I love teaching preschool music. The musical activities 3-5 year old kids can accomplish never cease to amaze me. We have been working on some basic, but very important concepts this Fall.
Audiation
Audiation is the ability to hear music, melody and rhythm, in your head. We have been singing Bingo to work on audiation. Each time you sing a verse in Bingo you take away one letter, clap on that one while thinking it in your head, and then sing the remaining letters. The kids are doing great with this! We have used this schoolastic book along with the song.
Dynamics and Tempo
In the Hall of the Mountain King is a fun song to work on dynamics and tempo with. It starts quiet and slow then speeds up and gets louder through out the song. We start each music class by listening to a song then talking about it. That might sound boring, but we act out the song with small movements while we listen and work on steady beat and it's a great experience. Little kids can come up with some great answers about what they hear. If you haven't ever asked your kids about what all they hear when they listen to music you should. It's a fun conversation. We used the song as a play along at the end of class. The students have to play the instruments quietly when the song is quiet and get to get louder and faster with it! Here is a video to enjoy with the song, and a cartoon about the music.
We read the book Gobble Gobble Crash to talk about dynamics. The silly turkeys are loud and soft in the book.
Watching for Cues and Songs With Parts
We worked on a Fall chant that has four different parts. I divided the class into four groups and each group had a part. After they learned to do their part they had to watch me to cue them, and only perform their part when they were cued! They got so good at it that each group got to pick out a non-pitch percussion instrument (shakers, maracas, cymbals, drums) to accompany their part this week.
Steady Beat
We work on keeping a steady beat in our bodies and with instruments all the time. We are also working on keeping a steady beat as a group with an egg shaker passing game. The game will be part of the song I've Been Workin' on the Railroad.
Ukulele
I've been bringing my ukulele to class each week and accompanying at least one song on it. It is a fun, simple instrument to learn. I created a free online class so you can learn to play some preschool songs at home! You can get to the class here.
Each week we are adding another small piece to our blob maps. Blob maps are called that because the continents look like a blob, not the exact shape. My hope for the students at the Journeyman level is to get the blob shape continents in the correct places based on latitude and longitude. This is a great map to let them look at while they draw freehand.
Go back to weeks 1-4 for videos of how to blob.
Geography - Eastern Asia. There are some great songs on CCC for geography for cycle one. I play all of the weeks in a row and the kids see how fast they can find the places.
Math - This week we are skip counting by 15's. There is a pattern in the ones place 5,0,5,0,5,0, etc. That pattern helps me multiply by 15!
History - Confucius. If you type Confucius into Pinterest you find all of the things he said.
You can download a FREE powerpoint with sayings by Confucius here. Then choose to write about one or illustrate one.
Latin - Keep memorizing those declensions! I printed out two of each chart for my kids. One chart I cut into pieces and they have to match it to the full page while saying them for review.
English - There are so many fun ways to work on prepositions! Go to the park and act them out, make a preposition picture book, just act them out with a chair. I think we will try a box and ball this week.
Science - Parts of a plant
We began this activity in class as a way to review new grammar, and to study flowers for science (it was raining to so week 9's nature walk got switched with week 10). You can find how to do the full activity here.
If you go ahead in new grammar you can get great information for inside the book. The CC Science cards, or the science snippets on the app or tutorials also have great information for weeks 9-11 that can help you finish this project.
Music
I adapted the Recorder Karate curriculum for D tin whistle for my class. It works really well, the only difference from soprano recorder is a few fingerings. I also created an online class to help the students out. You can get to it here.
We reviewed what a staff is, note names, and how to draw a treble clef. Then we added a 4/4 time signature and filled measures with different combinations of notes that add up to four beats together.
After that we did a quiz for fun to see how well the kids could identify B, A, and G patterns with their ears! You can get the worksheet here.
We are 6 weeks through our nine week fall session of Music Together and I love watching the kids, and the adults, accomplish new musical goals.
We have been working on singing Apples and Cherries as a round. We began by each group singing one flavor of ice cream as a repeated vocal ostinato. When we put all of the groups together it created harmony! Singing in a round does the same thing. It gives your children wonderful harmony to hear in a simple song.
We sang a drone on D and A along with the song Bella Boya. Bella Boya is a complex little mixed meter song. I am very pleased at how all of the classes have learned to sing the song, different parts, and play the clapping game while you sing. It is great for little kids to see adults and bigger kids working together to create music.
For our free dances we danced along with the different parts to Lauren's Waltz, the play along from the Fiddle Collection. We also did the Monster Mash!
For the play along we explored dynamics and tempo changes with In the Hall of the Mountain King. We also played instruments to Ghost Busters.
Some weeks there is just not enough time to add anything extra. The great part about CC Foundations is that if you are memorizing your CC work, and doing your math and English that is enough!
This is our second time to go through Cycle 1. The first time through we were brand new to CC and still getting a feel for homeschooling, and what we were suppose to be doing. It is a whole new world the second time through. The kids are considering working toward memory masters (memorizing all 7 subject for all 24 weeks).
How we are preparing for Memory Masters:
(We stole all of these ideas from other smart mommies!)
*We are listening to all of the weeks already. I found all of the audio I wanted on CC Connected and made my playlist by subject for all 24 weeks. We will listen to 24 weeks of one of the subjects each day. My kids favorite songs are the geography songs.
*Each of my kids has a note card box for review cards. My third grader has to copy the review cards and make her own, my second grader is using the premade cards. Cards they need to work on go in the front of a divider and cards that are mastered go behind it.
*We are tracing our maps a lot! I love the CC geography trivium tables. It's well worth your $10! You can trace on them with dry erase markers and they are easy to put in your backpack on the go. We also tape tracing paper over the maps for review.
I'm sure there are more wonderful ways to study for memory masters, but this is what we have come up with so far and I am pleased with it.
It's always a joy to get to make music with the children and parents in my classes. Last week and this week we sang a song called Can You Do This? The song is in Lydian which might make it sound a little different To you. If you want to play around with the Lydian mode at home you can play from F to F on a piano or keyboard using all white keys.
In one class I had the chance to point out how kids feel the rhythm in their whole bodies, and we can help them match the beat of the song by showing the beat in our whole body as well. adults often stop feeling and expressing music in their whole body. If you watch a toddler they feel the music from their head to their toes. Sometimes the trick is just figuring out how they are experiencing the music and how to help them learn the best for the stage of life they are in.
Last week we sang Apples and Cheries with Ice Cream flavored. Each part of the room got one flavor to sing over and over again. If you haven't tried this along with the CD yet you should. Pick one flavor (one phrase) and see if you can stay on that part during the whole song. We are building up to singing the song in a round.
This week we moved to Los Fandangos. There is a clapping part that goes along with the song. Listen for it on your CD and look for it in the songbook.
This collection also has a lot of call and response songs. Use these to your advantage during the week. They can be fun in the car. Songs like Can You Do This are great for directing you kids to do things. I can wash my hands, you can wash your hands, I can dry them off, you can dry them off. I can hold your hand, you can hold my hand, I can keep you safe, you can keep me safe.
The only song from outside the Fiddle collection was the play along. It was This Little Light of Mine by the Chris Barber Jazz Band. Here is the link to get it.
This weeks geography is the Egyptian Empire. Here is a fun way to combine art and geography!
Build the Egyptian empire out of sugar cubes, construction paper, and straws
We enjoy the Magic Treehouse books. There is a fiction and nonfiction book about Egypt
Science
I like these sorting cards. A simple sorting activity might be fun for all of the kids this week.
Science Experiment
Here is a video of this weeks science experiment. Watch it with your kids after our school day and see what they remember.
http://imaginationstationtoledo.org/content/2011/04/how-to-make-a-naked-egg/
Blobbing
It's finally time to add the continents! This week we will practice tracing North America. Next week we will add it to our blob map.
We are off to a fantastic start for this session of Music Together! Thank you to all of the parents who sang, danced, and played instruments with their kids today. You all did such a wonderful job right from the start. When you model musical behavior you help your kids learn to be musical. It doesn't matter if you always sing on pitch or keep the right beat. If you are having a good time making music your kids will learn to enjoy music. By being exposed to a community of music makers in a Music Together class they will learn to sing in tune and keep a steady beat.
Today I shared with you that I am going to play a new song on the ukulele each week in class. The ukulele is a great instrument to enjoy playing with your child at home. It's also a fun first instrument for kids who are a little older. Because it is small it is easy to put your fingers down for the notes and chords. I have started basic ukulele tutorials for you so you can learn to play at home. You can find the tutorials here
I played the Hello Song and I've Got the Rhythm In My Head on the ukulele in class today. I've Got the Rhythm in My Head only has one chord! It's so easy to play with your little one at home. You can hold down the two fingers needed for an F chord and let your child strum. If your child is ready to try putting their fingers on the strings this is an easy place for them to start!
The only song we did that is outside the collection today was the Freeze Dance by the Fresh Beat Band.
The Fall Music Together session finally starts here Monday! Music Classes at Journey Montessori will start with regularity now that we are past Labor Day as well. I have enjoyed a little break but I'm thrilled to start classes this week. All of the Music Together teachers in Charlotte get together before each new session to share awesome teaching ideas. Here's a little video to enjoy before coming to class this week!
We had a great time learning about the Greek gods with some friends today. The kids are learning the names of prominent Greek and Roman gods this week for school. I found several posts about Percy Jackson books, and parties that were inspired by the books, and decided to have our own fun.
Here is what we did.
We started learning by going on a hunt for 20 different gods and goddesses. Each poster has a QR code on it. When you scan it you find out the name of the god or goddess. You can get them here.
After working hard it was time for a game. We adapted the Mr. Fox game to be a Zeus and Hera game. Whoever was Zeus or Hera went to the top of the hill and turned their back so they couldn't see everyone. They then got to tell the mortals how many steps to take. The mortals job was to go as quietly as possible so they could sneak by. When Zeus or Hera thought they were getting close they yelled, "Zeus is coming down the mountain!" and turned around and chased them. Whoever they tagged became Zeus or Hera next.
After getting some energy out it was time for a quick lesson. We used the CC timeline cards that applied to the gods. We sang the timeline song and stopped each time we got to one of the timeline cards listed and talked about it briefly. We looked at the map as we discussed Greece and Rome being established and how to gods names changed from Greek to Roman when Rome defeated Greece.
Next it was time for shield making! We used cake rounds for the shields and duck tape for the handle on the back. If you use a coupon at Michaels you can get a good deal on cake rounds.
Once the shields were made it was time to talk about the god of war and get ready for battle. Greece and Rome went war in the garage. Both sides were armed with their shields and pool noodle swords. To win the battle you had to have the least amount of balloons on your side at the end.
We enjoyed a fun review lesson yesterday about the kingdoms of living things. This collection of science lessons goes along with the Classical Conversations curriculum. Each lesson is short and ties into the Bible. Our favorite part of yesterdays lesson was drawing our own pizzas. Did you know that you can make a pizza that has four of the five kingdoms on it? Do you know what they are? What would you need on a pizza to represent four of the five kingdoms?
We are going to keep new grammar simple. The goal is to be exposed to the material, not master it. Mastering it should happen at home.
The review dice with movements and tone of voice are a great way to spice up new grammar, but still keep it simple and to the point!
https://halfahundredacrewood.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/ccreviewdice.pdf
You can look back to the other weeks on the blog for ways to spice up learning prepositions, plant cells, and Latin noun endings.
We will expand on the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World at home this week with some fun coloring maps and model building.
Art
Here are a few fun ideas for ways to do abstract art this week.
This week we are talking about water pollution. Be careful not to put too much food coloring in the water. It really takes a lot of water to undo to pollution (food coloring). We will go over the scientific method again. There are some great worksheets on CCC for tutors and parents.
We are still working on organizing presentations this week. Each student still gets 3 minutes to talk. They are getting better at this time frame. In addition to organization we are going to work on eye contact. Go back and watch your video from last week (I record the students each week so they can go back and watch themselves and share it with their families) did you look at your audience? Here's this weeks fun video. Kid President doesn't look at his notes on the board. He knows what he is going to say and he looks at the audience (or he has something he is reading by the camera).
Blobbing
We are reviewing for blobbing this week. Look back to week 3 for a video. We have the compass rose, Equator, Prime Meridian, Tropics, Arctic and Antarctic Circles on our blob maps now.
I'm going to start with presentation information again this week because I like fun videos. The prompt, should you choose to accept it, is heroes this week. I love Kid President.
"I think you're a hero and you don't even know it yet." What will you do to be a hero?
The Journeyman/Masters class is working on structuring a three minute presentation for whatever topic they may choose this week. I do hope to hear about some heroes though.
Art
This week we are doing upside down drawings. I've posted this video before, but it amazes me!
The Truly Happy Life is the One Filled With Honest Employment.
THE LESSON—That in childhood and youth we should train ourselves to work.
Work is the keynote of the successful life. "An idle brain is the devil's workshop." The talk is designed to catch the attention with a smile and then give an opportunity to present some valuable thoughts in the matter of diligence and the fulfillment of life's mission through honorable employment of the mind and the hands.
The Talk.
"Very often we read some very curious things. The manufacturer of one of the well-known breakfast foods, has placed this strange statement on the outside of each of the packages: 'Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.' It seems impossible to do this, and the writer of the words probably had an entirely different way of explaining how he would do it from the way we will demonstrate it here on the drawing paper today. Let us suppose that we make the statement that we can tell what a man is if we know what he eats. All right, then, here is a case: There is a certain man who eats three meals a day out of a dish shaped something like this: [Draw lines representing Step 1 of Fig. 37.]
"And then, let us suppose that the food he eats is heaped up like this: [Add lines to change the drawing to Step 2.]
"Now, what do you think this food is? Ice cream? Ah, no, because when I tell you that this is steam rising from the food you will know it isn't ice cream: [Add lines to change the drawing to Step 3.]
"But you will begin to see what it is when I tell you that these two lines represent chopsticks: [Add lines to change the drawing to Step 5.] What is it? Rice? Yes, it is rice, and we will label it in this way. [Add the letters, to change the drawing to Step 5.]
"And now, having found out what the man eats, let us see if we can find out who he is. [Remove the sheet from the drawing board, hold it up and turn it over, exposing Fig. 38 to the audience. With the attention thus centered upon your work, the boys and girls will listen with eagerness to whatever else you may have for them.]
"And so, I tell you of another thing that we can do.
"Listen! Tell me what a boy thinks about, and I will tell you what kind of a man he will grow up to be.
"The man who swears, thought of bad things and used bad words when he was a boy. The man who is a thief thought about dishonest things when he was a boy. The man who is happy and who finds it his delight to do good, formed the habit of thinking and doing good things when he was a boy. The man who loves his work learned to like to work when he was a boy.
"And it is work that I want to speak about today.
"There is no place in the world for a lazy boy or girl. Nobody wants them. Boys who hate to work are the kind that loaf around poolrooms and pollute the air with vile cigarette smoke and language which bespeaks an empty mind and a corrupt heart.
"As Jesus is our great example in every way, He stands out strongly as our example of how a workman should delight in his employment. We should first find the thing which God intends that we shall do, for we are all fitted to do some things better than others, and we should then put forth our best efforts to learn to do that one thing as well as we can. We must center our thoughts upon the things we want to do. Life will then become a delight, because the world is always crying for workers who know how to do their work. The other kind is always to be found but never wanted. The demand is for the ones who know how. It is a significant fact that the first recorded words of Jesus Christ are, 'Wist ye not that I must be about my father's business?' This makes of Jesus a Business boy, and it was God's work he began so soon.
"Gladstone, an inspiring example of the true workman, says, 'The thrift of time will repay in after life with usury of profit beyond your most sanguine dreams, and the waste of it will make you dwindle alike in intellectual and moral stature beyond your darkest reckoning.'
"The happiest people in the world are those who are busy at something worth while, and the most miserable are those who are in idleness for lack of ambition or else are engaged in work which they themselves loathe because of its baseness."
New Grammar
History
Greek and Roman gods
We are going to have some fun with this topic this week!
I bought Percy Jenkins Greek gods book to read with the kids. My husband and I have been amused by it. We decided we should read through each story first before sharing it with the kids.
There are some wonderful pictures that have been created to help you remember your noun endings. Here is a link to a packet for this week. You could make matching games or a book with them.
Science
Here is a fun idea for studying parts of an animal cell at home!
You can find the list of what you need to make this here
We started off strong on our first day of music class at Journey Montessori Preschool today. We listened to Mary Wore Her Red Dress and talked about what we heard first. Then each child got to do some simple improvisation by switching Mary to their name and red dress to their favorite thing they were wearing today. We worked on steady beat at the same time by patting the beat while we sang. I always enjoy asking kids to improvise, or make up their own verses. Little kids are typically eager to improvise and very creative. When I try to get a room full of adults to do the same activity they are typically quiet and stare at me like I've asked them to do something really difficult. I hope the kids will keep their creativity as they grow up. One of the best thing parents can do to foster that creativity is to be creative with them. Make up silly songs. Change words to songs you like to make them your own.
Next it was time to move around a little. I sang Pop Goes the Weasel and we had to jump up on "pop." Once we got the hang of that we moved around the room to the beat of the song, then froze and threw our scarves up in the air on "pop."
Our last task of the day was to identify a few types of non-pitched percussion instruments and do a play along. When the kids heard the music begin they were aloud to come choose an instrument and play along. This is a great way to enjoy creative play with the kids while assessing their ability to play along to the beat of the music.
I am excited about the year ahead with this group of students!
I am tutoring a Journeyman/Masters level class of kids and most of them have gone to CC since kindergarten or pre-school. They are used to giving presentations and now they are ready to refine some skills this year. This week we are going to look at this short TED Talk given by a 12 year old. He uses an outline and has clear opening and closing statements.
In class each student will get 3 minutes to talk. Since we do not need to work on eye contact, volume, or being nervous about presenting with any of them, I would like for them to work toward filling the whole 3 minutes, using at outline if needed, and developing short opening and closing statements.
Science Experiment
We have some fun experiments this week. We get to figure out how spiders use their webs and why fish float when they're dead. I'm looking forward to hearing what kind of hypotheses the kids come up with. As a musician I LOVE this spider video.
Art
We are looking at mirror images in art this week. I am trying to keep our art biology related this cycle. We will look at the mirror image/symmetry of leaves this week. Last week we designed our leaves using basic elements of art.
Blobbing/Geography
We are going to add the tropics to our geography blob maps this week! Here is exactly how to do it.
New Grammar
My favorite ideas for the week
Science
English - Prepositions
For History and Latin look back to week ones post. You can click the Classical Conversations label on the right to find posts specific to CC.
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