whim·si·cal

/ˈ(h)wimzik(ə)l/

Adjective

  1. playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in an appealing and amusing way.

“a whimsical sense of humor”

synonyms: fanciful, playful, mischievous, waggish, quaint, quizzical, curious, droll, fantastical, Seussian; eccentric, quirky, idiosyncratic, unconventional, outlandish, queer, fey;

informal: offbeat, freaky

“a whimsical sense of humor”

  1. acting or behaving in a capricious manner.

“the whimsical arbitrariness of autocracy”

synonyms: volatile, capricious, fickle, changeable, unpredictable, variable, erratic, mercurial, mutable, inconstant, inconsistent, unstable, protean

“the whimsical arbitrariness of autocracy”

(according to Google)

For those of you that are starting school so early (July 31, really???), I thought I would offer 5 whimsical activities that are meant to be fun and engaging….after all, it is still technically summer. I offer these not as serious opportunities for hardcore learning and assessment, rather as a way to have fun with your kids in the beginning of the year when the summer-to-school year transition can be a little tough….for both the kids and us!! Each activity can last as short or as long as you would like and can also serve as time fillers in-between transitions or if you have a few minutes to kill at the end of a lesson. The main point is to connect or reconnect with your students after a long summer vacation, so embrace the absurdity of starting so early and have a blast!

  1. Move. Move as much as possible with your students! Here is a link to some excerpts of whimsical classical music that will inspire your students to get up and dance…and be a little silly J
    1. http://www.dewolfemusic.com/search.php#/?id=9283579&code=7P8twh
  2. When you are singing or hearing music for the first time, have kids identify the long notes. The second time you hear it, have kids use a scarf to show the long sounds.
  3. When singing with sheet music or music textbooks, have kids count the number of half notes, then eighth notes etc… in that piece of music. 5 points to kids that are correct. Its fast, fun and gets kids noticing notation details. What you do with the points is up to you!!
  4. Put kids into small groups and ask them to create a short (appropriate) silly song about something they did this summer. Have them perform it at the end of class.
  5. Give kids instruments and ask them to find a different way of making sound with it ~ of course in a way that does not damage the instrument!