The Project: Noisemakers from Pool Noodles
We've all seen the musical instrument that looks like a wooden block with a piece of sand paper glued to one side. When you rub two together, they make a satisfying sound that adds depth to a musical combo.
The real version of sand blocks is also a great musical tool for preschoolers. The only thing they don't do when you make them out of pool noodles is loudly clap together...but like the teacher in the above video mentions, that sound is the enemy of every adult in the room. So maybe it's okay if our noisemakers can only be rubbed together.
Today's group was much smaller and more attentive, so I was able to verbally explain the directions and there was no need for a sign.
To prep this craft, all I did was cut pool noodled into 3-inch pieces. I left them otherwise intact, leaving the splitting in half to the kids and their grownups. I figured it was a good opportunity to develop some fine motor skills. And don't worry, I handed out very dull plastic knives so there were no injuries to tiny fingers.
After everyone had cut their noodle in half, we learned two chants and a song that you can use the instrument with.
Chant 1: Rain on the Rooftop
Learning this chant happened in several stages.
1. Practice counting to four on an even beat (one-two-three-four-one-two-three-four etc.)
2. Each time you say a number, scratch your noisemaker one time.
3. Change it up; scratch the noisemaker on "one," "two," and "three," and put them on your shoulders on "four."
4. When thee group mostly gets that down, say the rhyme instead of counting out loud.
If you're musically inclined, you will recognize this as being in 4/4 time starting on the down beat.
Here is the rhyme, showing where each number of the beat falls:
Rain on the rooftop
1 2 3 4
Rain on the tree
1 2 3 4
Rain on the green grass
1 2 3 4
But none on me!
1. Practice counting to four on an even beat (one-two-three-four-one-two-three-four etc.)
2. Each time you say a number, scratch your noisemaker one time.
3. Change it up; scratch the noisemaker on "one," "two," and "three," and put them on your shoulders on "four."
4. When thee group mostly gets that down, say the rhyme instead of counting out loud.
If you're musically inclined, you will recognize this as being in 4/4 time starting on the down beat.
Here is the rhyme, showing where each number of the beat falls:
Rain on the rooftop
1 2 3 4
Rain on the tree
1 2 3 4
Rain on the green grass
1 2 3 4
But none on me!
1 2 3 4
And here it is with Xs showing when you should scratch your noisemaker:
Rain on the rooftop
X X X
Rain on the tree
X X X
Rain on the green grass
X X X
But none on me!
X X X
Rain on the tree
X X X
Rain on the green grass
X X X
But none on me!
X X X
With this exercise, I gave the parent tip that breaking down simple 4/4 rhythms by counting is a great way to start understanding how rhythm works.
With this exercise, I gave the parent tip that breaking down simple 4/4 rhythms by counting is a great way to start understanding how rhythm works.
Song: B-I-N-G-O
Our second exercise was one everyone knows. After the mind-bender that was Rain on the Rooftop, we needed something fun and easy. We sang the song B-I-N-G-O, but every time we dropped a letter, we scratched our noisemaker instead of clapping. The group loved it! I hung up this visual aid to help the grownups (and any kids already reading words) follow along.
Chant 2: Hippo on the Bus
Even though the kids were getting pretty wiggly by this point, we had ten minutes left in the program and I had one more chant up my sleeve. I've used it before and it's always a major hit. Instead of the usual method of making a beat by slapping our thighs, today we made the beat with our noisemakers. We tried out a few different speeds, including a super fast one that was just for fun. This seemed like the perfect way to end the program.
A hip, a hip, a hippopotamus
Got on, got on, got on a city bus
And all, and all, and all the people fussed...
STOP SQUISHING US!
(On that last line, squish your cheeks in from both sides so your mouth looks funny and speech is distorted, as if you were being squished by a hippo. Today we squished our faces with the halves of our noisemakers, which made it extra funny.)
A hip, a hip, a hippopotamus
Got on, got on, got on a city bus
And all, and all, and all the people fussed...
STOP SQUISHING US!
(On that last line, squish your cheeks in from both sides so your mouth looks funny and speech is distorted, as if you were being squished by a hippo. Today we squished our faces with the halves of our noisemakers, which made it extra funny.)
Even though running this program kept me busy, I was able to get the group together with their noisemakers for a picture at the end. I'm so glad they had fun!
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