Once Upon a Dance Archives - Bear Paw Creek Movement props, bags and totes made in the USA. Fri, 22 Mar 2024 00:24:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://musicandmovementproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/cropped-Bear-Paw-Creek-Full-Color-Icon-Round-Crop-100x100.png Once Upon a Dance Archives - Bear Paw Creek 32 32 5 Children’s Books to Use With Movement Props for Read Across America Week & National Reading Month https://musicandmovementproducts.com/5-childrens-books-to-use-with-movement-props-for-read-across-america-week-national-reading-month/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=5-childrens-books-to-use-with-movement-props-for-read-across-america-week-national-reading-month Mon, 04 Mar 2024 19:23:21 +0000 https://musicandmovementproducts.com/?p=61095 5 Children's Books to Use With Movement Props for Read Across America Week & National Reading Month Did you know that March 2nd through the 6th is Read Across America Week? This week is the nation's largest celebration of reading. The National Education Association (NEA) […]

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5 Children's Books to Use With Movement Props for Read Across America Week & National Reading Month

Did you know that March 2nd through the 6th is Read Across America Week? This week is the nation's largest celebration of reading. The National Education Association (NEA) established this week of celebration to educate on the importance of reading and its benefits, especially for young children and adults.

Not only do we have Read Across America Week to celebrate, the entire month of March is National Reading Month! We are excited for the focus on literacy this month and thought it would be fun to compile a list of books that can be paired with our creative movement props.

Keep reading for 5 children's book ideas to use with movement props along with a book by one of our long-time friends, Maryann "Mar" Harman.

5 Children's Books to Use With Movement Props National Reading Month Read Across America Week Bear Paw Creek Creative Music and Movement with Props

1. "Wheels on the Bus" Book and Activity With the Stretchy Band

Wheels on the Bus has always been one of my favorite books. I have the 25th anniversary pop-up edition of this book and it is so fun to read, children are always fascinated with the interactive pages and the illustrations are beautiful. One of the great things about this book and song is that it is perfect to use as a Stretchy Band activity! This blog post by our friend, Carole Stephens, talks about the different movements you can do with the Stretchy Band while singing the song. Here is a snippet to give you an idea:

Start singing the traditional song, “The Wheels on the Bus”, while moving the band in circles away from your body. Children will follow along quickly. Below are motions for some of the additional verses. Feel free to add your own! This is definitely a favorite activity in my classes!

  1. Wheels — move Stretchy Band in circles away from body.
  2. Doors — legs straight out in front, lay back slowly, then sit up (yep, it’s sit-ups!).
  3. Windows — move Stretchy Band up’n’down- up on the word “up”, down on the word “down.”
  4. Wipers — move hands/band from side to side.
  5. People go bumpity-bump –— shake the band and wiggle all around.
  6. Babies cry — knock fists together, then apart quickly on “waa waa waa!”
  7. Repeat wheels verse to end the song

I'm also linking a few videos below to give you a visual idea of how to incorporate this fun Wheels on the Bus Stretchy Band activity into your next music and movement time. Including one where we customized the song and made it a "Wheels on the Tractor". Get creative with this activity and have fun with switching up a few words and changing the movements. Not only is this book and activity perfect for Read Across America Week and National Reading Month it's great to use year-round.

2. "Tammy the Troll: A Dance in the Forest" — A creative dance book to use with movement scarves!

Our friends at Once Upon A Dance released an adorable book last year titled Tammy the Troll: A Dance in the Forest. We were so excited when they reached out to us asking about collaborating to make a set with the book and some of our creative movement scarves. You can check out the set here.

Readers are invited to stretch, spin, jump and more as they act out the journey to find Tammy. Kids are invited to use a creative movement scarf as a backpack, a paddle, butterfly wings, a towel, and a pillow to enhance the fun and explore the movements, dnace fundamentals, and early-learning concepts.

As kids move along with the book’s diverse characters, they explore levels, direction, spatial awareness, emotions, balance, movement quality, and more. Dance stories are a wonderful way to combine books and movement for kids who love both, making them great for Read Across America Week. Tammy the Trolls: A Dance in the Forest is perfect for dance class, creative movement play, physical education, or any setting where children are inspired to explore and express themselves.

3. "Shake my Sillies Out" (Raffi Songs to Read)

Many of us are familiar with Raffi's classic song, "Shake My Sillies Out".  When I ran across this book, Shake My Sillies Out (Raffi Songs to Read) on amazon I was so excited and thought it would be a perfect addition to our list of books for Read Across America Week and National Reading Month.

My first thought for a movement prop to use with this book and song was a streamer. We have several different streamer options from hoops to fabric wrist scrunchies, ribbon and chiffon, primary or rainbow! I can see each child or student holding a streamer while they shake, clap, jump, and wiggle their way through this classic Raffi sing-along book. You could also do this with movement scarves. Both the streamers and scarves would be less stimulating as they would be soft and quiet even with kids getting excited and moving around.

Another option would be egg shakers, of course! We have a variety of different hand instruments available on our website including egg shakers. While they would definitely add an element of noise to your music and movement time, egg shakers would be very fun to use with Raffi's "Shake My Sillies Out".

4. "My Many Colored Days" — A Dr. Seuss Board Book to Use with Scarves

Did you know that National Reading Month was started as a way to honor Dr. Seuss' birthday and motivate people of all ages to read every day? Once I found this out, I knew My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss had to be on our list of books for Read Across America Week and National Reading Month. This book is perfect for learning and reinforcing skills such as:

  • Color recognition
  • Identifying and exploring moods and emotions
  • Starting and stopping — motor control
  • Creating movements to match music and words

We have a kit available on our site that includes My Many Colored Days board book, IDEAS Music Color CD, and creative movement scarves. We have a group kit option as well as a small kit to fit your needs. You can check out the kit here! The music tracks accompany the Dr. Seuss board book and creative movement scarves. It can be used for both classroom and individual use. The music is also perfect also perfect to use by itself for exploration of movement, mood, and creativity.

5. "My Color Book" — Use Bean Bags and Scarves to Practice Color Recognition

Help children love learning by incorporating this colorful and engaging book by Kathy Schumacher MT-BC at Tuneful Teaching. The book is also a great accompaniment for learning sign language. The following signs/motions are included: my, color, book, sun, yellow, pumpkin, orange, sky, clouds, white, plum, purple, apple, red, leaping, frog, green, ocean, blue, acorn, brown, rolling, tire, black, everywhere, in, out, eyes, and look/stare.

The colors included are: yellow, orange, white, purple, red, green, blue, brown, black

By using a movement prop in tandem with the My Color Book, you can provide something tactile to further reinforce the color concepts. Our Primary and Neutral pack of Bean Bags would be perfect as it includes all of the colors listed in the My Color Book. You could also build your own kit of movement scarves by choosing the colors you need.

As you read through the book, have your child or student point to or pick up the corresponding colored Bean Bag or Scarf. In a group setting, you could pass out the Bean Bags or Scarves and as each color is read, whoever is holding that color could do a fun movement or just lift it up and repeat the colors' name.

BONUS Book: "Building Brains with Music: A must have guide on how to use music to enhance brain development"

Last but not least, I have to recommend this book by Maryann "Mar" Harman. She is a music educator with a Bachelor's Degree in Music and a Master's in Education, with an emphasis on Early Childhood and is a certified Level I Orff. These degrees contribute to her ability to write songs that are musically and educationally sound for children's music as well as fun and easy to use for teachers and parents.

This book is all about using music to enhance brain development and in it, Mar discusses how to use movement props with music to further enhance music's incredible benefits. Her book also includes access to 27 of her amazing digital songs.

We collaborated with Mar to put together a kit with different props and instruments to go with her book. You can check out the Music with Mar. Student Manipulative Kit here or click here to check out the book only.

I hope after reading this blog post that you are left inspired and maybe have a few more ideas on how you can use books with our movement props. If you incorporate any of these activities into your next music and movement time and share any photos or videos, please tag us! We love to see them. You can find us @bearpawcreek on both Facebook and Instagram. If you have any more book suggestions for us, send us an email at info@bearpawcreek.com. Happy reading!

Madison Stephens

Madison Stephens

Madison has been a part of BPC her whole life. As a young child, she and her siblings helped stuff stretchy bands and flip bean bags. Over the last six years she has become even more involved and is now an official BPC employee with the role of seamstress and social media manager. When she’s not working, you’ll find her spending time with family and friends, going on walks with her dog, working with horses, or cooking and baking. Madison feels honored to have the opportunity to work alongside her mom, Janet Stephens, and be involved with the family business.

The post 5 Children’s Books to Use With Movement Props for Read Across America Week & National Reading Month appeared first on Bear Paw Creek.

]]> Music and Movement Bundle Giveaway — Helpful Harmonies & Bear Paw Creek https://musicandmovementproducts.com/music-and-movement-bundle-giveaway-helpful-harmonies-bear-paw-creek/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=music-and-movement-bundle-giveaway-helpful-harmonies-bear-paw-creek Tue, 19 Dec 2023 23:54:36 +0000 https://musicandmovementproducts.com/?p=60846 Music and Movement Bundle Giveaway — Helpful Harmonies & Bear Paw Creek With the holidays almost upon us, we would like to give back to all of our loyal customers and friends with a music and movement bundle GIVEAWAY! We have collaborated with Haleigh from […]

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Music and Movement Bundle Giveaway — Helpful Harmonies & Bear Paw Creek

With the holidays almost upon us, we would like to give back to all of our loyal customers and friends with a music and movement bundle GIVEAWAY! We have collaborated with Haleigh from Helpful Harmonies Music Therapy to put together a prize package with some of your music and movement essentials.

From Balloon Balls, to Connect-A-Stretchy Bands, to instruments, you don't want to miss out on this giveaway. Enter to win it for yourself or, enter to win to gift it to someone you love and think would enjoy it.

Keep reading to learn more about Helpful Harmonies and for more details on the music and movement bundle you could have the chance to win!

Bear Paw Creek Helpful Harmonies Music and Movement Bundle Holiday Giveaway

About Helpful Harmonies Music Therapy

First, a little bit more about our friend and partner in this giveaway. Haleigh Beaird is a wife, mom, Board Certified Music Therapist (#13057), and the owner of Helpful Harmonies Music Therapy based in Texas.

She has her Masters of Music Therapy from Texas Woman’s University, and a Bachelor’s in Music Therapy from Texas Woman’s University where she completed her 1,500-hour internship with Texas Health and Human Services at the Denton State Supported Living Center working with residents with intellectual disabilities.

Haleigh established Helpful Harmonies in 2022 to assist children with disabilities, adolescents needing mental health support, parents with young children in the community, and surrounding school district's special education programs.

Inclusion. Accessibility. Superior Support.

Helpful Harmonies Music Therapy was created with the intent that inclusion always comes first. For that reason, we are an affirming practice with Ally-trained therapists that believe in equity of services, accessibility of music therapy, and sustainable professional practices. Helpful Harmonies also promotes autonomy for all of their clients, which is the level of support that sets them apart from other practices.

Our mission is to create an inclusive environment for populations seeking accessible therapy and provide them with superior support through the entire therapeutic process.

To learn more about Haleigh and her passion for Music Therapy, click here. You can check out all that Helpful Harmonies has to offer here as well as some free resources she has available. Be sure to also follow Helpful Harmonies on Facebook and Instagram for inspiration, more free resources, activity ideas and more. Keep reading below for all the details on our music and movement bundle giveaway!

Music and Movement Bundle Giveaway — Helpful Harmonies Music Therapy and Bear Paw Creek
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Music and Movement Bundle Giveaway

And now, for the details you have been waiting for! Bear Paw Creek and Helpful Harmonies Music Therapy is giving away:

1. Music with Mar. Student Manipulative Deluxe Kit with Building Brains With Music Book

This kit contains one Rainbow Balloon Ball, two Bean Bags, a Kazoo, pair of Rhythm Sticks, a Lollipop Drum, Egg Shaker, Connect-A-Stretchy Band, two 25" movement Scarves, and one Small Play Parachute. It comes with a premium shoulder bag for easy storage! Also included is the amazing book by Maryann "Mar" Harman.

Building Brains with Music: A must have guide on how to use music to enhance brain development, is an incredible book that will teach you about the importance and benefits of music in early childhood. You will also receive access to 27 of Mar's digital songs.

2. 6 pack Primary Wrist Chiffon Streamers

Our creative movement streamers have been one of our top selling creative movement props since the beginning. These Primary Chiffon Wrist Streamers  are perfect for those who have the ability to grasp objects but are also inclusive to those who struggle with that task. The wrist option allows you to place them on an individuals wrists, allowing them to participate without having to struggle with grasping an object. While the colors are bright and fun, the chiffon is slightly less stimulating than the ribbon streamers since they are softer and "flow" through the air smoothly.

3. Theraputty with Miniature Items for Sensory Play

Our Theraputty set is a newer product and is sure to be a hit in your classroom or at home with your kids. While it looks like simply playing, there is so much more going on from strengthening hands and fingers, to sensorimotor development, along with the development of find motor skills.

4. Tammy the Troll: A Dance in the Forest — Book by Once Upon A Dance

Kids will love dancing along with Tammy, Ballerina Konora, and their new friends in this sweet adventure that’s perfect for preschool and kindergarten  kids and classrooms. Readers are invited to stretch, spin, jump and more as they act out the journey to find Tammy. Kids are invited to use a creative movement scarf as a backpack, a paddle, butterfly wings, a towel, and a pillow to enhance the fun and explore the movements, dance fundamentals, and early-learning concepts.

How to Enter to Win the Music and Movement Bundle

To enter for you chance to win this music and movement bundle, head on over to our Instagram or Facebook post (or both for even more entries).

All you have to do is make sure you're following us @bearpawcreek and @helpfulharmoniesmt, like the post, and comment your favorite holiday tradition! One comment = one entry. Be sure to read the caption for bonus entry options too.

Click here to enter on Facebook. (Just go to the pinned post on our profile)

Click here to enter on Instagram. 

This giveaway is open to the USA only and ends on Saturday, December 23 at 11:00 am CST. One winner will be drawn and contacted the same day. I also want to add that Bear Paw Creek will be messaging the winner directly and will not require any payment information. So, if anyone that looks suspiciously like us or Helpful Harmonies messages or tags you in a comment and it doesn't look legit, please ignore it! Scams are always bad this time of year and we don't want anyone to get caught in one.

Good luck to everyone entering our giveaway and as always, thank you for your continued support. We hope everyone has a very Happy Holiday!

Madison Stephens

Madison Stephens

Madison has been a part of BPC her whole life. As a young child, she and her siblings helped stuff stretchy bands and flip bean bags. Over the last six years she has become even more involved and is now an official BPC employee with the role of seamstress and social media manager. When she’s not working, you’ll find her spending time with family and friends, going on walks with her dog, working with horses, or cooking and baking. Madison feels honored to have the opportunity to work alongside her mom, Janet Stephens, and be involved with the family business.

The post Music and Movement Bundle Giveaway — Helpful Harmonies & Bear Paw Creek appeared first on Bear Paw Creek.

]]> New Book and Creative Movement Scarf Set with Once Upon a Dance https://musicandmovementproducts.com/new-book-creative-movement-scarf-set-once-upon-a-dance-music-movement-activities-preschoolers-kindergarteners/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-book-creative-movement-scarf-set-once-upon-a-dance-music-movement-activities-preschoolers-kindergarteners Mon, 06 Nov 2023 21:34:33 +0000 https://musicandmovementproducts.com/?p=60674 New Book and Creative Movement Scarf Set with Once Upon a Dance We have collaborated with our friends at Once Upon a Dance to bring you a new book and creative movement scarf set. Kids will love dancing along with Tammy, Ballerina Konora, and their […]

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New Book and Creative Movement Scarf Set with Once Upon a Dance

We have collaborated with our friends at Once Upon a Dance to bring you a new book and creative movement scarf set. Kids will love dancing along with Tammy, Ballerina Konora, and their new friends in this sweet adventure that’s perfect for preschool, kindergarten kids, and classrooms.

Readers are invited to stretch, spin, jump and more as they act out the journey to find Tammy. Kids are invited to use a creative movement scarf as a backpack, a paddle, butterfly wings, a towel, and a pillow to enhance the fun and explore the movements, dance fundamentals, and early-learning concepts.

Keep reading to learn more about this new book and creative movement scarf set!

"Tammy the Troll: A Dance in the Forest" Children's Book by Once Upon a Dance

Tammy the Troll: A Dance in the Forest is the first book in a series of prop-based movement stories that take kids on an imaginative journey using objects such as parachutes, bean bags, cushions, or balloons. In Tammy the Troll: A Dance in the Forest, readers are invited to stretch, spin, jump and more as they act out the journey to find Tammy. This book uses scarves and instructs the kids to use it as a backpack, paddle, butterfly wings, a towel, and a pillow which enhances the fun and allows children to explore movements, dance fundamentals, and early-learning concepts.

The book and creative movement scarf set is ideal for ages 3-6. As you read through the book and kids move along with the diverse characters, they explore levels, direction, spatial awareness, emotions, balance, movement quality, and more. The movements and concepts you will find in the book are:

Included Movements:

  • Tiptoe • Forward Stretch • March • Squat • Spin • Crawl • Jumping Turn • Toe Tap • Flex/Point • Sashay/Chassé • Lifted Leg Side/Front • Bow/Curtsy • Roll • Twist

Featured Concepts: 

  • Identifying Body Parts • Shoulder/Arm/Wrist/Finger/Neck Isolation • Direction: Forward/Backward/Sideways • Levels • Shapes • Movement Quality • Tactile Sensation • Cross Lateral Movement • Emotions • Following/Personal Space

Dance stories are a wonderful way to combine books and movement for kids who love both. Tammy the Trolls: A Dance in the Forest is perfect for dance class, creative movement play, physical education, or any setting where children are inspired to explore and express themselves. If you’re a caregiver, daycare provider, or teacher working with preschoolers, kindergarteners, or first-graders, your kids will love this active adventure. Tammy the Troll is a collaboration with Pacific Northwest Ballet instructor Dina McDermott, who used this story in her creative movement classes for decades.

New Book and Creative Movement Scarf Set with Once Upon a Dance and Bear Paw Creek
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Creative Movement Scarves

We always love finding music and books that fit well with our products and are so excited that Tammy the Troll encourages participation with creative movement scarves throughout the entire book. Our brightly colored chiffon scarves provide visual and kinesthetic reinforcement as they move through space with beautiful and flowing movement. They can help reinforce concepts of shape, size, colors, space, and also encourage active participation and hands on learning.

A few of the skills the book explores while using creative movement scarves are:

  • Direction
  • Spatial Awareness
  • Balance
  • Listening Skills
  • Hand-eye coordination

Scarf play is also a wonderful sensory activity that can benefit children of all ages and even adults. Swaying scarves along with music can encourage self-regulations skills while tossing scarves back-and-forth helps in the development of fine motor skills. Using creative movement scarves to hide objects helps develop focus and memory skills. Using scarves while dancing and following cues enhances listening skills. Creative movement scarves are an open-ended tool of infinite possibilities, limited only by the user’s imagination!

Book and Creative Movement Scarf Set

The book and creative movement scarf set combines all of the wonderful activities and learning opportunities in Tammy the Troll with all of the benefits of creative movement scarves into one literacy and movement bundle.

You can click here to check out the book and creative movement scarf set. To celebrate, it's on sale for a limited time!

If you're a teacher with a large class size or a parent with multiple children and need more than the two scarves in the kit, you can order more individual scarves to fit your needs here. You can stick with the purple and green provided in the kit or, you can get creative by expanding your scarf colors with the many options we have available.

Be sure to check out Once Upon a Dance and all of their other amazing creative movement stories. You can follow them on Facebook and Instagram as well to be notified when they release more books. If you use the book and creative movement scarf set with your children or students, be sure to tag us @bearpawcreek if you share any photos or videos. We would love to see the set in action!

Madison Stephens

Madison Stephens

Madison has been a part of BPC her whole life. As a young child, she and her siblings helped stuff stretchy bands and flip bean bags. Over the last six years she has become even more involved and is now an official BPC employee with the role of seamstress and social media manager. When she’s not working, you’ll find her spending time with family and friends, going on walks with her dog, working with horses, or cooking and baking. Madison feels honored to have the opportunity to work alongside her mom, Janet Stephens, and be involved with the family business.

The post New Book and Creative Movement Scarf Set with Once Upon a Dance appeared first on Bear Paw Creek.

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