Friday, August 30, 2019

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Moon / Space Rhythm Sticks Activity

I'm teaching a Music & Movement class for preschoolers this semester, so I'm excited to share some of the activities we'll be doing with you here! This little activity is a moon or space themed activity for rhythm sticks! I included it in our Space Themed Music Class!



Rhythm sticks are TONS of fun to play with, but in addition to being super engaging, they also help your preschoolers develop skills like the following:

* eye-hand coordination
* fine and gross motor development
* a sense of rhythm, beat, and tempo
* directions like up, down, right, and left
* following instructions
* taking turns
* math and music skills
* creative thinking (like in this activity!)

Our first music class's theme will be the moon and space, so I decided to do an astronaut rhythm stick activity. Here it is in lesson-plan format:

1- Show rhythm sticks and discuss safety rules (this is our first class, so we need to establish rhythm-stick-safety!).

2- Pass out the music sticks and let kids experiment with them for a minute.

3- Practice "playing sticks" and "quiet sticks" (quiet in our laps).

4- Explain that when Neil Armstrong went to the moon, he had Mission Control on Earth helping give him instructions and solve problems. When Mission Control sent a message to Neil Armstrong, Neil would say "Roger" to let them know that he received the message. Then when he sent a message to Mission Control, they would say "Roger" to let him know that they received his message. It is almost like a copy game to make sure they heard each other. So today, we're going to play "Mission Control" with our rhythm sticks.

I will be Mission Control first, and you will all be astronauts! So I will do a short pattern with my rhythm sticks, then you will all copy it together!

5- Begin with very short patterns, like one or two clicks, and give them a chance to copy them. If they are ready for longer patterns, give 3-5 click patterns a try. I kept our patterns at 1-3 for this time!

6- Let the kids take turns being Mission Control!

7- Gather all the rhythm sticks back up, and move on to the next part of your class!

I would love to hear if you use our little Moon / Space Mission Control Rhythm Sticks game with your kiddos!

And if you have any other fun rhythm stick activity ideas, let me know! I'd love to add more to our collection!


Happy Educating,
Carla


Have you seen HEEP? It is a preschool homeschool curriculum! Learn more here!




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