Eileen Briggs September 22, 2005 MUS 463

1. Body Awareness Have children test out which body parts they can touch to another body part. For example, have them try touching their elbow to their foot. Their finger to their knee. Touch their knees together. One foot touch the other leg. See what other ideas the children come up with.

Age Level: Early childhood.

2. Continuous fluid movement Have students stand in a big circle around you. Ask them to think of objects that move and blow in the wind (suggestions: windsock, kite, flag, clothes drying on a clothes line). Have music prepared that makes sound like the wind blowing or make the noise yourself. Tell the students to act like one of these objects whenever you make the noise of the wind or turn on the recording of the wind. Tell them to use all parts of their body, especially their arms and hips.

Age Level: Early childhood to lower elementary.

3. Heavy and/or light movement

The activity is called “ball and chain.” Choose one student to by the keeper of the key. The rest of the class will all be prisoners who will need to act as though they have a very heavy ball attached to their ankle with a heavy chain. As they walk around the room they must drag their foot as though it is very hard to move. The keeper of the key must tiptoe around the room very softly, as to not awake the prison guard. As they tiptoe around they can stop at a prisoner and unlock them and free them from their ball and chain. After a person is unlocked, they now become another keeper of the key and must tip toe around the room, unlocking prisoners. The game ends when everyone is unlocked and all are tiptoeing around the room.

Age Level: Kindergarten to 3rd grade.

4. Bound and/or free movement Demonstrate for the students how to do “the robot” dance or ask them how they think a robot would dance. Make sure your movements are very stiff. Play the song “Mr. Roboto” (or some other upbeat song) in the background. Next ask the students to how they think a jellyfish might dance. Demonstrate by dancing with lots of free, open movements. Play a song with a very slow beat and that is very calm and quiet.

Age Level: 1st grade to 5th grade

5. Fast and/or slow movement This activity involves stomping feet and clapping hands. Have all the students stand up. Demonstrate a beat where for every stomp you do two claps. Have the students repeat what you do. Next show a beat where you do stomp at the same speed, but now have three claps for every stomp. Then try it with four claps for every stomp. Ask the students what is happening to the speed of the claps. You could also do this activities starting with four claps for every stomp and then work down to one. Then ask them what is happening to the speed of the claps.

Age Level: 2nd grade to 5th grade.

6. Direct and/or indirect movement Take the students on a walk around the playground. Have everyone stand in a straight line following behind you. Tell the students you are heading towards the jungle gym. Walk all around the playground, going around swings and all around the perimeter, finally reaching the jungle gym. After that say, “ ok, now we are heading back inside.” Head right to the door in the most direct, straight path you can take. When you arrive ask the students what the difference in the way you got there from the way you got back.

Age Level: Kindergarten to 5th grade.