Music in the woods

August 20, 2012

Music in the woods

We love trying new things, to see if we can utilize ordinary items, and turn them into a fun, educational, and social game......usually in the woods. One activity we have found, that the kids love, is to bring musical instruments with us on our hikes. The kids get to pick out their favorite, from rhythm sticks to drums to whistles to triangles to spoons and egg shakers. Unfortunately we have found that all string instruments tend to get broken, so we don't use those anymore :) The way we make this social, is by encouraging the kids to explore different sounds as they use the instruments in the traditional way, and then we use them on trees, under piles of leaves, in the dirt, etc. Sometimes we will have a dance party, where each child gets the chance to stand in front of the group, where they get to dance freely while their friends are playing music for them. They get to take turns and express their individuality as they are dancing. Then we play hide and seek, blind, where they have to use their ears to find their friends, instead of their eyes. The kids that are "hiding" sound their instrument to give the seeker a hint of where to "look". There are hundreds of ways we can use everyday materials, in a not so traditional way. We always tell our staff that we are limited, only by our imaginations!