Music Time!

Today was all about music!  Did you know that music can help your children develop rhythm and coordination?  It’s not all about the noise each instrument can make. 

We passed around a variety of instruments for the kids to play with and practiced making soft and loud noises.  We even made our own game and had each kid be the leader of the band.  We played when they pointed to us, and everyone had to stop when they said so. 

For story time we read The Bremen Musicians.  This story tells about a bunch of old farm animals who leave their home to become musicians in a neighboring town.  Along their way they use their voices to scare off robbers and find a home for themselves. 

This gave us a chance to talk about the different noises we can make with our mouths.  As we read the book we each made an animal noise and asked the kids what different noises they could make. 

For our Playgroup craft each of the kids were able to make their own musical maraca to take home.  Here’s How:

 

Easter Egg Maracas

 

What you’ll need:

- Easter Egg
- 2 plastic spoons

- Beans, Rice, or Corn

- Tape

- Crayons, stickers or other decorative material

 

Directions:

 

Fill the Easter Egg with the dried beans or rice.  The maraca will make a different noise depending on what you put in or how much you put in the egg.  Tape the spoons around the egg as a handle.  Make sure to use enough tape to keep the egg from spilling out.  Then color the egg with stickers, or anything else you can think of!  It’s that easy!  The kids loved the different sounds they could make. Many of them just filled the eggs with different dried beans and would listen to the different noise each made.