Spring Time!
Spring has many wonderful elements we can bring into our home and classroom. This dance exercise is based on Baby Birdies hatching from their shells!
I found this song in my Wee Sings Children Songs & Fingerplay book, and although it suggests some hand motions, I decided to turn it into a full body dance. In my class, it is a wonderful way to move onto the next exercise from sitting in our warmup circle. A few notes to go with the video below:
in my Creative Ballet classes, as Birdie stands I place my feet into 1st position, usually students will notice this and follow suit. Some do, some don't, but its a nice way to sneak in a little ballet technique.
The same goes for the movement on "Now her legs she streches"; I always straighten my knees while keeping my body bent over - students will follow suit and it gives them a nice practice for Port De Bras/balancing with straight knees while bent over (which can be quite difficult for little ones to get the hang of!). However, in my Movement classes that are not ballet-centric, I do not always stand in 1st.
I sometimes will use the "Down"s to move the group to another part of the room where the next exercise will begin. Do what is appropriate for your class, and your students!
Start by encouraging them to make a small shape, and pretend they are a baby birdie in a shell (you can take a moment to narrate a small guided meditation about how warm and safe it is in a shell to help the little ones relax a bit)
The lyrics are to the tune of a scale up and down:
"Here's a baby birdie, she's hatching from her shell
Out pops her head and then comes her tail
Next her legs she stretches, her wings she gives a flap
Now she flies and flies and flies now what do you think of that?
Down down down down down down down down"
I hope this exercise brings a smile to all of your baby birdies :)
-KB
