Magical Movement Company: Carolyn's blog

Outdoor Classroom: The Importance of Drama Play in Cognitive Development!

Carolyn 12:34 AM

CHILDREN! THEY LOVE TO MOVE, SO LET'S GIVE THEM OUTDOOR DRAMA PLAY THAT OFFERS BIG MOVEMENT!

Photo from Carolyn at Magical Movement Company

Sometimes the drama play that children really love is most appropriate for outdoors. It is often loud and requires lots of big movement on the part of the children.

I like to offer props for dramatic play outdoors that satisfy the child's need for large motor activity and that are also based on real-life experiences. One activity that is usually a big hit is pretending to be in a marching band. This is when you can bring out the drums and the cymbals that are a bit loud for the indoors, but are perfect for an outdoor marching band! Add some rainbow ribbons and pompoms and it might easily turn into a parade!

This marching together not only helps children develop a sense of steady beat, but also gives them practice in the cognitive skills of working together as a group to keep themselves in a line and individually to march, play instruments and even sing all at the same time! The teacher can add to the authenticity of the experience by counting out: "March, 2-3-4...March 2-3-4..!" And, before you know it, the children are leading themselves in a wonderful and somewhat organized and orderly fashion all around your outdoor environment.

Photo from the artists at Dollar Photo Club

I got the bright idea of marching band drama play one Spring when the nearby Middle School would take their marching band outdoors and march around the neighborhood. When they marched by our Preschool playground the little children excitedly lined up along the fence and watched (and listened) for a very long time!

You can embellish this activity with a little Music Appreciation by playing one of John Phillip Sousa's marches on your sound system. Bring out the flags to add to the authenticity and you can play various national anthems from all over the world to extend your Cultural Studies curriculum to the Outdoor Classroom. Great way to honor the 4th of July, too!

Likewise, after we had our annual Autumn visit from the local fire department, I discovered that a great extension for this learning experience was to supply the children with sturdy firefighter costumes for their loud & boisterous outdoor drama play.

The following photos are from Carolyn at Magical Movement Company

An added benefit to having firefighter costumes in the Outdoor Classroom is the wonderful Montessori-style Practical Life skills that the child is practicing. The cloth costumes with suspenders on the pants and the latch hooks on the jackets give the children plenty of practice with small motor activities associated with self-care. and, in our group, the Firefighter costumes were worn EVERY day! You can start out with 2 costume sets and gradually add more. I found that 4 sets was about right. And, they come in different sizes too. Here's the link at Amazon: Kids Firefighter Costume at Amazon. You can also keep a look out at specialized children's stores for sales on these after Halloween.

Putting on the Firefighter boots is a great exercise for learning about left and right, and these add immensely to the reality aspect of the drama play. I often find these on sale after the rainy season or Halloween has passed.

Another helmet costume that is great fun for the children is a space helmet and I found some a few years ago that are light weight and fairly sturdy! Here's the link at Amazon: US Toy Child's Space Helmet. Another great extension to go along with your Solar System/ Outer Space studies curriculum!

One year, our group was really enjoying the study of European painters and their favorite was Marc Chagall. I collected props (thrift stores!) for the children to dress up as the "painter" and the "model" and they really got to experience "The Fiddler on the Roof" based on Chagall's painting titled, The Green Violinist. You can learn more about this famous painting at this link: Chagall Green Violinist at the Guggenheim. What a great enrichment to Art Appreciation and the study of Europe in the Montessori classroom!

If you set up the easel and give the children some paint on a paint palette, they will really have a complete "Chagall painting experience"!

This group even created a "Chagall style" backdrop of a whimsical "town" with wrapping paper, tape and a giant opened out cardboard box. Building skills in art and creative thinking!

Another classic from the Language Arts curriculum that works well for drama in the Outdoor Classroom is the children's book, Caps for Sale. Here's the link for purchasing at amazon books: Slobodkina, Caps for Sale. This little story about the peddler whose caps got stolen by a band of monkeys up in the tree is perfect for outdoor play since the story happens around a tree! I found the various colors of caps at the thrift store and that was all it took for the children to create this well-known story almost on their own! It's fun to have someone read the story as the children act it out, and it takes lots of coordination and balance on the part of the "peddler" who starts the story by carrying all the caps stacked upon his/her head!

Our group got so enamored with this little story that they began to set up a makeshift "stage" with large size snap-together foam squares placed on the ground. (Home Depot with lots of uses for Outdoor Classroom!) They carried over some low step stools so that the "monkeys" could be a little off the ground and up in the "trees" when it came time in the story to throw the caps back down to the ground. They even lined up the outdoor chairs for an "audience" area. More large-motor & collaborative problem-solving skills developing! This activity lends itself to many extensions, like creating "tickets" for the audience. (Art & Language skills) If you provide some play money, there is a wonderful outdoor Math experience!

All of these costumes and drama activities I've mentioned in this article are for both girls and boys, which is very important of course! Here's a great photo of a little "Firefighter" all dressed up and ready to fight fires OR fold the laundry!

I am always so happy to have you visit my site and I hope you have gotten some new ideas for developing your Outdoor Classroom and Drama Play that are based on real-life experiences for the children in your group. I love reading comments (there's a section just below) and learning about your experiences & ideas!

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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Montessori Music with Rhythm Instruments: "Ding, Tap, Tap, Click!"

Carolyn 1:21 PM

RHYTHM BAND: INTRODUCING CHILDREN TO "ENSEMBLE PLAYING" IN MONTESSORI MUSIC CLASS! Our Preschool music classes have been filled with the delight of playing a variety of rhythm instruments together in a beginning "ensemble" activity that the children love! Playing in ensemble is a milestone for young children and a first step in formal music training.

All photos in this post are from the artists at Dollar Photo Club unless otherwise indicated.

If you haven't discovered Frank Leto's work with music and young children, then you are in for a big treat! His website, http://www.frankleto.com is a great exploration in itself, where you can find his many cds, dvds, and music learning materials that are all just excellent! And, if you have an opportunity to attend any of his workshops at the next Montessori conference, then you will really see his teaching methods in action. Frank has AMS credentials as well as Orff-Schulwerk certification and his music methods work wonderfully in just about any early childhood environment.
You can learn more about Frank Leto at my past posts by clicking here: Lady Bugs and Developing Singing Voices
and here:
Children Feeling at Home With Music!

I use so many of Frank's songs and activities, that I highly recommend ALL of his albums! The favorite with my music classes right now is the one that introduces rhythm instruments to children: "Rhythm Band Jam." If you happen to purchase this album as a cd you will have the wonderful instructional insert that outlines the comprehensive music lessons that Frank has designed to go along with the cd. (well worth it!) His music is also available for download at iTunes, cdBaby, and Amazon. Here's the link for Amazon where you can buy the download or the cd: Rhythm Band Frank Leto Amazon

Frank uses the "Three-Period Lesson" to introduce the names and the sounds of the basic rhythm instruments of early childhood:

rhythm sticks
triangle
maracas
tambourine
drum
cymbal

The first selection on the cd, (titled "Intro") introduces these instruments with their names and then their sounds. (First Period)

For the Second Period, Frank recommends playing little games with the various instruments (ex: ask a child to put the rhythm sticks under a table or the tambourine behind the plant..etc.)

You can also play the "What's Missing Game" with the 6 instruments laid out on a rug, cover them with a scarf, remove one of the instruments, and ask the child/ren: "What's missing?" or "What's missing...the tambourine or the rhythm sticks?"

The second song on the cd is a really fun game: "Listen, And Tell Me What You Hear..." This catchy melody is sung over and over as the various instruments are played for the children to hear and then tell which one they heard.(Third Period)

This can be a little bit of a challenge for young children, but oh-so fun! The song gets progressively more difficult as two instruments are played at the same time and then three! Very fun and very good for developing focused listening skills.

I play a variation of this game at music circle by lining up the instruments and then having the children all close their eyes (no peaking!) and then I play one of the instruments and sing the song...the children tell me which one they heard. You can learn more about the rhythm instruments I recommend for a Preschool classroom on my Blog post at this link: "Music, please!"

Throughout the school year, I have been introducing these instruments to the children and I always start with rhythm sticks because they are so, so versatile. We have lots of experiences with rhythm instruments as they are introduced one at a time and all the children play the same instrument. (that means 24 sets of rhythm sticks, 24 tambourines, 24 triangles...etc!) Since I am a music specialist, I have these classroom sets; however, in your classroom you can definitely begin with 24 sets of rhythm sticks and create many lessons just with these!
You'll find some ideas for using rhythm sticks at this link: Preschool Music: Quarter Rest Means Don't Play!

Then, I would recommend that you have at least 2 of each of the other instruments mentioned above and the children can all have rhythm sticks while they take turns playing the triangle, maracas, tambourine, frame drum and child-size cymbals. My favorite place to buy quality rhythm instruments is at this link: West Music.

The idea is that the children have had experience with playing all these instruments and after several weeks/months then the "Listen & Tell Me What You Hear Game" can be played.

As children progress through the fun activities on Frank's cd, you can introduce ensemble playing with songs like "We Are Fine Musicians" in which the children have a variety of rhythm instruments and a certain one is played when mentioned in the song.

Recently, the older groups in our music classes have been enjoying ensemble playing with the song on the "Rhythm Band cd" titled "Waltz". We call it "ding-tap-tap" because those are the first words of the song! In this song, the drum is played as a hand drum and the cymbal is played as a single cymbal with a little tapping stick.

I lay the rhythm instruments out on a rug, one of each, in this order from the children's left to right:

Triangle, Tambourine, Rhythm Sticks, Maracas, Drum, Cymbal

The song goes like this:
"Ding, Tap, Tap. Ding, Tap, Tap. Click, Click, Click, Click."(repeat)

"Cha-cha-cha, Boom. Cha-cha-cha Boom. Cha, Boom, Boom Bong!"
(repeat)

"Ding" is played on the Triangle
"Tap" is played on the Tambourine
"Click" is played on the Rhythm Sticks
"Cha" is played on the Maracas
"Boom" is played on the Hand Drum
"Bong" is played on the Cymbal

Then, I invite 6 children to stand in a line next to the instruments I laid out and each child plays the indicated instrument when it comes up in the song. As the "Conductor" of our Rhythm Band, I help the children by pointing to that child when it is his/her turn to play during the song. The rest of the class sings the song and /or pretends they are the "Audience."

It looks something like this!

"Ding"

"Tap, Tap"

"Click, Click, Click, Click"

Photo by Jeri-Jo Idarius Photography

"Cha-Cha-Cha"

"Boom"

Photo by Jeri-Jo Idarius Photography

"Bong"

For the younger classes ( 2 & 3 yr olds), I set out four baskets each filled with a different instrument, and each child is invited to choose which instrument s/he wants to play that day. Then, we all sing & play along to the "ding,tap,tap song" with all the instruments played at the same time. This song from the cd has a very nice melody with lyrics sung by children and the rhythm instruments are easily heard. I like to work with this song so that these younger children will be familiar with it when they get older and begin to perform it in an ensemble.

I had actually forgotten how much the children simply like singing this catchy little tune. When I was leaving music class last week, I heard a group on the playground singing the song together! These first "real" music experiences lay the foundation for a lifetime of music pleasure whether it be playing the trumpet in a jazz band or enjoying a performance at the symphony. Early music experiences are so fun and most important!

Thanks again for visiting my Blog and I hope you get a chance to try these activities out with your group. I would love to hear about your adventures with "ensemble playing" and introducing rhythm instruments to young children. You can just leave a comment in the section below!

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Africa-inspired Balance Beam Fun: Crossing the Bridge at Alligator Alley!

Carolyn 1:07 PM

LITTLE KIDS SO ENJOY A BALANCE BEAM, LET'S TAKE IT TO OUR AFRICAN STUDIES! Here's a music & movement story about crossing a bridge in the African forest where the alligator is waiting to catch something for dinner!

Photo by the artists at Dollar Photo Club

I learned this delightful Montessori-style activity at an AMS Conference Workshop with Diane Craft, PhD. who has been a Physical Education professional for much of her life. You can check out her "must-have" book, Movement Matters, A Fully Illustrated Montessori Album by clicking on the title link. Diane had been working with Family Day Care Providers and designing budget-minded physical education activities for young children in child-care settings. When she put out her first 2 books she gained attention from the Montessori world and ended up collaborating with Melanie Alexander Fuchs to produce this wonderful album chock-ful of Montessori-friendly activities for both circle time and individual shelf works. Even though this manual seems a bit expensive, you will use it constantly for your Montessori movement curriculum and most of the activities cost pennies to put together and are often found around your house or at the dollar store! (There is also a version of the book that is not geared so closely to the Montessori environment and it is also chock-full of activities without the Montessori lingo.)

Back to our African Music & Movement story:
I adapted this activity, "Alligator Pit" (p. 108 in the book) and I use it for enriching our studies of the continent of Africa. Playing some traditional African music in the background really sets the mood for the story! If your group is young and might fear the idea of a pretend alligator lurking in the pretend water, then you can leave that part out and just have them carefully cross the "river" without falling in!

Photo by the artists at Dollar Photo Club

Most of the time, I find that 3 yrs and older usually enjoy the idea of the alligator in the water, so I keep it in my story. It's definitely up to you to decide what is best for your group.

Here's what I use for the story:

Sturdy balance beam that is very close to the ground
CD of African drumming or jungle sounds on your sound system
Someone to be the "alligator" in the pretend river (start out with an adult playing this part)
Pictures (large size visuals): one of a river scene in a rain forest setting and one of a scene of a foot bridge for crossing the river

If you don't have a balance beam, there is a fabulous way to create one using a pool noodle (Dollar store!) cut in half lengthwise so one side is flat, that you can find in Diane's book, Movement Matters .(see link in paragraph above.)
I have also done this activity using a "line" on the floor made of masking tape to represent the "bridge."

Hopefully, you have introduced the continent of Africa to your group and they know a little about the rain forest/jungle areas and that alligators live in some of the rivers there. This link has information about the alligators that inhabit the continent of Africa.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_African_crocodile

Here's where the large sized visuals come in handy. Scroll down for a wonderful "Montessori Style Africa" download packet from Trillium Montessori that will give you just about all you need to introduce this fascinating continent to young children!

I love introducing Africa for the first time in a musical way, and you can see my ideas at my past post: Musical Story for Preschoolers: African-style Walk to the River

Also, an excellent activity for walking on the Montessori "Line" is to provide a basket for the children to carry on the head while walking carefully. I have always provided an area of the classroom for children to walk on "The Line" during work time and so the African basket is on the shelf next to this area. If you provide some African patterned cloth with the basket, the children can really get inspired.

Photo by Carolyn at Magical Movement Company

I have read that Montessori herself provided baskets for children to carry on their heads while walking on the line. She also gave the children a little cloth "head ring" such as the ones used in India for carrying bundles on the head. So, I include a rolled up bandana that I have tied together at the ends to make a little "head ring" that is very helpful for some of the children.

So, after the children have been introduced to some information about the way people live in rural areas of Africa, you can offer this group activity at circle:

Crossing the Bridge at Alligator Alley!

Tell the children that you are going to show them a fun game about crossing the pretend foot bridge over the pretend river in Africa. Once again, they will be using their strong muscles to keep their balance while they cross the "bridge" (balance beam) over the pretend "river."
This is where I introduce the "alligator"!
I say something like this:

" I know you all are very good at walking carefully across this balance beam and I thought we could have a little music & movement story today and use this balance beam. I'm going to play some music from Africa and we can pretend that the balance beam is a foot bridge for walking across our pretend river in Africa. Now there is one important thing about this river...there is an alligator lurking there just waiting to capture something for lunch!"

Here, I introduce the adult who will play the part of the alligator. Hopefully, this person is someone the children know already and that this person can be a playful and even funny "alligator" in the little music story.
I go on to set the mood by saying:

"So, when you cross the bridge, you want to walk very carefully so you don't fall into the river and get caught by the "alligator!"

Now the children line up to go walking carefully across the "African bridge" over the "African river."

Depending upon the experience and ages of your group, you may hold a child's hand while s/he crosses the "bridge." Or, you may have children that can run across the "bridge" almost effortlessly!

You can add all kinds of props (lots of ideas in the Movement Matters book)
Here are some of the things I have tried:

Carry a dry sponge in one hand
Carry a dry sponge in each hand
Carry a dry sponge on the head
Carry a basket on the head!
Carry a flag while crossing the bridge
Carry a tray while crossing the "bridge"
Walk backwards...or sideways...or heel-to-toe
Walk on tiptoe!

The list goes on.

I've found that the simple walking across the bridge and avoiding the alligator is still the most fun of all.

You can embellish the "alligator" with more props, too.
It's sometimes fun to introduce an alligator hand puppet for the person who is playing the part of the "alligator" to operate on the hand. Here's a pretty one from Folkmanis. (My all-time favorite puppet makers!) Here's the link: Folkmanis Alligator Stage Puppet

The story can be developed even more if you add things like pretending the alligator is sleeping and when you cross the bridge you have to walk very, very quietly so you don't wake him/her! Or maybe the pretend alligator has a whole family living in the pretend river. (that way several people can play the role of the alligator.) Maybe, the children like to throw pompom "munchies" in the river while they walk across the bridge so that the hungry alligator can have something to curb his appetite! The children usually have some great ideas of extending this drama play and I warmly invite their creative ideas!

After the children have had some time practicing walking across the bridge without getting caught by the "alligator" you can invite one of the children to play the part of the "alligator."

Of course, this activity lends itself very well to the Outdoor Classroom, especially if you have a balance beam already set up outside!

I am delighted to have you read this Blog post and I hope it gives you more ideas for your studies about the continent of Africa.

I am so excited to be an affiliate seller for Trillium Montessori's "7 Continents Bundle", especially since there are so many resources in this Bundle and the materials are really lovely. You get not only EVERYTHING you need in your Cultural Studies of the Continent of Africa, you get wonderful & high quality materials for the other 6 continents, too! It's a HUGE bundle and it is a real pleasure to prepare them since they are gorgeous and I don't have to spend hours and hours gathering photos and making templates, etc. You simply download the Bundle, print out the materials, mount & laminate the cards and your curriculum is done! There is a collection of beautiful line drawing master copies for the children to make their own Montessori-style "Parts of..." booklets. "Parts of the Lion" is the featured animal for the African unit and you'll fall in love with the "Africa A-Z" Book that you can put together with the absolutely stunning photos of people, places & animals of that continent. Then, there are the 3 part cards from A to Z!

Here's the link for purchasing these fabulous Montessori Materials: https://transactions.sendowl.com/stores/3981/15584

Great to have you visit my Blog and I really love hearing from you. Feel free to leave a comment in the section below!

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Mathematics & Montessori Outdoor Classroom: Learning Through The Art of Play!

Carolyn 12:15 AM

NUMBERS+OUTDOORS+CHILDREN=LEARNING, IN A "FRESH AIR" SORT OF WAY! Once again the Montessori-style Outdoor Classroom easily offers academics through real life activities that Preschoolers greatly enjoy.
If you hang one of these lovely clocks in your Outdoor Classroom, the children will be asking, "What time is it?"

Photo by Carolyn at Magical Movement Company

If a child wants to know what time it is, here's a great "teachable moment" with your beautiful outdoor clock as the featured attraction! In fact, the children can have fun recording in their nature journals what time it was when they spotted a barn finch at the bird feeder. Or, little eyes can keep a look out for when it is time for snack by watching for the hands on the clock to read "10:00."

Photo by Carolyn at Magical Movement Company

What a fun moment to discover mathematics...in an outdoorsy kind of way!
Then, we can always go over and check the rain gauge to see how many inches of rain fell last night! Here is even more mathematical information to write down in the child's nature journal.

Photo by Carolyn at Magical Movement Company

One year our rain gauge got full at 5 inches of rainfall and so we added a second rain gauge so we could continue to measure the rain that year. This led the children into the important activity of adding numbers to arrive at the accurate amount of rainfall.

Reading from left to right, these gauges pictured below represented 5 inches plus 3 inches for a total of 8 inches of rainfall!

Photo by Carolyn at Magical Movement Company

These rain gauges may be purchased at Montessori Services

And, if you have mint growing in your Outdoor Classroom, the children can brew up some mint tea for a delightful outdoor tea party.

Photo by Carolyn at Magical Movement Company

To brew the tea, you will need a little 4-minute kitchen timer, and so the children can practice more math skills by setting the timer and waiting patiently for the tea to be ready. Sometimes, the children may like to count out the four minutes themselves rather than setting a timer. In fact, counting out the brewing time turned out to be a favorite activity of the older children who love to practice counting up to big numbers like 60, or 120...all the way to 240!

Photo by Carolyn at Magical Movement Company

For tea, I heat water indoors and then bring the tea pot of hot water outside. This activity should always be closely supervised by an adult at all times.

We can't forget the important work of mixing up our own homemade wild bird food. You can read more about children plucking & crushing Autumn corn to put in the wild bird feeder at my Blog post by clicking here: Making Art and the Outdoors.

The photo below is the tray set up for an individual child to mix their own homemade wild bird food. The activity has a picture recipe card to go along with it. (scroll down)

Photo by Carolyn at Magical Movement Company

Here's my recipe for wild bird seed that is set up on a Montessori-style tray with the picture recipe card prominently displayed so that the child can prepare the seed mixture entirely on her own!

Clip art from Openclipart

This bird seed mixture is the one we use to prepare pretty little bird feeders that can be hung around the garden or the children can take them home to their own gardens.

I got this "bird treat" idea from the dust cover of Lois Ehlert's book, Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf.

Photo by Carolyn at Magical Movement Company

When it comes time to harvest some greens, or radishes, or peas from the garden, the children really enjoy choosing the picture card of the plant they want to harvest. One side of the card has a picture of the plant, and the other side has a number that indicates how many the child can pick.

Photo by Carolyn at Magical Movement Company

The child not only reads the number on the back of the card, but also does a one-to-one correspondence activity when gathering her harvest. Yet more math skills to practice!
You can read more about Preschoolers gaining skills in Pre-Math with seriating and one-to-one correspondence at my post about Clay Pots. Here's the link: Look What We Did With A Clay Pot!

Probably the most exciting activity of all is measuring the zucchinis that we grew in the Children's Garden. Zucchini plants can get really big if not harvested early, and it's fun to measure the length and then weigh it, too! We grew a giant squash one year that weighed almost 4 pounds! You can see a picture of it at my Blog post by clicking here: Let's Go to Work in the Children's Garden!

Just a darling little group of serious gardeners!

Photo by Carolyn at Magical Movement Company

Who says children can't learn important skills in virtually every academic area of curriculum by working outside in the Outdoor Classroom?
These are just a handful of math-related activities for the Montessori Outdoor Classroom...I would love to hear what your children are doing in your environment. If you like, please leave a comment in the section below and tell us about it!

I have linked this post with a wonderful Blog Hop at Christian Montessori Network that is featuring Math Activities. There are over 20 bloggers posting and LOTS of activity ideas for Montessori Math. You can check it out by clicking this link: CMN Blog Hop: Montessori Math.

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