Lessons for Black History Month
Learn about African American Culture through Songs and Games
Jan 23, 2009
Teach students about the African American culture during the slave days through songs and games. These songs and games were created by the slaves as a method of entertainment, a practical way to get things done and a way to help them forget their circumstances.
Play Bob a Needle
Toys that the African American children played with were whatever they happened to have handy. In this case, they used a needle case. The children circle up, with one child in the center. While singing a song, the children in the circle would pass the needle case behind their backs. When the song was over, the child in the middle has to guess who had the needle case. After playing this game, discuss other toys that the children might have played with.
Miss Mary Mack
This fun rhyme that children are fond of was actually a game that the children played to make fun of the Master's daughter. The toys in this game were their own hands, as they chanted the song. The point of the song is how silly the master's daughter is for spending money to see an elephant jump over a fence because everyone knows an elephant cannot jump a fence. Ask students why the slave children would have made fun of the master's daughter.
Here We Go Loopty Loo
This popular song that requires children to put their right hand in, put their right hand out and give their hand a shake. Then they move on to the left hand, the right foot and so on. This song helps to describe bath time on a slave plantation. Water from a local stream had to be heated by fire in a large washtub that sat outside. The Mammy, or the slave who ran the childcare on the plantation, was in charge of bath time, and had to get every child bathed quickly. So as they sang the children would gather around the bath tub and go through the motions described in the song as they bathed together.
Listen to Juba
Juba, a song by Sweet Honey in the Rocks on the 1992 album All For Freedom – a Celebration of the Roots, History and Future of African American Culture, describes the culture that the African American children lived in while in slavery. Listen to the words of the song and ask the children what they ate. Have the students practice their own body percussion in place of drums for a song they know.
After learning these songs and games and the history behind them, students can answer some follow up questions. This is a great opportunity to have them practice answering BCR questions. Have children explain what the slave children did for fun, and what they did to help them forget about being slaves.
You may be interested in other history lessons, including a lesson on the Underground Railroad.
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