If you are looking for a fun, readable, danceable, laughable, musical, interactive picture book, this is it!  It integrates so many of the things kids love -- fun animal facts, colorful illustrations, interactive elements, funny dance moves, and a chance to be silly! The lyrical text sings, while teaching super-interesting facts about animals who "dance" and invites readers, whatever their age, to dance along.  It's perfect for a read-aloud, great for a science integration, or really wonderful for any time!  Be sure to ask for it at your local library or bookstore or check out the guest section below for how you can order your own copy!

Kids love animals, and they love to pretend. This song is a fun connection to the book in terms of moving like animals.  They also love to freeze and strike their favorite pose.. There are quite a few more animal movement videos on the YouTube playlist in the links section below, so if you'd prefer a different one, there are lots of choices. You'll also find video links of animal dances in the wild, and more.

This book is such fun for Story time.  It would work well with toddlers, preschoolers all the way through elementary school ages.  There are lots of ways you could use this book with your children at home, in a story time setting, or in a classroom.

• VERBS!! Since this book is all about action, there are so many fun activities you could do with verbs in this story
  • Charades
  • Sound Story (every time children hear a word, they perform a certain action or make a certain sound)
  • Verb search  (either in the book or hide the verbs around the room on cards or see if kids could find examples of the verbs during the day [you could even create this as a Bingo game or scavenger hunt])Here is a list of the easily-acted verbs in the story.
    • Dance
    • flutter
    • stretch
    • strut
    • wave
    • stand
    • fluff
    • shake 
    • arch
    • leap
    • stot
    • bend
    • swirl
    • shake
    • waggle
    • buzz
    • flip
    • point
    • jump
    • dive
    • twist
    • spin
    • exercise
    • splash
    • roll
    • stand
    • turn
    • sleep
    • cha cha cha
    • scurry
    • glide
    • crawl
    • step
    • march
  • Verb tenses/agreement/endings (great for older kids. How can I change dance, sleep, buzz, etc.?)
• Check out the back matter! There are some great ideas for movement, graphing, and more in the back of the book.
• (Science) Also in the back matter, you'll find some scientific facts about the animals highlighted. You could further extend by having students do a project about one of the animals in the book.
  
• You could create your own freeze dance by putting on some fun music and draw out an animal from the book (cards or a list) Students have to move like that animal until you pause the music and they freeze like that animal, then you choose another, etc.
• Art -- showing movement. Since this book is all about movement, it would be a fun art project to look at how various illustrators show movement and see how you could show the verbs listed above as part of the art.  Draw a dolphin diving, twisting, spinning. . .how can you show that movement?
• Lots of art projects for the various animals in the book (check out the Pinterest board for some examples.)
• Dance/Movement -- have students make up their own dance. (SOOO many ways you could do this.  Here are a few suggestions:
  • Totally freestyle -- each child dances with wild abandon ;-)
  • Choose 3 (or more) verbs from the book (list above) and create a pattern that will become a dance. Ex. March 4X, then cha cha cha, glide, glide, glide, glide, then cha cha cha, etc.
  • Follow the leader dance using the verbs from the story.  Leader chooses a verb card and leads the others around the room with that movement. Then second person becomes the leader and they choose a card and lead, etc.

The book is also great for the music classroom in many ways, especially integrating dance and movement.

• Use the dance ideas from above
• Read the book aloud and give students/children a chance to dance along with the animals
• Sound story -- Assign an instrument to various words (especially fun for words that are repeated with different animals like leap (a vibraslap or a drum) and turn (cabasa)
• Have the students find an instrument or create a sound that represents each animal's dance
• Might be a fun correlation with Carnival of the Animals
• Marching = steady beat (great way to practice or help kids hear/feel the steady beat)
• Cha cha cha and march are mentioned specifically and also have dances/movements associated with them, so it would be great to study a bit more about one or both.
• Use scarves to represent the different dances/movements
• Discuss the importance of music and dance together. Can you dance without music?

YouTube playlist that contains lots of fun kids' music to move and dance like animals, as well as videos of actual animal dances.

​Pinterest board with lots of activities and resources to accompany the book

These thumbprint cookies rolled in potato chips remind me a bit of the spots on a peacock's tail feathers -- and I can guarantee they'll be more tasty ;-) Whether you've been dancing like bees, peacocks, flamingos and spiders or off writing your own amazing picture book 0r teaching littles. . . .whatever you've been doing, these seem like the perfect snack or sweet end to a lovely day of dancing through life.  Check out the recipe here and enjoy whenever you decide to make these yummy treats!

Written by Connie Bergstein Dow, illustrated by Debbie Palen, and published by Free Spirit Publishing, this book is absolutely perfect for a classroom or for a fun music-integrated playtime at preschool, daycare or at home.  It is chock full of fun little chants which seamlessly integrate music and movement. Each has its own rhythm and its own theme, but each chant encourages children to move in fun and interesting ways.  The illustrations are bright, colorful, diverse, and child-friendly.  Connie puts her years of dance experience into creating a fun and fit experience that children will thoroughly enjoy!

My kinders, firsts and even many of my second-graders really enjoy Danny Go. He's the perfect blend of fun and silly but with some good skills, strategies, habits and learning mixed in. In this song, he encourages dance and movement in a variety of ways. It's a great extension of Connie's lovely book!

Free teaching guide *TAP AND RAP, MOVE AND GROOVE Digital Download supplemental materials are available for free on Free Spirit's website.

Getting kids up and moving is always a great thing (check out the list of benefits below).

Here are some ways I would suggest using the pieces in this book:

1. Circle time, class meetings, etc. -- Choose one piece; write it on chart paper, put it on doc camera, or simply read it aloud and move along with the chant.
2. Take the book out during recess and use it during their outdoor time (or it's also perfect for those rainy days when you have indoor recess.)
3. Use a chant as a brain break -- in between activities or when you see you are losing your students' attention.
4. Find the ones that have curriculuar connections and use them as part of your lesson.
5. Perfect as little filler activities when you have 5 minutes until your next thing or when kids finish up early. Keep this book nearby for those moments.
6. If kids are falling asleep, it's a perfect time to pull out one of these.
7. Since they are chants with rhythm and words, they're a natural fit for fluency practice.

​If you've used this book in your classroom, leave a comment telling how you used it.

While these chants don't rhyme typically, they do depend on rhythm, which makes them perfect for music class.

• Use them as "sound stories", using instruments to represent various words in the chant.
• Have students partner up; one taps a steady beat while the other one reads; then they switch
• Using one of the chants with several sections/stanzas, do the movement activities together. In between stanzas/sections, do a copycat rhythm, or give instruments to students and tell them to create 8 counts (2 4/4 measures of a stanza transition.)
• Integrate one into your program/concert.
• Practice fluency by reading them over and over and doing some movements.
• Any of the activities from the teacher section above.

Pinterest board with lots of music and movement ideas for multiple ages, more info about Connie, and more!

YouTube playlist with interviews with Connie and lots of movement songs to supplement her book.  You can also look for songs that specifically relate to each chant if you wanted to extend a particular chant/lesson surrounding a chant.

​Links to supplement TAP AND RAP, MOVE AND GROOVE

Book search - find a book
bookshop.org

https://www.teachercreatedmaterials.com/free-spirit-publishing/p/tap-and-rap-move-and-groove/930763/


Tap and Rap, Move and Groove
amazon.com

:

*TAP AND RAP, MOVE AND GROOVE Digital Download supplemental materials are available for free on Free Spirit's website:

https://www.teachercreatedmaterials.com/media/uploads/tcm/images/fsp/pdf/tap-rap_digital.pdf

1. Physical:


Balance
Coordination
Strength
Body control 
Age-appropriate large motor skills
Posture
Exercise
Stimulation of the vestibular system
Range of motion and flexibility of joints
Proprioception, which is the awareness of the position of the body in space


2. Accessibility:


Movement activities can be done in any space, large or small, with
very little or no equipment


The basic tenet of creative movement/creative dance (the terms are interchangeable) for young children is that the process of the activity is what is most important. Kinesthetic learning happens as a result of the child’s movement exploration.This allows creative movement to be inclusive of all learning styles, even those children whose ability to move or participate is limited. 


3. Social-Emotional Skill Development


Body awareness
Spatial awareness
Self-expression, awareness of emotions
Individual and group problem-solving skills
Cooperation and taking turns
Impulse control and delaying gratification
Listening to and following instructions
Setting goals


4.  Creativity


The essence of creative dance is to inspire children to find new ways to move their bodies and learn about the world through movement


5. Kinesthetic Learning, or learning by doing


Piaget and many child psychologists understand that preschool children do not conceptualize abstract processes. They primarily learn through physical and sensory experiences. Movement can be used to teach virtually any subject.


6. Classroom Management


As children learn to control their bodies, understand personal versus shared space, listen and follow directions, and respond to cues for stopping, starting, and changing direction, simple movement activities can easily be incorporated into their daily routine.


7.  Moving is FUN! It is easy to engage children through movement

I can't think of a better snack before or after a fun physical session of music and movement than a yummy PBJ smoothie.  Smooth, cold, delicious, and easy to customize and make it your own. Start with the recipe here and have some tasty fun! A little slurping, a little sliding -- perfect combo for a perfect day!

Connie's links:

https://www.movingislearning.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ConnieBergsteinDow
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cbergsteindow 
LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/movingislearning
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conniebdow/ 
Pinterest: Pinterest: @conniebdow
www.movingislearning.com/works.htm

Links to purchase Connie's books:
https://www.movingislearning.com/works.htm​
Amazon


Connie has generously offered a winner's CHOICE.  So one winner will be selected and you may choose from:

1. a picture book critique (rhyming or non-rhyming, up to 800 words)  OR
2. A 20-minute Zoom (author chat, lesson demo for a teacher, etc.)
3. a copy of TAP AND RAP, MOVE AND GROOVE

In order to be eligible for the drawing, simply leave a comment below.