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Post by Alexa Rosenbaum, Toneworks music therapist

It’s Alexa again, and today I wanted to include an adaptation of a song I learned this summer that uses a familiar tune with parachute play.  I almost always get gasps and squeals of excitement when I pull a parachute out of my bag during groups, and so I am always trying to come up with new songs that incorporate this novel and exciting object.  Though I most often do songs that require clients to put animals or objects on top of the parachute, I continuously get requests to go underneath the parachute.  This is especially fun with a large parachute, but this also requires a larger group.  In my summer class it has been perfect with the parents present, as they tend to hold on to the parachute more consistently and keep it up in the air while the kids play.  In order to avoid mass chaos and potential injuries, I went in search of a song that would structure it so students went under the parachute one at a time.  While browsing the internet one night I found a list of songs to use with the parachute, and found one that allowed clients to run underneath the parachute in a controlled and safe manner.  Even better, this song uses the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”, one of the most well known and frequently used children’s songs out there.  Below are the words I use for this activity:

Up, up, up we go

Down, down, down we come

If your name is (insert name), it’s your turn to run!

What I love about this song is that the directions are laid out so clearly, so hardly any direction needs to be given before beginning to sing.  When the parachute is out and kids are excited, the less unnecessary talking the better!  I usually give everyone a short reminder to listen for their name and only move once they have heard their name in the song, but most of the instruction comes from the song itself.  For the first two lines, the group should move the parachute together in the direction being sung (down to the ground or up to the sky) and should keep the parachute up when people are running under.  Not only does this song only allow one person to move at a time, but it allows the leader to control when and if each child has a turn.  I often say something along the lines of “friends who are waiting patiently and helping move the parachute will get turns to run under” and just the threat of missing their turn can modify a child’s behavior.  This is a great activity to use as an incentive to participate in less desired activities, particularly for those clients that only want to go underneath parachute instead of holding on.  This can be a fun way to end a session on a positive note and allow clients to get up and move if they have been sitting for a while.  Mostly, it’s just plain fun, and because the tune is so familiar, everyone will be singing along in no time!