Culture Comes Alive!
Reinvigorating Culture and Peace Curriculums with Yoga, Music & Movement
Are you a lead teacher looking for new ideas to spice up your culture circles and shelves? Are you intimidated by integrating music & movement into your classroom? Or are you are a music specialist/phys ed. specialist looking for new ways to marry your curriculum with the themes occurring in the Montessori classroom?
A message from Sarah:
This handout outlines some initial ideas for introducing shelf lessons and circle ideas to inject some cultural excitement into the exploration of the continents, zoology and peace education!
*** On my blog I have free printable card materials, lesson plans, songs, and yoga zoology stories that can be acted out during circle time! I hope these free resources somewhat make-up for the cancellation of this workshop.***
www.organicmontessorimom.blogspot.ca
Please check the blog often for free resources regarding yoga, music & movement for the Montessori Culture & Peace Curriculums. If you have any questions or need ideas regarding a specific topic please email me anytime:
Sincerely, Sarah Perritt
On the Shelves!
World Music Instruments
As part of the Montessori philosophy we strive to introduce the concrete before the abstract. Ideally we do the same when introducing instruments from other cultures. If your budget allows, you can gradually collect instruments from different continents over time. Here are some places to look:
• Global/music stores & websites:
o http://www.tenthousandvillages.ca/shop/en/75-musical-instruments
o http://www.worldmusicalinstruments.com
• Ask a willing parent/friend/family member who is going on a trip to bring back an instrument (I’ve asked parents to bring back the receipt so that I can reimburse them/ this may or may not work in your school environment so it is best to consult your administrators first)
• Festivals & markets
Instruments can be placed in a beautiful basket and placed on the culture shelf or floor. This works well as a one person activity on a work mat (to prevent instruments from rolling off a table). The initial presentation should be how to carry the instruments safely, place them gently on the mat, and how to create sound with them (shake, tap gently together etc.). This can be done individually or during group lessons or circle (see below “In Your Circles”).
The 3 Period Lesson can be used to introduce the names of the instruments.
Caution: I usually avoid putting wind instruments into the basket because they are just too tempting to blow into and if multiple children use them then germs inevitably spread. Avoid plastic instruments whenever possible to encourage handling with care and aesthetic appeal.
World Music Instrument Nomenclature Cards
You can introduce these 3-part cards in a number of ways. Have one set on your culture shelf at a time to correspond with your continent study. Use them for matching or sort them into their instrument families (percussion, string, wind). For an extra challenge continue adding sets of instrument cards as you study new continents and have the child sort the instruments by continent. Check above blog for free resource.
Yoga Pose Cards
This is a simple matching exercise. This lesson requires matching the picture of a child doing an animal pose to picture of the animal. Check above blog for free resource.
In Your Circles!
Music & Continent Ideas
World Music Mailbox
A fun way to add some excitement when introducing new materials during your culture or music circles! You can use a real mailbox (the sturdier option), make one out of cardboard, or you can sometimes find pre-designed ones that just need to be assembled from school supply retailers such as Scholar’s Choice, S&S Worldwide etc. Whatever choice you make just be sure it is big enough to fit a few items, such as a postcard & small instrument, and its even better if it has the red arm to signal new mail!
Children LOVE to get “mail” through the World Music Mailbox! There are endless possibilities here, but I will share some of my favourites with you!
1. Postcards: collect postcards (new or used) from countries and continents from around the world (you can ask your school community if anyone has any they are willing to donate). I use these postcards as a means to introduce new concepts to the children. The post cards are from a “Mystery Traveler” who sends us postcards from around the world… but we never find out who they are! The Mystery Traveler tells us about the music & culture of the place they are “visiting.” Sometimes I use the postcards to tell the children about a particular instrument or introduce a famous composer. The children enjoy hearing a quick postcard… but sometimes the Mystery Traveler sends something more concrete!
2. Instruments: there are many stores (such as Ten Thousand Villages) that carry small musical instruments from around the world. I have collected a few from each continent over time that fit wonderfully inside the mailbox. After reading the postcard the children ooh and ahh as I carefully take out each instrument and place it on the mat in front of me. At this point we learn the names of the instruments (never more than 3) and discuss what instrument family (percussion, wind, string) they belong to and why. I play the instruments for the children so we learn their sounds.
Extensions:
During future circles we play a guessing game where I play an instrument out of their sight (behind a piece of fabric for example) and the children try to guess which instrument made the sound. This can also be a small group activity during the work cycle.
Yoga, Zoology & Peace Education Ideas
You don’t need yoga mats to add yoga into your circles! If you do have yoga mats they are helpful for children to stay within a designated space. If you do not have yoga mats it may be helpful to begin yoga time with a quick discussion about the rules for keeping everyone safe:
1. The spot you choose is the spot you stay in. (Explain if everyone moves around this middle of the circle people can bump into each other and get hurt)
2. Hands to yourself. (Unless we are doing a special “partner pose” we keep our hands on our own bodies for yoga)
3. Listening ears on. (Just like every other circle ☺)
We open and close our circles the same way every time, creating a routine which the children become accustomed to.
We begin our yoga/movement circles by centering and calming ourselves. This ties in well with the Peace curriculum. We exaggerate the actions spoken in this poem and gradually increase the time we hold the silence over the year.
I cross my legs (uncross & re-cross legs)
I put my hands in my lap (raise hands, clasp them, set down in lap) I sit up veeeery straight (sit tall, roll shoulders up, back and down) I close my eyes (squint eyes closed)
I ask my mouth not to talk (shake head from side to side)
I take a deep breath (inhale & exhale)
And together we make silence. ~Author Unknown
Following our silence we begin our yoga story of the animal family we are studying. Depending on your class, you may find that after the opening poem may be the best time to do your zoology culture circle and then finish the circle with the zoology yoga story and poses, or the reverse. Sometimes the stories are fun & fictional and sometimes they have to do with the life-cycle of that animal.
Please check the blog for posts with free yoga stories and corresponding poses… or get creative on your own!
During my Montessori training with CGMS we were introduced to the beautiful Universal Greeting from the wisdom of Mahatma Gandhi. This is how we close our yoga circles together.
I Offer You Peace (palms up together with elbows bent, stretch arms forward)
I Offer You Love (palms to heart)
I Offer You Friendship (hands clasped in front of chest)
I See Your Beauty (cover eyes with both hands, open hands to reveal eyes)
I Hear Your Needs (cup hands behind ears)
I Feel Your Feelings (cross arms over chest, hands rest rear shoulders)
My Wisdom Flows From the Highest Source (left hand palm up at chest, right palm up at head move hand from head down to join left hand)
I Salute that Source in You (both palms together in prayer position at chest, bow head slightly)
Let Us Work Together for Unity and Love (gently hold hand of person next to you)
While we are holding hands in our circle we send a gentle “friendship squeeze” around the circle to remind us that we are all connected and part of a special classroom community. I generally take this time to acknowledge each child.
“Each one of you is very special. There is no one in the world exactly like you! Our class would not be the same if one of you was missing. We are so lucky to have Anna here, and Rowan, and Liam and … each of you is an important part of our community!”
Be sure to make eye contact and give a smile to each child as you acknowledge them.
The final thing to remember is that YOU ARE AMAZING! It takes a special type of individual to guide children with such care. Your enthusiasm for the Montessori curriculum is contagious. If you are excited about what you are introducing to the children they will be too! I hope some of these ideas become classroom favourites or inspire you to create your own. Please contact me anytime with any questions or to share new ideas!
Best Wishes, Sarah Perritt
