These 10 Best Songs for Gross motor movement are just what is needed to keep even the liveliest toddlers active!

Contraption 1: The Boomwhacker String- he most wow-worthy Boomwhacker lesson plan and contraption I've ever come up with. Your kids will be playing Boomwhackers like never before!

These 10 Best Songs for Gross motor movement are just what is needed to keep even the liveliest toddlers active!

Set includes: Maracas (x2) Castanets (x2) Tambourine Drum (x1) Hand bells (x1)  Suitcase (x1) Make magic happen with our Little Love music set. This set contains four beautifully crafted musical instruments. Our music sets provide educational play and promote the use of gross and fine motor skills. Perfect for little hands. Get ready for countless hours of singing and dancing, assisting with sensory development, and improved listening skills via sound experimentation. This is the perfect addition to your nursery or playroom. All of our music sets come with a beautiful in house designed suitcase to pack up and store your instruments in. We hope you love our music sets as much as we do and it provides your little ones with countless hours of joy, musical expression, and excitement...(Warning - you may enjoy dancing and singing with our instruments just as much as your little ones!) Note:  We are passionate about your little one's safety and are proud to say all of our products have been tested and meet Australian Toy Safety Standards AS/NZS ISO 8124-1. Logo positioning may vary slightly from that shown in the product images Materials: Wood, iron, leather (Note: As our items are handmade, leather colour may vary slightly from that shown in the product images). All of our instruments are handmade items that are non-toxic, eco-friendly, and sustainably sourced. Each piece has unique flaws making them individual to you!  Warning: Suited for Age 3+ Only to be used under adult supervision The music instruments in this set are not teething items and should not be bitten or used for teething. Always check toys before use and discard product at the first sign of any damage Ensure wrapping and packaging is removed from the product Please note the suitcase is not a toy and should only be used to store your instruments in

This wooden musical instrument baby gift set is a wonderful introduction for babies to the world of music. This wooden musical instrument set will be the perfect gift for any baby. Play and rattle toys for babies are designed to encourage their development of gross motor skills, sound exploration and concentration. On top of all of this included you also get the beautiful suitcase so be used in many ways storage, small world play, sensory, kitchen play ! Material: Wood

Great news! You don't need flashy instruments to create that rockstar experience. Here are 14 musical instruments you can create at home.

Babies to Bookworms provides a review of musical board books from Jam Jam Books which aim to introduce babies and toddlers to classical music.

Instruments of the Orchestra Workstations can be the perfect addition to your student of instruments and instrument families. Learn about a few easy centers to implement into your classroom and woo your students to success.

Are you working on instrument families while studying instruments of the orchestra?This set can be used as individual assignments or quizzes or can be put together in a workbook for your students.Many of these pages are great to leave for substitutes as well!Included in this set:- A list of websites...

Prone extension...It's a common term when it comes to occupational therapy activities! Use these prone extension activities to build skills.

This Color Sorting Mitten Activity is such a fun way for kids to practice identifying and sorting colors with a fun winter theme.

Throughout the first week of school, our focus during math is introducing 2D shapes. I made some fun posters to help my students remember the names and properties of each shape {and they referred to them all year long!} {clip art from Love Two Teach borders from Teaching in a Small Town} My class absolutely loved these! We learned each poem and talked about the characteristic of each shape. We even learned that Sandy Square has a booooyfriend ;) {Download the shape poems here and ignore the fact that I clearly need more ink ;) I copied 2 to a page so that they printed out smaller than a regular sheet of paper.} After we learned about each shape, I hung the posters up in our classroom for future reference. We also played this super fun shape game! After we met our new friends and talked all about the shapes, we sat in a big circle {applying what we learned about circles!}. Then I walked around with a bunch of shapes in a bag and had each student pull out one shape. They told their neighbor what shape they pulled out {to practice identifying and to help their neighbor if they weren't sure} and then we played the Shape Game! After everyone had a chance to stand up, we switched our shapes and played again. It was a lot of fun :) To see what else we did during the first week of school, visit my blog, Miss Kindergarten!

Well, we have been back for over a week. I'm starting to get back into the swing of things. I've been so busy that I haven't posted pictures of my classroom. So, here they are :) You'll see lots of "Pinteresty" things such as the poofs, cans for sharp (#) and flat pencils, the bubblegum machine full of pencil top erasers which I have to add my students think is SUPER cool. :D These are the cabinets on the east side of my room. You'll notice a sink which is great for cleaning recorders. There's also a closet on the far end that you can't see in the picture. On the middle of the shelf is my stick storage. My awesome stick storage. I use one of those long wood candle holders that you can pick up at a craft store. It's perfect for mallets and sticks. :) Here are my Recorder Dudes. Norm Sands came up with them. You can get a template and many great ideas in the Recorder Classroom curriculum. I have one for every note, but I'm only displaying these three for a few weeks. While my 4th graders review from last year and my third graders begin their recorder studies. My SMARTboard area. Here are my computer key chairs. I found them on clearance at Hobby Lobby for $20 each. Thank you PTO! Did I mention we have the BEST PTO ever? They have been so much help as I establish the music program. This is only the third year that our school has been open. You may notice that my carpet is in squares. They come up! Great for stains and such. Though in all honesty I haven't had to replace any. Yet. :) Here is my area other side of the SMARTboard. The shelf behind the drums has become my workstation. I keep my Ipad, Ipod, Bose, cd player, extra pencils, sharpies, goodies and story books for those times when I have an extra few minutes. Basically, anything that I may need at a moments notice. Next to that I have my rhythm instrument area. We are a new school, so I'm still working up to Remo Tubanos and Orff instruments. We do have 19 glockenspiels that I recieved through Donors Choose. If you haven't been to that website check it out. Also, Adopt A Classroom. :) Here is my library. My dad make these bifold shutter doors for my sister's law office and when she moved she didn't know what to do with them. I of course grabbed them I needed something to break up that ugly yellow and blue stripe that goes around my ENTIRE classroom. YUCK! Initially, I wasn't sure what to do with them. Then I came up with the idea to us them as a book display. Since this picture was taken I attached the braces. There are eight which makes it very safe for my students. I hope that you have enjoyed a look into my classroom. I also have built in 3 step risers. I'll try to get a picture of those as well as my desk area which is next to my library.

This crossing the midline activity helps with midline crossing, visual motor integration, letter fluency, and letter identification.

I share about five things that are easy to do with almost every folk song that help to extend your teaching, expand student knowledge, and make life fun!

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Music education is one area that I feel like we have really slacked in over the years. It was always hard for me to stay consistent, even though I knew in my head how important it was. It was just …

Unit: Instruments of the Orchestra A unit about the instruments of the orchestra is frequently included in music education curricula […]

DIY Composition Manipulatives. Organized Chaos. easy rhythm cards made from foam sheets. great way to get students composing because each card matches the length of the note or rest and each note is a different color.

Play with sound that can span from soft to louder with our Wooden Kokoriko, an ancient Japanese instrument. Music helps children express themselves creatively while working on rhythmic foundations. The Kokoriko produces a gentle clatter that kids of all ages love to experiment with. This instrument is also great for improving hand-eye coordination and other gross motor skills. Constructed of eco-friendly Rubberwood blocks of wood connected to a sturdy leather strap with easy to grip wooden handles at each end.  Green Tones uses all wood construction made from environmentally friendly Rubberwood with a non-toxic clear coat finish and water based VOC-free paint.

An update to everything happening in the world of Musicplay, MusicplayOnline, and Themes & Variations directly from Denise Gagne!

“Kye Kye Kule" is the perfect song for teaching rhythm, movement, instrument etiquette, and singing technique to elementary students. So let’s dive in!!!

Fun music activities for kids inspired by pianos

With eight tuneful metal music keys, tinkly roller bells, and convenient carry handle, this clever instrument also encourages building those fine and gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination. In a sweet cloud and rainbow design, this melodious multi-play instrument is the perfect introduction to music-making for little learners. Fun, dual-play xylophone/roller bell instrument for musical toddlers  Features melodic metal notes and tinkly roller bells Includes plastic mallet and carry handle Suitable for ages 1 - 4 years

Use steady beat to teach Beethoven's 9th Symphony using movement, instruments, and body percussion.

The young middle school singers who arrive in my choral classroom each August are incredibly diverse. In my room, I have children whose native languages are Dari (the Persian language of Afghanistan), Mandarin, Hindi, German, Spanish, Swahili and many more. I've taught singing to children in my classroom who, believe it or not, are almost completely deaf, some who have trouble matching pitch, some who can barely articulate due to cerebral palsy, children with severe intellectual limitations, extreme cases of Autism, and children who are legally blind. ...And almost all of them come to me utterly unable to read music. My room is a true public school classroom in America, and I absolutely love that fact. There are many resources in marketplace for helping break through language barriers. Smartling, for example, is a translation software company that helps us break through language barriers by translating mobile apps and websites for companies. My feeling is that if children want to sing, they should sing, and it's up to me to find ways to communicate in a way everyone can understand so they can learn. I don't test their voices. Middle school children are so afraid to be put on the spot and forced to sing alone, so I stopped testing their voices years ago. I can hear what I need to hear in the group setting, discretely work on the issues that need addressing, and avoid causing them the extra stress. To be in my chorus class, the only requirement I have of them is that they have a true desire to learn to sing. Each year, there are over 300 children who walk through my doors each day electing to take choir, and I am honored they make that choice. To help them become musically literate, I had to learn to teach using all three learning modalities each day: Kinesthetic, Visual and Aural. When I began developing my Sight Singing Program, S-Cubed, the main goal I had was to help my beginning students, regardless of whether they speak English or whatever their individual challenges may be, truly learn how to take the dots, curves, stems and lines off of the page and successfully and accurately turn them into sound. I wanted to help them understand the language of reading music better, and I wanted them to have fun in the process of learning it. To reach them, I knew that I had to incorporate every possible learning modality. One of the most important parts of my sight singing method is the use of the Kodaly Hand Signs. The hand signs help to connect pitch to the physical movements of the hands. The use of the vowel sounds in the words of the Kodaly scale helps intonation and blend tremendously because teachers can teach students how to use tall vowels when they sing. In the Sight Singing approach I developed, I took the Kodaly Hand Sign movements and added more layers to help my beginners experience more success. When you see my students tackling a new piece of music for the first time, you see them pulsing their hands to keep the steady beat, and you see them lifting and lowering their hands to match the changing pitch. Click here to see an example. I carefully and deliberately teach those skill sets to my students and slowly build the coordinations required to successfully execute them one step at a time. It is all outlined in the descriptions of the individual lessons in my program. ...But the single most important element of my program is "fun". To begin building the skills I've described above, I play a game with the children called Forbidden Pattern. Click here to see a description of the game. Click here to see me playing the game with my students. This is really the "hook" of the program I've developed and it works with all of the children I've described in the first paragraph of this post. Regardless of what language they speak or what other challenges they face, when we turn the learning process into a game, our middle school children listen, laugh, thrive, and best of all, in the end, we all learn to speak the common language of music. Check out my blog!

This year I created a small project for us to work on to continue work on high vs. low. I really enjoyed this project because the students...

Orff instrument stands are so beneficial for students but so expensive! Check out this simple DIY project to turn student desks into orff instrument stands!

Miss Carole of Macaroni Soup beating the bongo here! Let's talk about drumming with Pre-K and K children! You don't have to be a...

5 Easy musical instruments to make with your children. Did you know that learning music has been proven to boost learning all around? This includes the STEM fields. Practice counting, rhythm, and patterns all while having fun. Perfect for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers!

Sarasponda

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There is a Level 1 which is MUCH easier- students write in ONE letter to play for each beat of rhythmic values. Level 2 students have to write (and practice) playing different notes for EACH rhythmic value- much harder. It's a great way to differentiate for your "superstars".

This is one of my favorite lessons. I’ve taught it in class before, and I have used it in several of my college courses as well. I have included all the elements needed to teach this lesson. …