top of page

The Waltzing Cat

By Leroy Anderson

Hi there,
This activity tells the story of a cat, a mouse and a dog.
 
Please take a couple of minutes to listen to the music by yourself and get to know the sounds your child will learn in this activity.

View All

Learning about the cat 1

Learning About The Cat

Ask your child:
This is how the cat cleans itself!
Now, ask your child to be a "cleaning cat"...
leraning about the cat 2
Ask your child:
Ask your child to become a cat!
Give your “cat” an imaginary bowl of milk to lick and another imaginary bowl of food to eat and pet the “cat”!
learn about the cat 3
Ask your child:
Ask your child to imitate an afraid cat
and then try to catch his tail and meow!
learn about the cat 4
Ask your child:

View All

You will be the dog and your child will be the cat:

Hide in the room and ask your "cat" to walk around... when he gets close to you, make a barking sound and your cat will run away! 
different meow
Ask your child if all the cats have the same voice?
Please watch the video:

 Different cats have different Meow!

View All

First Listening To The Music

First listening

First Listening To The Music

Put your child on your knees and pat him/her while closing your eyes and listening to the music.
 
Try to imagine what happens to the cat in the music.
Ask your child to tell you his/her story of the music
 
Did your child hear the cat’s meow?

View All

The Music Story

music story 1
A suggestion to tell your child with the music! 
The cat was resting peacefully in the sun, meowing from time to time, thinking how good it is to sit in the sun etc.
 
The mouse who lived near by, went out from his hole, saw the cat and decided to irritate the cat and even make him a little angry...
 
The mouse waved to the cat saying “Hi…” !
The cat immediately start chasing him.
When the cat almost caught him, the mouse jumped into his hole and got out from the other side, smiling and saying: “Hey cat, here I am, you will never succeed to catch me!"
So the cat tried very hard to catch the mouse but the mouse always succeeded to run away from him.
After a while the mouse got tired , jumped into his hole and did not come out.
The cat which was tired and frustrated , meowed sadly.
After a while he forgot about the mouse and start walking in the street.
Suddenly, surprise! The cat heard the dog barking and start running away very quickly and jump up the tree.
Please activate the music’s video and tell the above  story with the music.
When ever you hear the whistle, it means that the mouse jumped to his hole and got out from the other side.
Only at the last whistle ,the mouse stays in his hole and does not come out.”

View All

The bow instruments

The bow instruments:

In this music we hear the bow instruments, imitating the cat meowing!
Who are the bow instruments?
Please watch the vide of the bow instruments orchestra:
 
 
The bow instrument of the orchestra have strings, a bow and a big empty wooden box which we call echo box.
The bow instruments have different sizes and different names,as you can see in the picture :

View All

The cat's music pattern

The cat's  music pattern

View All

Please ask your child to think about the music and guess how many parts in the cat's music and describe those parts to you. 
In the “Waltzing cat” musical story there are 4 main parts:
Part 1: The cat is meowing from time to time.
Part 2:The chase of the cat after the mouse.
(We hear a whistle whenever the mouse jumps into a hole).
Part 3- The cat is meowing sadly after failing to catch the mouse and after a while continue meowing as usual .
Part 4- The barking of the dog who tries to catch the cat.The cat runs quickly and jumps up the tree.
Cat make up

Simple ideas for "A cat face" make up:

 "A cat  make up"
makes the musical activities much more fun!
 
 

View All

The cat's special rug

The cat’s special rug!

 Put a newspaper on the floor and tell your “cat “(with the make up on his face) that this is the cat’s resting rug.
At the first part of the music , the “cat” will sit, on the “Rug” and will listen to the music.
Whenever the” cat” hears the musical meowing , the “cat “ will make the movement of meowing(without a sound) and the parent will pet him/her.
At the chase part , the cat will stand near the newspaper rug and will get ready to jump over it to the other side in every whistle.
At the third part, the “sad cat “sits on the rug and makes the meow sounds with the meow in the music.
When the dog barks, the cat runs away and hide somewhere in the house.
The adult has to find the cat at the end of the music.

View All

Cats love to play with balls

cats and balls

View All

 Prepare 2 small balls from newspaper and scotch tape or take 2 balls that you have at home.
 
 
 
 
Sit down, facing each other and think together what to do in each part of the music.
 
 
Here  are a few suggestions:
 
When you hear the cat meowing, exchange your balls.
When you hear the whistle, each of you will throw his/hers ball up and catch it.
When you hear the dog barking, ran in the house and hide your ball!
At the end of the music look for each other balls.
 
rare friendship

A rare friendship

 Sometimes there is a rare friendship between a cat and a mouse, please watch the video:
 
 

View All

The chase

The chase - A musical game

View All

 In our music , the cat wanted to catch the mouse but failed!
Ask your child to be the “cat” and  to rest on the newspaper rug while you will be the mouse and you will hide in the room.
 
As the music begins , the “cat” will walk around the room, looking for food, moving his imaginary tail, licking himself like a cat, and meowing loudly with the musical meow.
 
In the chasing part of the music ,  you the adult (who plays the mouse) get out from your hiding place  and  start running while  saying to the “cat”:“Catch me” !
Your "cat" will chase you
When ever you(the mouse), hear the whistle,  hide behind a chair(or any other place) and then the “cat” is not aloud  to catch you.
 
At the third part of the music, your” sad cat “, who could not catch you ,goes back to the newspaper rug and meows with the musical meows.
 
At the end,when your “cat” hears the dog barking, you becomes the “dog” and chase the “cat” until it climbs on the bed , or the sofa etc.
 
 
 
The music parts

The music’s parts video:

Watch the following video  and talk with your child about the sequence of what you saw in the video:
What was first, which part repeated etc.
 
 

View All

Anchor 10
Anchor 1

Painting with the music

View All

  •  Please print the picture above and give it to your child.
  • Choose crayons for you and for your child.
 
At the  beginning of the  music, your child will start coloring the cat.
When your child  hears the cat's meowing , he/she has to raise their color up and stop coloring.
 
In the chase ,you will color the mouse.
 
At the end of the music , when you hear the barking, both of you will add color to the dog.
 
Put the  video on and enjoy coloring.
 
When the music is over, finish the coloring, cut each animal and attach it to a stick
Ask your child to invent a “puppets show” with those animals.
 
 
 

Print  me

Walt Disney video

Walt Disney video:Enjoy!!

bottom of page