Ideas for a school celebration of spring
April 17, 2010 4:01 PM Subscribe
I'm planning a spring assembly for my school, and I welcome all sources of spring nonsense, jollity and folklore.
Picture about 500 kids, kindergarten through 5th grade, in a large space, gathered together to celebrate the coming of May. There's an emcee, a terrific performer who has worked as a clown and can sing and do comedy and build props. (It isn't me, I'm just planning the spectacle.)
The emcee has some good bits and ideas of his own, and the students will be singing various spring-related songs. But I'd love your ideas about spring celebrations, especially based around traditional May Day festivals. (I've never been to one.)
If you can think of any pageantry, tomfoolery, folklore, poems or participation that kids might enjoy, I'll thank you for them.
Picture about 500 kids, kindergarten through 5th grade, in a large space, gathered together to celebrate the coming of May. There's an emcee, a terrific performer who has worked as a clown and can sing and do comedy and build props. (It isn't me, I'm just planning the spectacle.)
The emcee has some good bits and ideas of his own, and the students will be singing various spring-related songs. But I'd love your ideas about spring celebrations, especially based around traditional May Day festivals. (I've never been to one.)
If you can think of any pageantry, tomfoolery, folklore, poems or participation that kids might enjoy, I'll thank you for them.
My K-8 school used to do May Day dances. Every grade (80ish kids) learned a dance and performed it for the rest of the school. It was actually kind of awesome. I remember doing the Chicken Dance as a kindergartener, and again as an 8th grader while assisting kindergarteners. Another year we did something to "I Heard it Through the Grapevine," with most of the choreography taken from the California Raisins. I think the 8th graders also got to do the maypole dance.
It might be too late to start learning dances (I think we practiced for 2 months or something like that) but maybe the whole school could do the chicken dance together. It's super super easy.
posted by mollymayhem at 4:32 PM on April 17, 2010
It might be too late to start learning dances (I think we practiced for 2 months or something like that) but maybe the whole school could do the chicken dance together. It's super super easy.
posted by mollymayhem at 4:32 PM on April 17, 2010
I'm planning a second grade spring show for my students and I need some suggestions. So glad you posted this question.
posted by HotPatatta at 4:35 PM on April 17, 2010
posted by HotPatatta at 4:35 PM on April 17, 2010
How about showing up with this kind of spring?
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 7:30 PM on April 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 7:30 PM on April 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
Tom Lehrer's Poisoning Pigeons in the Park is an enjoyable springtime romp, although perhaps not entirely appropriate for that age group. ;-)
Also, I like the idea of each grade learning a song/dance to perform for the others -- I'd definitely check out Raffi, especially for the younger kids.
posted by naturalog at 8:22 PM on April 17, 2010
Also, I like the idea of each grade learning a song/dance to perform for the others -- I'd definitely check out Raffi, especially for the younger kids.
posted by naturalog at 8:22 PM on April 17, 2010
Chocolate Pickle just triggered a childhood flashback: My mother took a pillbox hat, stuck a cone-shaped bedspring on the top, festooned it with fake flowers and called it her Spring Hat. Standard disclaimer: If you were to do this with/for kids, the ends of the springs would have to not be pointy.
posted by sageleaf at 11:16 AM on April 18, 2010
posted by sageleaf at 11:16 AM on April 18, 2010
My students can't stomach Raffi. Pre-k and kindergarten kids like him, but, in my experience, his music has bombed with most kids who are any older.
posted by HotPatatta at 4:43 PM on April 23, 2010
posted by HotPatatta at 4:43 PM on April 23, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by chrisamiller at 4:06 PM on April 17, 2010