Lower Key Stage 2 Rainforests - NEW LOOK

Musical Forests

Learn about the rainfall of rainforests; listen to rainforest rain and animal sounds; make rain-sticks and start to explore making rain sounds.

Teaching Outcomes:

• To become familiar with climate and rainfall facts of temperate and tropical rainforests
• To imagine life in a rainforest by listening to, and discussing, the sounds of the forest and sounds of rainfall.
• To make rain-sticks using cardboard tubes and beads.
• To discuss the sounds they might hear in the rainforest and explore the recreation of those sounds.

Children will:

• Become familiar with rainfall facts of rainforests and Imagine life in a rainforest
• Explore the recreation of rain sounds using their hands (clapping, clicking, banging thighs)
• Make rain-sticks using cardboard tubes and beads

• Rainforest listening cards
• How to make a rain-stick

• Cardboard tubes for each child
• A long cardboard tube
• Tin foil
• Rice

An hour of rainforest music -YouTube clip
A choir -YouTube clip
The relationship between rain and the rainforest.- YouTube clip

Find out about the sounds made by some of the rainforest creatures; listen to and discuss the sounds of the forest; make panpipes and xylophones; recreate Amazonian sounds using your homemade instruments.

Teaching Outcomes:

• To build up knowledge of the sounds of the rainforest and imagine life there.
• To make panpipes and xylophones out of found objects.
• To discuss and recreate the sounds they might hear in the rainforest.

Children will:

• Become familiar with the calls of the forest and imagine life there.
• Make panpipes and xylophones out of found objects and recreate authentic Amazonian sounds.
• Explore how to create an instrument with varying pitch.

• How to make a Rainforest instruments

• Drinking straws
• Small piece of stiff card
• Lego base
• Spanners of different sizes
• Egg boxes
• Jars and water
• Plastic bottles
• Cardboard tubes
• Polystyrene strips
• Blu-tak

A choir create a rainstorm with hands -YouTube clip
The relationship between rain and the rainforest. -YouTube clip
Howler monkey calls -YouTube clip
Footage of Poison Dart frogs -YouTube clip
Amazonian musician explaining why music is important to him from vimeo.com
Rainforest song, by David Williams -YouTube clip

Using your hands and body parts recreate the sound of a rainforest storm; recreate the sound of forest creatures using homemade instruments and voices; perform your music composition ‘A Day of Rain’ to an audience.

Teachinmg Outcomes:

• To become familiar with an average day in a tropical rainforest.
• To practise creating rainfall and storm using hands and body parts and perform ‘A Day of Rain’ to an audience.

Children will:

• Be familiar with an average day in a tropical rainforest.
• Practise creating rainfall and storm using hands and body parts, in a whole class orchestra, and creatures of the forest using homemade instruments and voices.
• Perform ‘A Day of Rain’ to an audience.

Rainforest cue cards

• Instruments made in previous sessions
• Large sheets of thick card
• Marker pens

A choir create a rainstorm with hands -YouTube clip
Howler monkey calls -YouTube clip