Category: Music and Movement

Shake, Shimmy, & Dance: 6/22

During the summer, we’ve switched to a weekly format again! I’m packing in between 60-120 people in a room and we are DANCING ourselves silly!

shakeshimmyanddance

The Plan

igottherhythm
Book
I Got the Rhythm by Connie Schofield-Morrison
When this book flopped last year (due to no fault of its own!), I knew I’d give a repeat performance this year. And I was so, so happy that I did! Everyone was up and dancing and moving and it was great. A perfect Shake, Shimmy book.

Props
Parachute!

The Playlist

Hello & How Are You? — Old Town School of Folk Music
It Takes Some Friends — Jim Gill
The Airplane Song — Laurie Berkner
Heartbeat — Laura Doherty
Take the Sun — Caspar Babypants
Hot Poppin’ Popcorn — The Wiggles
Dizzy — Lunch Money
Shake Hands With Friends — Ella Jenkins

How It Went

I went fifty-fifty on this playlist. Some new, some old. Overall, every song did really well and I was very happy with this playlist. I loved the pace of “Heartbeat” and I was able to sneak in some early literacy tips to parents about how this was preschool science. “Dizzy” didn’t work quite as well as I wanted it to because the kids had a hard time walking and holding to the parachute. It was a much younger Shake, Shimmy crowd than I normally get in the summer. But my awesome parents and caregivers definitely stepped up their game with the parachute and made it work!

(For an example of the Powerpoint and handouts that I made for each Shake, Shimmy please visit the original post.)

September 9, 2015 3 Comments Short URLMusic and Movement

Shake, Shimmy, & Dance: 6/15

During the summer, we’ve switched to a weekly format again! I’m packing in between 60-120 people in a room and we are DANCING ourselves silly!

shakeshimmyanddance

The Plan

fromheadtotoe
Book
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
When re-launching a program, I always reach for a tried and true favorite. I can think of no better book than Eric Carle’s “From Head to Toe”. It’s got great movement and strong illustrations. Better yet — it’s a large book so it’s great to hold up for a big crowd!

Props
Activity Scarves!

The Playlist

Hello & How Are You? — Old Town School of Folk Music
Sunny Day — Elizabeth Mitchell
Take Your Two Eyes — Dreamtree Shakers
Head Shoulders — Mr. Jon & Friends
Blast Off! — Joanie Leeds & the Nightlights
De Colores — Old Town School of Folk Music
Butterfly — Bari Koral Family Rock Band
Twist! Stop! Hop! — Ronno
Shake Hands With Friends — Ella Jenkins

How It Went

For a first launch, we had a great turn-out and the room was packed! I decided that for the summer we should do three prop songs at the end. Once we put the props away, the kids are cued to find a friend to shake with and then it’s time to go. It worked great today! The kids really enjoyed pinching the scarves in the middle to make a butterfly and I really enjoyed getting to tell parents about how that’s a great way to get kids ready to write.

(For an example of the Powerpoint and handouts that I made for each Shake, Shimmy please visit the original post.)

August 26, 2015 0 Comments Short URLMusic and Movement

Shake, Shimmy, & Dance: 5/18

Since our summer session of “Shake, Shimmy, & Dance” was so successful, I started doing a monthly event in 2015.

shakeshimmyanddance

The Plan

ifyourehappyandyouknowit
Book
If You’re Happy and You Know It by Jane Cabrera
This is a great book to get everyone up and moving. It poses the question of “If You’re Happy and You Know It” and answers by having the kids do a variety of movements and motions. The best, most wonderful part about (most of) Cabrera’s books is that you can end the book whenever your crowd gets done. Just don’t do it with “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”, haha.

Props
Shaker Eggs!

The Playlist

Hello & How Are You? — Old Town School of Folk Music
Can’t Wait to Celebrate — Jim Gill
Freeze Dance — Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights
Music (Keeps Me Movin’) — Fresh Beat Band
Singing With My Ukulele — Mr. Jon & Friends
Shake With You — The Learning Groove
I Know a Chicken — Laurie Berkner Band
Give a Hug — Bari Koral Family Band
Shake Hands With Friends — Ella Jenkins

How It Went

Do you want to have a song stuck in your head until the end of your days? Listen to Mr. Jon & Friends’ “Singing With My Ukulele” — it is the CATCHIEST song ever! Another group that’s new to me; we were delighted with some new music! Kids really loved waiting with Jim Gill and had a great time with the Freeze Dance. I always get a few kids who are determined to freeze in funny faces and that makes me so happy.

(For an example of the Powerpoint and handouts that I made for each Shake, Shimmy please visit the original post.)

August 12, 2015 0 Comments Short URLMusic and Movement

Shake, Shimmy, & Dance: 4/20

Since our summer session of “Shake, Shimmy, & Dance” was so successful, I started doing a monthly event in 2015.

shakeshimmyanddance

The Plan

canyoumakeascaryface
Book
Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas
I had to pull this book in a pinch. I had another book on hold that didn’t come in on time and the morning of, I went to my personal storytime shelf and pulled this one out. It’s definitely a book I’ve read before in Shake, Shimmy but the kids just love it anyways. It’s fun, interactive, and hilarious! Parents were laughing right along with us.

Props
Activity Scarves!

The Playlist

Hello & How Are You? — Old Town School of Folk Music
Everybody’s Jumping — Aaron Nigel Smith
Shoes — Bari Koral Family Rock Band
Stick to the Glue — Jim Gill
Row Row Row Your Boat — Caspar Babypants
Shake Your Scarves — Johnette Downing
All My Colors — Ralph Covert
We Make Some Noise Together — Emmy Brockman
Shake Hands With Friends — Ella Jenkins

How It Went

“Everybody’s Jumping” is a very recent SSD find and I absolutely adore it. The kids went NUTS for it! I love finding new color songs to use with the scarves since we have nine colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, neon pink, neon orange, and neon yellow) that really do pop when the kids are waving it around. I tried to do a cool-down song after the props and the kids were not having it — lots of them were ready to go after turning their scarf in.

(For an example of the Powerpoint and handouts that I made for each Shake, Shimmy please visit the original post.)

August 5, 2015 0 Comments Short URLMusic and Movement

Shake, Shimmy, & Dance: 2/9

Since our summer session of “Shake, Shimmy, & Dance” was so successful, I started doing a monthly event in 2015.

shakeshimmyanddance

The Plan

fromheadtotoe
Book
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
I went back to the very first book for this storytime. I love Eric Carle’s From Head to Toe because of its interactivity, its simple text and language, and the excellent pictures. And I felt like I was almost doing a reboot for the whole group.

Props
Shaker Eggs!
&
Activity Scarves!

The Playlist

Hello & How Are You? — Old Town School of Folk Music
Sunny Day — Elizabeth Mitchell
The Tempo Marches On — Jim Gill
Dance, Freeze, Melt — Eric Litwin and Michael Levine
Wiggle Your Lah-De-Da — Ralph Covert
Under the Sea — Georgiana Stewart
Bounce Your Baby — Caspar Babypants
Fruit Salad Salsa — Laurie Berkner
Boom Boom — Bari Koral Family Rock Band
Shake Hands With Friends — Ella Jenkins

How It Went

They loved “Sunny Day” as a stretching activity to start off our crazy dancing. This was my first time using two props and it went so well; I was so, so happy! Their favorite song for the day was definitely Jim Gill’s “The Tempo Marches On”, although “Boom Boom” was a great ending song, too.

(For an example of the Powerpoint and handouts that I made for each Shake, Shimmy please visit the original post.)

July 29, 2015 0 Comments Short URLMusic and Movement

Shake, Shimmy, & Dance: 1/19

Since our summer session of “Shake, Shimmy, & Dance” was so successful, I started doing a monthly event in 2015.

shakeshimmyanddance

The Plan

canyoumakeascaryfaceBook
Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas
Have you ever seen a more wonderful thing that a group of children jumping around pretending to get a bug out of their shirts? The answer is probably no, in case you were confused. This was a great title to read after re-launching a monthly Shake, Shimmy after the success of the summer programs. (This is the hard part of youth librarianship — fall programs are due so early — July for us! — that you can’t tell if a program is successful enough to warrant a repeat in the fall.)

Props
Shaker Eggs!

The Playlist

Hello & How Are You? — Old Town School of Folk Music
Jump, Jump — Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights
The Goldfish — Laurie Berkner Band
Hands Are for Clapping — Jim Gill
Get the Sillies Out — Yo Gabba Gabba
Dance Around — Ralph Covert (Ralph’s World)
Milkshake — Old Town School of Folk Music
The Airplane Song — Laurie Berkner
Take the Sun — Caspar Babypants
Shake Hands With Friends — Ella Jenkins

How It Went

For the re-launch, I used some of the best songs from the summer. What I didn’t factor in was that I wouldn’t have as many preschool/kindergarten kids during the school year than I did during the summertime. This was a longer playlist than my group really could handle. I wound up skipping “Get the Sillies Out” and brought out shakers for “Dance Around”.

(For an example of the Powerpoint and handouts that I made for each Shake, Shimmy please visit the original post.)

July 22, 2015 0 Comments Short URLMusic and Movement

Shake, Shimmy, & Dance: 7/31

For the first time in our library’s history, we ran our own summer reading program — Make Some Noise! What better opportunity to do a bi-weekly music and movement dance party? This program was advertised for ages 0-7 and their families.

shakeshimmyanddance

The Plan

howdoyouwokkawokka
Book
How Do You Wokka-Wokka? by Elizabeth Bluemle
This book is a celebration where a little boy gets his whole neighborhood to dance with him. To me, it felt like a giant celebration of the success of “Shake Shimmy” this whole summer. The kids really enjoyed their last chance to dance around with me and this book just embodied that joy.

Props
Parachute! (WARNING: Measure your room before you buy a chute!! This one just fits in our large meeting space, but I almost bought the next size up based on the handles…)

The Playlist

Hello & How Are You? — Old Town School of Folk Music
Fee Fi Fo Fum — Ralph Covert
List of Dances — Jim Gill
Dance, Freeze, Melt — Eric Litwin and Michael Levine
Sunny Day — Elizabeth Mitchell
Hot Poppin’ Popcorn — The Wiggles
Parachute Bop — Michael Plunkett
Ring Around the Rosie — Caspar Babypants
Shake Hands With Friends — Ella Jenkins

How It Went

And with my very last session, I dropped the ball. I have absolutely no notes! I chose to end with the parachute since it was my absolute FAVORITE prop from the whole summer. And I think every song here is one that I’ve used before. Towards the end of the program, I really wanted to use material that I knew worked and so that’s what I wound up doing! I’m taking a break from Shake Shimmy for this fall, but have it back on the schedule in winter and spring sessions. Those posts should be right around the corner!

(For an example of the Powerpoint and handouts that I made for each Shake, Shimmy please visit the original post.)

July 15, 2015 0 Comments Short URLMusic and Movement

Shake, Shimmy, & Dance: 7/29

For the first time in our library’s history, we ran our own summer reading program — Make Some Noise! What better opportunity to do a bi-weekly music and movement dance party? This program was advertised for ages 0-7 and their families.

shakeshimmyanddance

The Plan

dragondancing
Book
Dragon Dancing by Carole Lexa Schaefer
I actually had some of the kids decide follow me around like a dragon during this book. It was very cute and while they were missing some incredible pictures, they were still having a great time and I’m all for more fun. And this book was another time to include some diversity in Shake, Shimmy.

Props
Shaker Eggs!

The Playlist

Hello & How Are You? — Old Town School of Folk Music
If You’re Happy and You Know It – Eric Litwin and Michael Levine
The Goldfish — Laurie Berkner Band
Silly Dance Contest — Jim Gill
The Shimmie Shake — The Wiggles
Hip Hop Body Rock — Eric Litwin and Michael Levine
Shakin’ Everywhere — Jim Gill
Shake Hands With Friends — Ella Jenkins

How It Went

One of my older kids brought a giant stuffed bunny rabbit to dance with today and it was absolutely precious. The very last “Silly Dance Contest” for the summer was the best and I’m glad that it went out on such a high note. I have two more victories in this last week: one of my little girls finally got up and danced and one of my little boys shook my hand at the end! I’m really excited since both parents reassured me that their children would constantly sing songs from the program at home and that they looked forward to coming, but I had never *seen* it before. And I got to today!

(For an example of the Powerpoint and handouts that I made for each Shake, Shimmy please visit the original post.)

July 8, 2015 0 Comments Short URLMusic and Movement

Shake, Shimmy, & Dance: 7/24

For the first time in our library’s history, we ran our own summer reading program — Make Some Noise! What better opportunity to do a bi-weekly music and movement dance party? This program was advertised for ages 0-7 and their families.

shakeshimmyanddance

The Plan

colordance
Book
Color Dance by Ann Jonas
For this book, I had a set of scarves tucked in a box on the table. I pulled out each color as I read its page and walked around the kids with the scarf trailing behind me. It was a very exciting experience for them because they loved the surprise of what color was coming out of the box. Lots of the kids cheered for their favorite color.

Props
Activity Scarves!

The Playlist

Hello & How Are You? — Old Town School of Folk Music
You Make Me Feel Like Dancing — The Wiggles
Hands Are for Clapping — Jim Gill
Loud & Quiet — Caspar Babypants
Flitter Flutter — Johnette Downing
Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes — Eric Litwin and Michael Levine
Wave Your Ribbons In the Air — The Wiggles
Shake Hands With Friends — Ella Jenkins

How It Went

“You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” was a great kick-off song! I thought that it was an original song until a parent let me know it was a cover of a Bee Gees song. (Whoops!) I thought that the kids struggled dancing to “Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes” today and I’m not sure exactly why. I didn’t think the tempo was too fast when I previewed the track, but it was too fast in actuality.

(For an example of the Powerpoint and handouts that I made for each Shake, Shimmy please visit the original post.)

July 1, 2015 0 Comments Short URLMusic and Movement

Shake, Shimmy, & Dance: 7/22

For the first time in our library’s history, we ran our own summer reading program — Make Some Noise! What better opportunity to do a bi-weekly music and movement dance party? This program was advertised for ages 0-7 and their families.

shakeshimmyanddance

The Plan

brontorina
Book
Brontorina by James Howe
I love the story of Brontorina. The kids and I did our very best ballet dancer impersonations today and pliéd and relevéd to the best of my teaching ability. (I took two years of ballet when I was a child. I remember first, third, and fifth position. That’s it.) But despite our nowhere near perfect ballet steps, they had a great time dancing and hearing Brontorina’s story.

Props
Parachute! (WARNING: Measure your room before you buy a chute!! This one just fits in our large meeting space, but I almost bought the next size up based on the handles…)

The Playlist

Hello & How Are You? — Old Town School of Folk Music
Walkin’ Shoes — Carole Peterson
The Airplane Song — Laurie Berkner Band
Rolling Ball — Eric Litwin and Michael Levine
Fast & Slow — Laurie Berkner Band
Take the Sun — Caspar Babypants
Very, Very Tall — Old Town School of Folk Music
Shake Hands With Friends — Ella Jenkins

How It Went

The families are officially pros at the parachute. When I ask the kids to touch the wall, they run to it and stay there until I’ve shaken out the chute. I got more than a little teary-eyed during “The Airplane Song” this week — partially because of Angie (who once mentioned that the thought of the kids sitting down in their hometown made her tear up), partially because the kids are so darn cute I can’t even, and partially because I think the new library finally feels like home to me.

(For an example of the Powerpoint and handouts that I made for each Shake, Shimmy please visit the original post.)

June 24, 2015 0 Comments Short URLMusic and Movement

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