Classroom or Family Parachute Giveaway
Few items require the teamwork of a parachute, and even fewer are as fun to use. I have searched and studied reviews and have chosen a 10' parachute for one of our lucky readers.
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Teamwork through Gross Movement
Parachutes are so fun! Children love the bright colors and the opportunity to participate in an activity circle. In fact, one of the biggest issues a teacher will have is not getting children to participate, but to maintain order as children become a little too excited. One of the easiest ways to do this is to teach the kids a poem or song before bringing out the parachute, as the kids will be distracted by the desire to play once they have the parachute in their hands.
There are a myriad of games one can play with a parachute, but since this IS a music website, I will be focusing on poetry and singing games.
One poem my children are very familiar with comes from Sparkabilities, a video series for babies that we enjoy, so I adapted it for the parachute. In the original, the parent moves a baby's limbs according to the actions. We had to say the poem very slowly to be able to use it with the parachute, but they didn't mind.
"Up and Down, Up and Down,
Up and down and up!
In and out, in and out,
In and out and in! (take a step inward then outward)
Switch, switch, switch, switch,
Switch, switch, switch. (move hands up and down quickly. If holding two handles, switch hands up and down, creating a jiggling motion.)
And around, and around, (move in a circle)
Other way, other way. (change directions)
Using a Parachute to teach music
Not only is parachute play great for encouraging teamwork and physical movement, but they're great for learning music as well! Things like steady beat and performing on cue are taught, but I find it most valuable as an overarching sense of musicality is internalized as children sing and dance together.
The two singing games I played with my children yesterday were "Ring around the Rosies" and "London Bridge". "Ring around the "Rosies" is pretty self-explanatory. Sing and dance in a circle, and pull the parachute down to the floor when you all fall down. The video below adds a second verse, "Cows are in the meadows eating buttercups. Ashes, ashes, we all stand up." Children pretend to eat buttercups and then pull the parachute up at the end of the verse, preparing them to sing again.
For London Bridge, we pulled the parachute up and down during the first verse. When we got to "Take the key and lock her up", we invited one child to sit in the middle and experience the parachute going up and down over them as the rest of us continued to move the parachute up and down. We could have continued with the rest of the verses, but my kids only really know the first two so we simply sang the 2nd verse multiple times in a row until everyone who wanted a turn had the opportunity.
Don't stop there! There are dozens and dozens of singing songs and games to choose from. I've found a video to get you started, as well as a few websites that may be of interest.
Parachute Play with Babies and Toddlers
Notes and Observations
Parachutes come in many different sizes. The smallest ones are about 6-feet and are best for small preschool groups. I have seen them as big as 20-feet, which is best for very large groups of children. The one I selected is 10-feet, which to me "just right". Baby bear would agree. I've wanted to get a parachute for a long time and our family is finally getting big enough that I can enjoy parachute play with my children alone. But even without 5 kids in tow, this is a good size for a play-date or extended family get-together. It is also large enough for small preschool groups or classroom rotation. There are 12 handles, but more children can play along by grabbing a spot in between, or by taking turns running under the parachute while others do the not-so-heavy lifting.
There were several 12-foot parachutes on Amazon, but they didn't have as good reviews as the 10-foot one, and I was impressed by the quality when it arrived yesterday, so I am happy with our choice and feel confident that our giveaway winner will be happy too. Good luck!
Enter the giveaway and learn more below. We will be purchasing the prize for the winner.
Find out more about the 10' parachute the winner will receive on Amazon. Giveaway ends Friday at midnight, April 15th. Winner gets (1) parachute.
