Fireside Method Classes

These lesson plans show how to use the Fireside Method for beginning students.

Introductory Class for Nursery and 5-7 year olds (Half Hour) 

Classroom setup:  Give each child a G-Clef Wipe-off Board and set of Carrot Figure Cards.  Place a G-Clef Mat on the floor nearby and have one set of Carrot Figure Cards available to line up along the left edge of the Mat.   Place a set of Carrot Figure Bean Bags in a bucket at the foot of the mat.

Class activities:

1.  Explain that music notes live on a "staff" like horses live in a barn or people live in houses.  Just like their family can often be found in specific places in their houses (in their beds at night, dad in a special chair in front of the TV), music notes are found in particular places on the staff.  The story you are going to read will help them remember where the notes go on the staff.
2.  Read The Carrot, the Dog, the Egg and the Frog out loud to the children.
3.  As you read, direct the students to place each Carrot Figure Card on their G-Clef Wipe-off Mat (with velcro dots) at the appropriate time.  The teacher or a student should also place cards along the left edge of the G-Clef Mat.
4.  Sing The Carrot Song.
5.  Students line up in front of G-Clef Mat and one at a time take a bean bag from the bucket and jump to the corresponding line or space.
6.  Sing children's songs such as The Eensie Weensie Spider, The Bear Went Over the Mountain and The Farmer in the Dell (with or without ukulele accompaniment).

Introductory Class for 8-12 year-olds (1 hour - with ukulele)

Classroom Setup: Give each child a G-Clef Wipe-off Board and set of Carrot Figure Cards.  Place a G-Clef Mat on the floor nearby and have one set of Carrot Figure Cards available to line up along the left edge of the Mat.   Place a set of Carrot Figure Bean Bags in a bucket at the foot of the mat.

Class Activities:

1.  Explain that music notes live on a "staff" like horses live in a barn or people live in houses.  Just like their family can often be found in specific places in their houses (in their beds at night, dad in a special chair in front of the TV), music notes are found in particular places on the staff.  The story you are going to read will help them remember where the notes go on the staff.
2.  Read The Carrot, the Dog, the Egg and the Frog out loud to the children.
3.  As you read, direct the students to place each Carrot Figure Card on their G-Clef Wipe-off Mat (with velcro dots) at the appropriate time.  The teacher or a student should also place cards along the left edge of the G-Clef Mat.
4.  Sing The Carrot Song.
5.  Students line up in front of G-Clef Mat and one at a time take a bean bag from the bucket and jump to the corresponding line or space.
6.  Run relay race on the G-Clef Mat (if only one mat, students can simply see how fast they can do it.  If two mats, separate students into teams and race).
7.  Introduce ukulele and how to hold it.
8.  Demonstrate how to strum C chord.
9.  Teacher and students sing Row Row Row Your Boat while strumming the C chord.

Classroom Fun!