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Preparing for the journey
Ask the children to imagine that they are going on a journey to another universe. To prepare for their journey they will need to record information about Planet Earth. They should begin by exploring their local environment. Children can take photographs, make sketches and collect specimens to send to their 'space lab' for analysis and classification.
This is also a great opportunity to introduce children to a range of musical instruments and musical styles. Tell them that their information about Planet Earth must include references to different music styles. Listen to a selection of music and classify as classical, contemporary, rock, opera, musicals, indie, pop and world music. Then, gather together a range of instruments and sort them into musical subgroups, such as brass, keyboard, string, percussion and wind instruments. Can the children think of any other ways of sorting them? Suggest dividing them into instruments of other cultures, handmade and manufactured, or electronic and natural sounds.
As an extension, children can use Photocopiable 2,'Design your own CD' (on the back of the poster), to make a personal collection of real or imagined music CDs to take on their space adventure.
Finish the journey's preparation by making a spaceship. If you have access to a large area, work alongside children to build a full-scale spaceship, using chairs, tables, boxes and a range of sheets, pegs and metallic fabric. Alternatively, create an instant spaceship by putting chairs in a large circle or rows. Children may want to sell tickets for their space journey or set up a system for booking seats in advance.
Ready for take off
Use the following simple chant (or better still, make up your own) to launch your rocket into Outer space. Children can perform the chant to develop the ability to use their voices expressively. It is also a good way to get children to practise voice control, rhythm and pace to create various engine sounds.
Think about the rhythm of the words. Start quietly and gradually get louder as the booster rockets fire up to full throttle. Keep the rhythm of each line constant to a steady beat, and invite the children to add body actions.
Put on my helmet 10 – 9
Fasten my seatbelt 8 – 7
Switch on the engine 6 – 5
Fire the boosters 4 – 3
Ready for take-off 2 – 1
Blast off! Whoooooooooooosh!
This is a simple counting action chant, and older children might like to compose a repetitive tune to match the words. Add musical instruments to the children's voices. Use simple instruments to create a sound that makes you think of something taking off, or try jumping up and down on the spot. Let the children experiment in groups to create sound effects for the spaceship as it travels through space. Make sounds that echo the movement of the spaceship, and ask, What sounds can you hear as we travel?
Time to rock
Now that they're in space, it's time for the children to have a go at singing some space karaoke! Visit www.scholastic.co.uk/interactive and download the exclusive 'Rockin' Robot song' from Shoo Fly's The Big Space Karaoke Songbook. Display it on your interactive whiteboard and introduce the children to the 'stars'. Ask them to put their hands together for the very cool Rockin' Robot and his best friend, the Silver Surfin' Spaceman. Let children use the template on Photocopiable 1 to make their own 'rockin' robots'. Then join the stars and sing along, play the air guitar, dance like a robot and rock!
Shake it all about
Hand out copies of Photo copiables 3 and 4, 'Robot sounds' and 'Planning a robot shaker'. In groups, let the children create 'robot shakers' and explore different robot sounds. To beg in the activity, listen carefully to the introduction of the Rockin' Robot song and identify some of the objects or instruments used to make the sounds. Children can then choose a robot from Photocopiable 3 and have fun by experimenting with tempo, dynamics and pitch. They should discuss and make decisions about what sounds are the best, using their voice or an instrument.
The journey home
Children need to use their imaginations alongside their music skills to create a piece of music to accompany them on a journey back to Earth. Space is full of all kinds of static and moving objects. If a star could make a sound, what might that sound be? Provide the children with a range of instruments and ask them to freely explore the imaginative 'sounds' of other objects in space. What sounds might planets, shooting stars, satellites, moons, constellations and black holes make? Give the children opportunities to experiment and share their thoughts in pairs or in groups. Once they have gathered to gether all of the sounds, let the children play them and record the sounds together to form a 'spacescape', a 'moonscape' or 'planetscape'.
Online karaoke song
Don't forget to download your exclusive accompanying online Rockin' Robot song, music and lyrics from www.scholastic.co.uk/interactive Also, don't miss our Rockin' Robot poster found in the middle of this month's ChildEd. Rock on!
Anne Curtis
Founder and creative director, Shoo Fly Publishing
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