Dancing Words Blog

Category: PreK-5 Dance Books

  • Alphabet Series: The Letter L

     

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    Lines that Wiggle by Candace Whitman and Steve Wilson is a playful book with lots of examples of lines. Explore these lines by making shapes with your whole body, drawing in space, or making pathways with your feet.

    EXPLORE YOUR BOOK BIN OF ALPHABET BOOKS

    As I mentioned at the start of this series, I recommend having a book bin of alphabet books in your classroom or studio. That way, with letters like L, you might pull out a few books and simply look at the letter L. If the image is of a lion, can you lead an improv related to it? If the image is of a child low to the ground, can you explore multiple ways to move on a low level? Using a few of the books in the bin can lead to some easy warm up activities.

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  • Alphabet Series: The Letter K

    When exploring the letter K in your dance class or at your school, there are two joyful picture books that highlight informal dancing at home. It is powerful to share with young people the many styles of dance and the many ways that movement can be a part of our lives.

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    Kitchen Dance by Maurie J. Manning shares the story of a mother and father dancing in their kitchen, with their children soon to follow. Dancin' in the Kitchen by Wendy Gelsanliter and Frank Christian uses rhyming text and Majorie Priceman's whimsical illustrations to convey the joy of a family cooking, eating, dancing, and enjoying music together. 

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  • Stomp, Dinosaur, Stomp!

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    I was excited to find this picture book at the library today – full of playful action words to use with preschool, kindergarten, and first grade dancers. 

    "Mighty Tyrannosaurus loved stomp, stomp, stomping, gigantic legs striding, enormous jaws opening…."

    The book explores 11 different dinosaurs and a wonderful list of action words, including:

    • Stomping
    • Swishing
    • Gliding
    • Swooping
    • Soaring
    • Hunting
    • Pouncing
    • Zooming

    Dance artists can use the book in a variety of ways to inspire improvisational activities, a "dino dance," or little vignettes about each animal in small groups.

    Get your own copy of Margaret Mayo's Stomp, Dinosaur, Stomp for only $10 at Powell's Books. 

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  • Magic and Whimsy Series: Snowflakes Fall

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    "After the flowers are gone

    Snowflakes fall.

    Flake

    After flake

    After flake

    Each one a pattern

    All its own –

    No two the same - 

    All beautiful."

    So begins the new picture book by a stellar duo, author Patricia MacLachlan and illustrator Steven Kellogg. If you are still seeking a magical picture book for a project in the coming weeks in PreK-5 dance classes, check out Snowflakes Fall. 

    Whether you use the actual text as a springboard for a dance project, or simply read the book for the start of a idea, Snowflakes Fall will lead you to some great Winter dancing. The words in the book talk about the actions of snow – falling, drifting, and swirling. The book ends talking about the water cycle – snow melting, streams flowing, evaporating, and raining.

    The overarching idea of the book expresses the uniqueness of us all. Even in times of sorrow and loss there is still hope. Snowflakes Fall definitely inspires us to find beauty and to find hope. 

     

     

     

  • Cat and Fish

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    This week I stumbled upon a quirky picture book, Cat and Fish, by Joan Grant and illustrator Neil Curtis. Use this book as inspiration in preschool, kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade classes.

    What I like about the book is the unusual pairing of the characters – a cat and a fish. They come from different worlds but become friends and explore together both the land and sea. From a movement perspective, this book can lead to interesting partner work as well as exploring contrasting ideas – land/ocean, above/below, up/down, swimming/climbing, etc. The actions in the story are also interesting to use for improvisation in a class – playing in a maze, lurking, prowling, hiding, rowing, floating, etc.

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  • Verbs

    As I was speaking with the librarian at my school today about a new book, I thought that today would be a perfect day to highlight some great books to use in conjunction with teaching VERBS in 1st or 2nd grade classrooms.

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    These action rich books can introduce students to a wide range of verbs as well as get them up on their feet – improvising, moving in a variety of ways, or making a dance based on a book.

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    Check out:

    1. Move! – Steve Jenkins

    2. How to Be a Cat – Nikki McClure

    3. Off We Go! – Jane Yolen

    4. A Child's Day: An Alphabet of Play – Ida Pearle

    5. Alphabet Movers – Theresa Benzwie

    6. Into the A, B, Sea – Steve Jenkins and Deborah Rose

    7. In the Tall, Tall Grass – Denise Fleming

    8. In the Small, Small Pond – Denise Fleming

    9. Star Climbing – Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson

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  • Alphabet Series: The Letter J

    J is for….jumping, Josephine, and Jonathan!

    J is for Jumping

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    Learning how to jump is a key movement milestone in childhood. Jumping is launching off of two feet and landing on two feet (hopping is on one foot). Create a jumping dance with your class – big jumps, small jumps, turning jumps, etc.

    There are three books to read alongside your exploration:

    Jumping Day - Barbara Esbensen and Maryann Cocca-Leffler

    Jump Frog Jump - Robert Kalan and Byron Barton

    Hop Jump - Ellen Stoll Walsh

    J is for Jonathan

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    I love the book Jonathan and His Mommy for many reasons. It is a sweet tale of a mother and son dancing and moving around town – big steps, small steps, zigzag steps. The text will easily lead to an activity about pathway.

    J is for Josephine

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    Explore the life and story of dancer Josephine Baker in the picture book Jazz Age Josephine by author Jonah Winter and illustrator Marjorie Pricemen. Read the story to your class, and then get them up on their feet, using Priceman's kinesthetic illustrations as inspiration for body shapes.

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  • Alphabet Series: The Letter I

    I is for Island

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    I am always on the lookout for books about islands. Exploring the concept and imagery of islands, within a dance class, is a great way to talk about self-space and general space. It also goes hand in hand with the concepts of stationary/axial movement and traveling/locomotor movement. 

    An Island Grows, by Lola M. Schaefer with illustrations by Cathie Felstead, is a picture book telling the story of how volcanic islands form. The book begins "beneath the sea," and ends with an island inhabited by people. 

    You might not make a dance about the story, per se, but the book can be a nice introduction to a lesson for students in K-2 classes.

    Pull out your hula hoops to give each student in class an "island" to explore – dancing on the island, off the island, and around the island.

    I – "I am a Dancer"

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    While studying "I," share the book I am a Dancer. This picture book is a great introductory book for PreK-1 students about dance.

    I is for Isadora

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    Rachel Isadora wrote a book about one of the icons and founders of modern dance, Isadora Duncan. Check out this biographical picture book.  

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  • The Artwork of Keith Haring

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    As I was just writing the post for the letter H, I was reminded of the various books I have used over the years in PreK-5 dance classes with the artwork of Keith Haring.

    This post is a great example of simply using books (and their images) as inspiration for a warm up or dance study. You don't always have to read the story of a book; books can serve as quick visuals for an activity.

    Keith Haring's artwork inspires students from preschool all the way up to 5th grade to explore shapes, body positions, and actions such as jumps, kicks, and balances.

    For many years, I have used the simple board book Ten as our visual inspiration. There is no real story in this book. 

    Explore the artwork of Keith Haring in preschool dance classes as well as K-5 classes. 

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  • Alphabet Series: The Letter H

    When you and your students explore the letter H, some of these books can be springboards and inspiration for improvisations and dance projects. 

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    H is for Head (to Toe)

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    Eric Carle's From Head to Toe is one of my favorite books to explore in parent/child, preschool, and kindergarten classes. The words literally lead a warm up for you….moving our heads, shoulders, hips, and toes. Purchase a used copy of this book here. 

    H is for Hopping

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    Hopping is one of the building blocks of dance – moving on one foot. I am always on the lookout for books that involve the basic locomotor steps of: walking, running, hopping, jumping, skipping, galloping, and leaping.

    Check out Ellen Stoll Walsh's Hop Jump as a springboard for exploring the concepts of hopping, jumping, and "dancing."

    H is for Hummingbirds

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    As mentioned in several prior posts, Keith Baker's Little Green is a whimsical picture book for dancing like a fast moving hummingbird as well as moving through different pathways in space (zig zag lines, curly cue lines, etc). 

    H is for Haring (Artist Keith Haring)

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    Keith Haring's classic drawings inspire kids to move and make shapes. Find a used copy of the board book Ten. Students can view the images and try out the positions (shapes) in their own bodies, or as a group. 

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    P.S. Exploring "hands" and "high/low" are also good subjects with the letter H, but I don't have specific book recommendations today. 

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