Catherine of the blog Nettle's Notes provides a fun activity that mixes music exploration with art.
Supplies You'll Need
- Glass jars (one for each color in the palette)
- Wooden spoon
- Watercolor paints
- Kids paint brushes
- Black permanent marker
To set up, place your jars in a row and prepare a pitcher of water. Invite your students to gather around the table so they can watch as you pour the water into the jars in a "stepped up" fashion (e.g. if you have six jars of the same size and shape, fill the first jar to it's 1/6 mark, the second to 1/3, the third to 1/2, and so on). Next, use a bit of paint to "color" the water in each glass with a different color.
Explain to your students how the different water levels will create different musical tones and demonstrate using a wooden spoon. (Note: This is a great science lesson!) Next, pull out a strip of card stock or a sentence strip and draw a long line down the center, adding circles along its entirety. With a paint brush and watercolors (that match the colored water in the jars), explain to your students that these circles are music notes and that you're going to write a song! When finished, play your song for the children and give them the supplies to write their own! At the end of the exercise, have each student come to the front and help them "play" their made-up tune!
