Key Stage 1 Carnival of the Animals
Be inspired by Saint-Saëns’ 'Carnival of the Animals'! Learn about the fascinating creatures that feature in the movements of the music. Learn about the formation of an orchestra, the range of instruments involved, and Saint-Saëns himself. Learn about mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and fossils around the world. Round the topic off with an animal Olympics and a carnival.
Introduce Saint-Saëns ballet score`The Carnival of the Animals'. Go on a journey to learn about the music. Be inspired by the orchestra and make sounds. How can music describe animal features?
Learn about mammals in the African savannah and the Australian outback, farm mammals and pet mammals. Learn about their features, needs and life cycles. Create a safari park, collages and aboriginal artwork.
Watch birds, build nests and, inspired by Monet, paint birds. Respond to classical music with musical terms. Create a swan ballet, cuckoo collages and masks for a dance.
Learn about the needs of domestic birds. Listen to Farmer Duck´s story as inspiration for drama. Learn about the journey from egg to adult and use dance to retell the life cycle. Study food chains and feathers.
Create exotic birds using patterns and shapes. Make a rainforest for your birds. Be inspired by the works of Gaudi, learn about Art Nouveau and try mosaic art. Create a choir using tracks for a musical finale.
Learn about fish, their life cycles and habitats. Make your own aquarium! Create a pattern of movements to develop a dance. Make fish puppets, props and a back drop and write invitations to your dance performance.
Discover facts, play interactive games and create word clouds to learn about reptiles. Examine marine iguanas and why they are endangered, make reptile models, create your own vivarium and reptile house!
Study amphibians and discover how Saint-Saëns overlooked this class of life. Investigate their life-cycles, characteristics and habitats. Create sounds, learn about tempo, dynamics and pitch and perform a piece of music.
Find out what it's like to hunt fossils and how they are formed. Discover Mary Anning, make fossils and dance like dinosaurs! Go on an expedition and create a 'discoveries' museum.
Have fun dancing and parading to music. Learn about famous carnivals and perform a class carnival. Reflect on the topic and finish with an animal Olympics; which animal is the King of the Carnival?