Usually after Learn and Grow with Rhythm and Flow (LGRF), I host a half-hour program where kiddos can play with musical instruments that we don't use in the storytime and make a DIY instrument of their own with household objects. The first four months that I did this program, it got harder and harder to collect enough recycled objects to make the instruments as the numbers for the program grew. Luckily, around the time I figured that out, we were also trying to spend the rest of our budget before the end of the fiscal year.
I knew I wouldn't be doing the DIY instrument component of the program anymore, but still wanted to keep the spirit of Music Lab alive. So, I requested a large set of musical instruments from Lakeshore Learning, some ribbon bells, and some star-shaped tambourines. Armed with my snazzy new toys, I entered Music Lab today with confidence that the program will be just as fun without a craft component. In addition to the new instruments, I set out our sets of egg shakers and rhythm sticks. 84 people came to LGRF, and the number grew to 101 for Music Lab! Judging by the pictures, it looks like everyone had a great time with the instruments.
Bubbles!
Baby making music
Exploring the ribbon bells
Friends making music
This lil dude bonded with his tiny cymbals
Big group!
They figured out new uses for some instruments, like this tambourine drum
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Over the last few months I've found this program is best structured as unstructured play time. I lay out egg shakers, rhythm sticks, and other musical instruments, and let the kids explore whatever they're attracted to. I also set up the craft as a station in one corner of the room, so families can drift over a few at a time instead of all at once. Especially since many of the participants just got out of the 30-minute structured program Learn and Grow with Rhythm and Flow, this more relaxed setup has been pretty successful.
All you need for this project are two spoons, a plastic egg, dry beans, and packing or duct tape. Fill the egg with beans (rice would work too, but would be messier), tape a spoon on each side, and you've made your own egg shaker with a handle for little hands to easily grab! We used packing tape because you can still see the color of your egg through the clear tape. Duct tape would be fun if you have colored or patterned tape, or plan to decorate it with markers or stickers.
I was once again too busy running the program to take pictures, but it was fun! I got some very positive verbal feedback from a couple of moms, that they like how I make this program both fun and educational. LGRF and Music Lab will be going on a hiatus for the summer while I focus on teen volunteers and theater day camp, but it'll be back in August!
The Project: Wax Paper and TP Roll Kazoo
This is a classic DIY musical instrument, and very easy to make. All you need is a toilet paper roll, a square of wax paper, and a rubber band. To jazz them up, I also put out stickers for the kids to decorate their instrument.
The most basic version
I learned something interesting while watching the kiddos and their grownups put this instrument together: a kazoo made out of a toilet paper roll takes more intentional humming than a manufactured kazoo. You have to position your mouth just so at the opening of the roll, and leave an opening for the air to get out, or the humming sound won't happen. When you figure out just the right position, the instrument does make a very satisfying vibration along with the hummmmmmm...
This is another project that we did during Build Your Own Musical Instrument last summer. At the time, this sign accompanied the project. Today's program was much smaller, so I just verbally explained how to make the kazoo and showed the one I had made as an example.
Program Structure
Today's structure was very similar to February's, with the program being more of a drop-in free play situation rather than an instructional class. I like the Music Lab much better this way since it does follow my Learn and Grow with Rhythm and Flow storytime, which is 30 minutes of intense brain work for the kiddos as they dance, sing, and make music.
In addition to the craft station, I laid out jungle bells, cymbals, and wood giros with scrapers (I didn't know the term for them before Google, but these things have been in every preschool classroom in America since the 80's). Another low-stress and successful educational music program!
The Project: Drum/Shaker Instrument
This was an instrument that I kind of cobbled together from several different ideas of DIY instruments from household objects. I found a very cool drum made from a balloon stretched over the opening of a plastic cup, and that was going to be the project.
Think these, but made with Solo cups because tin cans are hard to find these days and the edge can be dangerously sharp.
After I thought about the cup drums for a while, I thought about the big empty space inside the plastic cups. We had the large size already in the supply cabinet so that's the size I planned to use (think college dorm party Red Solo Cups), and that seemed like a waste of materials. So, I delved deep into the same closet and found a giant bag of uncooked rice. I figured if you add a handful of rice before stretching the balloon over the cup's opening, you'd have a drum AND a shaker!
The supplies for this project ended up being uncooked rice, large plastic cups, and balloons. We also needed scissors to cut the ends off the balloons. The picture shows rubber bands to keep the balloons on, but I didn't find rubber bands necessary when using plastic cups. Tip if you're thinking of doing this project: HAVE EXTRA BALLOONS AVAILABLE! I didn't realize it when I made my demo drum, but balloons have a tendency to break if you're stretching them in unnatural ways. I ended up having to leave the room during the program to grab more balloons, which is something I try my best not to do.
Another tip that never even crossed my mind until it was a real-life situation: beware of latex allergies when working with balloons. There was one child who's mom had to do some quick redirecting when they realized the craft involved balloons because of skin allergies. I try to remember food allergies, but often forget there are other types of allergies that can be just as serious. Luckily, this particular mom was very adept at redirecting her kiddo without any kind of tantrum or hurt feelings. In the future, I plan to announce the supplies aloud in case a kiddo has an allergy or sensitivity.
Program Structure
I was much happier with the Music Lab program this month. In January, I structured it more like an instructional program where we made our instruments and then learned chants together as a group. Today, I put out a couple containers of instruments as well as the instrument-making station and structured the program as a drop-in. This worked better for me since Music Lab happens directly after Learn and Grow with Rhythm and Flow (LGRF) and it sometimes takes a few minutes to recover from high-energy storytimes like that.
It also worked great for this craft in particular since it involved loose rice. I forgot that toddlers and any tiny, loose craft supply (rice, glitter, etc.) equals a big mess. Structuring the program this way allowed me to be in slightly more control of the rice and keep the mess in one area of the room for easier clean-up.
Before this morning, I was seriously considering cancelling future occurrences of program because it didn't have a solid direction and I wasn't sure it was a good library program. However, I got some great positive feedback from parents, singing the praises of the two programs together for their mix of education and entertainment. That coupled with a participant number over 70 has inspired me to keep Music Lab for Kids going for a few more months and see if it works out as a companion to LGRF.
I wasn't able to take many pictures because the morning was very busy, but I did get these two. It was a fun morning and another learning experience as a still-pretty-new programming librarian!
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.
If you're an avid reader of my blog (which almost no one is, so don't feel bad), you might remember this project from last summer when we made it during our huge Build Your Own Musical Instrument program. Since there were several options for instrument projects at that program, I made this poster to explain how to turn a pool noodle into a safe, fun, and easy noisemaker:
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 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
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.)
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!
My Learn and Grow with Rhythm and Flow (LGRF) format is:
Hello Warm Up Motor Skills Heckity Peckity Bumble Bee Movement Song Pass Out Instruments A Capella Instrument Rhyme Movement Songs with Instruments Collect instruments Mellow Movement Song Goodbye Bubbles
Note: This post shows all the songs and chants I use when I run this program with rhythm sticks. I don't use every song and chant every time; that would make for a several-hour-long program and some very wiggly preschoolers!
Hello
"Hello, Hello"
Since LGRF is so high energy, I like to start the programs with a more mellow good morning song than other storytimes. I like this one because it has built-in movements and stretches.
Warming Up Motor Skills
"Open, Shut Them"
On this song we do the movements described in the lyrics: open our hands, close our hands, clap three times, put our hands in our lap, creep our fingers up to our chin, and don't let them in our mouths.
Heckity Peckity Bumble Bee
The "Heckity Peckity" chant is a great way to practice call-and-response, get to know our new friends by name, and practice counting the syllables of words.
Me and my bumblebee finger puppet
Heckity peckity bumblebee,
Won't you say your name for me?
Bzzzzz (Bee buzzes up to a child and asks their name. Let's say it's Harold.)
Everyone say Harold. (Group says name)
Can we whisper it? (whisper the name)
Can we do it on our legs? (Repeat name and pat thighs with each syllable)
Can we clap it? (Repeat name and clap with each syllable)
Now let's turn off our voice (Do a clicking motion with hand on throat and make clicking sound)
And let's just clap it (Group claps the syllables without speaking)
How many claps was that? (Group answers)
Harold's name is two claps! Who is next?
Movement Song
You could pretty much use any movement songs in this program, but there are several that I've noticed go over extra well when the kids are excited about puppets and instruments, and just need to shake their wiggles out. I usually go with one of these ten...
"Bob 'Til You Drop" by Greg and Steve
"It's Time to Stand Up" by Susan Salidor
"The Goldfish" by Laurie Berkner
"Can't Sit Still" by Greg and Steve
"Tooty Ta" by The Kiboomers
"The Freeze" by Greg and Steve
(weird video, but you can hear the song pretty well)
When it's time to pass out the instruments, I tell the kids they must be sitting down calmly in order to get one. If they're extra wiggly, I might do a calming song like "Everybody Do This Just Like Me" or "Eyes are Watching, Ears are Listening," but this is only necessary about half the time. Once they see kids who are sitting down getting handed rhythm sticks or egg shakers, they get the idea and assume the position themselves. Also, since it's impossible to be handed a musical instrument and not make noise with it right away, I don't make them keep it quiet until everyone has theirs.
A Capella Rhythm Stick Rhymes
"Little Clapping Mouse"
(each * is a time to clap or hit rhythm sticks together)
Behind the tree * *
And under the house * *
There lives a teeny * *
Tiny mouse * *
She loves to sing * *
She loves to tap * *
But most of all * *
She loves to clap * *
She claps all night * *
She claps all day * *
She claps to frighten * *
The cat away! * * * * * * * *
Jbrary does it with clapping, but this rhyme is also excellent with instruments.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"If You're Happy and You Know It"
If you're happy and you know it, tap your sticks *tap tap*
If you're happy and you know it, tap your sticks *tap tap*
If you're happy and you know it, and you really wanna show it,
If you're happy and you know it, tap your sticks *tap tap*
Repeat with...
If you're happy and you know it, rub your sticks *rub together*
If you're happy and you know it, hit the floor *hit hit*
If you're happy and you know it, do all three *tap tap, rub together, hit hit*
Try to get the whole room singing with you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Rain on the Rooftop"
Rain on the rooftop
Rain on the tree
Rain on the green grass
But none on me!
Use rhythm sticks to make the beat. Hit the floor twice, then hit them together once. The rhythm is in 4/4 time. Using the first line as an example, if each beat has a number...
1-hit the floor (on "rain")
2-hit the floor (on "on")
3-hit sticks together (on "roof")
4-rest
This video will show you how the song goes, although it's not exactly the words I learned. It works as a song or a chant, depending on your level of comfort singing in front of people.
Movement Songs with Instruments
I can only keep the attention of a room full of preschoolers with musical instruments for so long, so this is the point in the program where I let recorded music do the majority of the work. I encourage the kids and grownups to dance and sing along, as well as follow the directed movements suggested in the lyrics. These songs are all fantastic for working with rhythm sticks, because they acknowledge the instruments and show the kids several different ways to use them.
"Tapping on My Sticks" by Kathy Reid-Naiman
"Lummi Stick Tap" by The Tumble Tots
"Point Your Lummi Sticks" by The Tumble Tots
Collect Rhythm Sticks
I don't try the "only those sitting down can put their instruments away" method for collecting... It does not work. By the end of the second song, they're either over using the instruments or so attached that they will sob if I try to take them away. For this reason, I simply encourage everyone to be good helpers and clean up all the instruments until they're all back in their bin. The prospect of helping me clean up is usually enough to get the clingers to relinquish their toys, especially when it's coupled with the promise that they'll get to play with them again next time.
Mellow Movement Song
The last thing I like to do before singing the goodbye song and having bubbles is one more movement song to help the littles re-compose themselves after the trauma of having to say goodbye to the toys. The best one I've found is Ella Jenkin's "Follow the Leader."
Goodbye
"Until We Meet Again" from Out of the Box
Before singing this song, we learn a vocabulary word: clave. Clave is a type of rhythm used mostly in Afro-Cuban music, characterized by it's three-two beat. When I teach the word to preschool-age kids, I have them count to three, pause, and count to two, then do it again with clapping. The Out of the Box goodbye song uses a clave pattern, so after we learn what the word means, we practice clapping the clave pattern as we say goodbye to our friends.
Bubbles!
The last thing I do at every storytime is blow bubbles. The kids go crazy over them! I play the same songs every time so they get to know that after we say goodbye, we have bubbles for the duration of two songs, and then storytime is over until next time. Our regulars know this is the way it always goes, which is a great introduction to establishing routines in other aspects of life as they grow. One Little, Two Little, Three Little Bubbles Yo Gabba Gabba Bubbles Song
My Learn and Grow with Rhythm and Flow (LGRF) format is:
Hello Warm Up Motor Skills Heckity Peckity Bumble Bee Movement Song Pass Out Instruments A Capella Instrument Rhyme Movement Songs with Instruments Collect instruments Mellow Movement Song Goodbye Bubbles
Note: This post shows all the songs and chants I use when I run this program with egg shakers. I don't use every song and chant every time; that would make for a several-hour-long program and some very wiggly preschoolers!
Hello
"Hello, Hello"
Since LGRF is so high energy, I like to start the programs with a more mellow good morning song than other storytimes. I like this one because it has built-in movements and stretches.
Warming Up Motor Skills
"Open, Shut Them"
On this song we do the movements described in the lyrics: open our hands, close our hands, clap three times, put our hands in our lap, creep our fingers up to our chin, and don't let them in our mouths.
Heckity Peckity Bumble Bee
The "Heckity Peckity" chant is a great way to practice call-and-response, get to know our new friends by name, and practice counting the syllables of words.
Me and my bumblebee finger puppet
Heckity peckity bumblebee,
Won't you say your name for me?
Bzzzzz (Bee buzzes up to a child and asks their name. Let's say it's Harold.)
Everyone say Harold. (Group says name)
Can we whisper it? (whisper the name)
Can we do it on our legs? (Repeat name and pat thighs with each syllable)
Can we clap it? (Repeat name and clap with each syllable)
Now let's turn off our voice (Do a clicking motion with hand on throat and make clicking sound)
And let's just clap it (Group claps the syllables without speaking)
How many claps was that? (Group answers)
Harold's name is two claps! Who is next?
Movement Song
You could pretty much use any movement songs in this program, but there are several that I've noticed go over extra well when the kids are excited about puppets and instruments, and just need to shake their wiggles out. I usually go with one of these ten...
"Bop 'Til You Drop" by Greg and Steve
"It's Time to Stand Up" by Susan Salidor
"The Goldfish" by Laurie Berkner
"Can't Sit Still" by Greg and Steve
"Tooty Ta" by The Kiboomers
"The Freeze" by Greg and Steve
(weird video, but you can hear the song pretty well)
When it's time to pass out the instruments, I tell the kids they must be sitting down calmly in order to get one. If they're extra wiggly, I might do a calming song like "Everybody Do This Just Like Me" or "Eyes are Watching, Ears are Listening," but this is only necessary about half the time. Once they see kids who are sitting down getting handed rhythm sticks or egg shakers, they get the idea and assume the position themselves. Also, since it's impossible to be handed a musical instrument and not make noise with it right away, I don't make them keep it quiet until everyone has theirs.
A Capella Egg Shaker Rhyme
"One, Two, Shake it on Your Shoe"
(To the rhythm of "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe")
One, two, shake it on your shoe (shake eggs near shoes)
Three, four, shake it on the floor (bend down and shake eggs near floor)
Five, six, stir and mix (pretend shakers are the spoon mixing in a large bowl)
Seven, eight, hold them up straight (hold shakers above your head)
Nine, ten, do it all again (shake eggs excitedly)
Movement Songs with Instruments
I can only keep the attention of a room full of preschoolers with musical instruments for so long, so this is the point in the program where I let recorded music do the majority of the work. I encourage the kids and grownups to dance and sing along, as well as follow the directed movements suggested in the lyrics. These songs are all fantastic for working with egg shakers because they acknowledge the instruments and show the kids several different ways to use them.
"Going to Kentucky" by Laurie Berkner
"Shake Your Sillies Out" by Raffi
"Milkshake" by Old Town School of Folk Music
"Shaky Shaky" by The Wiggles
Collect Egg Shakers
I don't try the "only those sitting down can put their instruments away" method for collecting... It does not work. By the end of the second song, they're either over using the instruments or so attached that they will sob if I try to take them away. For this reason, I simply encourage everyone to be good helpers and clean up all the instruments until they're all back in their bin. The prospect of helping me clean up is usually enough to get the clingers to relinquish their toys, especially when it's coupled with the promise that they'll get to play with them again next time.
Mellow Movement Song
The last thing I like to do before singing the goodbye song and having bubbles is one more movement song to help the littles re-compose themselves after the trauma of having to say goodbye to the toys. The best one I've found is Ella Jenkin's "Follow the Leader."
Goodbye
"Until We Meet Again" from Out of the Box
Before singing this song, we learn a vocabulary word: clave. Clave is a type of rhythm used mostly in Afro-Cuban music, characterized by it's three-two beat. When I teach the word to preschool-age kids, I have them count to three, pause, and count to two, then do it again with clapping. The Out of the Box goodbye song uses a clave pattern, so after we learn what the word means, we practice clapping the clave pattern as we say goodbye to our friends.
Bubbles!
The last thing I do at every storytime is blow bubbles. The kids go crazy over them! I play the same songs every time so they get to know that after we say goodbye, we have bubbles for the duration of two songs, and then storytime is over until next time. Our regulars know this is the way it always goes, which is a great introduction to establishing routines in other aspects of life as they grow. One Little, Two Little, Three Little Bubbles Yo Gabba Gabba Bubbles Song
This morning, I was planning to do a program similar to the last time we used rhythm sticks in Rhythm & Flow. I got my lesson plan together, made the playlist on my iPod, and was just about to set up the sound system when I noticed my iPod's screen was blank no matter how many buttons I pushed. Of course it was about 5 minutes before storytime was supposed to begin and there were already some kiddos and parents in the room. I ran to the back of the library and plugged it into my computer, where it was not recognized as a device in iTunes. The computer didn't even register that anything was plugged in! After a minute, I realized that this iPod is completely dead and will not be coming back to life. It has served me well for about nine years, so RIP Tiny Blue Guy.
Thinking fast, I connected a laptop to the room's central sound system and pulled up my Google Drive, where I have a lot (but not all) or my storytime music stored. Instead of using my usual rhythm and music introduction we said hello with the Preschool Storytime introduction, which you can view here. Then we did the "Heckity Peckity" chant and counted the syllables in our names. Today we had three children with two-syllable names, and two children with three-syllable names.
Heckity peckity bumblebee, Won't you say your name for me? Bzzzzz (Bee buzzes up to a child and asks their name. Let's say it's Harold.) Everyone say Harold. (Group says name) Can we whisper it? (whisper the name) Can we do it on our legs? (Repeat name and pat thighs with each syllable) Can we clap it? (Repeat name and clap with each syllable) Now let's turn off our voice (Do a clicking motion with hand on throat and make clicking sound) And let's just clap it (Group claps the syllables without speaking) How many claps was that? (Group answers) Harold's name is two claps! Who is next?
Next, we danced with semi-directed movement to "Can't Sit Still" by Greg and Steve.
I didn't have time to write the "Little Clapping Mouse" chant out on the white board today, so we skipped it and went right on to passing out rhythm sticks.
After everyone had promised not to hit their friends with the sticks and each child had a pair, we sang an a capella rhythm stick version of "Happy and You Know It." Each verse below is the full, usual verse of the song with the clapping, stomping, and hooray-ing substituted with the following words:
If you're happy and you know it, tap your sticks (*tap tap*) If you're happy and you know it, rub your sticks (rub them to make scraping noise *rub rub*) If you're happy and you know it, hit the floor (*hit hit*) If you're happy and you know it, do all three (*tap tap, rub rub, hit hit*)
Next we listened to "Tapping on My Sticks," a good song to listen to with rhythm sticks because it directs the listener to tap their sticks slowly, quickly, loudly, quietly, in the air, and on the floor.
After that, it was already time to say goodbye! Instead of the regular bubble songs, I had to use Mr. Jon's "Happy and You Know It" as bubble background music.
Even with my tech issues this morning, I had several parents make sure to tell me how much their kids enjoyed the session, so I feel like it went well. We will be taking a break from storytimes for the last two weeks in December, so hopefully I'll be able to get a new iPod before the new year!
After our usual introduction, we clapped the syllables of individual children's names using the "Heckity Peckity" chant.
Heckity peckity bumblebee,
Won't you say your name for me?
Bzzzzz (Bee buzzes up to a child and asks their name. Let's say it's Harold.)
Everyone say Harold. (Group says name)
Can we whisper it? (whisper the name)
Can we do it on our legs? (Repeat name and pat thighs with each syllable)
Can we clap it? (Repeat name and clap with each syllable)
Now let's turn off our voice (Do a clicking motion with hand on throat and make clicking sound)
And let's just clap it (Group claps the syllables without speaking)
How many claps was that? (Group answers)
Harold's name is two claps! Who is next?
Our movement song today was "Bop 'til You Drop" by Greg and Steve. Here are some funny tweens dancing to it:
Then we did our "Little Clapping Mouse" clapping rhyme. I like to have the words written out on the white board so that grownups, and any of the kids who know how to read, can follow along with me the first time I chant it. I do this one at least twice, and usually all the kids catch on to the words and when to clap (each asterisk is a clap below) by the second time through.
Behind the tree * *
And under the house * *
There lives a teeny * *
Tiny mouse * *
She loves to sing * *
She loves to tap * *
But most of all * *
She loves to clap * *
She claps all night * *
She claps all day * *
She claps to frighten * *
The cat away! * * * * * * * *
And here is a video of the chant, courtesy of Jbrary.
Next it was time for instruments! I used egg shakers again, which are great little maraca-like instruments perfect for little hands to hold onto.
After passing them out and giving the kids a minute or two to shake on their own, we did an a capella rhyme in the vein of "1 2 Buckle My Shoe."
1, 2, shake it on your shoe
3, 4, shake it on the floor
5, 6, stir and mix
7, 8, hold it up straight
9, 10, wave to your friend
This rhyme gives them a chance to see everything you can do with the shakers besides simply shake them. You can mime a lot of different activities like stirring with a bowl and spoon or waving to a friend with a shaker in your hand, and it makes a different rhythm with every movement.
We listened to two recorded songs while dancing with our shakers. First was everyone's favorite egg shaker song, "I Know a Chicken" by Laurie Berkner. Then I played Raffi's "Shake my Sillies Out," because Raffi is the god of children's music and everyone knows it.
I got all my egg shakers back in a somewhat orderly fashion, and then we sang our goodbye song and had bubbles. Click here for my rhythm and music storytime closers.
The second installment of my all-original rhythm- and music-based storytime went as well as the first one!
Click here to see my usual introduction and hello for these storytimes.
After saying hello, we did "Heckity Peckity" with my bumblebee finger puppet to get to know our new friends by name and practice counting the syllables of words.
Heckity peckity bumblebee, Won't you say your name for me? Bzzzzz (Bee buzzes up to a child and asks their name. Let's say it's Harold.) Everyone say Harold. (Group says name) Can we whisper it? (whisper the name) Can we do it on our legs? (Repeat name and pat thighs with each syllable) Can we clap it? (Repeat name and clap with each syllable) Now let's turn off our voice (Do a clicking motion with hand on throat and make clicking sound) And let's just clap it (Group claps the syllables without speaking) How many claps was that? (Group answers) Harold's name is two claps! Who is next?
For our movement song today, I picked "Jumping and Counting" because it never fails to get as many wiggles out as possible.
Then we practiced our "Little Clapping Mouse" chant, which I also wrote on the white board so grownups and reading kids could follow along. We did it twice through, with the kids figuring out when to clap by the second time. (In the written version below, each asterisk is a clap)
Behind the tree * * And under the house * * There lives a teeny * * Tiny mouse * * She loves to sing * * She loves to tap * * But most of all * * She loves to clap * * She claps all night * * She claps all day * * She claps to frighten * * The cat away! * * * * * * * *
At this point, I passed out rhythm sticks after I made all the kids promise not to hit their friends with them.
When you're three years old and someone hands you two wooden sticks, your first instinct is going to be to make a ton of noise with them. So I have the kids about a minute to do whatever they wanted with the sticks before we got into guided activities, to get it out of their system and make them more receptive. Then I asked them to hit their sticks together as fast as they could, as slow as they could, as quietly, and as loudly as they could, demonstrating each one with my own set of sticks. It's always a novelty when you can be loud in the library.
Next we sang an a capella rhythm stick version of "Happy and You Know It." Each verse below is the full, usual verse of the song with the clapping, stomping, and hooray-ing substituted with the following words:
If you're happy and you know it, tap your sticks (*tap tap*)
If you're happy and you know it, rub your sticks (rub them to make scraping noise *rub rub*)
If you're happy and you know it, hit the floor (*hit hit*)
If you're happy and you know it, do all three (*tap tap, rub rub, hit hit*)
Then we did two recorded songs with the rhythm sticks: "Tapping on my Sticks" and "Lummi Stick Tap." "Tapping on my Sticks" is the kind of song I love to use in storytime, because it has suggested movements built right into the lyrics.
I learned something new while looking for songs to use with the rhythm sticks. In the UK, they call them Lummi Sticks, and it is actually a slightly different instrument; longer and a different thickness. The name comes from the Lummi Native American people, who used the sticks in their ceremonies. When we use rhythm sticks musically, it is actually a different shape of stick. I taught the word "lummi" to the kids before we listened to the song, so they would understand what the singer is saying.
I took the rhythm sticks back, and we did our usual goodbye.
I am so excited to roll out this brand new program! The official description on our website is, "Children ages 3-5 will learn the basics of rhythm and beat, how to work with instruments, and what makes music happen in this upbeat program." Pretty catchy, right? I wrote it. Anyway...
My vision for this program is to help preschoolers grasp the basics of what it means to clap on the beat, how to keep basic rhythm, and understand what is happening in music as they listen. It sounds incredibly complicated for a three-year-old, but I'm pretty sure my dance teachers did this with us and I'm much more musically inclined as an adult because of it.
So we began this morning with what will become my usual Rhythm & Flow introduction. We only do one hello song and "Open, Shut Them" to warm up our fingers, because "Hello Hello" has built in stretches.
I want this storytime to include even more interaction between me and the group of kids than a regular storytime would, so I am getting to know the kids individually using a bumblebee finger puppet and this fun chant:
Heckity peckity bumblebee,
Won't you say your name for me?
Bzzzzz (Bee buzzes up to a child and asks their name. Let's say it's Harold.)
Everyone say Harold. (Group says name)
Can we whisper it? (whisper the name)
Can we do it on our legs? (Repeat name and pat thighs with each syllable)
Can we clap it? (Repeat name and clap with each syllable)
Now let's turn off our voice (Do a clicking motion with hand on throat and make clicking sound)
And let's just clap it (Group claps the syllables without speaking)
How many claps was that? (Group answers)
Harold's name is two claps! Who is next?
I like this one because they are starting to associate counting syllables with words they say every day, like their names. It's also a fun way to get to know your storytime regulars. Here are some videos of people doing Heckity Peckity. Including Jbrary, who are awesome.
Next, we did a movement song with music because we had a lot of wiggles to shake out. I picked "Can't Sit Still" by Greg and Steve today, because it is vaguely directed movement but still allows plenty of opportunity to get the sillies out and be ready to move on to another activity.
Where I would usually put a second movement song in a regular storytime, we did a clapping chant instead. I love this one that I got from Jbrary, "Little Clapping Mouse."
Before the program, I wrote out the whole rhyme on a rolling white board so grownups and any reading children could follow along. I added two asterisks to the end of each line to indicate where the claps go, like this:
Behind the tree * *
And under the house * *
There lives a teeny * *
Tiny mouse * *
She loves to sing * *
She loves to tap * *
But most of all * *
She loves to clap * *
She claps all night * *
She claps all day * *
She claps to frighten * *
The cat away! * * * * * * * *
Having the words written out in a place storytimers can see them makes it easier for them to follow along right away, instead of me needing to teach the rhyme aloud. We did it two times through as a group. The kids got the hang of when to clap by the second time.
Another vision I had for this program was the use of a musical instrument every time. Today we used egg shakers, which are noisemakers similar to maracas, but great for teeny tinies because they fit perfectly in their hands.
As I passed them out, I gave the kids time to shake them on their own and start to explore everything they could do with them. Then we sang an a capella version of "Happy and You Know It" using the shakers. Each verse below is the full, usual verse of the song with the clapping, stomping, and hooray-ing substituted with the following words:
If you're happy and you know it, give a shake (*shake shake*)
If you're happy and you know it, give a clap (tap shakers together *clap clap*)
If you're happy and you know it, give a tap (tap shakers on legs *tap tap*)
If you're happy and you know it, do all three (*shake shake, clap clap, tap tap*)
Then we did two recorded songs with the egg shakers: "I Know a Chicken" and "Milkshake." "I Know a Chicken" is great because it mentions egg shakers specifically, and gives direction on how to use the shakers. Laurie Berkner strikes again!
After we gave all the shakers back, I launched right into our goodbye song. We used the same one that I do for Preschool Storytime and Toddler Time, for the simple reason that I love it. I also like to see the kids copying me when I demonstrate the sign language.
All in all, my first completely original storytime went really well. There were 75 people in the room which was a little overwhelming, but they all had a good time and so did I!
