Each year in May I love to help make holidays like May Day and Mother’s Day special! There are many other spring celebrations this month as well. You can engage your learners and surprise your studio parents with this easy craft!
Even better; once you have the necessary supplies, you can use these resources for lots of simple “staff crafts” in the future. Learning a new music theory skill can be achieved with a lecture and worksheet but by engaging your students with this memorable craft they’ll remember it fondly and well!
Be sure to check out other “Staff Crafts” here!
Supplies:
First you’ll need a large STAFF printed on a piece of paper or card stock. This Treble or Bass Clefprintout is the perfect size for this craft and available in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store
Next, you’ll need Dot Markers (in ye olden days I used Bingo Daubbers however these are much better; designed for kids they’re non-toxic, don’t stain and are scented for maximum fun.)
My pro tip is to store them in a ziplock bag because one will get gross and leak occasionally. These are the exact ones I have and I love the ice cream scents but love the vibrant primary colors too. They are on the pricey side however I’ve had mine for about eight years so far and only lost three, so I call that a win!
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You’ll also need green and blue markers if you don’t have them. I always use these washable markers.
Prep: Print Blank Treble or Bass Clef Staff Pages and gather your green and blue markers, and the dot markers you think would be good flower colors. Draw a blue line with a highlighter on line 3 of the staff, which I refer to as the magic line.
Instructions: At the beginning of the lesson (so it has enough time to dry before you attempt to draw on it further) encourage your learner to daub dots on the staff.
I try to steer my learners to place dots below and above the magic line, as well as a few on the magic line. I tell my students they can choose the direction when a note head is on that magic line. You can allow your student to select the colors they prefer, or keep it moving by choosing them yourself. I also close the piano lid just in case those fingers get messy, and I inspect them when this part of the craft is over before we play, in case they need to wash hands (or noses after smelling the scented dot markers too closely!)
Set aside the paper with dots to dry and finish the rest of these steps at the end of the lesson.
Finally, at the end of the lesson pull out the paper with dots and draw some clouds at the top of the page, and grass at the bottom of the page. Give a quick lesson on stem direction. Instruct the learner to place note stems below the magic line on the right going up and notes above going down on the left.
I have them use the green marker for the down stem notes and blue for the up stem notes, describing the notes below the line as going up to the sky and above as growing down to the ground. Even the youngest learner can see the clouds, the ground, and make that connection but they’ll need a gentle reminder of which side to place the stem. Notes with green stems will be “flowers” and we will add some leaves to them when we are done.
You can add the green lines and clouds or have your learner add them. I always have them sign their name. I add the year and “Happy Mother’s Day” or “Happy May Day” or “Happy Spring” or whatever the occasion may be. 
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