Materials
Various familiar objects: scissors, pencil, block, sponge, book, etc.
What to do
1. Ask the children to name each object to be used in the activity. Use as few or as many as you think appropriate for the age and abilities of the children.
2. Drop each object on the floor and urge the children to listen carefully to the sound each one makes.
3. The child who is "It" sits on a chair with her back to the collection of objects.
4. A second child chooses one item and drops it on the floor behind the child who is "It."
5. The child who is "It" must try to guess which object the other child dropped just by using her sense of hearing. She may then look behind her to see if the guess was correct.
More to do
Games: Extend the activity by making a sound-sorting game. Children collect pictures of things such as a fire engine, kitten, lion, snowflakes, vacuum cleaner, etc. The challenge is to sort objects into bags labeled "LOUD" and "SOFT." Justify your choice by imitating the sound.
Original poem
Chant or sing:
Clap, clap, clap your hands,
Loud as can be.
Clap, clap, clap your hands,
Do it now with me.
Repeat, substituting the word "Softly" with an appropriate action. Let the children select other actions that can be done both loudly and softly.
-Iris Rothstein, New Hyde Park, NY
