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Tap Sticks Idea


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Just wanted to share with you something that I tried out today at story time (a story that wasn't from a book but that we acted out instead).

 

Gave all the kids 2 tap sticks each, then I told them a story about "Bob the fisherman" - I saw this story being told on a CBeebies show and adapted it a bit to fit in vaguely with the "Slip, Slap, Slop" stuff that we do in the summer to remind kids to stay safe in the sun.

 

Bob wanted to go out to sea in his little rowing boat to catch a really big fish for his supper. So, we all climbed into our boats and grabbed our oars (sticks) and rowed and rowed and rowed out into the middle of the sea. Bob then thought that he had better do something about the sun that was beating down on him, so he slapped on his hat and slopped on his sun cream.

 

Then he picked up his fishing rod (tap stick), put a worm on the hook and cast it out to sea (lots of whistling noise followed by a "plop"). Then he sat and he waited (sigh) and waited (sigh) and waited (more sighing) and the only sound he could hear was the ticking of his watch (gently tapping sticks in a tick-tock stylee).

 

Then he felt something on the end of his line (shaking stick to indicate a bite) so he pulled ("heave-ho") and he reeled (can't really explain the noise I made here, but it had them all in stitches) and pulled, reeled etc a few times until with one last huge heave the fish "plopped" onto the boat. It was just a tiny fish, nowhere near big enough for his supper (made a tiny fish with our hands). So he threw it overboard (splosh), put another worm on the hook and cast out again.

 

Repeated this for a slightly bigger fish, which was thrown back in, then eventually got to a huge fish that nearly pulled us into the sea, huge heave and THUD when it landed on the boat. Boat begin to tip under the weight so we all "HEAVED" the big fish back overboard "SPEEERLOSSHHH".

 

The big fish was very unhappy about being caught so it swam at the boat and nearly tipped Bob overboard. Picked up the oars and rowed and rowed like crazy (you can probably picture it) until THUD we reached the shore, climbed out of the boat, and heaved it up onto the beach just before the fish got us!

 

Decided on beef pie for supper instead...

 

I have lots of ideas for this kind of thing now, inspired by visits to our setting by Alison the Music Lady so my thanks to her for the inspiration. Hope it is of use to some of you!

 

Cheers,

DDC.

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Decided on beef pie for supper instead...

Vegetarian alternatives are available... :o Aren't these tap sticks called claves, DDC? In any case, I shall print off your activity because it sounds like such fun - just what we need to liven us all up a bit!

 

Alison the Music Lady sounds like fun.. wish we had someone like her!

 

Maz

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Vegetarian alternatives are available... :o Aren't these tap sticks called claves, DDC? In any case, I shall print off your activity because it sounds like such fun - just what we need to liven us all up a bit!

 

Alison the Music Lady sounds like fun.. wish we had someone like her!

 

Maz

 

Vegetarian alternatives are of course available, just not on my watch! xD

 

Tap sticks, rhythm sticks, claves, call them what you like - the children understand "tap sticks" as they are sticks that you tap... :(

 

Alison is brilliant - she should travel a bit more and spread the word, very inspirational.

 

DDC

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Tap sticks, rhythm sticks, claves, call them what you like - the children understand "tap sticks" as they are sticks that you tap... xD

I only asked because I wanted to be sure of the terminology - what I know about music can be written (minus treble clef) on the round end of a tap stick... :o

 

Maz

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi all

 

How’s the rest of the world that’s not Gloucestershire doing? Hope you’re all well.

 

I came across a very effective way of getting an entire class to stop tapping their sticks all together and totally reliably, courtesy of “Jabulani”, a book by Carol Shephard, Bobbie Stormont, and Kate Sheppard.

 

Tell the children that if they all stop exactly together and point their sticks / beaters up to the sky / heaven all together then they can have a wish. Of course, they have to keep their wish secret or it won’t come true.

 

Give then a good chance of success with an audible, one bar long “aaaaaaaand STOP!”

 

 

This worked 100% of the time throughout reception, KS1 and KS2 and they all stopped on a sixpence to absolute silence.

 

I do hope their wishes came true as they’d all done such fantastic music with their sticks!

 

Cheers all

 

Ali (aka The MusicLady)

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Great ideas - thanks for sharing.

 

DDC - is it your birthday? If so..... many happy returns! :o

 

Sunnyday

 

It is, but birthdays are no big deal these days!

 

Thanks!

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