St. Brigid's

Good afternoon boys and girls!

I hope you are having fun at home and perhaps doing some of the activities I have uploaded onto the website? If you are please do let me know as I love hearing from you all through our school email!

After Christmas, we began exploring, creating and learning how to dance. We explored the movements of different parts of our bodies. We created a simple dance together. We moved safely around the room in our Dance Bubbles and just before we left school, we performed our dances for our parents! It was great fun and our audience throughly enjoyed it! 

If you would like to dance at home, you could put on one of the following songs and do what we did in school. 

1. Play the song "Memories" by Maroon Five https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlPhMPnQ58k This is our Switching-On-For-Dance song. Stand in front of your child and say "Switch on your eyes" Make you eyes roll around for a minute and then say another line like "Switch on your ears" Move your ears with your fingers to show you are switching them on. Continue this until all your body parts are on and ready to dance! 
2. Play the song "Senorita" by Shawn Mendes and Camilla Cabello https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkh8UtuejGw This is our Magic Dust song. Get a few of your family in a circle and take turns sprinkling magic dust onto each person. When you do, it is their turn to dance freely and everyone else must freeze!
3. Play the song "Dance Monkey" by Tones and I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_OhKAepW68 Count in 8 beats and begin these following moves on the words "They say..."

• Star jump out and count 8 beats
• Jump with legs together and arms down and count 8 beats 
• Lie on the floor face up and count 8 beats
• Turn on your stomach and count 8 beats 
• Stand up and march for 8 beats
• Turn and march for 8 beats
• Turn again and march for 8 beats
• Turn the last time and march for 8 beats

In school four children each chose a dance move. At home, make four moves up together. Each move is for 8 beats. Add these onto the dance and then the dance is made! Repeat the dance twice to fill up the time the song plays for.

Note: Each move lasts for 8 beats and in school when we counted, two lines of the song were 8 beats! 

The last song we did in school was "Someone you Loved" by Lewis Capaldi. Play this song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zABLecsR5UE It is our cool down song.

• Sit in a circle and have your legs out in front of you.
• Point your toes up to the ceiling and down to the floor. Repeat this a few times.
• Raise each leg slowly a few times.
• Cross your legs 
• Rub your hands together fast, then slow, fast, then slow. Repeat. 
• Stretch your hands out on the floor in front of you. Don't let your bum leave the floor. Repeat this a few times. 
• Reach your arms above your head and pretend to make a rainbow shape with your fingers. Breath in and out as you do this.
• At the end give yourselves a clap for doing such a good job! 

I hope you enjoy dancing at home! It is a great way to get active and feel good. 

Love your teacher, Gráinne