Connie Bergstein Dow

 

 

 Clap and rub your hands together to stay warm in the cold winter night!

 

 

"Owl Moon" Dance Story

 

 

"Owl Moon," by Jane Yolen, with beautiful illustrations by John Schoenherr, is a Caldecott Medal-winning picture book (Philomel Books).  It is a simple, magical story about a young girl and her father. It takes place in winter, at night, with different animals hidden in the pages. It can be incorporated into any lesson plan about the fall/winter season. Once you have read the book to the children, try the following movement activity.

 

Music:  A soft, instrumental musical selection, such as a selection from the group Wyndham Hill

 

Space:  The children can move all together in the shared space, or you can divide them up into two or three groups, with one group dancing while the others watch. Give the audience group a task, such as, Watch the other children dance and see if you can imagine what an owl looks like when he is flying through the forest at night.

 

 

 

Say to the children:

 

Now that we have read the story, imagine you are the owl from the book. You have big eyes that can see in the dark, you can turn your head very far in both directions, and you have big talons and huge, feathery wings. I will play some music. (Allow time for the children to develop each prompt through movement. Then move on to the next prompt).  

 

 

 

  What does it feel like to be an owl?  Perch on a high branch.  Now look all around at the forest and the sky.

 

  Now we will take off from our high branch, and fly into the forest.  

 

 

  What do you see far down below?

 

Continue the activity:

 

  What other animals might you see in the forest at night?  Can you dance like the bird? 

 

  The deer? 

 

  The fox?

 

  The raccoon?

 

  The field mouse?

 

 

 

  Now let's imagine we are the little girl, trudging back home in the snow with her father.  

 

  The snow is very deep!  Take big steps and lift your legs high to get through the snow.  

 

  Make shapes with your footprints: Can you make the shape of the moon in the snow? Star shapes? What other shapes would you like to make in the snow? 

 

  Now, step through the snow as fast as you can.

 

Conclude the activity:

 

  Look, there is your house in the distance!  We are almost home. Shiver and rub your hands together. Jump up and down to try to get warm. 

 

  Now imagine you open the door and go inside your cozy house.  

 

  Walk up the stairs, lie down in your bed, yawn and stretch, pull the covers up, and think about the amazing owling adventure you had in the cold winter night.  

 

  What will you dream about?

                     Hold on tight!

 

 

Part 1 

 

Hold on Tight, Little Leaf!

 

You're a leaf in the autumn sun,

Clinging to a branch of a tall oak tree. 

Here comes a breeze. Try to hold on! 

Swing and twist, but don't let go.

A gust of wind comes along,

You flip and flop, but cling to the branch.

The wind rushes in, the tree sways again,

With a little "ping" you finally let go.

Swirling, twirling, you drift to the ground.

 

Part 2 

 

Leaf Pile

 

Run and skip and leap through the leaves! 

Clomp and stomp and listen to them crunch.

Hold them in your hand. Smell the dry, earthy scent.

Throw them in the air with your arms reaching high.

 

Now make a leaf pile, tall and wide.

Grab a rake, and sweep them up.

Gather the leaves in a colorful mound.

Look! Our pile is growing high.

 

Here comes the best part, ready, set, go!

One by one we run and jump.

High in the air, over the pile.

One more time, we jump right in!

 

 

Movement Prompts

 

Read Part 1 aloud, and then read it again, using the following movement prompts after each line:

 

Line 1: Imagine you're a leaf. What color are you? What shape?

Line 2: Cling to the branch

Line 3: Hold on tight!

Line 4: Now twist, swing, but don't let go 

Line 5: Sway with the breeze

Line 6: Flip, flap, flop while still holding on

Line 7: Sway harder with the big gust of wind

Line 8: You can't hold on. You finally let go!

Line 9: How many ways can you move like a leaf as you slowly float to the ground?

 

Read Part 2 aloud, and, as above, read it again, using the following movement prompts:

 

First Stanza:

 

Line 1: Run, skip, gallop, leap

Line 2: Clomp, stomp, then freeze and listen

Line 3: Imagine you pick up leaves, crunch them and smell the aroma

Line 4: Throw them in the air!

 

Second Stanza:

 

Line 1: Walk around in a big circle

Line 2: Imagine you grab a rake and begin to rake up the leaves

Line 3: Continue to rake as you make a big pile

Line 4: Show how high the leaf pile is!

 

Third Stanza:

 

Line 1: Imagine you are lining up and crouching down to get ready to run.

Line 2: One by one, run and jump

Line 3: Run and leap into the air, as high as you can

Line 4: Jump high, then fall gently into the pile

 

To finish the activity, play some upbeat music for the children to dance freely. as they think about their favorite things about the autumn season. At the end of the music, prompt them to fall gently to the floor, like the little leaf in the chant who clung to the branch, then finally let go and drifted to the ground.

Do your little ones love to move, groove, dance, tap, rap, play, bend, twist, stomp, chant, freeze, balance, make silly shapes, jump, hop, slither, stretch, crawl, leap, tiptoe, twirl, and gallop? 

 

Our new picture book TAP AND RAP, MOVE AND GROOVE (Free Spirit Publishing) will inspire them to do all of these and more, plus they will use their imaginations while having fun.

 

The fourteen original dance chants, like "Tappity Rap," "Thumbs Up," "Lively Feet," and "Quack, Quack, Quack, Moo!" provide everything you need for a creative, playful dance activity, while at the same time, reinforcing early literacy skills. The activities also nurture important developmental skills such as body awareness, spatial awareness, listening to and following instructions, multi-tasking, and problem solving.

 

One of the best parts about this book is the gorgeous illustrations by talented artist Debbie Palen. The beautiful, colorful pictures truly capture the joy and energy of children in movement. Little ones will love all of the lively and fun characters Debbie created.

 

TAP AND RAP, MOVE AND GROOVE is coming in October, 2023, and is available for pre-order now:

 

 

Bookshop.org

Free Spirit Publishing

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Target

 

 

Debbie and I are excited to share our fun-filled book with you!

 

 

 

Keep on dancing,

 

Connie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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