X - Xylophones Music Dance

X = Xylophone, Music and Dance
The children will have fun learning about different types of music, making musical instruments and learning new dances.

This is not a long unit but there are many activities that will take time to complete. Musical instruments take a little time to create but are well worth the while. Be sure to make a few.

Some of the items you may need to complete this unit are:
beads
shells
pebbles
hot glue
buttons
glue
toilet paper tubes
streamers
fabric
construction paper
stickers
toothpicks
markers paint
tape
ribbons
jingle bells
light bulbs
paper mache
plastic bottles
plastic lids
bingo markers
music tapes
tape player
umbrella

Learning About Music Notes
Draw a 5 line staff on paper, let the kids use a bingo marker to make 8 dots on and off the lines. Play the notes they made on the piano or xylophone.

Movement and Dance
Use a bell and a set of rhythm sticks for a fun movement activity. Click a slow beat on the sticks. Call this walking music. Click out a faster beat with the sticks. Call this jogging music. Now, ask the children to listen to the sticks rhythm. When they hear the walking music they should walk around the room. When they hear the jogging music they should jog around the room. When you ring a bell it means to stop.

Dance
Make up a short dance to your favorite music using two or three steps.

Dancing Streamers
Cut the centers out so you have plastic rings. Cut an old plastic tablecloth and a white trash bag into strips. Loop then in a knot through the rings. Put on some fun music and march and dance around the room.

Use different colors of light weight fabric for the children to dance with. Use different types of music ask the children how the music makes them feel, let them show you by dancing with their chiffon.

Different Types of Music
Everyday for one week, listen to different types of music. One day country, be sure to wear cowboy hats, another day rock and roll, wear fifties style clothes, etc.

Dancing In The Rain
Stand in the middle of the room with a closed umbrella. Have the children march, hop or skip until the umbrella goes up, which means the rain is falling down. They should run to a spot under the umbrella to keep dry until the sun comes out again (the umbrella closes).

Punch Ball Dancing
Have each child hold on to a punch ball, play music that has both fast and slow parts. When the music is fast, they should punch the ball fast, when the music is slow, they should punch the ball slowly.

Music Feelings
Use sidewalk chalk and the driveway. Play different types of music, as the music plays have the child color with the chalk. Tell them to color how the music makes them feel. Examples: soft music may make them want to draw a rainbow, loud or fast music may make them want to scribble. Compare the drawings. Have them tell why each type of music made them feel a certain way.

Singing and Dancing
Choose a few of your favorite nursery rhyme songs. dance to them
Twirl and Twist
Make up a dance where you can twirl and twist. Maybe you could twirl to the slow music and twist to the fast parts.

Balloon Music
Use a few large balloons, put some lightweight items inside each, like rice. Toss them back and forth to the music.

Finger Plays & Hand Motion Activities
Practice some finger plays like eency weency spider that use both song and motion.