In this field trip, children will learn about the importance of music and sound for both people and animals. What sounds do animals make and why? What objects can make sounds, and how can you play them to create music?

Content Unit :
Music and Sound
Featured Creature :
Sloth bear, Kunekune pig, Siamang

Lessons and Activities

Check back soon for fun and easy activities for kids, families, and teachers!

Letter to Families

Print or send this letter home with your students to help them share what they learned during the "Music and Sound All Around" virtual field trip and how families can continue the learning at home!

Resources

Three figured stand side by side as they smile at the camera. The figure to the left wears a blue shirt and holds a guitar. The middle figure is a pink puppet made to look like a jackalope. The figure on the right claps their hands with enthusiasm.
Our Bodies and the Five Senses Pre-Math With Cheetahs Happy Bird-Day, Head Start! Small Mammal Sing-Along Music and Sound All Around Big, Small, Let's Measure Them All Food with Friends

Music Playlist

Join Nick the Music Man, Pinky Jackalope, and other guest stars as they sing and dance about early childhood topics! Your little ones will love moving and grooving to these original songs by Nick Young of Play Motion Music. New songs will be added throughout the school year, so be sure to check back.  

Additional details
Language:
English
Topic:
Music
Watch / Listen
A person in a black shirt points to a large rack of tuning forks, while a pink puppet with glasses and brown antlers looks on.
Music and Sound All Around

Sounds All Around

There are countless objects in the Smithsonian's collection that make sounds and music, and Pinky is excited to explore a few of them with the help of special Smithsonian staff. Discover instruments, sound-making objects, and even objects that help us hear better—like hearing aids—both behind the scenes and on public display.

Additional details
Age Group:
Preschool
ELOF Domain:
Approaches to Learning
Format:
Video
Language:
English
Museum:
Smithsonian Institution
Topic:
Music
Watch
A siamang gibbon with its mouth wide open, revealing its throat sac, hangs from a wire mesh enclosure.
Music and Sound All Around

Talking Siamangs

Siamangs are small apes with big voices—and they love to use them! When you visit the zoo, you can often hear their calls echoing across the park. In this video, discover what siamang songs sound like and learn how they use vocalizations to communicate with one another.

Additional details
Age Group:
Toddler Preschool
Animal:
Mammals
ELOF Domain:
Approaches to Learning
Format:
Video
Language:
English
Museum:
National Zoo
Topic:
Animals Music
Watch
A vibrant, impressionistic painting of a jazz band playing with a singer in the foreground. The musicians play various instruments including a double bass, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and drums, all rendered in bold, colorful brushstrokes.
Music and Sound All Around

Sound & Music

In this lesson plan from the National Museum of American History, young learners explore what sound is, how it can be amplified, and what tool we can use when hearing is difficult. Through NMAH collection objects, music videos, suggested read-alouds, and hands-on activities, learners also discover how sound creates music—and how music creates sound.
Additional details
Age Group:
Preschool
ELOF Domain:
Language and Communication Cognition Literacy Scientific Reasoning
Format:
E-Course
Language:
English
Museum:
National Museum of American History
Topic:
Music
View
A black and cream colored hairy sloth bear looks off into the distance with what appears to be a slight smile on its face.
Music and Sound All Around

Musical Sloth Bears

Animals at the National Zoo make many different sounds to communicate with one another—but did you know that some special animals also love to make music using their natural instincts and behaviors? Watch the Zoo's talented sloth bears, Molly and Deemak, use their natural blowing behavior to create beautiful music!

Additional details
Age Group:
Toddler Preschool
Animal:
Mammals
ELOF Domain:
Approaches to Learning
Format:
Video
Language:
English
Museum:
National Zoo
Topic:
Animals Music
Watch
A watercolor cartoon image of rocket ships, planets, and the words that say "A Race in Space."
Music and Sound All Around

Music Time: A Race in Space

When you ride on an airplane, what sounds do you hear? What makes those sounds? How can we learn about space through music? Find out through activities created by the National Air and Space Museum!
Additional details
Age Group:
Preschool
ELOF Domain:
Approaches to Learning
Format:
Web page
Language:
English
Museum:
National Air and Space Museum
Topic:
Music Air and Space
View
A cartoon of a green grasshopper playing a violin.
Music and Sound All Around

Bug Bands and Insect Orchestras

Insects use a wide variety of ways to communicate with each other. They can make sounds such as click, pop, whir, buzz, and chirp. Some insects may also use visual cues like light or waving antennae. In this resource, learn how you can create your own bug band or insect orchestra at home or in the classroom!

Additional details
Age Group:
Toddler Preschool
Animal:
Bugs and Insects
ELOF Domain:
Approaches to Learning Perceptual, Motor, and Physical Development
Format:
PDF
Language:
English
Museum:
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Topic:
Music Nature
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