Book Club: Muddy Waters Book and Activity

Each week I try real hard to introduce some new music into the ears of my little ones. It can be a challenge, particularly when they are asking to hear the same songs over and over. For the past couple weeks it's been The Sound of Music soundtrack. Thank God it's a good soundtrack, but even then, I think we've heard "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria," five too many times.

Somehow I managed to slip in some Muddy Waters, thanks in large part to a wonderful book we found at the library. Written by Michael Mahin, Muddy explores the roots of young blues legend Muddy Waters. The story is a solid introduction to what made Muddy an icon. And the illustrations, by Evan Turk, do a great job capturing the raw vibrance of his music. The book was a tad much for my two year old, but my four year old loved it.

There's a section of the book that reveals how Muddy made music as a child with whatever he could find. I loved the notion that with a little creativity and a deep love for the music, anyone can make magic happen. And it was with that idea in mind that I set up an invitation to create musical instruments.

After reading the book, and listening to some songs, I presented the kids with an assortment of odds and ends found around the house, each one with the potential to make music. Some materials would take a bit of effort, some were pretty straightforward, but all were objects they were used to seeing in our daily lives.

With Muddy ringing through our speakers, the kids tinkered with the bits and pieces until they created sounds that they found fun or interesting. There was a lot of percussive instruments - a tin and balloon drum, a ridged cutter turned guiro, tin shakers, and something Rémy created out of a glass bottle and drumstick called "the church bell."

They also tried their hand at creating a rubber band stringed instrument, and gave blowing into a glass bottle a real good try (this is decidedly not an easy mouth movement).

After watching the kids invent and play, and doing a fair bit of experimenting myself, I saw how this book and activity could be a hit at any age. Muddy's music is engaging for a toddler to listen to, but older kids can pull so much emotion and history out of his songs. And although this creative activity is perfect for preschoolers, it serves as a truly fun challenge for adults as well.

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