Category Archives: Ecology/Nature

Remote Learning…Watch Moana, Then Try Musical Crafts And Activities!

Screen shot 2017-03-02 at 4.00.45 PMIf you’re staying at home, it may be a great time to combine some of your favorite movies with fun and creative learning activities. We’ll be posting about several movies, but this time… we invite you to watch Moana and then learn more about South Pacific culture through these crafts, coloring pages and activities.

 

“Beach In A Bottle” Rattle

This is such an easy and fun craft! Start with a clear recycled water bottle and create your own “beach” that will change as you play it, swooshing from side to side or up and down. Don’t have sand? Substitute salt or white sugar. Add whatever you have on hand: small shells, pebbles, beads, bits from broken necklaces… hidden treasure?

“Clean Up The Beach” Straw Rattle

Start with a clean, clear recycled container and add any plastic straws you may have accumulated, cut into tiny “beads” or bits. Not only are you keeping plastic out of landfills and the ocean, this rattle is very subtle and quiet, perfect for playing along with any of the Moana songs or your favorite soundtrack!

Pu’ili Rhythm Sticks 

pu'ilil guyAlmost every culture in the South Pacific has a version of the hula dance tradition.  One of the coolest percussion instruments seen in the hula are pu’ili rhythm sticks made out of bamboo.  The tops of the sticks are cut so that they rattle in a unique way when tapped together.

Since most folks don’t have a bamboo grove growing next to their home, below is a link  to a craft version that uses either toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls. Both are colorful, fun and make great rhythms!

Here’s a video where you can see pu’ili in action!

River Rocks As Instruments

Another instrument that can be heard in the hula are ‘ili ‘ili. These are smooth river rocks tapped together as percussion.  Since rocks can be found anywhere, this makes a great way to explore the idea of making music from found and natural objects!  Here’s a video, but check out the complete post below for more tips about turning stones unto tunes!

Color A Ukulele

The sound of the ukulele rings out across the waters throughout this region. Color your own version and imagine the sea and the surf tickling your toes!

What Was That Big Drum Seen on Moana?

Pacific Island Slit DrumRead the post below to find out and see some beautiful examples of these log or split drums, just like the ones seen in the secret cave of the movie!

RESOURCES

Beach In A Bottle Rattle http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/babies-and-music/beach-in-a-bottle-rattle/

Recycled Straw Rattle (Plus Other Plastic Straw Crafts)
http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/ecologynature/28-kids-crafts-to-reuse-plastic-straws/

ukulele color imagePu’ili Crafts https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hawaii-Rhythm-Stick-Puili-Music-Crafts-4674686

River Rocks As Rhythm Instruments - http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/uncategorized/playing-river-rocks-as-an-instrument-hawaiian-iliile/

Ukulele Coloring Page Freebie - https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ukulele-Coloring-Page-3017260

What Are Those Huge Drums Seen In Moana? http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/simple-instruments/what-was-that-drum-seen-in-moana/

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We Are Grateful – A Beautiful Book in English and Cherokee

Grateful book Cover

 

This post is part of the Multicultural Kids Bloggers blog hop for Native American Heritage Month. At the end of this post are links to more great posts to check out and enjoy.

This is one of my favorite books both for Native American Heritage Month and thanksgiving. Written by Cherokee author, Traci Sorrel it takes the reader through a year of gratitude for the large and small experiences of life for present day Cherokee people.

Want to win this book? Just enter the giveaway below or read on for more reasons why this book should be part of your classroom or home book basket!

Grateful Book Cherokee PeopleIt’s A Native Book By A Native Author

Growing up In the 1960s and 70s, I recall almost no books about traditional, Native American or indigenous peoples. When they finally started to appear, they were often about native people by non-native authors.  Eventually, the children’s book industry is becoming more aware of the importance of letting colonized, conquered or diverse people tell their own stories. In the meantime, many smaller book companies have come along with the intention of showcasing Native authors and allowing diverse voices to speak and write for themselves. The results are beautiful and authentic books like this one.

This Books Showcases Traditional Life

Grateful book 2 pagesDay to day life on a reservation, pueblo or in a tribal area is a bit different than modern life. It tends to be more centered on family, community, farming, nature and traditions. I love how his book shares the rich cultural values that orchestrate daily life in a more traditional community. And it does so bilingually!

It’s Bilingual

This book is in English with Cherokee phrases throughout. As the reader travels through the seasons they learn words for things like grandmother, strawberries, summer, and winter. The notes at the end of the book explain more about the form of the Cherokee language and some of the new words or ideas presented in the book.

Grateful book WinterThe Illustrations Are Gorgeous

This is one of those books that even a pre-reading child will enjoy as they feast their eyes on the illustrations. Kids plant seedlings, grown-ups fish for crawdads, a woodpecker is busy on the nearest tree and bears quietly hibernate under the ground while children throw snowballs above. The colorful, beautiful and interesting pictures are bright and engaging bringing each page of the story to life!

It’s Great For Thanksgiving

This book is about giving thanks. After you’re done, you can answer the question “What are the people in this book grateful for?”.  And you can ask another question:  “What are we grateful for”?  No matter where you live or what your ancestry is, it’s always a good time to be grateful and give thanks.

 

Native American Heritage Month | Multicultural Kid Blogs

Welcome to our sixth annual celebration of Native American Heritage Month! Today our bloggers are sharing posts about teaching children about these rich cultures. See the list of participating blogs below, and don’t forget to link up your own posts as well! Don’t miss our series from last year, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014, plus you can find even more ideas on our Native/Indigenous Cultures Pinterest board:

Follow Multicultural Kid Blogs’s board Native/Indigenous Cultures on Pinterest.

Participating Blogs

Faith Seeker Kids on Multicultural Kid Blogs: Honoring Native American Heritage Month with Kids
Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes: 5 Tasty Indigenous Recipes
Crafty Moms Share: A Look at Native Hawaiians

Toenails of Goats – An Amazing Musical Instrument!

Chapchas

All around the world, people make music. But because they all have different materials in their environment, they create musical instruments that are unique to each continent and culture.

One of my favorite unusual instruments to share are chapchas. Most often seen in the Andean countries of South America, this percussion instrument is made from the toe nails of goats, boiled and then strung onto a cloth circle or bracelet and rattled together to create the sound.  What does it sound like? Most people think it sounds like a beautiful rainstick or a gentle rattle.

You can hear them right here:

You can also hear how chapchas sound being played with other instruments in this video of a song sung in Quechua, the language used in rural Peru that dates back to the Incan empire. Just listen for the instrument that is not a flute or a drum, but sounds like a rainstick or a rattle.

Why Use The Toenails Of Goats?

Why use the toenails of goats as a musical instrument? The answer is simple. Many communities in the rural Andes are located at an altitude above the tree line so it is difficult to find things like wood, seeds or branches to create many common instruments. And most of these communities are herders, so the clipped toenails would be readily available every spring for fashioning an instrument like the chapchas.

Chapchas Coloring PageColor Your Own Chapchas

Want to take a closer look at chapchas? You can color your own goat toe-nail rattle in this TPT freebie here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Color-The-Chapchas-An-Instrument-from-The-Andes-650050

Enjoy More Posts About Hispanic Heritage Month from Multicultural Kid Bloggers!

Hispanic Heritage Month Series 2019 | Multicultural Kid BlogsWe are so excited for our eighth annual Hispanic Heritage Month series! Now through October 15, you’ll find great resources to share Hispanic Heritage with kids, plus you can link up your own posts on Hispanic Heritage!

Find even more ideas on our Latin America Pinterest board:

 

September 16

Pura Vida Moms on Multicultural Kid Blogs: Celebrating Latino Culture

September 17

Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes: Julia de Burgos, Puerto Rico’s Most Famous Latina Poet

September 18

Hispanic Mama: Raising Kids to Be Proud of Their Latino Heritage

September 19

Spanish Playground: Spanish Tongue Twisters for Kids

September 20

MommyMaestra: Tito Puente Lesson Plans, Coloring Pages, Crafts, Activities and More

September 23

Kids Spanish Book Club: Five Bilingual Picture Books

September 24

Embracing Diversity: 21 Inspirational Quotes by American Latinos To Uplift & Empower

September 25

el Mundo de Pepita

September 26

Little Nómadas: Quesillo Venezolano

September 27

De Su Mama

September 30

Baby Devotions

October 1

For the Love of Spanish

October 2

Tiny Tapping Toes

October 3

LadydeeLG

October 4

Bicultural Familia

October 7

Spanish Mama

October 8

The Multilingual Home

October 9

Bookworms and Owls

October 10

Jeddah Mom

October 11

Pretty Mama Breastfeeding

October 14

Multicultural Kid Blogs

October 15

Maritere Bellas

Don’t miss all of the great posts from previous years as well: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.

Where To Buy World Music Instruments – For Your Kids or Classroom!

sunita playing quijadaI’ve traveled the world to perform and I love to share really amazing world music instruments with my audiences when I play live.   The three most frequent questions I get are: “What is that?” “Where does it come from” and “Where can I find it for my child or my classroom?”.

These questions are not surprising. People around the world make music in some really beautiful and unique ways. It’s a great way to celebrate diversity or teach about world cultures.  And folk instruments are fascinating.  They generally come from natural or recycled materials,  like turning bamboo into Hawaiian rhythm sticks called pu’ili or using seed pods from the “ice cream tree” to make pacay rattles.  Bushel gourds turn into water drums and smaller gourds learn to dance as shekeres.  This is not just a fun sensory experience for a child but also a way to share creativity and encourage music-making as awesome tingsha, limberjack, kalimbaplay!

But if you haven’t just gotten off a plane from some remote location, how do you find these great instruments for your kids? Here are my best tips with an emphasis on places you can buy things that are fair trade.

SAFETY FIRST

Before we begin, I encourage any parent or teacher to think of safety first. Any

Rattles made from gourds, seeds, feathers and a donkey's jawbone

Rattles made from gourds, seeds, feathers and a donkey’s jawbone

toy or instrument may have small parts – such as beads that might break off – so keep that in mind. I also encourage parents and teachers to play with their child musically, then keep the instruments in a special place. This usually keeps things from breaking and keeps smaller children safe from choking hazards.

WHAT ABOUT FAIR TRADE?

When you go to work, don’t you want to be paid a fair or a great wage? Would you like to work all day then receive .24 for your labor? Heck, no!

I am a huge fan of fair trade.  Having lived in many third world countries I’ve seen awful working and living conditions and am thrilled to see many companies now that only offer fair trade products. I heartily encourage you to make that choice, whenever possible.

TEN THOUSAND VILLAGES

zamponas front and backTen Thousand Villages began as a fair trade endeavor, started by a Mennonite woman in the 1950’s. It’s now blossomed to a company with many retail stores across the USA and a brisk online business. Although Ten Thousand Villages does not exclusively sell musical instruments, they work with artisans in over 35 countries and have a beautiful selection of instruments from Asia, the Caribbean and Africa. My favorite items from their store are their panpipes (pictured here), kalimbas, African percussion, handbells, small gongs and beautiful singing bowls.

You can find their online store and list of locations, here: https://www.tenthousandvillages.com/

JAMTOWN

Exclusively a music retailer and wholesaler, Jam Town is based in Seattle and mini shekere for storeoffers a wide variety of hand drums, box drums (cajón) as well as diverse hand percussion. What they offer varies so stop by their online site and see what is available or locate a store that offers their products near by.
Although their customer service really could use improvement, I wholeheartedly recommend the quality and sourcing of their instruments. Buying from Jam Town means offering meaningful support to an artisan in a third world country where few opportunities exist. Plus, their website has a great clearance page, too.

https://jamtownlive.com/

The Didj Shop

Although not certified fair trade, this online store and website promotes all didg by treeIndigenous Aboriginal artists and their creations. The website is filled with great info from various Aboriginal cultures. The website is set up so it allows a person who wishes to buy a didgeridoo, the chance to hear it as an mp3 and often see an image and profile of the artisan who created it.
https://www.didjshop.com

The Didgeridoo Store

Although not certified fair trade, this store has some great low-priced didgeridoos and sells packages where a beginner can get a didg plus an instruction video.  They also sell Australian clapsticks that are beautifully decorated and other percussion items such as Indian ankle bells.  You can see those here: https://www.didgeridoo.store/percussion

ChapchasBOLIVIA MALL

This is a store that’s not certified fair trade, but they have been very helpful to me.  I’ve purchased large drums, panpipes, tinya drums and goat toe nail rattles from them. Their customer service is outstanding and it is my hope that they have the same care for the artisans who create their instruments.

https://www.boliviamall.com/en/musical-instruments.html
puili sticks on a leafHAWAIIAN INSTRUMENTS

Here’s an excellent site for learning about Hawaiian, Hula and South Pacific instruments. You can buy many of the basics such as these pu’ili rhythm sticks in their shop, here:  https://www.nakaniohula.com/

Is That Everything?

No way!  I’ll keep adding to this article but I encourage you to subscribe to this blog to see what’s new. And let me know if there’s a shop or a vendor you’ve found that create beautiful instruments. I’d love to list them here or even do a special post on what they do.

Wishing you a happy, musical day!

May Peace Prevail On Earth – A Peace Song For Kids

May Peace Prevail - Cover

Who doesn’t crave more peace in the world?

This is my latest song inspired by the Peace Pole movement. As I’ve visited various countries around the world to play music, I’ve often seen “peace poles” planted in the ground. Most often, they share a special message in four or six languages spoken in the surrounding area.  That message is “May Peace Prevail On Earth”.

As I learned more, I discovered that there are Peace Poles on every continent – even Antarctica.  The total number is now known, but estimated to be in the tens of thousands!  In many places, I’ve been moved and delighted to see the indigenous language being included on these peace poles, so peace truly becomes a message for all peoples.

Where To Stream This Song

Want to hear the song?  It’s easy to stream on Apple Music:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/may-peace-prevail-on-earth-single/1448998310

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/722ZHL5xYMAQ4yUB6iQa8l

Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/album/83860382

Tidal: https://tidal.com/browse/album/102076845

What Do The Lyrics Say?

Raise Your Banners To The Sky
May Peace Prevail on Earth
Let These Glorious Words Arise…
May Peace Prevail on Earth

Let it rain down upon us
Let it herald each new birth
Let it open the doors
We’ve been waiting for ….
May Peace Prevail on Earth

Place The Peace Poles In The Ground
(May Peace Prevail on Earth)
In Every City and Every Town
(May Peace Prevail on Earth)

Bring Peace to All You Say and Do
(May Peace Prevail on Earth)
And the Blessings Will Rain Down On You
(May Peace Prevail on Earth)

Raise Your Banners To The Sky
May Peace Prevail on Earth
Let These Glorious Words Arise…
May Peace Prevail on Earth

c 2010 Words and Music Daria A. Marmaluk-Hajioannou

many peace polesLinks And Resources

Free Lyric Sheet For “May Peace Prevail On Earth”
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/May-Peace-Prevail-On-Earth-Free-Lyric-Sheet-For-The-Song-4279243

Karaoke Version for Schools And Choirs (Coming Soon)

The Peace Pole Project https://peacepoleproject.org

28 Kids Crafts To Reuse Plastic Straws

drying strawsAre you trying to use less plastic?

I meet more and more parents who are striving to use less packaging and plastic products.  And it’s really encouraging to even see big companies – like Starbucks and the entire Marriott hotel chain – phasing out plastic straws altogether!  But even if you are the most recycling-conscious family, you’ve probably ended up with some of those pesky plastic straws and wondered what to do with them.

Instead of tossing them into the waste stream, here are a host of great activities that reuse these not-so-disposable items and are fun and productive kid’s crafts as well.

Clean Your Straws

If you’ve ended up with straws from juice, smoothies or soft drinks you can easily clean them off before you craft with them.  Rinse them in soapy water and let them stand them in a jar or glass for a few minutes (as seen above).  In no time at all, they’ll be clean and ready to be used in any of the crafts below!

Straw Rattles Completed On YellowA Quiet Rattle

We love this craft!  It is fun to make, also reuses plastic bottles and creates a quiet rattle that is never too loud, even when playing with bunches of friends!  And if the straws you’ve used are colorful, they make wonderful patterns of colors as you shake them along to music.

What To Do

Cut the straws into small lengths, anything the size of a small bead to about an inch long.  Cut them all the same length or mix up the sizes.  And if you have straw pieces left, they are perfect for the sensory bins listed below or even the friendship bracelets!

To create the rattle, simply allow your child to drop any number of their favorite colors and sizes into the plastic bottle.  When it looks and sounds perfect to your little one, put on the cap and seal with a sturdy electrical tape.  This keeps the contents inside the rattle and makes the end-product child-safe.

Note: while creating any of these crafts, make sure the small pieces of straws don’t go in a child’s mouth.

More Musical Straw Crafts!

josef playing straw zamponasPanpipes Made From Straws
http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/early-learning-with-music/make-your-own-simple-panpipes/

Use straws as the contents to a “Roly Poly” Thing
http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/babies-and-music/make-a-roly-poly-musical-thing/

Use straws as the contents to an ocean drum
http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/babies-and-music/make-an-ocean-drum-for-world-oceans-day/

maracas - back to schoolUse straws as the contents to a set of maracas
http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/uncategorized/an-easy-musical-craft-for-young-children-back-to-school-maracas/

Other Straw Crafts You’ll Love!

Sensory Bin With Straw Pieces – From Teaching Mama
https://teachingmama.org/plastic-straw-sensory-bin/

20 Assorted Drinking Straw Crafts For Kids- From Meraki Lane https://www.merakilane.com/20-drinking-straw-crafts-for-kids/

Simple Friendship Bracelets Made with Pipe cleaners and “Straw Beads” – From Kiwi Co – https://www.kiwico.com/diy/Arts-and-Crafts-Ideas/1/project/Straw-Bracelets/1169

More Crafty And Elegant Straw Bead Bracelets – Tutorial below and here’s hoping you reduce, reuse recycle and rock out with any of the crafts you’ve found here!

Turn Plastic Into Music For World Oceans Day!

WOD screensnap

What are you doing for WORLD OCEANS DAY?

Did you know if you make something creative out of plastic – you can win a free E-book or any music CD from DARIA? We want to encourage you to cut back on plastic by practicing the 5 R’s – Refuse, Reuse, Reduce, Recycle, and Remove!  And have a blast at the same time!

What Is World Oceans Day?

World Oceans Day is a special holiday celebrated all over the world on June 8th.  It’s a great opportunity to honor, understand and work to protect seas, oceans and all our valuable waterways!  It’s also a good time to think about things like plastic waste and how we can use less, refuse more and make something cool out of what we already have.  And if you live near a beach, please check the World Oceans Day site (link below) for special clean-up and family events where you can make a difference seaside!

Turn Plastic Into Music!

craft straw zamponasNo matter how well you reduce and recycle, you probably have some plastic in your recycling bin!  Don’t trash it – make it over! We just shared a post about a MYO ocean drum, a fun project that recreates the sound of the surf.  For World Oceans day, we’re filling it with items that should never end up in the ocean – straws, plastic and bottle caps. We used a shipping box we got in the mail, but you can reuse a pizza box or a product box that’s hanging around your house. If the box has writing all over it, no worries.  Just cover it with recycled paper or Inside Recycled Ocean Drumthe reverse side of a used manila folder and you have a great canvas to decorate right there!  To the right is what we’re putting inside.

Outside?  Below are three ocean drums that other groups have made.  Very… very creative and fun.

ocean drums makingAnd after you create your drum – you’ll be amazed at the sound it creates.  Just tip it from slowly from side to side to make the sounds of the sea.

TURN PLASTIC INTO MUSIC

Make ANYTHING from plastic you have in your recycling bin, send me a photo and you’ll get my TURN PLASTIC INTO MUSIC E-book free! Although I’d love to see creative musical instruments, I’ll accept anything you remake from your recycling bin.  Just e-mail me at dariamusic at yahoo dot com under the subject “UPCYCLED PLASTIC” and I’ll send you a copy of the E-book plus ask your permission to use the photo in this blog or my social media.  It’s totally OK to say no but I’d love to share what you make with DARIA Sings For Earth Day - CD Covermy readers!

And, you can also win my DARIA SINGS FOR EARTH DAY cd if you prefer!

So ready, set …  Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Remove and Rock on!

LINKS AND RESOURCES

WORLD OCEANS DAY Resources And Teaching Materials http://www.worldoceansday.org/resources

Free Respect The Earth 5 R’s poster https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/5-Rs-RESPECT-THE-EARTH-Earth-Day-Poster-Freebie-3743747

Free Plastic Pollution Lesson Plan http://www.worldoceansday.org/plastic-pollution-lesson-plan

MYO Ocean Drum Post – http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/early-learning-with-music/make-a-drum-that-sounds-like-the-ocean/

Turn Plastic Into Music E-Book from DARIAMUSIC https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Recycling-Projects-TURN-PLASTIC-INTO-MUSIC-5-Multicultural-Music-Activities-3747012

Splash and Bubbles Resources For World Oceans Day http://www.worldoceansday.org/splash-bubbles-resources

This Earth Day – Turn Plastic Into Something Fantastic!

Screen shot 2018-04-19 at 11.38.43 PMThis year’s Earth Day theme is End Plastic Waste! We hope you’ve been reading about this topic and moved to make changes in your own life. But, what about plastic you already have in your recycling bin? Creating fun recycling projects with kids will help them see plastic waste as more than just “use it and lose it” trash. As you practice the 5 R’s (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Remove) you can upcycle out of the waste cycle into 5 great-sounding musical instruments.

This Earth Day, I’m offering my TURN PLASTIC INTO MUSIC E-book free, and you can download it at the link below. (If you are an educator with a limited budget and read this post after the E-book has returned to full price, you can always e-mail me at dariamusic at yahoo dot com for an educator’s copy.)Screen shot 2018-04-19 at 11.38.58 PM

The five projects in this book include amazing-sounding maracas from mini-sized water bottles, Latin American guiros and Aboriginal bullroarers from plastic bottles with various sizes of mouths. There’s also two crafts that use plastic straws – zampoñas or panpipes and a kaleidoscope straw rattle.

And really… wouldn’t you rather make music than contribute to something like this?  Below is a video taken in Cameroon, Africa several year ago.  This year school children in this region are committed to ending plastic waste and changing what you see here!

Links And Resources

TURN PLASTIC INTO MUSIC – E-book Free Until Earth Day 2018 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Recycling-Projects-TURN-PLASTIC-INTO-MUSIC-5-Multicultural-Music-Activities-3747012

 Earth Day Organization – Tool kits for Individuals, Schools, Organizations, and More! https://www.earthday.org/

5 R's official posterFree 5 R’s poster - https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/5-Rs-RESPECT-THE-EARTH-Earth-Day-Poster-Freebie-3743747

How Long Does It Take Garbage To Decompose https://www.thebalance.com/how-long-does-it-take-garbage-to-decompose-2878033

Meet The Zero Waste Pioneers https://us-mg5.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.rand=0fm9p2d7jlhgu#4735222175

Scientists Discover Enzyme That Eats Plastic https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/scientists-accidentally-create-super-enzyme-that-can-devour-plastic-pollution/

What Are You Singing For Groundhog’s Day?

Daria_GroundhogCover_Web

I just love groundhog’s day!  Maybe it’s because groundhogs are so cute and cuddley. Or I was born somewhat near the permanent residence of Punxatawney Phil, official groundhog predictor of Spring. Or because groundhogs  have adorable nicknames such as whistle pigs and woodchucks.

So, for so many reasons I couldn’t just crawl back into my hole for 6 more weeks of winter and I jumped at the chance to write and record a silly Groundhog’s Day song.

groundhog pop-up hereThe simple song is based around the tongue-twister “How much wood could a woodchuck chuck… if a woodchuck could chuck wood?” I also wondered how much ground a groundhog could grind and how much sap a sapsucker could suck. And, yes, even though the lyrics are in song form, the tongue twisters still are a challenge to sing or say.

You can find the song lyric freebie below, plus a link to a sweet Springtime activity that includes pop-up puppets. It’s a fun way of having your own groundhog’s day anytime and anywhere.

And the best thing? You can laugh yourself silly while you predict an early Spring!

Links and Resources

Groundhog’s Day Song – Free Lyric Sheet – https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Groundhogs-Day-Song-Lyric-Sheet-2357681

Groundhog’s Day Song From Itunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-groundhog-song-how-much/id385842751

Groundhog’s Day MYO Pop-Up Puppet Activity from TPT – https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Groundhogs-Day-Song-and-Pop-Up-Groundhog-Puppet-Activity-484374

little groundhogs

Discover Music Of Iceland With Children

For many people, Iceland is a dream vacation. It’s a land of geysers, glaciers, Langspilvolcanoes, thermal lagoons, whales, exotic seabirds and gorgeous scenery. If you’re on your way to the land of ice with your children or if you are simply studying this part of the world, here’s a fun way to explore the music of that culture.

Color A Langspil

One of the traditional instruments of Iceland is a stringed zither called the langspil. Dating back at least to the 1700’s, this instrument was often made of driftwood and played either by plucking it or using a bow, like a fiddle. The resulting sound was haunting and beautiful. You can hear a langspil in this video from an outstanding folk duo from Iceland, Duo Svanni (Júlía Traustadóttir Kondrup and Hildur Wågsjö Heimisdóttir).

Iceland For Kids!

Music is a wonderful place to start any exploration of another country or culture. Below you can find links to fun facts, common phrases in Icelandic, traditional clothing, things to do with children in Iceland and a post about an Icelandic rock music group that actually recorded a video of a song inside a volcano.

Enjoy your Icelandic Adventure!

Links And Resources

Free Langspil Coloring Page: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Langspil-Icelandic-Instrument-Coloring-Page-3362012

Kyra - Iceland - WaterfallLangspil Mini-poster, Coloring page + Activities:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Langspil-Icelandic-Instrument-Mini-Poster-Coloring-Page-3362044

Iceland Facts For Kids: http://www.kids-world-travel-guide.com/iceland-facts.html

Icelandic Words And Phrases To Learn: https://icelandwithkids.com/2017/03/26/icelandic-words-and-phrases-to-learn-or-not/

Traditional Clothing Of Iceland:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_national_costume

Iceland With Kids – A Family of Seven Visit Iceland And Offer Tips and Info
https://icelandwithkids.com/

Icelandic Music From Inside A Volcano: https://makingmulticulturalmusic.wordpress.com/2016/06/22/rocking-icelandic-music-from-inside-a-volcano/