Category: PreK-5 Dance Books

Today I would like to share two books that work nicely with a prop – ribbons. 

I have done these lessons with students in preschool, kindergarten, and first grades. My students have always loved lessons with props – ribbons, hula hoops, fabric, elastic loops, and such.

A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freeman is an older book, but still holds its magic. I first heard of this book while co-facilitating a workshop many years ago with Carol Flanagan at Saint Mary's College. In the story, a little boy imagines playing with a rainbow. In my preschool classes, I have first read this book, and then provided the students with silk ribbons in rainbow colors, about 1.5 yards long. (I purchased this beautiful ribbon at Stonemountain and Daughter in Berkeley, CA. You can also purchase individual ribbons on sticks through many catalogues, including Nova Natural.) With the students, they can improvise and play with the rainbows or you can create a dance together as a class – deciding how the rainbow moves (over, under, around, through, etc).

The Squiggle by author Carole Lexa Schaefer and illustrator Pierr Morgan is also a playful book to inspire ribbon dances. In the squiggle, a red string/ribbon becomes many things in a child's imagination. I love to read this to students and then create a dance together, where each student contributes one idea for the dance. Our red ribbons can be snakes, ocean waves, rainbows, and much more. I have used a variety of red ribbons over the years, but in particular love organdy ribbon. I purchased mine at Stonemountain and Daughter in Berkeley,CA, and here is a link to purchase some on the internet.

I have always been curious about wordless books. Today I am proposing an idea to try within a sweet summertime modern dance class (maybe with 4-10 kids enrolled).

I would head to your local library and gather some great wordless books. Give each student one to read and experiment with. How can this book be a springboard for a dance? What story does each student see in each book? 

I tend to find that wordless books frequently have a nice sense of whimsy. I pulled off of my shelf today:

Wave by Suzy Lee

Dreams by Peter Spier

Little Star by Antonin Louchard

Yellow Umbrella by Jae Soo Liu

I hope that this idea is a fun springboard for the summertime.

I love Denise Fleming's two books, In the Tall, Tall Grass and In the Small, Small Pond. These two books work beautifully with kids ages 4-7 (preschool, kindergarten, and first grade).

The books are filled with action words describing a variety of animals. There are many options with the books. (Both books are structured in the same way.) In a smaller class of 10 students or so, each student can have his/her own "solo" improvising on one of the pages. Another option would be to read the book from start to finish and have the whole class improvise with each page. Or, you could pull from the text to make a list of about 8 action words to create a short dance together.

I bet these two books will be easy to find at your local library, or use the hyperlinks above to purchase copies through Powell's Books.

Happy summer!

While browsing the children's dance section this weekend at the library, I found a new book on ballet. I am quite selective about children's ballet books, as way too may perpetuate stereotypes about ballet and only little girls dancing.

Today I would like to recommend the 2011 DK book How To…Ballet. In the common DK aesthetic, the book contains clear photos of young children (both boys and girls) dancing. The titles are clear and interesting. The book covers "ballet basics" – hair, shoes, posture, positions of the feet, barre work, and more. 

This book is a nice gift for a young person curious about ballet, and a good book to keep on your bookshelf at your dance center for students to enjoy before classes. It could also be a quick reference book in a ballet class, to show a visual to students when talking about steps such as passé, développé, and pas de chat. 

I am excited to try out this new book. For creative dance and modern dance teachers, the idea of "a spiral" is an important concept in the body and moving in space. 

Joyce Sidman's book Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature is a beautiful book of poetic language and rich artwork to inspire multiple explorations of spirals in our own bodies, with a partner, and pathways in space. From the book….."A spiral is a growing shape. It starts small and gets bigger, swirl by swirl."

I would recommend this book for students in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade. 

For Bay Area dance teachers, the following public libraries have a copy.

Berkeley

Oakland

Alameda

San Francisco

 Almost a year ago Gigi Arrington wrote a post about using Where the Wild Things Are in dance classes. I thought today would be a perfect day to repost it, as we think of Maurice Sendak when hearing of his passing. Sendak is considered one of the most important children's authors and illustrators of the twentieth century.