When I was first called as Chorister I browsed the web for fun ideas for Singing time. I came across a cute idea on Sugardoodle for a Conducting Elephant. I liked the idea a lot but I didn't really want to make an elephant so I kind of put the idea in the back of my mind.
Last week I was trying to come up with a fun way to make the monotony of learning a new song a little more enjoyable for the kids. That's where Max came into play. We have a dog named Max who LOVES music. If I sit down to play the piano, he climbs right under the piano and lays on my feet-literally. Music sends his tail wagging. That gave me the idea of making a "Max" conducting dog. He was pretty simple to make and made such a huge impact on the kids. We probably sang Choose the Right 5 times today until we had it polished and the kids just kept singing their heart out because Max wagged his tail even harder when they sang their best. I just had a different child come up and wag his tail each time we sang it. The kids were very cute!
I had debated even pulling Max out for the Sr. Primary because I thought they'd think he was silly. I decided to give it a try anyway. Many of the older kids know my dog Max so they thought it was awesome that he'd made his way to Primary to hear them sing. :)
This is the best singing time I've had in a long time with the Sr. Primary, surprisingly enough. Max will definitely be paying a visit again!
Max was feeling a little shy with all of the kids so he turned around while they sang (this way the kids could see him wagging his tail). It's kind of hard to tell from the pictures how Max works but the kids just stuck their hand through the hole and into the sock to wag the tail). Clear as mud? No? Sorry. Hard to explain. If you have any questions, let me know.
