"March"es

The Kindergarteners studied the marches of John Philip Sousa in March. After discovering the strong, steady beat in all of the music, we formed our own marching band using plastic plates. Each student took turns being the band leader and lead their group around the classroom playing their "cymbals".

I have to tell you about a huge "head slap" moment I had during this lesson this year. Normally, I've given every student a plate and we all march around the room in a single line. With plastic plates, I will tell you it gets very loud and you almost can't even hear the music any more! This year, while marching around the room with my kinders wondering how the heck I could make them be quieter, I suddenly had a great idea that I can't believe I had never thought of before. I have three different colors of plates (red, white, and blue). I divided my class into three groups, and let each group take a turn marching once around the room and then back into their spots. When one group got back, the next group got up and made a full circle of the room. This allowed several students the chance to be the band leader and also cut the noise down! Duh!! How had I never thought of this before?! It worked splendidly and the kids were very quietly waiting on their spots for their next turn to play. It only took me 5 years to think of this idea! Better late than never, right?!