This week I taught the story dance class using Down by the Cool of the Pool by Tony Mitton. For the main-movement-event I brought a very light weight, vibrant blue fabric that has a little stretch to it. We used it in similar ways to using a parachute. We gathered in a circle, first sitting, and all grabbed on to the material. Then we became the cool pool and shook the fabric to make waves. We all stood up and the children naturally clustered under the fabric full of giggles. (It never fails, fabric on top of kids = happy laughing children. Every time.) We lifted the fabric up over our heads giving us a nice elongated stretch. Then we made made big waves by making the fabric go up and down.
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| (actual fabric!) |
In the story, the different animals teach each other their dances and they are excited to learn from each other. For the next part of the story dance class, each student had a turn to do their favorite dance/movement under the fabric; this could be their favorite animal movement from the story, or their own and the other students try to copy. This was a blast!
For our last dance, I put on music for the children to freestyle to while I walked around waving the fabric over them as they danced. I have done this in other classes with other kinds of fabric and the children seem to love getting caught by the fabric, individually, as a group, or in small groups. As a teacher of young children, I highly recommend the use of fabric in your classroom. If you are not sure what to do with it, don't worry, the children will have a million ideas for you!
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