Putting The Pretty In Preschool

Finding Beauty In Everyday Early Childhood Experiences

music

Ice Drum Musical Instruments

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Easy to set up ice drum musical instruments that can be played indoors or outside any time of the year.

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These ice drum musical instruments can be played outside or indoors any time of the year. The musical activities are inspired by the Siberian percussion group Etnobit, who experimented with playing ice on Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest lake.

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Supplies To Collect

  • food containers (yogurt, sour cream, margarine, etc.)
  • bowls
  • food coloring
  • drum sticks
  • large tub
  • spoons for stirring and drumming

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Making the Ice Drum Musical Instruments

Freeze water colored with food coloring in different-sized food containers and bowls.

When frozen, remove the ice shapes from their molds and place them in a tub. Sprinkle snow in the tub first if it is available. Add drumsticks and objects for striking the ice.

Ice drum musical instruments that can be played indoors or outside any time of the year.

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Playing The Ice Drums

Invite your early learners to experiment with drumming sounds on the ice chunks.

They can tap:

  • fast sounds
  • slow sounds
  • loud sounds
  • soft sounds
  • one slow note/ two fast notes rhythm
  • one loud note/two soft notes rhythm

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The little learners can also tap their own melodies on the ice drums.

Ice drum musical instruments that can be played indoors or outside any time of the year.

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Watch this video to see the percussion group Etnobit playing music on ice slabs.

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Frozen Water Glass Xylophone

Another frozen water musical activity is to fill clear drinking glasses with varying amounts of colored water. Freeze them overnight and then set them on a table in a row. Have your little charges tap the water glasses with drumsticks to make higher and lower notes and experiment with melody making.

An easy to prepare frozen water xylophone for music exploration.

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Related:

Winter Playdough Recipe

Snowman Sensory Play

Spray Paint Snowflake Silhouette

Blue Candy Cane Science Experiment

Winter-themed Treasure Blocks

Kid’s Winter Wonderland Tablescape

Polar Bear Small World

Winter Sensory Trays

Painting Ice and Snow

Winter Wreath Paper Plate Craft

Frozen-Inspired Shadow Box

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Valentine’s Day Musical Instruments

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Valentine's Day containers with loose parts added make drum and shaker musical instruments perfect for sound exploration.

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Save those little containers that valentine treats and crafts come in! Empty chocolate boxes, plastic jars, heart-shaped bowls, and small containers make excellent sensory and art supplies. And when used with drumsticks and filled with loose parts, they can also be Valentine’s Day musical instruments.

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Valentine’s Day Loose Parts To Collect

Here’s a supply of loose parts that early learners could choose from for music-making:

Loose parts to add to Valentine's Day containers to make shaker and drum musical instruments.

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  • mini rubber balls
  • coins
  • erasers
  • heart necklaces
  • heart-shaped cookie cutters
  • red heart gems
  • pompoms
  • buttons
  • X and O game pieces

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This compartment tray holds the above items and the ones below:

Loose parts to add to Valentine's Day containers to make shaker and drum musical instruments, and a variety of drumsticks.

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  • pony beads
  • red and white round gems
  • large red beads
  • striped straws
  • wooden hearts

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Making Valentine’s Day Musical Instruments

Collect Valentine’s Day-themed containers and set them out on a table with a tray of loose parts. Encourage little learners to fill containers with one kind of loose part and add lids. Have them use the filled containers as shakers.

A collection of Valentine's Day-themed containers with loose parts and drumsticks for music-making.

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A heart-shaped bowl and small tin make excellent drums. Just add drumsticks!

An overturned plastic heart-shaped bowl and small tin make excellent drums.

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When covered with a lid and tipped from side to side, this pony bead-filled tin becomes an ocean drum.

A heart-shaped tin with pony beads added makes an ocean drum.

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Why not go big? This large chocolate box heart works wonderfully as an ocean drum too. A few beaded necklaces add the sound.

A heart-shaped empty chocolate box with necklaces or loose parts added makes an ocean drum.

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Your early learners will love making sounds and tapping beats with these recycled containers. To extend the investigative play, add the containers to a large tub filled with rice. Invite your little learners to add rice to them to create more Valentine’s Day musical instruments.

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Related: Rubber Band Paint Box Musical Instrument

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Loose parts to add to Valentine's Day containers to make shaker and drum musical instruments.

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A collection of Valentine's Day-themed containers with loose parts and drumsticks for music-making.

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[Read more…] about Valentine’s Day Musical Instruments

Hawaiian Party

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Hawaiian party ideas for an all-ages get together. Food, crafts, songs, and music for an easy to manage get together.

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Here’s a Hawaiian Party that works for all ages. We did it with a group of seniors, preschool children, and their parents. It was dreamed up because this school year our preschool classes were invited to visit a senior’s home to socialize with the residents. February was a great month to show some kindness, so we planned our visit then.

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Hawaiian Holiday Theme

Hawaiian Holiday was the theme of choice. Our city was in the middle of a cold-weather spell, so the thinking was “If we can’t be in Hawaii, (where we would ALL rather be), then let’s bring Hawaii to us.”

Our preschool brought food and activities for the visit.

As seniors, preschool children, and preschool parents entered the social room at the home, music from the CD “Golden Hits Of Hawaii” wafted through the air. (This is a favorite CD of Hawaiian music, and we’ve played it at school on some of our coldest days. The music lifts our spirits every time.)

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As everyone chose a spot to sit, they were invited to make a paper lei.

Paper Hawaiian lei party craft suitable for all ages.

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Next, our school group performed some action songs for seniors and parents. Songs from Dr. Jean Sing Along Read Along books and CDs were our choice. (Dr. Jean has many singing and learning activities available on her website and her YouTube Channel.)

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Hawaiian Party Food

Then refreshments were served. Hawaiian-themed paper plates were passed out.

Little muffins with parasols for decoration were offered.

Muffins decorated with parasols for a Hawaiian party snack.

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Each table got a palm tree scene fruit plate.

Palm tree scene made with fruit and coconut rolls for a Hawaiian party snack.

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Crispy coconut rolls were a last-minute find for the palm tree trunks.

A selection of cookies rounded out the snack options.

A cookie tray with rainbow, oatmeal, and chocolate chip cookies.

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Extra fruit was available to make sure everyone would have some.

Fruit tray with strawberries, blueberries, grapes and honeydew.

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Closing Activity

Our last activity was choosing a Hawaiian-themed picture to color. Scented markers were used for this. The seniors were proud to show us their finished work.

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As we were preparing to leave, many seniors showed appreciation for our visit. They said we brightened their morning, which is what we had hoped for! Preschool parents who helped supervise our activities were complimentary. A good time was had by all.

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