5 ‘Unique’ Ways To introduce Primary Schoolers To The Carnival Of The Animals
See below for a Free Printable Pack to go with the post.
The Carnival of the Animals can be used to get kids of any age into appreciating and learning about music.
I know tons of homeschool moms simply love this piece of music and never fail to introduce their kids to it.
Now, you may be one of those moms who introduced your child to the Carnival of the Animals when she was very young, but were you able to engage her further with other activities?
If you did, that is wonderful.
Unfortunately however, most moms I know only get their kids to listen to the Carnival of the Animals but don’t take the activities any further.
So in this post I’m going to talk of five very unique ways in which you can gain engagement from your kids through the study of the Carnival of the Animals.
Don’t forget to download the printables that I have made available in order to take your kids’ learning to the next level.
So let’s get started engaging your primary schoolers right now.
Listening And Identifying Instruments
Yes, simply listening to the movements is not enough, in order to gain maximum benefits from this piece, you can have them identify the instruments played in each movement.
You can ask them to write down their guesses.
Once they are done listening to all fourteen movements, you can ask them to research and find if their guesses were correct or not.
Reflection
You can ask your kids to listen to just one movement at a time.
Then ask them to reflect on these aspects of the movement – mood, dynamic (volume, pace, pitch) and instruments used.
How the tune made them feel and if it appropriately depicted the animal of choice in the movement?
The worksheets in the printable I have made available would be ideal for this activity.
Research The Composer
With this activity your kids can embark on a journey to find out more about the Camille Saint Saens. Research about his life, his education, the musical background, his compositions, the era of music he lived in and so forth.
Instrument Study
Your kids can select a single instrument or decide to embark on a multi instrument study.
You can even DIY an instrument study unit for them. Read my post 5 Awesome Instrument Study Activities For Primary Schoolers.
Alternatively you can also use the worksheets I have included in the printable for this purpose.
Visit The Zoo
How about visiting the zoo? Or take in a live performance?
Another great idea is to go to a circus to watch the animals perform.
Can you think of other ways in which to use the Carnival of the Animals to engage your kids?
Please comment below.
Don’t forget to download the printable.
Karen Cadera
Founder/Creator
Mom, Teacher, Minimalist, Zero Waste Enthusiast, Multi Pod.
This program reminded me (and allowed me to teach my son) how to read music. To me, that was the most important thing that we learned together. Of course, it was very rewarding for me to watch my son play the piano with both hands at the same time, while reading sheet music. His favorite parts of the course were actually playing the songs and doing the worksheets provided.
Download the FREE Carnival of the Animals Worksheets
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