Little Dog, Little Dog: Phrygian song + Rhythmic improv

Here's a Phrygian song I used with 1st grade this year on a concert. Here was the format I used:

-All students sang verse 1 (Little dog...), 

-2 kids each did 4 bars of rhythmic improv using "roof." For example, "Roof roof-roof roof roof, roof roof!"

-All students sang verse 2 (Kitty cat...)

-2 kids did 4 bars each of rhythmic improv using "meow"

-All students sang verse 3 (Bunny rabbit...)

-2 kids did 4 bars each of rhythmic improv using "hop" (one soloist chose to say "hoppity")

-All students sang verse 1 again

Lesson Idea:

As the kids were first learning the song, they would be assigned rhythm stick partners -- meaning they and a partner would be given 1 rhythm stick, and each kid held one end of the stick. Together, they would move back and forth to the beat, connected by the stick. This actually helps kids with weaker rhythm abilities to develop that sense of beat, because they're connected to a kid with a strong sense of beat!  So cool!

Then after the verse is over, the partners have a rhythm conversation.  One person improvises a 4-measure rhythm using "roof," "meow," or "hop," depending on what verse we're on, and the other person improvises 4 different measures right after them!