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From the Montessori Music Room: "Hot Cross Buns" Song and Activities with Musical Tempo & Quarter Rest!

YOU MAY THINK THE "HOT CROSS BUNS SONG" IS REALLY SIMPLE UNTIL YOU SEE ALL THE WONDERFUL LEARNING  ACTIVITIES YOUR CHILDREN CAN ENJOY WITH THIS SONG! 



Recently, our Montessori music classes have been exploring the concept of "the rest" in music.


RHYTHM ECHOES
The quarter rest is the one that fits in with our echo rhythms. We have often practiced the rhythm:
"ta-ta-ta-sah" using the quiet sound of "sah" as the rest in the rhythm pattern. You can hear an example of our rhythm echoes HERE: Fun Videos at Magical Movement Company.

We placed our hands on our shoulders during the rest when echoing this rhythm pattern. This prepares the children for  placing their rhythm instruments on their shoulders when "playing" this rhythm later in the lesson.

During this lesson, we practiced resting our hands on our shoulders and not making any sound...so that it was like an actual quarter rest in music.

VISUALS TO PREPARE FOR THE MUSIC GAMES
Next, I showed the children a picture of fresh baked hot cross buns being taken out of the oven. I asked the children, "When the baker takes the hot cross buns out of the oven do you think they are freezing cold or hot?"
HOT, of course!

Photo by the artists at Dollar Photo Club
Then, we talked about how we sometimes blow on our food when it is a little too hot to eat. 

Photo by the artists at Dollar Photo Club
We pretended to hold a warm hot cross bun in our palms while we sang the "Hot Cross Buns" Song. 
We would blow on our "bun" during the quarter rest in the song:



This year, during the Spring/Easter season, I froze some hot cross buns so that I could bring them into the music room to show the children what hot cross buns actually are.

"HOT CROSS BUNS" MUSIC PROPS

I wanted the children to see real hot cross buns because I had made some music props that were hot cross buns made out of play dough so that we could do some fun music games with them. The children were fascinated that I had made them from play dough!

I used Crayola Model Magic to create several "hot cross buns" and let them dry out and harden over a week's time.


First, we passed these "props" around the circle in order to feel them and practice passing them in a clockwise direction. I told the children that next, our music game would be passing the hot cross buns quickly as if they were hot! The children like to use the music term, "Presto."

MUSICAL "HOT CROSS BUNS" HOT POTATO GAME
I played this recording of "Hot Cross Buns" in which the tempo accelerates (gradually gets faster and faster) and we passed the play dough hot cross buns quickly around the circle as if they were fresh out of the oven and hot!

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Mp3 is available at Amazon: HERE

This activity is a challenge for Preschoolers, but they really enjoyed this game and we all ended up laughing and having a fun time!

Later, we played and sang the "Hot Cross Buns" Song while playing bells. During the rest in the song, we placed our bells on our shoulders and tried not to make any sound! This activity works best when the children have a bell in each hand so that they rest them on each shoulder.
Available at Amazon
This activity works really well with rhythm sticks as well.
Here are the ones I like best:
Available at Amazon

MONTESSORI-STYLE "SAND PAPER QUARTER REST"
A few weeks later, our music class featured the quarter rest again, and I brought in my "sandpaper quarter rest" for the children to trace. I made this one from adhesive backed boat decking from Home Depot.

THE QUARTER REST AND THE GLOCKENSPIEL
This time, the children played the rhythm of the "Hot Cross Buns" on the Glockenspiel. We created a little classroom "band" with several children playing these small Glockenspiels in the middle of the music circle. Once again, we rested the mallets on our shoulders during the quarter rest in the song.
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The "Band" performed "Hot Cross Buns" this way:
  • First, everyone SANG while the players PLAYED. We all had to remember to place our hands (or mallets) on our shoulders during the rests in the song.
  • Next, we SAID the words while the players PLAYED.
  • Then, we ALL KEPT THE RHYTHM of the song by PATTING our knees while the players PLAYED. (No singing...no saying, just playing!) Challenging, but sounded great!
As the children gain skills, I will introduce the "Mi-Re-Do" of the song first by singing these in place of the words, "Hot Cross Buns". Later, the older children can play the "Mi-Re-Do" on the Glockenspiel (E-D-C bars). 

MONTESSORI BELLS AND "HOT CROSS BUNS"
In the classroom, you can also use the Montessori bells for playing "Hot Cross Buns." I have brought the E,D, and C bells and 3 mallets to the music circle and then I have invited 3 children at a time to play the song on the bells. I point to each child when it is their turn to play.

This classic 3 note song is a wonderfully versatile children's musical experience. I hope you and your group can enjoy some of these activities at your Montessori music circle, too!

I've linked up again with Montessori Monday Link up. There you'll find lots of articles and resources from Montessori educators world wide.

I am no longer an Amazon Affiliate and I DO NOT receive compensations from Amazon or any other product vendors. The links to various products in this Blog are ones that I use myself and are for your own reference and convenience. 














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