Planned learning intentions
- To display high levels of involvement in activities
- To listen with enjoyment and respond to stories, songs and other music, rhymes and poems
- To imitate and create movement in response
RESOURCES
- large circles of fabric linked to a theme or song, such as blue Lycra (under the sea) or white sheeting (winter)
- soft toys, dolls, wild animals representing the theme
- CD player
- selection of musical instruments
Step by step
- During the visit, the children were enthralled by the musician playing a violin and penny whistle. There was lively discussion as they compared the sounds they heard and they were then involved in choosing songs related to our Under the Sea theme. They joined in eagerly, singing and clapping as the musician sang and played.
- The highlight of the session was sitting in a circle and working together to move a large piece of blue Lycra to create 'waves' as we sang and listened to music while our toy dolphin swam backwards and forwards across it.
- Since the visit, the children have developed their own variations on this activity. For a winter theme they have created snowy slopes from white sheeting. As they move the sheet around, dolls dressed in warm clothes slide down slopes. They have even made sledges from small boxes.
- By reducing the size of the fabric lengths we are able to leave small groups of children to organise this activity alone.
Judith Cowley is the nursery teacher at Cockfield Primary School, Co Durham. She spoke to Jean Evans.
