Update: Candy Cup Throw

Hi All!  The Valentine's Day game was a huge success last week!  After observing my students of all ages play this game, here are the rules I settled on:

-Total game time 5 minutes
-Children up to 8 years of age will throw hearts in the first 6 cups
  -every 2 cups equals one prize sheet sticker
-Children older than 8 years of age can throw hearts in all 10 cups
  -1st 3 cups equals a sticker, next 4 another sticker, and the last 3 one final sticker
-They must pitch hearts in sequential order (cup 1, then 2, 3, etc.)
-If a heart lands in a cup out of sequence it will count if/when they get to it
-Get a heart in the targeted cup, answer the question correctly, move onto the next cup

Ideas for questions:
-show pictures of musical terms for students to identify
-have them roll the dice from my "note rollers" blog and locate notes on the piano
-have students solve musical math problems drawn on index cards
  Ex. (Dotted half note x whole) + half note=

Until next time......

A Valentine's Day Game: Candy Cup Throw

Hi All!  This week my kiddos will be playing a game I thought up while walking through the aisles of a local "Dollar" store. I LOVE the "Dollar" store!  I bought 2 packs of candy cups and 1 pack each of red and pink plastic hearts. The other materials I used were half a poster board, markers, velcro dots, plus a Valentine's Day cup (from a set of 12 I bought a few years ago). Whether this new game's a favorite among my students or not is yet to be seen but hopefully it'll be a big hit. I'll let you know what worked and what didn't after this week.

I adhered 10 candy cups with velcro dots to poster board that I cut in half.  I decorated it with markers, gathered the plastic pink and red hearts in the Valentine's Day cup and "Voila"!

The Game:  Each student will be given a cup filled with plastic hearts.  The game itself will be placed either on the floor or on a table 1-2 feet away from them depending on the age of the child; closer for the younger students and farther away for the older students.  They will have 3 minutes (maybe 5) to pitch hearts into cups and answer questions.  They have to get a heart in the 1st cup, answer the question correctly that I ask them in order to move on to the next cup.  They can't skip cups.  There's no limit to how many hearts it takes them to get one in the targeted cup.  It may take 5 attempts before a heart successfully lands in the cup they're aiming for.  Get a heart in a cup, answer the question correctly, move onto the next cup in the sequence.

I'll add a little extra incentive by telling my students that if they get through the first 3 cups they will earn a sticker on their prize sheet, then after the next 4 another sticker, and the last 3 yet another sticker.  I've been test driving this game this week and I have to say that getting the hearts into the last 4 cups (cups 7-10) is not so easy. So I think I'm only going to use the first 6 cups with my younger students (having an opportunity to earn a sticker after every 2 cups) and allow my older students to attempt all 10 cups.  Happy Valentine's Day!  Until next time........