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Everything is Beautiful in the Month of May:Let's Sing, Dance, Plant & Make Art!

LET'S CELEBRATE THE MONTH OF MAY!

First, I want to thank all of you who are reading this Blog and I hope there are lots of valuable ideas you've gotten from it!


May 1st is one of my favorite days of the year... the grandmothers taught me to walk barefoot in the morning dew to stay young!

                                                    Photo from the artists at Bigstock Photos

In my many years of being with young children, I find May Day to be a wonderful celebration of our little beautiful children. 
From adorning ourselves with little flower garlands to wrapping colorful ribbons around an agreeable tree...May is a delightful month for all ages, but especially little children.

Photo from the artists at Bigstock Photos

Read more at this blog post: Outdoor Classroom meets Art

4 yr old decorating "Sister Tree". 


One thing that little children bring us is the fun of discovering the beauty in nature and the arts. Little ones are great connoisseurs of beautiful things...and they are quick to point them out to us in the tiny cracks of the sidewalk or the immense sky above.

Photo from the artists at Bigstock Photo

Read more at this post: Outdoor classroom: creating habitats

4 yr old using binoculars for birdwatching

Give a young child a paint brush and you'll soon see the authentic joy of creating!

Photo from the artists at Bigstock Photo

Read more at this post: Preschoolers & Art History

4 yr old artist at the easel

Little ones will even make something beautiful out of scraps of paper!

Photo from the artists at Bigstock Photo

Read more at this post: Children & the Elements of Music

4 yr old's rendition of "The Violin"

Gathering wild plants is one of the natural activities of little ones...What little child doesn't spontaneously pluck up the flower growing from such "weeds" as clover, wild radish...and especially edible herbs from the garden!

Photo from the artists at Bigstock Photo


5 yr old creating a "Lavender Bundle" for Mother's day

There are so many wonderful things about May and little children make it even more wonderful! I happen to have another beautiful little grandchild on the way and I'm looking forward to celebrating future May Days with him!





Advertising Disclosure: Magical Movement Company may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. Thanks for your support!
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Little Children & "The Percussion Family"!

HAVING FUN WITH A LITTLE "CHICKEN PERCUSSION!"

Our music classes were filled with rhythms and the fun sounds from the Percussion section of the orchestra. The children enjoyed listening to the music selections from the Percussion family and exploring keeping a rhythm with our own castanets!

Photos are from the artists at Bigstock Photos


We started our lesson by listening to various examples from the Percussion family: snare drum, the bass drum, the cymbals & even the big kettle (or timpani) drum.



All the children understood perfectly why the Percussion players usually sit toward the back of the Orchestra!

Next, we listened to some of the tuned percussion instruments, and many children remembered playing the child-sized Glockenspiel and the Xylophone during some of our earlier classes.


 Next, we discovered that the Piano is also considered a percussion instrument and we listened to some more music from Camille Saint-Saens, "Carnival of Animals."
This music titled, "Hens & Roosters" was supposed to sound like chickens pecking!

I just happened to have an interesting little toy from Europe, I call "Chicken Percussion," that mimics the sound of chickens pecking  and each child had fun exploring this fun little percussion toy!


When you pull on the bead that holds all the strings connecting to the little wooden chickens on the wooden paddle, the percussion sound that results sounds a little like  pecking.

We all had fun playing castanets and playing rhythms together..."ta-ti-ti-toe..." !

You can see & hear more of our little group rhythms at this link on my website page: STUFF FOR KIDS "Video: Rhythm Echoes"
Hope you enjoy!



Advertising Disclosure: Magical Movement Company may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. Thanks for your support!


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Little Children Keeping the Beat with Rhythm Patterns!

RHYTHM PATTERNS & FUN WITH INSTRUMENTS


Playing musical instruments together in an "ensemble" is a fairly sophisticated activity for little musicians, but always fun and satisfying.



Photos are from the artists at Big Stock Photo

First, preparing children for keeping a steady beat and then practicing keeping a beat together can be a bit challenging! Keeping the beat is always best introduced as a movement activity and I have found that the Preschoolers in music class always really enjoy the movement portion of our lessons. Likewise, both Maria Montessori and Carl Orff (Orff-Schulwerk) emphasized the importance of movement in learning for the young child. Here are some links to read more on this: 



Our classes this week featured a fun movement activity called "Walking Down the Street" from Bushfire Press' music curriculum, Music Room: Primary Level


This lively activity has a fun hip-hop rhythm with a narrator giving instruction for "walking" and then "clapping" the beat.
Many Preschoolers can walk to the beat of a song, but the added task of clapping & walking the beat at the same time can be challenging! However, by the end of the song, most everybody was walking & clapping the beat very well, with big smiles on their faces, too.

        4-yr old "walking to the beat"
Photo by Jeri-Jo Idarius from the archives of Magical Movement Company


Toddler "clapping to the beat"
Photo by Jeri-Jo Idarius from the archives of Magical Movement Company

After children have had some experience with steady beat through movement & dance, they are better prepared for keeping the beat as a group while playing rhythm instruments. (Beginnings of "ensemble playing")


4 yr-old playing rhythm patterns with sand blocks


In our music classes we always practice echoes with rhythm patterns during our vocal warm-ups. You can check out some of these fun little exercises using the short music education videos at my website. Here's the link: Fun Stuff for Kids


It's a natural process for the children to transfer the little vocal warm-up rhythms to playing these rhythms using instruments!

Here's another quirky little video featuring one of our class sessions playing sand blocks along with some of the rhythm patterns the children have practiced many times in their vocal warm-ups.




Hope you have fun with rhythm patterns and your little ones!



Advertising Disclosure: Magical Movement Company may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. Thanks for your support!
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5 Steps to Bring the Outdoor Classroom to Your Preschool Playground!

OUTDOOR CLASSROOM / PLAYGROUND: 5 STEPS


If your environment is like most Preschool/Primary settings, there isn't a neat little area all set up for an "Outdoor Classroom" where children can readily practice activities that build skills in reading, writing, math, care of environment, and the sciences.

               Beautiful Outdoor Classroom Setting
Photo taken by Carolyn At the SF Bay Area Discovery Museum
All photos by Carolyn @ Magical Movement Company unless otherwise noted.

However, incorporating an Outdoor Classroom into your existing Playground can extend your children's academic learning experiences in a most playful, healthful, & engaging way!


                 PlayGround Meets Outdoor Classroom
Photo from the artists at Big Stock Photo

Here are 5 steps for successfully blending the Outdoor Classroom with your PlayGround:


1. SET UP A BIRD FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT.

        PlayGround Meets the Wild Birds
                     (This is Care of the Environment!)

Hummingbirds and/or local wild birds can be attracted by setting up a feeding station.  A hummingbird feeding station (found at Amazon) is the easiest & neatest of "habitats" to set up & maintain.



2. INSTALL A LITTLE WEATHER STATION.

                PlayGround Meets "Weather Station"
Photo by the artists at Big Stock Photo

Children can record data by using a rain gauge, an outdoor thermometer, and a wind sock. (all available at Amazon)


                               Rain Gauge
                              (This is Math!)


                            Outdoor Thermometer
                                  (More Math!)


                                Wind Sock Kite
Photo by the artists at Big Stock Photo
(This is FUN and also Meteorology!)


Recording the Day's Weather in the Little Notebook
                     (This is Writing & Science!)


3. CREATE A FLOWER/VEGETABLE GARDEN.


PlayGround meets Garden


This can be as simple as a small window box or as elaborate as a raised bed garden complete with worm composter & a tool shed.
                       Child-size Garden in a Box
      (This is Care of the Environment & Botanical Science)


              Garden Box Planted with Edible Herbs
(This is Botanical Science!)

      Stepping Stones in the Raised Bed Children's Garden
(This is Care of the Environment & Mathematical    Engineering!)


4. PROVIDE THE "TOOL BOX."

PlayGround meets Bird Watching Bag


The Outdoor Classroom "Tool Box" Should Have the Following:



             Child-size Notebook for Recording Data 



(This is writing!)


                                                  

Child-size Binoculars                          
                    (This is Scientific Observation!)



                      Scrubbing Brush for Cleaning Bird Feeders

Brushes for Cleaning the Portals of the Humming Bird Feeder


                              Watering Can


                (This is Care of the Environment!)






                      Bird Identification Book


               (This is Reading & Scientific Investigation!)





                       Child-size Gardening Gloves


                 Child-Size Plastic Hand Trowel & Rake
                    (This is Care of the Environment!)


****You can embellish this toolbox with things like: a hand-held bird call, insect identification book, leaf & flower identification book, signs & label making materials, mortar & pestle for crushing corn for the birds & egg shells for the garden, a child's camera, rocks with garden labels for children to "read" & place around the outdoors, and many teacher-made activities such as a recipe for bird seed mix, etc.)


(This is Reading, Math, Care of the Environment, Biological Science and FUN!)


5. SELECT A "LEADER" FOR THE DAY.


PlayGround meets Positive Social Interactions
and Fulfilling Work











The "Leader" for the day is going to need lots of help to complete all the tasks necessary for the upkeep of the Outdoor Classroom! It's great fun for the Leader to pick these helpers and it gives lots of children a chance to practice all those skills (like reading, writing, math, care of the environment and science!)
This is developing social skills and responsibility!

For more information about creating an Outdoor Classroom on your PlayGround check out these past posts of mine:

Little Children & Setting up the Bird Feeder 

Digging and Hauling Stones in the Children's Garden

Recording in the Birdwatching Book

Carolyn's Blog: The Outdoor Classroom Posts





Advertising Disclosure: Magical Movement Company may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. Thanks for your support!
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