Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Boom Snap Clap!

Do you remember hand-clapping games? Say say oh playmate? Or Miss Mary Mack? Or, if you are a child of the...let's see, it was the eighties...
Bigmacfilletofishquarterpounderfrenchfriesicycokethickshakessundaesandapplepies

Yeah, you know who you are. Me, I used to spend hours with my best friend Jenny Kenny making up new hand clapping combinations to television jingles. I had sort of forgotten that treasure of an activity until this winter, when Dan and I sat planning our road map for the choir class that we teach for homeschoolers every week. After a year and a half of being involved in one way or another, under different direction, we had decided to not make it a performance-oriented class, but more of an exposure to all things musical kind of class. We do a lot with rhythm, listening, solfege, rounds, and of course, we learn songs. As we were brainstorming what kinds of things might spark some excitement in the kids, we thought of hand-clapping games. I was feeling a bit rusty (though that Bigmac one is imprinted indelibly in my brain), so I turned to the internet for a refresher. Most of what I found I decided I did not want to teach to my own kids (who are also in the choir) - lots of inuendoes, word slips, LOTS of who's kissing who...it was a bit depressing. I also couldn't imagine the boys in the choir being very interested in "say say oh playmate". I started looking on Youtube, and I didn't have to look very far. The clean-cut teens of the Latter Day Saints came through for me! Dan and I stayed up late one night, learning a whole slew of new rhythmic hand-clapping games that are perfect for Eliza and the older kids in the group. I thought I'd share, as they've been so much fun...I love that she is old enough to do this with.
BOOM!
SNAP!
CLAP!

See the videos created by the LDS ladies here - they break each game down and go through it slowly so you can learn while watching. Eliza and I are working on learning the "cup" games...
Have fun!

5 comments:

Annie said...

I was JUST talking about this with Lily the other day. I was remembering the smartie song we used clap to.

Stephanie said...

I was like, "big, mac, mama, whaaaa???..."
and then, "Ooooh!, you said eighties! :) Say, say (from the seventies) was more of what I know. :)
Orange corduroy bell-bottomed pants and green turtleneck with a tiny Pooh embroidered on it...

I actually bought a book a while back called "schoolhouse rhymes" or some such thing. (prob'ly six years ago.) I should check it out to see if there's anything that would interest Madd.

And that reminds me!! I'm supposed to look up the "the other day" [the other day], "I met a bear..." [I met a bear...] song.
off to it.
:)

slim pickins said...

now, that's what i'm talkin about - i knew i wasn't the only one!

Jenny said...

Jenny Kenny is smiling. :)

alissa said...

i think that you and jenny kenny made up that big mac one. i don't think anyone else knows that! and the jello one? remember that? yeah. i thought you guys were so cool...
i think that jessica robin taught me that slide one and i've been trying and trying to remember it! so thanks for that link! those are awesome.