Learning about the World

First Stop: Mexico

Materials: a globe, two pictures of animals, the song "La Raspa"

Using a globe (we had a beach ball globe) show the toads where you live. We then played "Pass the World" to music in a circle (pass the ball to the person next to you to the beat). Show where Mexico is on the globe. Compare where you are to where Mexico is.

Dance small and BIG:

Two animals you will find in Mexico (although never on my excursions there...I looked it up on Google).

The Bean Beetle...same family as the ladybug....likes to eat...you guessed it, beans. Like the bean beetle moves very small, we explored moving small with our hands, heads, feet, shoulders, etc. We moved around the room galloping, skipping, rolling and jumping small.

I taught the toads how to skitter...fast baby steps.

The crocodile...not an alligator...the toads will be confused...(I had to look this one up as well). Alligators have short noses, crocodiles have long noses. Once that was cleared up, we used our arms to show how wide the crocodile can open it's jaws. Then we stretched our arms and legs moving very BIG around the room. Big gallops, giant steps, huge crawling, big high jumps, etc.

Teach the dance "La Raspa". (I believe it's the same song as the Mexican Hat Dance)

There are many variations of this. This is the one I know.

*Hands on hips

Tap rt. heel, lf. heel, rt. heel

Tap lf. heel, rt. heel, lf. heel

(repeat 6 more times)

Grab a partner and doe-see-doe (4 counts of 8)

Repeat heel taps 8 times

Instead of doe-see-doeing again we danced small throughout the room

Repeat heel taps 8 times

Dance BIG

Repeat heel taps 8 times

Doe-see-doe

Que bueno. Adios!

*Tell the story of Rudolph, turn off the lights and play "Follow the Leader". The leader toad gets a flashlight to light the way. Take turns leading the way. (some catchy Mannheim Steamroller song will do)

*Teach a Christmas Dance: (danced to "Jingle Bell Rock")

Clap 1,2,3,4

Bend and straight. 5,6 Bend and straight 7,8

Repeat 8 count

Roll your arms 1-8

Dance in a circle 1-8

Repeat dance a few times to song then have the toads gallop, skip, march, tip-toe around room.

*Use a balance beam to walk across "Jingle Bell Bridge" or "Bethlehem Bridge" and jump over small boxes wrapped like presents. Shake jingle bells along the way.

*At the end of class, each toad gets a turn dancing a jingle bell solo across the floor. ("All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey)

All the toads really had a jolly time with this lesson.

Have fun rockin' around the Christmas tree this year!

Hope these ideas throughout the year have helped you with your toads!

A perfect dancey lesson for fall.

Come with a pile of different leaves. Talk about the shapes, colors and sizes. Stand up and drop one of the leaves watching carefully how it falls. Have one of the toads try dropping a different leaf. Have all the toads bring their hands up and on the count of 3 drop them as gently and twirly as the leaves did.

Break into song/dance...

Here is my ditty about fall (sung to "The Wheels on the Bus")

The leaves from the trees fall down, down, down {bringing your hands slowly down}

down, down, down

down, down, down

The leaves from the trees fall down, down, down

All through the town

The bugs in the leaves go creepity, crawl {marching sharply with monster claw hands}

creepity, crawl, creepity, crawl

(repeat)

All through the town

The birds on the trees sing tweet, tweet, tweet {flapping your arms}

tweet, tweet, tweet

tweet, tweet, tweet

(repeat)

All through the town

The leaves on the ground go crunch, crunch, crunch {jumping to each "crunch"}

crunch, crunch, crunch

crunch, crunch, crunch

(repeat)

All through the town

Uh oh...

Now leaves on the trees are all gone, {jumping jacks}

all gone,

all gone

(repeat)

All though the town (with one big crescendo!!!) {spin in a circle}

Blowing Leaves Activity:

This is done with the toads spread out in the room and legs planted in ground like roots in a tree. Start with arms up to the sky; the wind starts to blow swaying you back and forth. The wind blows harder and the bottom branches swing; swinging your arms down low. Then the wind blows so hard that it takes up the roots and it blows you away; running and twirling around the room. Repeat several times with music. We also did this with activity with colorful ribbon wristbands.

spot dance

This week toads danced on spots. To either fast drumming music or slow piano music, they danced from spot to spot. They jumped, spun, shook, marched and made shapes (or poses) on the spots. We created a dance.

Make a shape on a spot. Move to another spot. Make a shape on that spot. (shape-movement-shape)

...always encouraging creative movement from the toads.

At the end they were either part of the audience or a performer. They danced, bowed and clapped for each other. It was fabulous, fun and way easy.

***I went to a local carpet store and told them I was using it for teaching dance. They gave me a big scrap of carpet padding for free from their warehouse. I traced circles with using a plate and a sharpie and cut them out with scissors...warning: hand will be tired at the end.

Viola! Your spots are made.

(these are obviously not my spots because they're squares, actual spots are still in the classroom)

light speed

In a lesson for fast and slow movement I use the concept of traffic lights.

I cut out small circles of red, yellow and green paper back them on black paper and attach them each to large popsicle sticks.  (I have yet to purchase the sticks...we're more an otter pop family)

Have the toads dance around the room according to which "light" you are holding up.

Move fast for green, slow for yellow and freeze for red.

I have found if I have them imagine they're getting into a car, putting on their seatbelt and watching out for the other cars on the road their movement comes more to life.

If you have older toads let them have a turn holding up the lights and deciding when to change them.

We actually did this lesson during one of our attempts for Family Home Evenings.  We were trying to teach Brighton to obey the rules...the next month I got the traffic ticket.

a birthday dance-a-gram for my sister Britten

Britten, only you are forced to watch the whole thing.  I'm such a dweeb, but here is your dance-a-gram. I love you and happy birthday!!! 

(the new shortened version)

Attention Please!

When the toads are wild, crazy and talking way too much, here are a few attention getters...

*Silent Sharks:  shark fins on head and swim silently around room

*Hello?:  Make a telephone with your hand up to your ear and say "hello? hello?"  Keep doing it until toads join with you.  Once they have say, "oh, I guess no one's there." and hang up the phone.  Move on to whatever you've planned on doing...it really works.

*Catch a bubble: I got this one from the preschool I work at (GFUMP).  Tell the toads to catch a bubble.  Hold your breath and puff out your cheeks.

*Send me an email:  If the toads want to tell you everything they got in their easter basket plus their dogs name, tell the whole class to write you an email.  Start "typing" in the air and tell them to push send.  Tell them you'll read them later...yes, this is a lie, but it works.

*Get down really low on the ground and whisper...they'll join you.

How do you get toads' attention?