Submitted by Tina Morgan, Mississippi
Idea posted November 22, 2002
Here's something I've been doing with my 5th and 6th graders when they've been sitting too long and are getting restless.
I play an eight-beat pattern on the temple blocks and have them clap it. (You could use any instrument, I'm sure.) I've been playing ta ta ta ta titi titi ta Z. Then comes the fun part - I tell them to do the same pattern with their heads - funny to see their heads jerking back and forth, then the shoulders (their favorite, I think!), elbows, hips, knees, feet, then back up the body. I keep playing the pattern while we do this. It takes about a minute, gets out some of the wiggles, and loosens me up a bit, too!
This would be good for those of you who don't have much room for movement.