Storypath units promote children as active participants in their own learning. Students learn about topics through cross-curricular connections woven into an imaginative real-world scenario. They role-play and make critical decisions independently and collaboratively. Invite your students on a rock band adventure! This unit integrates Common Core standards with project-based learning. Students discover that what they learn in school is valuable, even for a rock star!

783 original hands-on activities for kids (as well as a compiled archive of ideas from all over the web) with a strong focus on inquiry, design thinking, problem-solving skills, imaginative / creative thinking, nature, drama, learning with movement, music, arts integration and PLAY! - Creative Genius Kids! - for teachers and homeschoolers
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Saturday, October 1, 2016
Rock Band Storypath
Storypath units promote children as active participants in their own learning. Students learn about topics through cross-curricular connections woven into an imaginative real-world scenario. They role-play and make critical decisions independently and collaboratively. Invite your students on a rock band adventure! This unit integrates Common Core standards with project-based learning. Students discover that what they learn in school is valuable, even for a rock star!
Labels:
art,
geography,
math,
math / art,
music,
social studies,
technology tools for teachers,
writing
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Equivalent Fractions Musical Plates
Get children up and moving with this fun, kinesthetic fraction activity! Children are given a fraction and dance around to music, trying to find its equivalent. Written and visual representations of fractions are used to assess children's understanding!
materials:
post-it notes
paper plates
sharpie to write fractions
visual representations of fractions to glue on plate
music
instructions:
Give each student a fraction written on a post-it note. Students remember their fraction and stick it on their shirt. Next, lay out the paper plates with fractions written (or pasted) on them. You should make a variety of equivalent fraction plates for each student and spread them far apart. Then, each student will have to really look to find a plate that is equivalent.
Start up the music and children dance and hunt for a fraction that is equivalent to their own. When they find a fraction that is equivalent, they stand on the paper plate. If they don't find an equivalent fraction before the music stops, they're out! For each round, students keep hunting for fractions. Once there are no more fractions that are equivalent to their own, they sit out. They found all of their fractions!
This activity can be played as a whole group or with small groups to assess the children's learning.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Newspaper Fraction Dancing!
Sunday, June 9, 2013
P.O.S. Musical Plates
materials: paper plates (3 for each child)
Write a noun, verb, or adjective on each paper plate. Lay the plates out in an open space outside. Play music and kids dance from plate to plate. When the music stops, the child picks up the plate and keeps it. The goal is to collect one noun, verb, and adjective plate. If the child lands on a noun when the music stops, and he already has a noun, he doesn't keep the plate. Once everyone has each part of speech, they use their creativity and imagination to create a unique sentence using the words they collected on their plates!
Write a noun, verb, or adjective on each paper plate. Lay the plates out in an open space outside. Play music and kids dance from plate to plate. When the music stops, the child picks up the plate and keeps it. The goal is to collect one noun, verb, and adjective plate. If the child lands on a noun when the music stops, and he already has a noun, he doesn't keep the plate. Once everyone has each part of speech, they use their creativity and imagination to create a unique sentence using the words they collected on their plates!
Labels:
games,
music,
outdoors,
parts of speech,
spring / summer,
vocabulary
Saturday, June 1, 2013
HOT WAD
Practice vocabulary with a twist on hot potato! On scraps of paper write down different objectives for kids to conquer! Then, wad up the scraps to make a ball. Have kids sit in a circle and turn some music on. Kids pass the ball clockwise until the music stops. The one holding the ball has to unwrap a piece of the scrap paper from the ball. The teacher gives the child a word and the player answers. For example, what part of speech is it?! If the player answers correctly he stays in the game.
For younger kids, you can write their sight words on the scrap paper. Kids have to say the word they unwrap!
For more vocab. fun, check out word wheel and roll and...
Note: This game could also be used to practice simple multiplication facts. Write down equations on scrap paper. Kids figure out the product to stay in the game!
For younger kids, you can write their sight words on the scrap paper. Kids have to say the word they unwrap!
For more vocab. fun, check out word wheel and roll and...
Note: This game could also be used to practice simple multiplication facts. Write down equations on scrap paper. Kids figure out the product to stay in the game!
Labels:
games,
multiplication,
music,
parts of speech,
sight words,
synonyms / antonyms,
vocabulary
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Musical Fractions
Kids explore fractions, while writing a colorful melody, without even knowing how to read music! Fill glasses up with different fractions of water and add food coloring. Provide students with paper to write their songs. Have kids make a hypothesis about why the glasses of water project different sounds. Is it the color of the water: No! Kids will be wowed at how water level makes an impact on the sound that projects from each glass. The fraction of water in each glass produces a different pitch.
Labels:
colors,
fractions,
math,
music,
patterning,
rainbow,
science,
sound effects,
st. patrick's day,
water
Sunday, November 25, 2012
50 States and Capitals
Featured Above: Musical Stew (Macho Nacho and Mouth Trumpet): 50 States and Capitals
Also, check out the 50 State Capital Rap by Educational Rap!
1. State Card Printables - Laurie Keller (featured) or nick Jr.
2. Matching Stick Game -TLC or Pick Up Sticks Version - Fabulous in Fourth
3. State Bingo - Relentlessly Fun Deceptively Educational or The Science Mom
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Fresh Drop of the Water Cycle
Water Cycle Rap that goes to the beat of Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air from Missy B! (I changed around a few of the lyrics). Click here for the original.
Now this is a story all about how the water on our earth goes round and round. And I’d like to take a minute just sit right there, I'll tell you all about the water cycle’s ups and downs
The surface of the sea gets heated with the sun, the vapor rises up and the cycles begun
Water to gas, this stage is called Evaporation!
Vapor rises high, squeezes together to form a cloud, also known as Condensation!
Vapor back to water - Dark clouds always form in this way...
You can be sure there’s a chance of rain!
Fog, rain, hail, snow flurries and sleet: Precipitations the word – Uh-oh, I got wet feet!
Now the water on the ground has got several choices
It can Run Off to the river and back to the sea: Accumulation!
Or hang around as snow and ice you see...
Some of it gets taken right back as Evaporation, or comes out from plants and trees, aka Transpiration!
The rest of the water infiltrates in the soil, as long as there’s no impermeable surface to spoil!
We come to the end of the story now and we yell to the teacher “two thirds of our world is water!”
I look at my kingdom and I finally understand, the water cycle keeps going round and round
Monday, September 24, 2012
Let's Rock - Sound Energy
Explore the science of sound by creating your very own rock band of recyclables!
Sound Wave Experiments - ehow
Featured Above:
1. Kazoo -Martha Stewart
2. Tin Can Phone - DSO Kids / Bongo - Sophie's World
3. Membranophone - Exploratorium
4. Zither - ehow
5. Pan Pipe Flute - Krieger Science
More:
Sound Sandwich - Exploratorium
Scientific Sound Effects - E is for Explore - Make Music
Whirly Twirly Sound Hose: Explore
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Reading Musical Chairs
Miss Sporn's Class sparked kids' interest in reading with the game musical chairs! Lay a book on each chair and turn on some music. When the music stops, kids plop in the nearest chair and check out the book in their seat! Click here to see Miss Sporn's class in action (video included)!
For more twists on the game musical chairs, check out place value musical chairs and musical clocks!
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chairs via bambino goodies |
For more twists on the game musical chairs, check out place value musical chairs and musical clocks!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Place Value Musical Chairs
Have fun building numbers with the game musical chairs! Split the class in two. Set up chairs (labeled with place values) on both sides of the room for each team. The number of chairs you need depends on what place values you are teaching. Next, throw single digit numbers (0-9, written on scrap paper) in a paper lunch bag. You will have to repeat numbers so all kids will have one. Each kid pulls a number out of the bag and tapes it on his shirt. Start up the music and play musical chairs! Both teams dance around their chairs. When the music stops, kids quick sit in a chair. Write the numbers both teams made on the board and compare. Which team created the largest number? The winning team gets a point.
Next, challenge the team that lost to rearrange their number to create a larger number. Is their new number larger than the winning team's? If so, they get a point! Then, instruct both teams to rearrange their numbers to create an even or odd number. Which team was the fastest in building a number? The fastest team gets a point!
Start the music up again and play for as long as you'd like!
chairs via container store
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
View the Moon
I liked the idea of a moon phase viewer (that I saw here), for kids to go out and explore! So, I created one to print and laminate. To extend the activity, I had kids draw the moon phase they saw using their viewer for ten nights on the sheet below the viewer. The viewer would also be a fun summer activity for kids and parents to watch the moon go through all of its phases. It takes 28 days to go through all 8 phases. Click here for the printable!
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Labels:
music,
outdoors,
science,
spring / summer,
universe
Monday, April 2, 2012
Musical Clocks
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boombox via hype beast: Lyle Owerko boombox project
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Over at What the Teacher Wants, they turned up the beat, jammed to tunes, and practiced telling time! Give each child a blank clock and digital clock. Have kids write a time inside the digital clock boxes. Turn on the music and encourage kids to dance around the room (like musical chairs). When the music stops, kids have to draw hands on the clock they land on, matching the time to their classmate's digital clock. The teacher checks the clocks. Then, the next round begins. Click here for a free printable!
Also, check out What's the Teacher Wants I SPY Time game - includes a freebie!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
H2O Band
Let children explore with sound and water, combining science with music.
Get creative with your materials, listen to changes in pitch and tone. Explore rhythm, pattern, and tempo. For the science behind this, as well as a list of materials in the video, visit Child's Play Music
Get creative with your materials, listen to changes in pitch and tone. Explore rhythm, pattern, and tempo. For the science behind this, as well as a list of materials in the video, visit Child's Play Music
Labels:
music,
outdoors,
science,
sensory,
sound effects,
spring / summer,
water
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Whirly: Twirl Sound Hose
Make music with a fluted sink pipe or irrigation tubing from the hardware store. Try out different sized pipes. What makes the best sound?
"Try attaching a plastic bag to the end of your Sound Hose with tape or a rubber band. With your mouth a few millimeters from the Sound Hose, blow into the open end. The bag will inflate with just a few big breaths. Once the bag is inflated, twirl your Sound Hose. As the "music" plays from the hose, watch the bag deflate"! via Steve Spangler
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Soda Straw Oboe
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illustration via sciencebuddies.org
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