Shake it up! Pompoms!

Similar to, but not to be confused with scarves, are double-duty pompoms.

Pompoms' claim to fame is that they can be either a prop, or an instrument. You may use them in rhythmic ways, similarly to the way you use scarves, such as:

1) Moving up/Moving down
2) Swinging here/Swinging there
3) Showing left/Showing right
4) Punching away/pulling back

Or, you might create a first-class train, shaking the poms to these patterns:

Shake hard, Shake gently, Gently, Gently
Loud, Soft, Soft, Soft
Choo, Choo, Choo, Choo

All of this time, children are un-wittingly learning vocabulary (linguistic learning), ways to move (spatial/kinesthetic learning), patterning (logical/naturalistic learning), rhythm, dynamics, timbres - just for starters.

Then, if you decide to have your class make the pompoms themselves (more on this later!), you have a hands-on creative craft experience with rolling, cutting, taping - and a built in recycling lesson later, if you choose.

Multiple Intelligences

Anyone who is in education for any length of time comes across Howard Gardner's "Theory of Multiple Intelligences" which discusses the ways through which each of us learns. The point is to realize that it is important for teachers especially to use techniques that appeal to as many of these learning styles as possible in teaching concepts, in an attempt to reach as many students as possible.

The magic of music is that it can appeal to everyone. If a student learns through the:

1. Linguistics - Song lyrics or musical stories will be the connection.

2. Logical - Sequences and the organization of the musical sounds will be the connection. The mathematical relationships of the notes will be the draw.

3. Body Movements/Kinesthetic - Dances, fingerplays, and instrument playing will be the connection.

4. Interpersonal - Interacting, performing, and communicating with the music will be the attraction.

5. Intrapersonal - The connection between the musician and instrument/voice, and the self-assessing, reflecting, goal setting and planning that goes into performing will be the draw.

6. Visual/Spatial -The movement in space of performing or watching the performance of music or dancing, and/or the reading of written music will be the connection.

7. Natural - The discerning of patterns, categories, and classifications of musical sounds and the observation of it all will be the attraction.

Brain research is showing us that the connections between right and left brain made in the first 5 years of life are critical to a child's future thinking and recall abilities. Music is an ideal stimulus for making those connections!