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?
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