Charlotte and the Rock, by Stephen W. Martin, is sweet and funny with a dark little twist (sorry Mom and Dad, the joke’s on you!) that children and parents will get a kick out of.
Bling Blang, Woody Guthrie, Movement, Dance
We are kicking off our summer Story Stretchers Camp here with one of my favorite books, Everybody Needs a Rock written by Byrd Baylor,...
10 kids books that ROCK! Awesome children's books written by classic rock stars.
After the high-energy success of my first Preschool Dance Party last winter, I knew I needed to fit another dance party into my programming schedule. What better time than at the end of the summer, when kids have energy to burn after exhausting all their regular summertime activities? Once again, this dance party was an exemplary program. All of the children were engaged at a level comfortable for them--some marched around the whole time, some clapped from the safety of Mom's lap, but everyone got involved. The program helped draw attention to two wonderful but often-overlooking collections at the library, our children's music CDs and our Rhymes and Songs picture books. Packing the fast-paced program with early literacy tips about the importance of singing and playing also helped caregivers recognize that reading isn't the only way to help kids develop early literacy skills. All in all, a great program (and a great workout for me). Preschool Dance Party Song: "Surfin' Safari" by the Beach Boys We used this song to get our bodies warmed up and break the ice for an atypical story time experience. We did lots of arm stretches and careful leg lifts to get everyone pumped. Song: "Do the Bird" by the Kerplunks This song includes listening to hear the different motions to make. The kids' favorite verse was when they acted like chickens. Story: The Croaky Pokey by Ethan Long This silly variation of the Hokey Pokey is particularly exciting to kids, as they get to make froggy tongue-slurping sounds as they try to catch flies along with the text. Song: "Mahna Mahna" by Mahna Mahna and the Snowths I passed out rhythm sticks for this song, and we had fun trying to keep a beat, making our sticks sound loud and then soft, and trying to keep our sticks in rhythm while beating them behind our backs. Song: "Robot Parade" by They Might Be Giants The kids and I practiced our robot movements before I pressed play for this song, and then we robot-ed all around the room in a very stiff and silly-looking parade. This song wins the award for inspiring the most caregiver photos. Song: "Beanie Bag Dance" by Greg & Steve Each child got to choose a Beanie Baby animal to use for this song. The song instructs listeners what to do with their bean bags, including dancing with bags between one's knees. Story: If You're Hoppy by April Pulley Sayre I stuck with the silly variation of kids classics book theme and shared this great animal-heavy picture book. Most kids opted to stay standing for the book, so there was lots of acting out the behaviors of the animals. Song: "Shoo Fly" by Carole Peterson We had a great time doing the shoo-ing motions for this song. As several of the kids were getting a bit tired at this point, we shared this song sitting criss-cross-applesauce on the floor, moving our arms and rocking to the beat. Song: "Movin' Right Along" by Alkaline Trio I pulled out the parachute for this song, and the kids and I worked on shaking the parachute at different speeds. We also worked on rotating the parachute in a circle using teamwork. Song: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" by the Andrews Sisters I added some blow-up globes (beach ball-style) onto the middle of the parachute, which of course inspired much excited shaking and bouncing. We again used teamwork to count together and make the globes go really high, much to everyone's delight. When the song ended, I told kids to let go of the parachute when I counted to three so I could wrap the parachute up. ~~*~~ Have you done a preschool dance party program? What are your favorite go-to songs and stories?
All About Earth's Materials: Covering this standard about Earth's materials that include rocks and soil is about to become your favorite unit for
Enjoy these fabulous books about rock and roll, country, hip-hop, and punk rock together with the budding musicians in your life.
This post includes an awesome list of Children's Books about Rocks.
At PLA 2016, I attended the “How Two Libraries Quit Summer Reading and You Can, Too” program with the real hope (deep in my heart) that I would never, ever, ever do a summer reading program (SRP) again. You already know where this is going. That program title was a trick to get me in the door, but the presentation was full of good stuff that re-invigorated my team to finally make the changes to our SRP that we had been imagining for years. That PLA session was the inspiration that made us examine everything we were doing and start over. Let’s begin with a tour of the past. Our SRP wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t a team effort, but rather a task on someone’s to-do list. Since SRP isn’t an easy program for one person to put together, we knew this was a practice that needed to change. Also,...
This list of books about music includes the ABCs, biographies, fictional stories and informational books that all focus on music.
Here’s some of my favorite children’s books about rocks. You’ll find both fiction and nonfiction books perfect for any science unit on rocks and geology. Follow our Science for Kids Pinterest board! Integrating Literature into Science I strongly believe in the importance of integrating books and literature into any science unit. By having a selection of …
10 kids books that ROCK! Awesome children's books written by classic rock stars.
This post is full of ideas, including music-themed books, silly songs to sing, and an easy preschool music craft for kids!
Explore sound and make music with rocks and containers.
Explore music and instruments with these books about music for kids. You will find 15 great books about music for kids that they will thoroughly enjoy.
2" x 6". 200/pkg.Pete the Cat is a registered trademark of Pete the Cat, LLC. US Reg. #3820216, #4903976, #5104976, #5118017. By arrangement with MerryMakers, Inc.
Trumpet craft to celebrate the Baha'i holiday Birth of Baha'u'llah
My students' fascination with rocks is evident from the first day of school, when they start presenting me with the pebbles they collect out on the playground. These are no ordinary pebbles--they are treasures! Soon, their cubbies are full of these "treasures" and I find little rocks stowed away all over the room. You can download all of the free printables for my Kindergarten Rocks and Soil Unit here: Download Kindergarten Rock Unit I introduce this unit by reading a simple and sweet book about rocks: If You Find a Rock by Peggy Christian Then I present the kids with my own rock collection. Some of these rocks are just everyday, ordinary rocks that I've picked up in my yard or alongside the road. Some are special rocks I've either purchased or inherited--pieces of crystals, fools gold, pumice, volcanic glass, etc. I am also a sucker for those tourist traps alongside the highway that let you purchase polished rocks by the scoopful. I let the kids explore--touch, feel, use hand lenses, sort, and just play with the rocks. Then I send a letter home to families asking the kids to bring in one or two (which usually ends up being...
Check out this amazing list of children's books that teach a child about courage in all it's forms and definitions! Beautiful books!
Multicultural Children's Books based on famous songs: Picture books about famous songs; for Babies & Toddlers, Preschool, Elementary School; Ages 0 to 10
STEM for First Grade! The post includes five ideas with books as the inspiration for STEM projects. Includes details and materials lists! #teachersareterrific #readingandstem
Teaching music can be tough for many homeschool parents, but introducing music appreciation to our kids can be as simple as reading the right books.
Our musical instrument projects have been a HUGE hit. Just the other day, my sons put on a music concert for me. The toddler played the rainstick, while my oldest treated me to the musical stylings of his pan flute and palm pipes. It was one of those moments as a mother you hope you never forget. At the library I found a fun book about children who form a band of drummers, using all sorts of unconventional materials to drum on. Drum City was a real treat! When my son had finished reading, I gave him: Two sturdy empty canisters of the same width but different height Two medium-sized balloons (not inflated) Fun duct tape Scissors A long rubberband He cut the “necks” off of the two balloons and with a little bit of effort, we stretched them over the open end of our canisters. Then we used some fun duct tape to wrap around the cans and the excess balloon, sealing it in place. I barely stretched a long rubberband around the two drums, before my son had begun tapping on them. He immediately noticed that because of their height differences, one had a lower sound; no doubt a hypothesis he formed from experiences with his other homemade instruments. Bum. Bum. Bum. Bum. Now that’s the sound of fun!
Our Music Olympics activity for this week was a summer event- badminton! Of course- music room style! We used flyswatters ...
Music Related Picture Books from New York Times Book Review Special Children’s Book Section on 11/11/2012
“Charlotte and the Rock” by Stephen W. Martin and Samantha Catterill Pets. They can be wonderful, but they can also be intimidating. Especially to parents. At least that is what I have discovered as a mother. My children are absolutely in love with all things animal, and while we have a cat in our family,...Read More »
Try creating a musical science pool for a fun outdoor music science experiment for kids
At PLA 2016, I attended the “How Two Libraries Quit Summer Reading and You Can, Too” program with the real hope (deep in my heart) that I would never, ever, ever do a summer reading program (SRP) again. You already know where this is going. That program title was a trick to get me in the door, but the presentation was full of good stuff that re-invigorated my team to finally make the changes to our SRP that we had been imagining for years. That PLA session was the inspiration that made us examine everything we were doing and start over. Let’s begin with a tour of the past. Our SRP wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t a team effort, but rather a task on someone’s to-do list. Since SRP isn’t an easy program for one person to put together, we knew this was a practice that needed to change. Also,...
Looking for a few new ideas to try to celebrate Black History Month in Music Class? Try some of these ideas for decorating and planning engaging musical lesson plans. Decorate You probably know that I'm a big fan of decorating with a theme. One of my favorite bulletin boards for February is "All That Jazz" and it features some amazing contributors to the world of jazz. I like the black and white pictures paired with the colorful backgrounds. Popular jazz musicians like Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, Charlie Parker, Jelly Roll Morton and more are highlighted. Get it HERE. Listen, Learn and Love Although I try to incorporate a wide variety of listening experiences through out the year I always worry that it isn't diverse enough. I love taking a little extra time to explore the music of some famous African Americans. If you've been reading my blog, you know that I am a BIG fan of listening glyphs. Listening glyphs allow students to demonstrate their musical understanding in such a fun way that they may not even care that it is an assessment! I love this set of Black History Listening Glyphs. Not only do they contain ways to assess students' understanding of what they hear, they also have a short description of the musician. I think this helps students connect with the artist and it is a great tool to help them retell what's going on in music class when they get home. What's different about these glyphs is that a variety of genres are represented. Jazz, blues, rock and roll, hip hop, pop and opera are all represented in this set. You can pick up these listening glyphs HERE. Mix it Up I love this Jazz Mixer presented by Smithsonian Folkways. Although I would present this on my Smartboard, it would also work on iPads or laptops as part of a workstations rotation. By adjusting the sliders, students can focus on one instrument or mix their own variations. Three songs are available for student experimentation: "Bill Bailey", "St. Louis Blues" and "When the Saints Go Marchin' In". Clicking on the instruments brings up a brief description and clicking on Timeline pulls up a fabulous timeline of artists and events that shaped jazz music. Sing Me a Story, Read Me a Song There are SO many great books to use to celebrate the rich musical heritage of our great nation. Here are a few of my favorites: Follow the Drinking Gourd Read it. Sing it. Put it in your reading workstation because kids will want to read it again and again. Max Found Two Sticks Wow! Love this book! I give students drum sticks or chopsticks (much quieter and a novelty for the students). As we read through the story they will imitate the sounds that Max's sticks make with their own. Often we will warm up by echo playing rhythms. Dizzy Love this story of Dizzy Gillespie. If you can, get the audio file to go with it. LOVE it! Charlie Parker Played Be Bop Love this story! I read it to 1st graders and we add the "be bop, be bop" with the story. Later we will sing "Scat Like That" by Greg and Steve. So much fun! I hope that these ideas will inspire you to try something new during Black History Month!
Kids collect them by the dozen - now it's time to craft, create and explore with stones & pebbles!
There’s nothing as exciting as singing along to a picture book and gaining everyone’s attention – kids love music and song (regardless of how horribly you sing!) and if want to try to get attention in storytime, at home, or while babysitting, try singing along instead of just reading – you’ll be amazed! I loved to sing along to books in storytime, it holds their own special power and really engage kids with the book. Here are ten titles that I’ve sung, chanted, and loved – enjoy! If You’re Happy and You Know It: Jungle Edition by James Warhola Ten in the Bed by John Butler Down By the Station by Jennifer Riggs Vetter, illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont, illustrated by David Catrow Row, Row, Row Your Boat by Jane Cabrera Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin, illustrated by James Dean The Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort, illustrated by C. Brian Karas There Was a Tree by Rachel Isadora Singing in the Rain by Tim Hopgood There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback Check out all the amazing lists coming out for this awesome event, Picture Books 10 for 10, hosted by Reflect & Refine and Enjoy and Embrace Learning.
Preschool storytime started back up at my library this week, and I was so excited to present the storytime again after a very long 12 week break (we offer celebrity storytime over the summer where …
Picture Books (Not Necessarily Singable) Which Embrase MUSIC as an Important and Enriching Component of our Lives
Last night at Evening Family Storytime, we jammed and grooved because the theme was Music and Dance. It was a really fun storytime! As always, the songs I used to begin and end are over at my Hello…
Pre-K books to read. Best Rocks Pre-K and Kindergarten books. A book list that explores facts about rocks for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten classrooms. Kids love rocks, harness their interest for learning!
