Saturday, January 19, 2013

Kindergartners LOVE the Boomwhackers!

As a part of our winter unit, Kindergartners learned a song about a snowman.  The students really enjoyed using their imaginations and pretending to build their snowmen while we sang the song:


Once they learned the song and practiced several times, they were very excited to add the Boomwhackers!  Boomwhackers are colorful plastic tubes that are various lengths and pitches.  I tell my students that they are called Boomwhackers because they make a "boom-ing" sound and you "whack" them on things. 
For this activity, we played them on the carpet.  The students took turns playing up the scale while we sang and then down the scale when the snowman melts at the end of the song.  It was a great visual for them to see that as the notes got higher, the Boomwhackers were shorter.  They did such a great job!  Here are a few pictures of them with their instruments:

It takes a LOT of self-control for Kindergartners to keep all of their Boomwhackers on the floor! 

They love to play the "Big Reds."


Someone knows how to pose!  haha.

Silly shot!

YAY Boomwhackers!

Friday, January 18, 2013

Ice-Skating in the Music Room!

Kindergarten classes have been doing winter activities in music class!  One of their favorite activities has been ice-skating.  They love pretending that the music room has turned into an ice-skating rink and that paper plates are their ice skates.  :)  This is such a great way for the students to practice expressive movement (MKGM.1.a. Respond to contrasts and events in music with gross locomotor and non-locomotor movements) while also being exposed to various classical pieces.  Here they are skating away...