More Fun with Boomwhackers - Down Comes Johnny

Children love playing songs with boomwhackers.  These tube instruments are so easy to play that everyone sounds good.  They don't take a lot of coordination since you just hit them on the floor or in your hand.  They are always in tune so the notes sound good!   

Boomwhackers are great for rhythm and timing.

The call and response song, Down Comes Johnny,  teaches the children how to make music as a group.  They need to anticipate when it is time for them to come in and play their boomwhackers and sing their part.

The words to the song are:

Down comes Johnny,
Down comes he.
He is hiding the money and the key.
Who has the money?
(response)  I have the money.
Who has the key?
(response)  I have the key.

Watch the video to learn the song and see how to teach it to your students.  Trouble seeing the video?  Click here.




For more boomwhacker ideas be sure to check out Exploring Major Tones with Boomwhackers and More Fun with Boomwhackers: Listen for Bells.

Finger Play Fun Day: In a Cabin in the Woods

Finger Play Fun Day:  In a Cabin in the Woods





 

Finger Play Fun Day

Today is Finger Play Fun Day!

The finger play for today is In a Cabin in the Woods.  There are many variations to this song but I shared the version I know!

The song has hand motions for each phrase.  Each time you repeat the verse you stop singing the words for one phrase at a time but keep doing the motions.  By the end you will "sing" the whole song silently while only using motions.

This activity teaches children listening skills, sequencing, motor skills and timing.



Trouble seeing the video?  Click here.


In a Cabin in the Woods
Author unknown

In a cabin in the woods,
Little old man by the window stood.
Saw a rabbit hopping by,
Knocking at his door.
"Help me! Help me!  Help me!, he cried.
"Or the hunter will shoot me dead."
Come, o come and stay with me,
Safely, you will be.

Wise Owl Factory has shared  a wonderful set of worksheets to go along with "In a Cabin in the Woods".  Download the Free In a Cabin in the Woods PDF.

Be sure to read the Free Power Point Story of In a Cabin in the Woods too!

Be sure to check out Carolyn's reviews of these books to go along with today's theme!  Wise Owl Factory

Up North at the Cabin



Henry Builds a Cabin



Watch Me Grow  Rabbit

Keep singing and making music!

Water & Music

Water & Music

This summer we have played a lot with water while the weather is hot.  Besides cooling us off, water is a natural source of music!  It makes the prettiest sounds when it splashes and trickles.


Water Music
One of my favorite pieces of music is Water Music by George Frideric Handel.   Handel wrote Water Music in 1717 for 50 musicians to play for King George I and guests while floating down the River Thames.  It is a lovely piece.  I like to watch it performed by the English Baroque Festival as performers dressed in the style of the day dance in Baroque style.

Water Wall
A fun way to experiment with water and sound is to make a water wall.

Water Wall

We made holes in a bunch of plastic containers and bottles and zip tied them to an old piece of frame we had left over.  We also used funnels and swimming noodles to make curves.  It took some time to line up the holes and containers so that the water would drip into the bottom container instead of onto the ground.

We loved how the water flowed through one container into another.  And it made the most beautiful sounds!





This is my favorite part of the the water wall.  We put a bunch of holes in the lid of a plastic jar and it would flow into another container. 
This activity taught about the sounds water made plus a lot of engineering principles!

Water Xylophone
A great way to play with water is to make a water xylophone.  Fill a bunch of glasses with varying amounts of water.  We put food coloring in ours to make it pretty.

Take a metal spoon and tap on the glasses.  The different levels of water will make the glasses have a different tone.  You can keep them all mixed up or you can put them in order from highest to lowest.  The girls made up all kinds of songs with the xylophone.  It is a really interesting and absorbing experiment.

Relaxation

There is nothing as relaxing as the sound of water. 





Just imagine the ocean's waves crashing on the beach or a mountain stream trickling through the forest.  It is natural music made by water!

Enjoy!



Finger Play Fun Day : 10 Little Turtles

Finger Play Fun Day:  10 Little Turtles



    Welcome to Finger Play Fun Day!

Today we are singing 10 Little Turtles.

This finger play is a great counting song that teaches counting forward 1 to 10 and backward from 10 to 1.

It also works on fine motor skills as the children hold up their fingers as they count up and back.  It seems like this should be easy to adults but it really takes a lot of coordination and finger dexterity!



Trouble viewing the video?  Click here.

10 Little Turtles
Author:  This is my version of 10 Little Indians

1 little,
2 little,
3 little turtles.
4 little,
5 little,
6 little turtles.
7 little,
8 little,
9 little turtles.
10 little turtles in the pond.

Then they swim away!

10 little,
9 little,
8 little turtles.
7 little,
6 little,
5 little turtles.
4 little,
3 little,
2 little turtles.
1 little turtle in the pond.

Today, Carolyn Wilhelm from Wise Owl Factory has written a post all about turtles.
This fun power point story has the children counting to 10 by ones and by twos!

Free 10 Little Turtles Power Point

Carolyn has also done a wonderful job reviewing a few children's turtle books.  I have put the books she has reviewed into Our Music Store under Children's Books.  And of course, you can always check them out from your local library!

Franklin's Music Lessons

 

Frogs, Toads, and Turtles

Sea Turtles

Old, Older, Oldest:  Animals That Live Long Lives

Free PDF form Wise Owl Factory

These PDF coloring pages talk about how long some animals live and is a great companion to Old, Older, Oldest.

Have fun and sing often!

Cover picutre created using art by Trina Clark at www.digiscrapkits.com

Another Fun Week of Music Camp - July 30-Aug. 4

Explore Music Camp July 30- Aug 4, 2012

We had another fantastic week of Explore Music Camp. Each day we exlored a different instrument and did fun experiments and games.

Everyone used bee finger puppets to act out the "Here is the Beehive" finger play.

Having fun acting out "In a Cabin in the Woods".

Singing the call and response song "Who Are You?"

Making music with the guitar and maracas.

More music making with guitar, rhythm sticks and bells.

We did a fun experiment with drums, rice and beans.  We hit the drums to see the rice and beans jump and move just like sound waves. 

I got the idea and directions for this experiment from Kids Activities Blog.  Check it out for the supplies you will need.  It really is easy and the children enjoy bouncing rice and beans all over the table and floor!

We also played the Egg Sound Game.  The children shake the eggs and try to match the two eggs that have the same contents. 

To make your own game visit my past post Match the Sounds.

Rachel is explaining the parts of the violin.

The ukulele is a great instrument for little fingers!

Amanda did a great job introducing the students to strumming and playing chords on the ukulele.

Guitar is a very popular instrument.  Everyone wants to be a rock star!

This week allowed the children to try out different instruments: piano, violin, ukulele, guitar and voice.  It was a great experience for them to hold each instrument and try to make sounds with it.  We also had fun playing games and doing experiments.  I am already getting ideas for next summer's camp!

Check out our other week of music camp!

Explore Music Camp July 16 - 20, 2012

Bird Songs and Nature - Healthy for You and Your Mind!

Every weekend for the last few months,  my family and I have been visiting with wildlife in the middle of a beautiful preserve. There are so many wild flowers and trees. The whole walk/hike is serenaded by wild birds singing their signature songs. It is so pretty and so relaxing to be out in nature- even with 2 children who don't know the meaning of relax! The trails are just right for little ones and beginning hikers, even limited walkers could enjoy shortened trails. And we get to hear birds singing!

Enjoying the wildflowers

The place we have been going to is the Cosumnes River Preserve. If it is not close to where you live, then I would challenge you to find a bike trail or hiking trail near your home that gets you out into nature. We all need to get away from the noise of our neighborhoods and listen to the quiet! It is so healthy for you!

The other night, I was reading a chapter in The Power of Music by Elena Mannes that spoke about what happens to our brains when we hear birdsongs. Studies have been done to analyze brain activity when subjects listen to human song and to birdsong. She explains "the scans showed the listeners showed more emotion when they heard birdsong as compared to listening to beautfiul songs sung by a human voice. "

Walking the trail

Later she writes, "One possible explanation for the increased brain activity when subjects listened to birdsong is that they were trying to find the patterns in the birdsong: human song is more familiar."

I knew we were more relaxed and happy after an afternoon of listening to birds singing. But now, it is possible that we were also stimulating our brains while listening to the music of nature!

Looking at pretty flowers

By stimulating our brains, we are staying mentally healthy. Making new neurological pathways is always a great idea.

I want to challenge you this summer to find a place in nature for your family to enjoy. You can find an easy hike like we did, go to a quiet lake or pond in a park. Get away from the loud noises of city life and hear the birds!

Carolyn, at Wise Owl Factory has made a wonderful Nature Walk checklist and a Bird checklist.  Print them out and take them with you to add to the fun!

Free Bird Walk Pages

                        Nature Walk Take Along

I was so amazed at all the different birdsongs, I made a short video. If you can't see the video, click here.

We were amazed today to see a coyote playing with something in the grass!  We watched for about 5 minutes before he heard us and took off running.  It was awesome to see!

Coyote in the Grass

For another nature idea please read Take a Nature Sound Walk.

Finger Play Fun Day - Here is the Beehive!

This week's Finger Play is all about Bees!

Finger Play Fun Day - Here is the Beehive

We are in the middle of another week of Explore Music Camp so I had my music campers help me with this week's video!
I used felt bee finger puppets that I had made but since I didn't have enough for the children, I just drew happy faces on all their fingers. 





Trouble seeing the video?  Click here.

Here is the Beehive

Here is the beehive
But where are all the bees?
Hidden away where nobody sees.
Watch and they will come out of the hive.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Buzz, Buzz, Buzz

Here is another fun one about bees!

Five Little Bees

One little bee blew and flew.
He met a friend and that made two.

Two little bees, busy as could be
Along came another and that made three.

Three little bees, wanted one more,
Found one soon and that made four.

Four little bees, going to the hive.
Spied their little brother and that made five.

Five little bees working every hour
buzz away bess and find another flower.

Words for both finger plays can be found at Gayle's Preschool Rainbow.



Be sure to check out these wonderful Counting Bee Printables including bee finger puppets made by Wise Owl Factory. 

The Beehive PDF, Free

Count the bees in this "Here is the Beehive" Power Point Storybook!

Counting Bees Power Point, Free

Be sure to check out Carolyn's review on Bees by Kevin J. Holmes and Bumblebees by Emily K. Green at Wise Owl Factory



We have these books in Our Music Store.
Bees by Kevin J. Holmes


Bumblesbees by Emily K. Green


Learn even more about bees at Buzz About Bees where there is all kinds of information about bees such as:  "Did you know, there are about 25,000 types of bees in the world, with probably more species awaiting discovery?"  

Visit Finger Play Fun Day for more finger play fun!