It is very important for primary kiddos to have opportunities to
experiment with instruments. We spend so much time teaching kids how to play
instruments correctly… but what really intrigues them, of course, is how to do
it dead wrong. I’ve found that you can constantly correct, or you can find ways
for students to experiment with how it feels to play incorrectly so they know
what not to do without constant reminders. They’ve already done it wrong, so
there’s not a need to do it later. Blue Hat, Green Hat is a great way to do
just that. (Get it from Amazon here.)
The premise of this book is very simple. Four friends are trying on
clothes that are blue, green, yellow, and red. Three always do it correctly,
but one always finds a way to mess it up. The colors change each page, so the
“oops” is a different color each time.
After we read the book, the students are sorted into four groups: Red,
Yellow, Green, and Blue. We do a movement that corresponds to the clothing item
(like moving your head for the hat). The three colors that are “correct” do the
correct movement. The “oops” color gets to do a silly movement instead. Once
they have the concept down, we move to instruments. The correct colors play
their instruments the correct way, and the “oops” group gets to play their
instrument incorrectly. I make sure to stress that you can be silly, but you
can’t hurt the instrument or any humans. The example I use with the kids is
blowing into a guiro instead of scraping it.
I love how versatile this book is. You can have all the kids have the
same instrument or have each group play different instruments. Students could
play each time or be sorted into color coded groups. I have also done this book
as an exercise in how to hold mallets. I eventually split students into color
groups, because it makes an easy transition to Elmer the Patchwork Elephant. I
like to use a lesson I saw Thom Borden present with that book that involves
color-coded groups composing using colored squares. This lays the groundwork
for it, and is a great activity by itself.
I hope your students have fun making experimenting with “oops”!
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