idea for expanding this activity into an informal performance for parents and friends. 

You will find this plan, and many more imaginative ideas for preschool through fifth grade, on Susan's website. Some of the resources she has developed for a unit on birds and bird watching include linking the book to technology and math, art and music, social studies and geography, Next Generation Science Standards, and so much more! 

Link to Susan Edwards Richmond's website

READ AND DANCE!

 Susan Edwards Richmond's Bird Count Activity Plan: 

Moving Like a Bird 

Description and Goals
Children will use movement to retell the story of Bird Count, by creating a dance that incorporates their interpretations of different birds described in the book. This activity offers children an alternative method of storytelling through a kinesthetic learning experience.
Developmental Areas and Skills: Creative and Physical Domains

Curriculum Standards and Guidelines
Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences (MA Department of Education):

Guiding Preschool Learning in the Arts: Movement and Dance: 6. Act out ways that movement
and dance can show feelings or convey meaning.

       Common Core English Language Arts Standards

Reading Literature #2: Key Ideas and Details
Reading Literature #7: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Speaking & Listening #2: Comprehension and Collaboration

       Objectives

      Children will use their bodies to act out the movements of       birds in the story.

          Children will work cooperatively to create a dance based on their creative ideas.

• 
  
• Materials
• 
  
• Bird Count by Susan Edwards Richmond, illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman. 

• Music and a method to play it, such as a CD player.
• 
  
•  An open space in the classroom or outdoors.
  
  
• 
  
• Introduction
  
  
• Read or review Bird Count by Susan Edwards Richmond, illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman. Ask children if they can think of other ways to tell the story without using words. Tell them that, today, they are going to recreate the story using movement, or dance.
  
  
• Procedure
• 
  
• 1. Introduce Activity (above)
• 
  
• 2. Show children the illustrations of each bird in the story, one at a time.

            For each bird, ask: How might this bird move?

       3. Give movement prompts, and incorporate children’s ideas. Here are some examples:

•  Canada goose: Can you fly like a Canada goose? They are very strong fliers. Flap your wings as you sail through the sky. Now land in Curcurbit Farm’s fields, just like in the story.

  

  Fly like a Canada goose!

• 
  
•  Downy woodpecker: Fly like a woodpecker, and land in a tall tree. Use your long beak to peck and find insects.
• 
  
•  Duck: Imagine you are swimming like the mallards in the pond, and turn upside down with your bottom sticking up! Now dive like a merganser.
• 
  
• Great blue heron: Stretch your long neck looking for fish. You see one! Try to catch it.

Turn upside down like a mallard!

• 
  
• 4. Once you have explored movement with all of the birds in the story, play some lively music and ask the children to dance freely about pretending to be all of the birds in the book.
• 
  
• 5.  Optional: If children are interested, have them choose which birds they’d like to be.Then retell the story, asking each one to perform when they are introduced in the text.

Conclusion

Wrap up the activity when interest wanes or the activity begins to stray. Ask children if they would like to perform their dance for their families. If so, tell them you will revisit the activity at a later time to practice and prepare. If there is interest, you may wish to add an art component by encouraging children to create costumes or sets.

Accommodations

This activity provides children with challenges expressing themselves verbally an alternative method of expression. Allow children to participate using whatever kinds of movement they are comfortable with. Children who use a wheelchair can use their arms to imitate birds or maneuver the wheelchair in ways that imitate bird movement. Give children who may need additional focus a job to do, such as helping to display the book pages, or leading particular movements.

Evaluation
The activity will be successful if the children engage in movement that represents different birds in the story. Other measures of success are if the children are able to incorporate some of their own original ideas into their movements and if they can cooperate with others in performing a class dance!

Family/Community Engagement
Present the dance at a community celebration or special event. Or record the dance and share it in a weekly newsletter or on a class website.




Keep on dancin',


Connie

Moving Is Learning!

The Amazing Effects of Art on the Brain

Happy Fall!

I have written many times about the benefits of dance, from its accessibility; to development of social and emotional skills; to development of coordination, body awareness, discipline, correct posture, balance, flexibility, and strength; to teaching academic subjects kinesthetically; to simply allowing children the opportunity to experience the joy of movement. 

Many of these same benefits to other art forms.

I have also written about the benefits of dance on the brain.  I am excited and amazed at all of the positive news that comes out virtually every day on this subject.  I am devoting this blog to a very interesting one that just came out a few days ago:


This is Your Brain on Art (link below), by Sarah L. Kaufman, Dani Player, Jayne Orenstein, May-Ying Lam, Elizabeth Hart, and Sally Tan, published September 18, 2017, in The Washington Post.  Complete with beautiful music and video, this article explains "how the new field of neuroaesthetics is probing the relationship between art and the brain."  

Some of the authors' findings include:

• Art provides social connection, which is a key function of our brains 
• The value of and need for story-telling
• How our brain and sensory system react to movement
•  "The logic of art is a neural turn-on"  

Intrigued?  You won't be disappointed.  The article takes you through the story of Swan Lake, with videos of gorgeous dancing and the lovely music of Tchaikovsky in the background, as it explains why exposure to art is so important for the development and maintenance of a healthy brain. 

Click below to visit this fascinating world:


This Is Your Brain on Art                      Enjoy!

MOVING IS LEARNING!

Keep on Dancin',

Connie


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

Singing and Dancing Back To School!

Everybody clap your hands!

It feels good to be back to school:  familiar routines, new little friends AND the joy of introducing them to my musical world!  I’m Miss Carole of Macaroni Soup –Active Music for Active Learners!

The start of a new school year is exciting for some children, scary for others.  It takes all our best teaching techniques, patience and empathy to get everyone moving forward positively.  Moving – that’s the operative word for this month’s blog!

Stamp your feet!

Music & Movement can be the perfect distraction for children to forget their worries and join in.  Or not – some may watch at first.  It’s been my experience that if I wait, give them an encouraging nod and smile, wait some more – they DO get the confidence to get up and move.

I start with a Welcome/Hello song.  Then do a zipper song with sitting movements (“Sticky Bubble Gum” is always a big hit!)  Then – LET’S GET DANCING!

Jump up high!

Here’s one of my favorites: “Everybody Clap Your Hands!”  I learned it from the legendry Ella Jenkins.  She doesn’t claim to have written it – “It’s just an old, old song,” she told me.  But it’s transformative – no child can resist it!  There’s nothing really to teach – just follow the instructions built into the song.

 

NOTE:  Be sure you do the song, too!  Model participatory behavior.  Hear the song clip HERE.  It's track #4.

LYRICS:     Everybody clap your hands

                 Everybody clap your hand

                 Everybody, come on and clap your hands!

Turn real slow!

V.2   Stamp your feet!

V.3   Jump up high!

V.4   Turn real slow.

V.5   Wiggle around!

V.6   Clap and stamp! (2 things at the        same time!)

V.7   Clap, stamp & turn (3 things!)

V.8   Sing – with your tongue sticking out (4 things!):

        "Everybody sing along!"

Sing...with your tongue sticking out like this!

Put your tongue back in!

Yup – it gets really silly at the end with tongues wagging as you sing, clap, stamp and turn around!  That’s the fun of it – and school should be FUN!

NOTE:  Take a second to have everyone put their tongues back in – tap your fingers to your lips.  It’ll make everyone smile!

Need a Welcome/Hello song?  More starter movement songs?  

Check out my blogs:

December 2016:  Welcome/Bienvenidos!

August 2013:  Sing Your Way Through the First Week of School

August 2014:  Start School Singing: Week 2!

August 2016:  Back to School Singing!

March 2016:  Thumbs up for “Singing in the Rain!”

OR go to the archive on my website’s
Song Of The Month page for:

August 2011:  “Hello Everybody, How Do You Do?”

January 2011:  “We Like to Say Hello!”

August 2007:   "Sticky Bubble Gum"

November 2006:  “The Wiggle Song!”

And finally – I am sorry to have been absent from PreK and K Sharing for so many months.  The surgical repair of my hip’s labrum meant changing priorities in order to meet classroom, concert and professional development commitments.  But I’m back – almost 100%!  Please contact me if you’d like me to come to your school, library, church or conference.  I’m in Chicago, but I travel all over the world to bring developmentally appropriate music & movement to those who work with young children!

Yours for a Song!

“Miss Carole” Stephens

Macaroni Soup – Active Music forActive Learners!
 carole@macaronisoup.com

Winter Warm-Up Song: "Hat & Jacket, Pants & Boots!"

                  Hello from balmy Chicago!  

Miss Carole of Macaroni Soup here, anticipating tomorrow’s predicted 60 degree temps in FEBRUARY and persisting on singing WINTER songs!  I know the East Coast has had 3 blizzard-y storms in the last few weeks.  I know the West Coast has seen some truly chilly weather.  

So – this one is for all of you experiencing cold AND those like myself who actually like cold and snowy weather!  Even if you don’t, what better than to sing about it from indoors!

I’m guessing most of my readers know the tune for “Head & Shoulders, Knees & Toes”.  This will be simple if you do – the lyrics fit perfectly!  

Then make sure you make a visual to show.  I drew these simple pictures, slipped them into page protectors and taped them together.  I can show just one picture at a time, then pull it out to show all the pictures.

LYRICS:

Hat & jacket, pants & boots, pants and boots!

Hat & jacket, pants & boots, pants and boots!

When it’s cold and we go outside to play, we wear

Hat & jacket, pants & boots, pants and boots!

WHAT TO DO:

1. Walk through the motions, touching hands the part of the body covered by each piece of clothing.

2.  Sing the song slowly to start.  Children should be able to follow along easily.

3.  It’s going well?  Increase your tempo JUST A LITTLE.  Your students will be very excited by even the smallest speed change, so keep the increments of going faster small.  Repeat at least 3 times for maximum fun!

Most of you do not know that on December 14 I had surgery to repair the tear in my right hip’s labrum.  I couldn’t work for 6 weeks, wearing a brace from hip to knee round the clock during that time.  Crutches were not easy for this first-timer.  BUT, I’m recovering (9 months to 100%) little by little, and am happy to be back in classes, concerts and workshops.  What really lit up my weeks at home were thoughtful gestures by friends and fans. 

Watch this video – “Hat & Jacket, Pants & Boots” sung enthusiastically by the children at the Fox Valley Park District Preschool in Aurora, IL.  Thanks to all involved in making and sending the video. 

                                       ENJOY!

Now it’s your turn!  It’s easy – go for it!  Guaranteed to warm up any room and bring on the smiles and giggles!

If you’d like to own my cd with this and many other wonderful songs for all four seasons, it’s on “Season Sings!”  It’s available HERE.

Yours for a WINTER-Y Song!

“Miss Carole” Stephens

Macaroni Soup! Active Music for Active Learners!

2017 - WELCOME/BIENVENIDOS from Miss Carole!

Macaroni Soup Singers at "WELCOME" Release Party!

    We’re about to turn over a new calendar page – it’s almost 2017!  Miss Carole from Macaroni Soup here, and I’ll be starting the year with a newly sewn-up hip (bye bye labrum tear!)  Still on crutches and in a nasty brace, but hopefully I’ll be singing and dancing without pain in January! 

    I learn songs from many sources, but the most consistent source is my colleagues at The Children’s Music Network.  I’ve been a member for over 15 years, sharing music at songswaps, the annual national conference, and the excellent online forum.  Members include teachers, musicians, songwriters, librarians, parents – and anyone who uses music with children of all ages!  Check us out – I’m the Midwest Coordinator, and we’ve got lots of things coming up in 2017!  Got questions?  I've got answers!  Contact me!

    Exciting news!  I just released my 9^th recording, “WELCOME!”  It’s got 29 songs and poems for active learners!  Listen to selections on CDBABY.  But let’s concentrate on the title song here:  “Welcome/Bienvenidos!”  

    At a regional CMN conference a year ago our Featured Speaker was Sanna Longden, an exceptional dance and music educator.  Every song and dance she shared was a gem, and she sparkled as she taught!  Afterward, I just couldn’t get “Bienvenidos” out of my head.  I shared it at a workshop I was presenting a short time later, and everyone was entranced.  So, here it is – I hope you welcome the new year by sharing it with children!

LYRICS:    

Welcome, welcome, bienvenidos!                        

Welcome, welcome, bienvenidos!

Welcome, welcome, I’m so glad to see you!

Welcome, mis amigos, cha-cha-cha, bienvenidos!

    You can sing it as a welcoming song, and with 4’s and older I add movement once the children know the song well.  Hear it HERE.

The “Dance”: 

Line 1 - On “welcome” we wave and smile at someone, shaking their hand on “bienvenidos”. 

Line 2 – repeat wave/smile/shake with a new partner

Line 3 – Smile/wave with new partner, holding their hands with yours

Line 4 – On “cha-cha-cha” seesaw hands back and forth, then wave goodbye and repeat the song.

    That’s it!  Simple, welcoming, developmentally appropriate and FUN!  Enjoy the last few weeks of 2016, and WELCOME 2017!

Yours for a WELCOME Song!

“Miss Carole” Stephens

Macaroni Soup! Active Music for Active Learners

Instant Songs for Your Classroom

It's Scott from Brick by Brick. I love to repurpose materials—use materials in ways different from their intended purpose.

Today let's think of a different type of repurposing - repurposing or recycling tunes.

Early in my teaching journey, I learned that I could take a song or tune that I knew, adjust the words to fit what was happening, and I had an instant song that was relevant (and that I could probably remember). I knew lots of children's songs and traditional songs: "The Farmer in the Dell," "Happy Birthday," "London Bridge," "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," and so forth. 

Repurpose the tune with new words and a new song was born. And remember, no need to create lots of words; just repeat ones that fit. Kids love repetition and they will learn your "new" songs more quickly, too.

Since it's Thanksgiving week, let's create an instant thank-you song.

Thank You Song

Tune: "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"

"Thank you for my family, Mommy, Daddy, and there's me,

We work and we play each day, We work and we play each day,

Thank you for my family, I love them and they love me."

Adjust the words as you choose. Ask the children to name things they do in their families and work those ideas into your song. Or change family to other things that children are grateful for (friends, teacher, food, whatever.) Repurposed songs can be versatile!

And Christmas is coming, so here's an instant song about Christmas.

A Happy Time

Tune: "Mary Had a Little Lamb"

"Christmas is a happy time, Happy time, happy time,

Christmas is a happy time, We decorate our tree."

Add other things that children do at Christmas time. Or change the song to reflect whatever holiday or celebration that your children celebrate.

A few tips:

• Choose songs/tunes that are familiar to you. Songs that have simple, repetitive melodies are best. They can be familiar to your children or not. The kids will pick up the tunes quickly.
• If you have a song that you use regularly in your classroom, change up the words. It makes the song new and uses something already familiar to connect with new ideas or content.
• Make sure the words you choose fit the rhythms and notes. Sometimes I try to use too many words for the tune. While some of these tunes will adjust a little more easily, I often just reword or find a new tune to make the blend easier.
• Don't worry about rhymes. If your new lyrics rhyme, that's fine. If they don't, that's fine too. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Don't force it. Just sing the words you need, even if they do not rhyme.
• Have fun with your new songs and don't sweat it! 
• Sing, even if you don't think you are a singer. Kids love music and will enjoy one of their favorite adults singing with them.

So...go make some music this holiday season. Music that you have repurposed and recreated yourself!

(What songs or tunes have you repurposed or recycled? Share them with us in the comments.)

JUMP JIM JOE - a perfect partner dance!

...and tap your toe!

Now that cooler/wetter weather is moving in to stay, it’s a good time to get movement and dance options going to keep those little brains and bodies tuned up and ready to learn!  Miss Carole of Macaroni Soup here, and I’m sharing a terrific partner dance that my older 3’s through 7’s love: “Jump Jim Joe!”  This dance is very popular at my Family Concerts, as it’s fun for ALL ages!

Usually I introduce dancing in this order:

1. Dancing as an individual in a group

2. Dancing in a circle

3. Partner dancing

4. Dancing with props/manipulatives

Hopefully you’ve done some dancing that is in the first two styles** so that your students have a sense of group dynamic, cooperation and personal space.  Now let’s up the ante on cooperation – to do a partner dance you must work together with another person, touch them appropriately and stay in time with the music.  It also means that the teacher must learn the dance so that he/she can teach and demonstrate it to the students effectively.

THE SONG:

listen, echo!

Jump, jump, jump Jim Joe

Nod your head and shake your head

And tap your toe!

‘Round and ‘round and ‘round you’ll go

Then you find another partner

And you jump Jim Joe!

I use the echo technique to teach the song – I sing a line, students sing it back to me.  Then I demonstrate with a student as my partner what the song looks like.  Hear a clip HERE!

I picked a great volunteer - he could JUMP!

THE DANCE:

Line 1: Face your partner and hold hands. Jump 5 times (on the beat).

Line 2: Partners nod, then shake their heads

Line 3: Tap toe to the side.

Line 4: 2-hand circle around

Line 5: Leave your partner and go find a new partner!

Line 6: Hold hands with your new partner.

Once you have demonstrated the dance, invite your students to stand and pick a partner.  Some classes struggle to pick partners quickly – help them out.  I explain that “you’re not going to keep that partner, so don’t worry about who you start with – you’ll be moving on quickly!  Walk through the dance slowly, singing enthusiastically and clearly.

When your students understand the pattern of the dance, and that the pattern just keeps repeating to make a sequence, you can pick up the tempo a smidgen.  When they’re really secure, maybe add the recording – but it’s lively, so don’t rush into it!  It’s on my “Dancing Feet!” cd – check it out HERE!

Here’s a video at a library show in Colorado – kids of all ages and adults really enjoying themselves!  You can do it, too!  Let me know how it goes!  And remember – this one’s great outdoors, too!

** If you haven't done dancing in the first two styles, check out my blog from MARCH 2016 for "Singing in the Rain" (Style #1) and FEBRUARY 2016 for "Looby Loo" (style #2)

BIG NEWS!  My new recording, “WELCOME!” will be released shortly!  There are 29 songs, dances, poems and fingerplays to engage and invite your children to sing and move!  It will be available for purchase soon at www.cdbaby.com.  Keep checking back – definitely by December 1!

Need a workshop or keynote for a conference? Want educational content that also accesses early literacy skills, physical control and is FUN?  Contact me – I’m now booking for 2017-18!

Yours for a Partner Dance!

“Miss Carole” Stephens

Macaroni Soup! Active Music for Active Learners!