In the second half of the Summer term, we’ve been thinking about everything that grows at Bangers & Smash!
Thanks to Crystal Nurseries for this beautiful artwork!
Building on our previous sessions exploring All Kinds of Weather, Kitty ran growing-themed sessions at regular Bangers & Smash nurseries, Under the Willow, School Outdoors Dulwich, The Oval Montessori, Purple Jay and Crystal Nurseries.
She also presented a special session featuring Bangers & Smash co-founder, Sarah Allen, in celebration of The Oval Montessori’s Music Week.
Regular Bangers & Smash nurseries
Each week, regular Bangers & Smash nurseries explored songs and activities on the theme of Everything Grows.
Staff and children enjoyed:
performing a hand rhyme, Open, Shut Them, which allowed them to work on their dexterity and spatial awareness by clenching and stretching their fingers
helping Bunny in a Bucket (a toy rabbit with his own set of gardening tools) to plant a seed
Bunny in a Bucket
creating a rain poem using repeating word rhythms and body percussion:
Pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter patter
Drip… drop… drip… drop…
Pssssssshhhhhhh
performing a chant, Come On, Sun!
curling up like a tiny seed then growing into a tall plant while performing a rising vocal glissando
singing a song about a seed, Push Little Seed
singing Everything Grows by Canadian children’s songwriter, Raffi:
The actions in this song allowed the children to work on their fine motor skills
singing My Roots Go Down by American author and musician, Sarah Pirtle:
The actions in this song allowed the children to work on their gross motor skills
performing Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary:
In this song, Kitty put two 'sounds' in the middle of the circle – a set of bells and a shaker made from goats' horns (which look and sound a bit like shells) to represent Mary's ‘silver bells and cockle shells’. Children took it in turns to choose one then the other to shake, before walking round the circle tapping their friends on their heads during the line, ‘And pretty maids all in a row’
looking at pictures of flowers and tapping their names with claves over a pulse:
Rose
Daisy
Daffodil
Dandelion
learning a poem, One Little Flower, and performing it using coloured scarves
waving their scarves over their heads while singing, I Can Sing A Rainbow
looking at a picture of a wildflower meadow and listening to Kitty Pidduck original, Wildflowers In The Grass, while growing into wildflowers:
This quiet ballad ends with a gentle melody played on flute, during which the children inhale while stretching their arms up high then exhale while spreading them out like petals
Under the Willow and School Outdoors Dulwich
In addition, children at Under the Willow and School Outdoors Dulwich created their own vocal piece, Bing Bing Baka Boo.
Originally inspired by one child’s reaction to seeing Kitty’s guitar, the piece grew into a 10-minute improvisation involving chanting, junk percussion and dancing!
Kitty also riffed with a child on the subject of bees – another lovely moment!
Little Bee, Buzzy Bee
Music Week at The Oval Montessori
Kitty and Bangers & Smash co-founder, Sarah Allen, joined staff and children at The Oval Montessori on Tuesday 11 June in celebration of Music Week.
The children loved learning about Sarah’s accordion!
As well as playing bells and claves while Sarah demonstrated her flute and accordion, the children sang and danced to nature-themed songs, including Kitty Pidduck original, Owl Babies.
Happy holidays from Bangers & Smash!
And so we come to the end of another fab year of musical fun at Bangers & Smash.
Big thanks to all staff, children, parents and carers for making it so rewarding – have a lovely Summer and see you in September!