Chicken Soup is a Tasty Dance Lesson!

I love chicken soup.  It just tastes good.  It is soothing, comforting and always makes me feel better when I am under the weather.  It is simple to make.  Start with water. Add a bunch of different vegetables, some chicken, a handful of parsley and a pinch or a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  My sister adds garlic and leeks.  Some people add noodles.  I prefer matzo balls.  My daughter likes the broth and the matzo balls.  I love eating the parsnips and onions.  Everyone eats what they like.  The point is a little bit of this and a little bit of that added together makes for a great soup.  And can make for a great dance lesson too!

Chicken Soup Dance
Tell your class that they are going to make chicken soup but you forgot the recipe.  Have them stand in a circle (which will be the pot.) Go around the circle and one at a time ask each student to name some food to throw into the pot.  (The sillier the better - you might wind up with a chicken, pizza, peanut butter, rhinoceros soup -yum!)  When a student throws, tosses, drops, sprinkles, etc the ingredient in have her be specific about the movement.  Then have the class stir the soup with different body parts.  At some point you might need to turn up the heat and have the soup boil or turn down the heat and have the soup simmer!  Have the class use their imaginations.  When the soup is ready make sure each child gets a bowl full.  Drink it up and let the " dance" soup takes hold!

This activity is great for class participation, body part recognition and isolation and well as creativity and expression.  Also great for adding in lots and lots of action words!! 

For added fun make "recipe" cards for the kids to take home so they can make their own dance soup with their families.

Dance Soup

Recipe:

1.  pour 3 cups of water with your elbows
2.  slice 2 bunches of carrots with arms
3. throw in 4 handfuls of noodles with your knees
4. Stir with your hips
5. Toss with your toes
6. Boil with your body
7. And simmer with your shoulders

Slurp, sip, gulp.  Get ready to dance!

Have fun cooking up some dance fun with the kids in your life!

Sincerely,
Stacey

PS.  Check out  Stone Soup by Marcia Brown

Baby It's Cold Outside

Here, in the Northeast, you can't go outside without bundling up covering up from your head to your toes.  Even with all my layers I am still shivering!  The wind is bitter, the air is cold and the ground icy.

So, in this cold weather how can we all stay warm?  By moving of course! 

I really dislike wearing a coat, hat, gloves, scarf, etc.  I can't feel my body and usually feel like a walking closet.  Here is a fun activity to keep your little ones warm while they get dressed, and will encourage body awareness when all are body parts are covered!!

And if you live where the sun is shining and the ground is not frozen solid, you can pretend with your little ones you are going on a trip to the north pole!

Bundling Up

• Make a big pile of the clothes your child will be wearing.  If you are in a dance studio or classroom you can pile up a bunch of costumes or ask the kids to bring in a bunch of extra clothes for this activity.
• Ask each child to find one article of clothes to put on.  After the child puts the clothes on, he or she has to move the body parts the clothes is covering.  For example, if the child put on socks, then he or she will have to do a "sock dance."  All other body parts should be still while the feet go to town.  When the child puts on pants then the pants dance begins; legs, knees, and hips have there turn to move, shake, bend and jump.
•  What happens when the hat goes on? How about those mittens?
• When all your layers are on and you are about to go out into the cold try a full body shake, twist and bend.  Ask the kids if it is easier to move with more or less clothes.  Body awareness is about clicking in to our body, feeling and being aware of each experience.  Notice the differences.  Are there are similarities?  Can you wiggle your nose the same before and after you bundled up?
• The same game can take place after coming in from the cold, when you take all those layers off!! 

More on right and left brain activities
Last week I wrote about my pinched nerve and thank goodness I can report I am typing with both hands this week.  The experience left me analyzing how often I use my right arm and hand.  As a teacher, I try to have the children use both sides of their bodies equally and I was quite surprised at my own body discovery. 

I also encourage movements that cross the midline. Basically, when you cross the midline, or center of your body, you engage both right and left sides of the brain.  So, you are creating not only movement intergration but brain intergration as well.   This is great for all learners of all ages and abilities.  For more information on this check out this website: http://www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2006/03_Mar/pg04.html


Bundling up the Midline
In exploring our bundling up exercise, see if you can encourage your children to exploring their mitten dance down to low level crossing their right arm to their left foot or their sock dance tapping their left foot over their right foot.  See how the dance changes and becomes more challenging!

Have fun dancing with your snow bunnies inside, outside, up and down together!

Sincerely,
Stacey