Here are a few of our teachers’ favorite activities for songs from this semester’s Sticks Song Collection. We hope you’ll have fun trying them with your own families! If you have a musical activity you’d like to share with the Music Together community, please email it to: SWYCM@musictogether.com.
“Roll that Little Ball”/“Stick Tune” Combination
Do you and your children love playing with balls in “Roll that Little Ball”? Here’s a way to extend the ball-playing fun with “Stick Tune!” After singing “Roll That Little Ball,” have each family member hold one ball and then start chanting the following for “Stick Tune”:
Hey, hey, what do you say, let’s all . . .
. . . tap the balls today! Ba dum, bum bum ba dum, etc.
. . . bounce the balls today! Ba dum, bum bum ba dum, etc.
. . . catch the balls today! (toss a few inches into the air and catch) Ba dum, etc.
. . . sit on the balls today! (bounce up and down) Ba dum, etc.
. . . roll on balls today! (lie with tummy on ball and roll back and forth) Ba dum, etc.
. . . rock the balls today! (hold ball and rock it like a baby)
And, to end: Hey, Hey, what do you say, let’s all put the balls away!
—Amy Conley, Director of Amy Conley Music, Milford NH
“Jack in the Box” Variations
“Jack in the Box” is such a magical chant, stemming in part from the dramatic contrast between the soft, almost secretive nature of the main body of the chant and the free exuberant expression of Jack "popping" out of the box. While we always start this using one finger for Jack, I really love it when we become Jack and scrunch down into a little ball, anxiously waiting the moment when we finally come out. It is such a joy to share glances and smiles with the children as we are "hiding" in our boxes, and of course you occasionally have the child who remains in their box longer than everyone else, and then makes their dramatic emergence—such great fun! Try this at home with your family and see what happens!
—Jeanne Calderon, Director of Music Together Chesapeake, Bowie MD
“Roll that Little Ball” Game
Here's a fun variation of "Roll that Little Ball" that can be done by a child-grownup pair or by your entire family as a group. Gather some items that you can roll back and forth—an egg shaker, a toy car, etc.—and then lie down on your tummies and face each other. Sing the song as you take turns rolling the item to one another.
Babies and toddlers may be more interested in exploring the object than in rolling it back---that's okay! Just be sure to keep singing and tapping rhythmically on the beat. For older children, you might add a second item and roll both back and forth as you sing. Giggles are guaranteed when something rolls past a grownup who can't make it stop!
—Kathy Eckhaus, Director, Music Together in Susquehanna Valley, Susquehanna PA
Sound Play with "Water Play"
I have a class with mostly children ages 3 to 5. One day in class, after doing “Water Play” a couple of times, I asked each of them: “What’s your favorite water sound?” They came up with lots of fun and silly sounds—some that had nothing to do with water but that were just fun sounds to make. Sound play is so accessible to children! Next time you and your kids are singing “Water Play” find out what their favorite water sounds are and incorporate them into the song!
—Lizz Anderson, Director, Musical Me, Inc., Santa Cruz CA
