MUSIC ON THE HALF
Learning about half notes!
This week in music we examined half notes! A half-note has the rhythmic value of two quarter notes or one half of a whole note.
Here is what it looks like:
To get the feeling for what half notes are like to play, we used rhythm sticks and recited a poem that I wrote called "Half Note Hippo"!
HALF NOTE HIPPO
(accentuate half-notes
on bolded areas)
Half note hippo
Goes so slow.
Through the water
He does go!
One beat, two beats
Not too fast!
Diving down and
Munching grass!
Though we joked about the hippo moving slowly through the water, I did tell the children all about hippos and how they are actually quite fast! We also learned that they are naturally somewhat cranky and mean, and that they primarily eat grass. A baby is called a calf, a mother a cow, and a father a bull! Hippos are from Africa and they have an unusual way of staying clean in the water. In shallow water beds, Euclid fish help clean the hippos by munching away at dead skin and parasites on the surface of the animal's skin. Yuck! =) We watched this super neat National Geographic video on the subject after using the rhythm sticks, and the kids were quite fascinated by it!
Threes and fours took a worksheet home with a cute hippo that had a few half notes hiding on it's body. I instructed the children to find and circle the half notes.
Our infants also enjoyed singing rhythms songs with castanets and singing peek-a-boo songs this week!
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD:
1) Can you clap some half notes? Click on the mp3 above to hear what they sound like.
2) What can you tell me about hippos? What do they like to eat? Where do they live? Are they fast or slow? Read the hippo facts above to find out!
3) (Threes and Fours) How did all of the fish help the hippo in the water? The fish helped to clean the hippos skin!
