Fall Montessori-Young Preschoolers

What a great start to our fall we have had!  Our Young Preschoolers are doing a precious little unit called Milk and Cookies, which is all about the HOME---Picking up toys, cleaning up spills, making cookies, growing a garden, using tools, having a tea party----the list goes on!  Here are some of the things we have been up to in the first half our semester!

THE CARPENTER'S HAMMER
(Concepts:  Smooth and Bumpy -Legato and Staccato,  Dynamics- Louds and Softs)

We started with a little hand poem about a carpenter using TOOLS to build a house.  We used a fist to pound for a HAMMER and swished our hands together to make a SAW.  Later, we will use those same concepts to talk about "smooth and bumpy"---or LEGATO and STACCATO in music.

Here are the words so that you can try it at home!

The Carpenter's Hammer Goes RAP RAP RAP (Rapping closed fist on open palm)

 And his saw goes SEE SAW SEE (Swish hands together)

He hammers and hammers!  (Go back to rapping hands together)
And he saws and saws! (Swish hands together)
And he BUILDS A HOUSE FOR ME!  (Make a rooftop over heads)

DYNAMICS
Then we do the same thing with sandblocks---first rapping the sandblocks together to make a hammer sound, then scratching them together to make a softer sawing sound.  It is a good way to talk about DYNAMICS in music (Louds and softs!)  Guess which one they like better???  LOUD SOUNDS!!  :)

 

 

SMOOTH and BUMPY
Listening for changes in music is a big skill in the toddler music class.  Here we are using a stretchy circle to help us react to a song that alternates between smooth (Legato) and bumpy (Staccato) music.  When they hear the staccato beat come in, we bounce the circle to the beat.  Since it is made of elastic, when we bounce, it really reacts!  Then, when we hear the legato transition, we rock forward and back, stretching the circle out and back to the gentle rocking beat of the legato section.  The anticipation always builds for the staccato beat to bounce again!  Here is a sample of the song we use which is a mash up of "Shortening Bread" and "Coffee Grows".

CLICK HERE: "Bread and Coffee" Listening Sample

BELLS ARE RINGING

We used bells to do a song called "Bells Are Ringing" which shows us 4 ways to play the bells.  Alternating Hands, Side Shake, Tap Jingles, and Tap Ends.  The song goes like this:

Bells are ringing!  Listen to them ringing!

Bells are ringing!  Listen to them ringing!

Bells are ringing!  Listen to them ringing!

All through the day...

Then the motion changes and it says "Bells are Shaking", "Bells are Jingling", or "Bells are Tapping"

You can hear a sample here:

CLICK HERE: "Bells are Ringing" Listening Sample

CORN SEEDS

We talk about HIGHS and LOWS a lot in the toddler classes.  We do high and low with our bodies, and also listen to high and low pitches in music.  This little poem called "Corn Seeds" works on several things.  The first stance is called the balancing squat, which is feet planted, knees bent, and fannies off the floor.  This engages the vestibular system, the inner balance.  From that squat, we work on straightening the legs to stand and tip toe!  As HIGH as we can go!  In the poem, as the corn grows, so do we!  :)

It goes like this:

I planted little corn seeds (balancing squat)

They were very very small (continue balancing down low)

BUT, day by day they grew and grew...  (Stand up slowly until tip toes!)

...and GREW!  To be THIS TALL!  (Balance on tip toes)

More HIGHS and LOWS with our bodies!

We have been dancing with scarves up HIGH and DOWN low by playing a little song game about going around the kitchen swishing our scarves around.  Then we pretend to see a spill (ut oh!) and we swish and scrub down low.  Then back up we go to swish up high once again.

The song we sing is called "All Around the Kitchen"  and you can hear a sample here:

CLICK HERE: "All Around the Kitchen" Listening Sample

And MORE Highs and Lows with Instruments!

This little ditty is great for following directions.  It goes like this:

So HIGH HIGH HIGH! (instruments up HIGH!)

So LOW LOW LOW! (instruments down low)

So FAST FAST FAST! (play very fast)

So SLOW SLOW SLOW! (play very slow!)

So FAR FAR FAR (stretch arms out wide!)

So NEAR NEAR NEAR (play close to body)

Now WHERE?  WHERE?  WHERE? (HIDE the instruments behind your back!)

(Pause)

Right HERE!  HERE!  HERE! (The big "reveal"---always followed with squeals and giggles!  This just never gets old!)

So HIGH HIGH HIGH!

So HIGH HIGH HIGH!

So LOW LOW LOW!

So FAR!

FAR!

FAR!

So NEAR NEAR NEAR

Now WHERE, WHERE, WHERE?

Waiting for the big reveal.....

RIGHT HERE!  HERE!  HERE!

ROLY POLY

Another little song we do about following musical directions is Roly Poly.  This has us rolling arms, going up high, going out wide,  tapping, and stopping.

The words go like this:

Roly Poly, Roly Poly, UP UP UP!

Roly Poly, Roly Poly, OUT OUT OUT!

Roly Poly, Roly Poly, TAP TAP TAP!
Roly Poly, Roly Poly, Lay them in your LAP!  (Pause......ssshhhhhh.......)

Here is a link to a listening sample: 

CLICK HERE: "Roly Poly" Listening Sample

Roly Poly...

Roly Poly!

Up Up Up!

Out, Out, Out!

Tap, Tap, Tap

And Stop....Sssshhhhh.....

Other ways to tap....

Hammer!

Matching End to End----HARD to DO!

End to End

Concentrating!

Rolling the sticks on the floor

Joyful Noise---
Here are the kiddos having some time to explore with instruments that make lots of different sounds.  This is such a favorite.  When the instrument mix comes out, they all cheer!  They love trying all the instruments, and it is a great lesson in sharing and working together.  We have quite the cacophony of sounds!

We have so much more in store for these little musicians!  In the next couple of weeks, we will do activities relating to a tea party, having friends come over to our house, baking cookies, and more!  We will keep you updated here!