Song of the Month
Every month the song/dance/activity will change. Many of the songs will be from my Recordings. Please print the page and do the activity with your child. Teachers may print the page to use with their classes. If you have questions, Contact Me.
January 2009
Dancing Scarf Blues
Listen to the whole song on Dancing Feet , or hear it here:
Winter weather got you staying inside? What could be better than dancing with scarves? It's great exercise, good for motor coordination, listening skills – and FUN! Any kind of scarf will do – pick some up at a yard sale, raid Granny's drawer, or buy some of the new, colorful lightweight scarves (see below.)
Talk briefly with your child(ren) about opposites: high/low, front/back. Also, I tell my students to find a "Safety Zone" – a personal space where they can move their scarves without touching another child. Even my toddlers can find their "Safety Zone" – when we play instruments, toss beanbags, use claves – anytime we need space for large movement, with or without props.
| Lyrics: | Put your scarf to the side Chorus: Put your scarf to the front Chorus Bridge: Shake your scarf way up high Chorus |
| Movements: | This one is pretty easy –just do what the song tells you to do! Be sure to first demonstrate and have the children model each of the movements, before turning on the music! |
Age Range: 2 – 6 years old
Purpose: Coordination, working with a manipulative safely, vocabulary, especially of directions and opposites, exercise.
Extension Activity: I've been doing "Dancing Scarf Blues" after "I Can Make A Snowman" (SOTM 3/08) – they're a perfect pair! I make 3 snowmen: Red, Yellow, Blue. We talk about the concept of Primary Colors and Secondary Colors. Then I make a Green snowman – and we talk about what primary colors to mix to get green (blue and yellow). Then I get out the scarves – some are primary and some are secondary colors! I ask them to tell me what color they've chosen, and which category it falls into: primary or secondary. This worked excellently with 3's – 6's. Then we did the "Dancing Scarf Blues". I found out that the art teacher had worked on this concept several months ago, and this was a great, practical refresher!
If you're doing this at home, take the opportunity to get out paints and do some color mixing! Or use a glass of water and food coloring. Art, Science, Music – a great match!
Note: I have ordered my scarves from Rhythm Band Instruments - reasonably priced, washable, see-through (great for ghosts, peek-a-boo, etc.) Take a look here: http://www.rhythmband.com/client/category_detail.php?id=2138
