THERE ARE MANY WAYS in which nature and music go hand in hand in song, 

 rhythm, instrument making and singing games. When the primitive man 

 made his musical instruments he must first have been a student of nature, 

 otherwise he would not have known which plants had hollow stems for the 

 making of reed instruments, which woods were hard to give a clearer tone, 

 etc. During the evolution of musical instruments making, nature has played 

 an important role in the use of shells, horns, barks, bones and many other 

 materials too numerous to mention. 



Bird notes and songs have formed the basic part of some of our sweetest 

 music. There are many phonograph records available of bird songs which 

 might be included in your repertoire of camp music. It will be found that 

 the song of the Katydid or the Cricket makes an interesting study in 

 rhythms. , 



Singing Games can be included in any nature program and are especially 

 useful for rainy days. If you do not know one with a nature theme, ask the 

 children to adapt one to a familiar tune and put in their own actions. The 

 movements of animals, bird songs and names of flowers will give them 

 enough source material. 



Songs on the following subjects can be found at the end of the chapter 

 with their publishers. Any of them can be turned into a singing game. 

 Songs about: The Four Seasons; Water; Trees, Flowers, Plants; Birds and 

 Insects; Animals and Fish; Moon, Stars, Sun, Clouds; The Weather and 

 Hiking. 



Body RhythmsHave groups apply the fundamental rhythmic patterns 

 of walking, running, skipping, swaying, etc., by creating the movements of 

 animals, flowers or birds. Refer to Walter and Jenks songs and games for 

 Little Ones. 



Music Craft An activity through music, nature and craft can be corre- 

 lated by stimulating the making of simple musical instruments. Salis N. 

 Coleman, Music Investigator The Lincoln School of Teachers College, 

 New York City, has made a comprehensive study of the making of musical 

 instruments from natural materials and the following directions are taken 

 from her book, "Creative Music in the Home." There are many more sug- 

 gestions in the book which should be helpful to a group interested in mak- 

 ing its own instruments by adapting the elements of nature to its own 

 use. 



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