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
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.
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"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!
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"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
It's rhythm stick day again! The parents think it's hilarious when I make the preschoolers repeat my only rhythm stick rule, "Don't hit your friends." It is funny, but definitely gets the point across. Yay for perpetuating nonviolence!
After our simple two-song hello, we did the "Heckity Peckity" chant and counted the syllables in our names. I use a little bumblebee finger puppet when we do this, like she uses in the second video below. Before we start, I tell the kids my friend Bumble Bee really wants to meet each of them, but he's really shy, and he will only ask their names if we all say this rhyme together. Then, after we all say the first two lines, he buzzes up to children and asks them what their name is.
My with my friend Bumble Bee
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 "Can't Sit Still" by Greg and Steve. I like this one because it's directed movement with built in naming of body parts. Plus, they throw in a surprise game of Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes during the bridge. There is no downside.
vid
Then we passed out the rhythm sticks ("Don't Hit Your Friends.")
Classroom management tip: I try to make the passing out of instruments as orderly as possible. Before handing out the sticks, I let the kids know that only those sitting down calmly will be given a pair. Except for the ones who don't yet understand full sentences, this works great.
After everyone had a pair of sticks we practiced hitting them together quickly, slowly, loudly, and quietly. We also hit them high above our heads, low by our feet, and hitting them on the ground. Then, I turned on "Tapping on My Sticks" and we followed the tapping directions in the song.
As orderly as the passing out of instruments has become, returning them is always a circus. I've stopped fighting it. They're so excited to be making noise and playing with toys at the same time, I just let them storm me all at once and drop their instruments back into the container as a mob.
We still had about five minutes left in the session, so I had time to play the extra movement song I'd included on my playlist just in case: "Milkshake!" This is one of my faves, and always a good get-the-wiggles-out song.
Finally, we sang our goodbye song and had bubbles.
This morning, after saying hello to our friends with our regular introduction, I actually deviated from the usual Rhythm & Flow plan. For the first time since this program started I did not do the Heckity Peckity rhyme! I could say I wanted to put more variety into my storytime, but the truth is, I forgot my bumble bee finger puppet at my desk. It worked out okay, though, because with the passig out and collecting of rhythm sticks, we ended up just about on time.
After the intro, we sang the incomparable "Goldfish Song" because I could tell there were some extra wiggles in the room this morning. Before singing this song, I like to teach the kids the phrase, "Wait a minute, we're fish!" so they are ready when it comes up in the song.
At this point, I passed out a pair of rhythm sticks to each child. I like to tell them that I have two rules for rhythm sticks:
1. The only people who get sticks are the ones sitting calmly in one place.
2. Don't hit your friends.
They think it's hilarious when I make them repeat "Don't hit your friends" several times, but it's effective. They do not hit their friends. Actually, everyone was incredibly calm and respectful of the sticks today.
After everyone got their sticks, we learned a short rhyme. Along with it, we did a rhythm with our sticks. The X's show a place to hit the floor with your sticks, and the O's show a place to hit them together.
Rain on the rooftop
X X O
Rain on the tree
X X O
Rain on the green grass
X X O
But none on me!
X X O
This diagram is not exact, which is why it doesn't seem like an even rhythm... But it is, I promise. Two hits on the floor, and one tap of the sticks together. It's a simple pattern that kids find easy to follow, but that still does the job of waking up the music centers in their brains. In addition to tapping this rhythm with the rhyme, we turned off our voices and tapped it alone a few times. I think this really helped drive home the rhythm for the kids and grownups.
After our a cappella stick exercise, we practiced following directions while tapping to "Tapping on My Sticks."
After collecting the sticks, it was already time to say goodbye! My biggest tip for using any prop in storytime, from scarves to egg shakers to rhythm sticks, is to remember to build the time to pass out and collect the props into your storytime plan. With an especially large and/or wiggly group, it can take up to five full minutes just to make sure everyone has an egg shaker! In a 30 minute storytime, 5 minutes counts. This is valuable time that teaches preschool-age kids a lot about cooperation and being patient, so the time is not wasted. It's just something you need to account for so the program doesn't go overtime.
If you recall, the last time I did this program we had some major tech issues and my beloved tiny blue iPod kicked the bucket. Luckily, I used the break from storytime to order a new-to-me iPod that I will keep at work and use for all my storytimes. Say hello to ADMIN'S IPO! (I haven't picked out a name for him yet, this is just what shows up when I plug him into the computer.)
After our regular introduction, we did the "Heckity Peckity" chant and counted the syllables in our names. I use a little bumblebee finger puppet when we do this, like she uses in the second video below. Before we start, I tell the kids my friend Bumble Bee really wants to meet each of them, but he's really shy, and he will only ask their names if we all say this rhyme together. Then, after we all say the first two lines, he buzzes up to children and asks them what their name is.
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 "It's Time to Stand Up" by Susan Salidor. It might be my imagination, but I think today's group of kids had an extra amount of silly fun with this song.
Because this song is so exciting, I found it necessary to do a chant to calm down. I used my favorite "Hippo on the Bus," because it is really fun and hilarious, but you can do it as many times as necessary to get the kids back to listening status.
A hip, a hip, a hippotomous
Got on, got on, got on the 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)
While passing out rhythm sticks, I made sure the kids knew that I would only be handing a pair to children who were sitting calmly on the floor, and those who loudly repeated my one and only rhythm stick rule: "Don't Hit Your Friends!" Kids and parents alike find this rule giggle-worthy, but it's also very seriously my only rhythm stick rule.
I gave them a minute to hit them on their own, then lead the group in hitting out sticks slowly, quickly, loudly, quietly, and rubbing them together to create a new sound. Then we did two songs with the sticks: "Tapping On My Sticks" and "Lummi Stick Tap." For that one, I always teach the word "lummi," what they call rhythm sticks in the UK, so the kids aren't confused when they hear that word in the song.
Finally, it was time to give the sticks back and say goodbye to all our friends!
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!
