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Back to School {First Day Activities}


I started back to school this past week with my kids on Tuesday. I had such a great first week and I am so excited to be back making music with them.

We spent our first few days going over music room rules and procedures (click here to see rules post), emergency drills, and jumped right into making music.

Can I just say that I LOVE pinterest! I found so many great ideas for back to school games through Pinterest as well as from Susan during Level 3.

I thought I would share some of the really fun ones that the students enjoyed our first few days back:

"Up The Ladder" is a great game for learning the names of your new students.



"Down, Down Baby" is from the Amidons. SO FUN! Apparently this is a favorite, because it's being sung on the bus!


Hickety Pickety Bumblebee is a fun one to use with K/1. In first grade you could review four voices with "can you sing (whisper, call, speak) your name to me". With kindergarten, it might be a bit intimidating to ask them to sing their name to you on day 1 of music, but let's be honest we are still learning all their names several weeks into the school year. Pull this out with them a little bit later (maybe after you have presented the four voices) and do this then.
Hickety Pickety Bumblebee


Mamalama: I learned this in Level 3, and we take it a bit faster than in this video, but it is SO FUN! I even had a student get the last part after just a few listenings. CRAZY!




What are some of your favorite first day songs and activities?

Still looking for ways to set up and decorate your room? 
This music room decor catalog will give you lots of idea, plus a back to school tip on each page!




5 comments:

  1. I have a Down, Down Baby song that I use in my classrooms! Down, Down Baby by Funky Mama--https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foXM3ZJDgp4 It has all sorts of variations. I love your site! Thanks so much for sharing.

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  2. I can't see what the kids' movements are on the words "one by one" . . . could you tell me please?

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    1. It looks to me like they are holding up their index fingers to the beat left-right-left-right.

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  3. What music do you use for the scarf dance that has a change of tempo?

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  4. In your notation of "Hickety Pickety Bumblebee" is the key supposed to be Eb major so there is a s-m-s-m pattern at the end? Thanks!

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