Happy Top 10 Tuesday, friends! Today, we are celebrating the month of April with some April showers by adding some fun musical sounds to the book “One Rainy Day” by M. Christina Butler. It is a delightful story for preschoolers, and your child will love making the sounds of rain along to the book.
To do this activity, you will need the following items:
(1) The book, “One Rainy Day.” I am sure you can find it at the library, but click HERE to view it on Amazon.com. Here is a picture of the cover of the book, too:
(2) A rain stick. I personally have always liked the see-through rainsticks, as I think it’s cool for a child to see how they work. Click HERE to go to Amazon to view one for purchase.
(3) Rhythm sticks. Anything you can bang together to keep a rhythm will do, but click HERE to see traditional rhythm sticks on Amazon.
The Activity
This activity is meant for preschoolers ages 2 and up though toddlers may be able to add some of the rain sounds to the book with some assistance.
The story is about a hedgehog who plays in the rain. He hears the sound of the rain: ”Pitter-pat. Pitter-pat. Pitter-pat.” This is the sound you should tap out on the rhythm sticks. You can count out the rhythm, too: 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3.
Soon in the story, the pitter patter sound turns into a big storm. With the big storm, the rainstick can be played. Have your child practice playing the separate musical parts. Now, have the child play the “pitter-pat” rhythm with the sticks while you play the rainstick. Trade. You and your child will be playing corresponding sounds at the same time that will blend well together and sound like rain. This is a great introductory activity to talking to your child about bands or orchestras. Once you and your child have mastered both parts on both instruments, try to create a rain band together with various tempos and dynamics. Figure out how you can vary the rain sounds to make it sound as realistic as possible.
I hope you have enjoyed today’s Top 10 Tuesday musical activity. Please check back every week for some more musical fun. For a complete list of the Top 10 Tuesday instruments under $40 that will help promote music education in the home, click HERE. For an archive of previous Top 10 Tuesday musical activities, click HERE. Thank you for helping share the joy of music with your child. Until next Tuesday, play on!
