Materials:

--Clear, plastic spoons

--Sharpies

Preparation: 

1. Use one color sharpie to draw a note or rest on a plastic spoon.  Use another color sharpie to write a corresponding number (value in beats.)  The pair should be stackable; when stacked, both the note and the value in beats should be visible.

2. Make multiple pairs of notes you want students to know, and only a few pairs of notes you are less worried about teaching

Directions:

1. Dump spoons on floor, students see who can find most pairs.

Notes:

--Photograph is from Pinterest article, which uses white spoons for note values and clear spoons for number of beats.

--The number should be the total number of beats on the spoon, regardless of how many notes are present.  (3 eighths bracketed in a triplet=1 beat, 2 quarter rests=2 beats)

--Use ties, sixteenth notes, etc. to help expand what students have seen.  Even if they don't know a few pairs, they will be able to figure out by eliminating the pairs they do know.

--Works best with 1-5 students, so if using with larger class, do so with stations. 

--Could use this same idea to teach various other musical concepts.  I plan on doing with chords in root position, which would require triplets that match rather than pairs.