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Raindrops Roll

Rain is coming. You can feel it in the air.

So begins the new picture book Raindrops Roll by April Pulley Sayre.

With clear photographs and poetic text, this is an example of a book where the words literally dance off the page and inspire students to move.

Most of the text can be directly used to create actions and movement phrases. Verbs include: plop, drop, patter, spatter, wash, weigh down, and thud.

This book can be used with students in preschool and also K-2 classes. Try out the instrumental song "Halinkata Djoubé" by Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Siegel for your project.

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February 19, 2015
Alphabet Series: The Letter P
When you and your students explore the letter P, these books can be springboards and inspiration for improvisations and dance projects.

P is for Prepositions

I am always on the lookout for picture books with prepositions. Prepositions are so fun to explore in movement with students in preschool, kindergarten, and 1st grades. You can explore relationships – over, under, around, and through – whether it is students dancing with a prop (hula hoop), students dancing together, or using imagery to inspire movement (ex. crawling through a tunnel).

Tana Hoban's classic picture book Over, Under, and Through is a great starting off point. Up, Down, and Around (Katherine Ayres and illustrator Nadine Bernard Westcott) is also a great exploration of prepositions as well as plants.

You might play with different parts, dividing the class into two to explore the "above ground" and "under the ground" ideas (such as in Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner).
- Over, Under, and Through - Tana Hoban
- Rosie's Walk - Pat Hutchins
- Star Climbing - Lou Fancher, with paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
- We're Going on a Bear Hunt - Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury
- Over and Under in the Snow - Kate Messner, with art by Christopher Silas Neal
- Up, Down, and Around - Katherine Ayres, with art Nadine Bernard Westcott
P is for Penguin

Fun, play, skating, gliding, and conversation. This is the beautiful "dance" of Flora with a penguin in Molly Idle's latest wordless picture book, Flora and the Penguin. If you loved Flora and the Flamingo, check out this new book!

The artwork literally dances off the page. The book is a great springboard as you explore partner work, working together, mirroring, and shaping.

You can use the book for inspiration, the images for actual movement ideas, or the storyline to create a group dance. As for music, the classical skating piece "Les Patineurs" is a great option.

P is for Pond

Denise Fleming's book In the Small, Small Pond explores the actions of creatures in a pond – diving, swimming, wiggling, etc. Students will love improvising the various movements or having their own "part" as you read the entire book and make a group dance.

P is for Pathway

Here are four books to inspire moving in straight lines, zig zags, curving pathways, and much more.

1. Little Green by Keith Baker

A hummingbird – making various pathways in space (zig zag, curlycue, etc)

2. Jonathan and His Mommy by Irene Smalls and Michael Hays

A son and mother taking a walk and exploring all different ways to walk – big steps, small steps, zig zag pathways

3. Lines that Wiggle by Candace Whitman and Steve Wilson

An artistic exploration of lines that wiggle, bend, spiral, curve, etc.

4. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

An imaginative tale of a little boy drawing his world around him – the path he takes, the moon in the air, and much more to create an adventure

P is for Purple

To explore the color purple, you can pull out all of your books about colors. Four examples include: My Many Colored Days, Colour, Living Color, and The Rainbow Book. What are our associations with purple? How can we translate these ideas into movement? Ideally, see if you can pull out 3-5 books on color. Look at the purple pages, and then explore movement ideas related to these pages. You can even string the 3-5 ideas together.

Using Your Book Bin of Alphabet Books

As I suggested in the first post of this alphabet series, creating a book bin of alphabet books is a great idea. For example with the letter P, look at all of the "P pages" in your bin. Have students pair up, and give each pair one alphabet book. Ask them to find the P page. What movement or shape can they create related to that page? Give each pair a chance to share in front of the class. Again, you can string all of the ideas together to create a "P Dance."

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February 18, 2015
Creative Dance for All Ages – A Great Resource for Teachers

Creative Dance for All Ages – By Anne Green Gilbert

One of the classic and timeless books on teaching dance to children and teens is now available in an updated version. This is one of the top three books I always recommend to dancers and classroom teachers. It is a great resource for ideas around unit plans, the trajectory of a lesson plan, and activity ideas. I keep the classic "Dance Concepts" chart on my wall, even after 18 years of teaching. (It still serves as inspiration to me.) You can pre-order a copy now on www.amazon.com.

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February 13, 2015
Alphabet Series: The Letter O

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

O is for Opposites

Opposites are always a wonderful concept to explore in movement. I love the picture book A High, Low, Near, Far, Loud, Quiet Story by Nina Crews. (You can find used copies on amazon.com.) Use the words to create a simple warm up or improv activity, or create a dance with the entire text.

O is for Ocean

I love finding pictures books that can easily create an improv structure.

Robert Neubecker's book has sparse text, but dense images of a day at the ocean. The main character, Izzy, heads to the beach one day. With each turn of the page, she explores another aspect of the beach and ocean world – tide pools, shells, fish, sting rays, and coral reefs. There is even a sunken ship.

You could set up an improv that could be repeated several times in your dance classes. With each page, the students could be exploring that environment (ex. dancing through a coral reef) or be that environment or animal (ex. move like sharks). Each spread begins with the word "wow" ("Wow! Tide pool!…..Wow! Fish!"). The word "wow" could be the cue for students to pause to get ready to transition to the next idea.

Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems is one of favorite children's poetry books to use in dance classes. The poetry is by Kate Coombs, with illustrations by Meilo So. Both text and paintings are full of magic, whimsy, and imagery to inspire movement with students.

From start to finish, the poems take you on a journey along the shore and in the water. Topics include: sand, tide pools, waves, jellyfish, squid, and coral. The poems lend themselves to a variety of projects for both small groups (solos and duets) and whole group vignettes. You could easily use all or most poems in the book to create a beautiful performance with your class.

O is for Orange

To explore the color orange, you can pull out all of your books about colors. Four examples include: My Many Colored Days, Colour, Living Color, and The Rainbow Book. What are our associations with orange? How can we translate these ideas into movement? Ideally, see if you can pull out 3-5 books on color. Look at the orange pages, and then explore movement ideas related to these pages. You can even string the 3-5 ideas together.

Using Your Book Bin of Alphabet Books

As I suggested in the first post of this alphabet series, creating a book bin of alphabet books is a great idea. For example with the letter O, look at all of the "O pages" in your bin. Have students pair up, and give each pair one alphabet book. Ask them to find the O page. What movement or shape can they create related to that page? Give each pair a chance to share in front of the class. Again, you can string all of the ideas together to create an "O Dance."

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February 8, 2015
Magic and Whimsy Series: Rise the Moon

I am a big fan of illustrator Raúl Colón and was excited to recently stumble upon the book Rise the Moon (with author Eileen Spinelli). This story can serve as inspiration and a conversation starter with a wide age range – preschool through 5th grade. What do we do under the light of the moon?

Encourage your students to each come up with an original idea - What do you want to do under the moonlight? What is the imagery? Potential dance steps and action words? What is the movement quality and speed?

As the teacher, you can capture the ideas on paper. Students in grades 3-5 can write their own ideas.

String the concepts together to create a beautiful score for an original, unique dance project. You can even use moon-related music, such as "It's Only a Paper Moon" (various versions).

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February 8, 2015
Alphabet Series: The Letter N

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

N is for Numbers

I very much enjoy Theresa Benzwie's Alphabet Movers, and now I also love her 2011 publication Numbers on the Move. I was excited to stumble upon this book, as I have a similar number based warm up I love to do with young ones.

Mark Weber's illustrations of a diverse group of children are joyful and playful. I very much appreciate children's books that show a variety of young boys and girls dancing.

The simple premise of the book will lead to a fun warm up in an parent/child, preschool, or kindergarten dance class.

As we begin to count, there is a movement idea with each number:

One stretch

Two slides

Three jumps

The book goes up to number 10, and counts down again.

N is for Nursery Rhymes

I am a strong believer in the use of nursery rhymes within dance classes. This teaches these important cultural references and classic rhymes/rhythms that we continue to use today. You can find a wide range of nursery rhyme books to use as a teaching springboard; I love making warm ups with various rhymes.

Two favorite books of mine include:

The Neighborhood Mother Goose by Nina Crews

Mother Goose Numbers on the Loose by Leo and Diane Dillon

N is for Nutcracker

Numerous versions now exist of this classic tale. I frequently recommend The Nutcracker by Alison Jay.

N is for Night

How to Make a Night is a story of magic and whimsy that will inspire a unique group dance. Filled with action words – catch, find, pull, peel, and shake – a little girl "makes a night" by taking away the sun and blue sky, splattering gold, and building a moon.

N is for Nocturnal Animals

The extra large picture book Zoo-ology by Joelle Jolivet can be used in many ways throughout a year. For the letter N, look at pages 24 and 25 that illustrate and name 32 different nocturnal animals. Students can select a creature; lead an improv with the class related to levels, speed, and different ways of locomoting.

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January 17, 2015
Alphabet Series: The Letter M

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

M is for MOVING

Move! – Numbers on the Move – Alphabet Movers

Float….swing….leap! Join the animals moving in Steve Jenkins's book Move!, available in hardback and board book formats. Move! inspires you and your students to do a wide variety of locomotor actions.

Teresa Benzwie has written two movement-related books, exploring the alphabet and numbers. Both are great for warm ups and getting students to move in various ways:

Numbers on the Move

Alphabet Movers

M is for MOM

There are great books with mothers and children dancing together, My Mama Had a Dancing Heart and Jonathan and His Mommy. I especially love Jonathan and His Mommy, as it is a beautiful springboard to explore walking and pathways with students.

M is for MABEL

Mabel Dancing is a playful book to share in a preschool setting or at home with parents and child. It is a “classic story” in some ways of a little girl who dreams of dancing and naturally wants to move and dance at home.

Mabel’s parents dress up to have a dance party downstairs in their large house. Mabel is tucked into bed for the night while the party takes place. She cannot resist, and ends up sneaking downstairs to have her short moment dancing too.

M is for the MOON

Eric Carle's 1986 book Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me is a gentle story between a girl and her father. The daughter so wants the moon, and the father "catches" it for her. But, as we know, the moon "appears" and "disappears" in our lives each month. The story is a playful way to explore the phases of the moon. And, like the images in the book, students can also dance with a crescent moon if you make a prop for the class. Play one of the those classic jazz tunes – like "It's Only a Paper Moon" – as you and your students dance.

M is for MERMAIDS

Last, have you had students who have requested to dance a "mermaid dance?" This book – literally titled Mermaid Dance - can be translated into a dance for your students.

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Search for these great "M books" at the school library, public library, or online. Many are reasonably priced (used) on amazon.com.

Exploring letters and the alphabet through reading, movement, and dancemaking creates powerful connections for young learners.

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December 31, 2014
Flora and the Penguin

Fun, play, skating, gliding, and conversation. This is the beautiful "dance" of Flora with a penguin in Molly Idle's latest wordless picture book, Flora and the Penguin. If you loved Flora and the Flamingo, check out this new book!

The artwork literally dances off the page. The book is a great springboard for preschool, kindergarten, and first grade classes as you explore partner work, working together, mirroring, and shaping.

You can use the book for inspiration, the images for actual movement ideas, or the storyline to create a group dance. The book is also a fun addition to your "winter" book collection.

As for music, the classical skating piece "Les Patineurs" is a great option!

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November 25, 2014
Water Can Be….

I love exploring water within a dance class – the actions of water, the states of water, and how water travels high to low, across, around, and through. I explore water in elementary school classes and even with my 6th grade middle school students.

Water Can Be… - by Laura Purdie Salas and illustrator Violeta Dabija – is a great addition to your collection of springboards for water dances. The text is poetically written, and most of it could be the script/narration for a dance with students in 2nd-5th grade.

Water is water –

it's fog, frost, and sea.

When autumn comes chasing,

water can be a…..

          Cloud fluffer

          Fire snuffer

          School drink-er

          Bruise shrinker

            Salmon highway

          Eagle flyaway

The text is divided by the seasons. The descriptions and actions are varied and playful. The variety of text can easily lead to giving each student a "part" for the dance.

In the back of the book, the author provides "more about water," detailing scientific facts about each concept touched upon in the book.

Water Can Be… will provide rich connections between science and dance — exploring the movement and action of water in our world.

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October 28, 2014
The Rainbow Book by Kate Ohrt
The Rainbow Book by Kate Ohrt is a unique addition to your collection of books about colors and emotions. If you work with 4-7 year olds, check out this book.

Instead of images of people or animals, the art in the book is a series of paper cut outs, reminiscent of handmade snowflakes or Mexican cutout banners:

Seven colors are represented in the book:
1. Pink
2. Red
3. Orange
4. Yellow
5. Green
6. Blue
7. Purple
The text on each page will inspire an improv, or help you create a group dance. "When I feel orange, I am energetic and strong…..When I feel blue, I am calm and peaceful."

The Rainbow Book will be a great springboard to explore different emotions and different movement qualities with students in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade.

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October 13, 2014