Am I going to say it? Yes I am— my favorite movement prop is the canopy scarf. Canopy scarves are basically a less stimulating parachute. You get all the benefits of a parachute, but it's calming.
So on this blog post, I'm going to share some songs you might want to use alongside your canopy scarf and we're going to talk about three different times when you might consider using a canopy scarf in your music time with kids.
Sara Bonner, @ms_sara_sings on Instagram, using a canopy scarf during music time
But first!
Why Do You Need a Canopy Scarf?
1- You can use it instead of a parachute- it is less stimulating
2- You can use it for a relaxation or grounding time (pretend it is clouds, water, wind, etc.)
3- It’s machine washable (we love that!) on cold, it is super light and packable (can fit in any bag or cart you have, especially useful for you all traveling therapists/teachers!)
3 Ways to Use a Canopy Scarf During Preschool and Kindergarten Music Time:
1. As a sensory regulation tool
You can use a canopy scarf as a sensory regulation tool alongside some songs that are also helpful for sensory regulation. If the arousal level in the classroom is just a little bit “on the high side”, and you're interested in bringing the energy level down with kids, I would try a movement song sequence first. Start with an active movement song, followed by a transitional movement song. Then, I would bring the canopy scarf out the quieter part of that sequence. If you're wondering what I'm talking about, go listen to our podcast on movement songs or watch the video below:
A song you can use with a canopy scarf is my song Breathe, which is available on Spotify and all music streaming platforms (search my name, Stephanie Leavell) and also on YouTube. This song is great because you can literally mimic big breaths in going up with the scarf and then letting your breath out as the canopy scarf goes down. It’s a really good visual for kids!
Song: Breathe
2. To enhance a music listening experience
A second way that you can use a canopy scarf during music time is to enhance a music listening experience. Sometimes, one of the very best things that we can do for kids is to just be able to listen to a song. That's a big ask for a lot of kids, especially three, four, or five year olds. What you can do, is you can have a calming music experience engaging them in an art activity or have kids lying on the ground while they listen to a quiet song like Made To Bloom or Breathe. While they're lying on the ground, they're looking up at the canopy scarf while you wave it over them (you can do so with the help of another grown up in the room or by tying the opposite side of the canopy to a chair, etc.).
That little bit of movement happening above them, provides visual input while they are listening to the song and increases their attention for listening.
Song: Made To Bloom
3. For a sensory experience
A member of the Music For Kiddos Community shared this idea: they put those little fairy twinkle lights that are battery powered on top of a canopy scarf and draped it on two chairs. Then, the kids will go under the canopy scarf to look up the lights. They would make the room dark, and the twinkling lights would remain shining while the kids listen to a song. By the way, I actually have a song called Twinkling Lights that's perfect for this. It's technically a winter song, but you could use it anytime, really.
Song: Twinkling Lights
Another sensory experience you could do is you could put some fake leaves on top of the canopy scarf. And a challenge for the kids would be to keep the leaves on the canopy scarf. There's something about it being see through, whereas a parachute is not as see through, and is less visually stimulating that just make the canopy scarf, instantly more successful than a parachute.
Those songs and 3 ways to use the canopy scarf in the music classroom are examples that stem from a sensory regulation perspective, and that is simply because that is the lens that I am focusing on with kids first, because I find if I focus on that, then the chances of my music time being more successful are exponentially greater. When I started focusing on sensory regulation as a primary goal in working with kids, I started having more successful music classes.
We know that kids are not able to participate successfully in music when overstimulated. So, if we can from the get go be really aware of this sensory overwhelm and avoid it happening in the first place for some kids that is the ideal.
Is it realistic? No, it's not always realistic. Sometimes, absolutely. But we are going to see sensory overwhelm with some kids sometimes without a doubt and sometimes it has nothing to do with what we are doing. It has to do with all of the things that they experienced earlier in the day that are still being processed by the brain. This is why I love the idea of a canopy scarf as a sensory regulation tool; because we can provide sensory input without it necessarily being too overwhelming.
More Canopy Scarf Songs For Early Childhood Music:
My favorite canopy scarf is from Bear Paw Creek. We have a discount code you can use for free shipping on orders over $40. Use code KIDDOS at checkout.
What are your favorite ways to use the canopy scarf?
