Introducing NutcrackerPosted by Charlotte
I found a fun idea for the March on another site. I've been using it with K and 1st, but 2nd might like it, too. I got some big plastic candy canes (the skinny kind that you can put in your yard - they had lights in them and I just pulled the cords out). The candy canes turn into "horses" and the kids march on the first two phrases
and gallop on the next two, alternating throughout the song. I only have 9 candy canes, so I have two other groups: woodblocks for the marching and jingle bells for the galloping. They really like it!As far as introducing it, I've been using pantomime and communicating without words as my introduction. You can have them sing a familiar song (I used Rudolph) with hand motions, then take away the words and just do the hand
motions. The I as "If someone was watching, would that person understand what the song was about?" We talk about pantomime a little, then connect it to ballet and telling an entire story without words.I'm afraid I might be a little ambitious, but I'm having my 2nd graders divide into groups and choreograph their own versions of the March, Chocolate, Tea, Trepak, and Ginger.
Posted by BW
I do a similar activity with the candy cane horses. I have a soldiers group march with laminating tubes and another group are the mice with headbands. I always do it with k.
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