Eggcellent Rhythms

The 5th graders have been learning about 6/8 time and I found a great Easter activity in my Kids Can Compose book. Using an egg carton and a bunch of eggs labeled with different rhythms, we had a giant egg hunt. Each group had to find 6 eggs, then using their 6 eggs, they had to compose as many measures as possible in 6/8 time. Then I passed out the worksheet from the book and they had to compose 2 different measures using only the rhythms on their eggs. Once they finished that, they joined another group to create a 4-measure pattern that they practiced and presented to the class.


I really liked this lesson because the egg cartons have 6 slots in each row which makes them perfect for doing 6/8 time. One slot=one beat which was a great visual for the kids. I've done this lesson with younger kids in 4/4 time and they are always confused by the extra two spaces. It is also really good for critical thinking and problem solving because they have to come up with several ways to use the same 6 eggs in different ways.

Looking for eggs!

Two groups combined performing their 4-measure composition.

An example of a finished sheet.

Easter Egg Hunt

I'm a bit behind on my posts, but I wanted to share a great activity I did with several of my classes for Easter. I got a great deal on plastic Easter eggs at the Crazy Days sale in town this summer and I've been waiting all year to use them. I created a composition Easter egg hunt for several of my classes that they loved.

1st, I sorted the eggs out by color to create 5 different teams. Then, I put a piece of paper inside each egg with a note, time signature, or treble clef written on it. The students had to find all of their eggs and the pieces would add up to create a two-measure composition. Once they found all of their eggs, they went to the note station where they collected the pieces they had found in their eggs. I have a bunch of felt notes that fit great on a large piece a staff paper. (Had they been smaller, I would have put them right inside the eggs.) The teams took their notes back to their spots and composed their 2 measures. Each group was given a different time signature, so they had to make sure to have the correct number of beats in each measure.

This activity worked great, except to this day, there are still 2 eggs missing that we never could find! I'm hoping a good end-of-the-year cleaning will help me find them!



Opening up their eggs

Done!!

Eggcellent Rhythms!

Several of the classes decorated eggs with "eggcellent rhythms" the week of Easter. The lower grades had to compose 3 measures of music using the various note values we have learned over the year. The upper grades had to compose a measure each of 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 time using a combination of note values learned over the year.

Filling in their rhythms.

A very proud Kindergartner showing off his egg.

HOPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!