WeeBlog
This summer, we are taking a break from Centered: Music and Movement, but there are many opportunities to join a WeeGroove Dance party.
Today is the first day of WeeGroove in the Park. We will be singing, dancing and popping bubbles at 4:30. Join us at Tobey Prinz Park, near Pratt and the lake. (I will be setting up near the large climbing statue, but I will probably be looking for some shade.)
WeeGroove in the Park will happen on the second Saturday in June, July and August. See you there!
My students love to talk about their pets. Recently, many of the teachers I work with have been planning lesson plans about house pets.
Whenever we are talking about families, I always include family pets. This week I wrote three new songs about pets. I have included two of them here... the third needs a little work (and it needs recorded).
My Sister Jeannie and our dog Jessie Twinkle.
My Pet
(Tune: Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley Grow)
I have a dog. He is my pet.
I’ve loved him since the day we met.
Ruff, ruff,ruff is what he says.
I love my dog. I love my pet!
I have a cat. She is my pet.
I’ve loved her since the day we met.
Meow, meow, meow is what she says.
I love my cat. I love my pet!
I Have a Puppy
(Tune: Clementine)
I have a puppy.
His name is Buddy.
And I take him for a walk.
He can sit. He can roll over.
And if I ask him, he can talk.
(Sing melody in Ruffs.)
You can also use Peepers to sing about pets. Look here to get some ideas.
What songs do you use to sing about pets?
Happy Singing!
It’s pumpkin season and I want to share a few pumpkin songs for your felt board. Let's sing about our favorite gourd!
I have a big felt pumpkin. When it is blank, we sing "I'm a Little Pumpkin"
I'm a Little Pumpkin
Tune: I'm a Little Teapot
I'm a little pumpkin, orange and round.
The cutest squash that you ever have seen.
I grow on a vine that is leafy and green,
Straight from the farm in time for Halloween.
Then I add a face. Sometimes, I pick the shapes to add or I let a few children each add one shape. (Remember the mantra: process over product! When you let the kids make the face it might be a bit Picasso-esque.) Then we sing "Give Me a Face." (I don't always sing the verse of this song. It is a little long that way and I like to have time to make multiple faces.)
Happy jack-o-lantern!
Is this jack-o-lantern singing or surprised?
Give Me a Face
Tune: Home on the Range
Chorus:
Oh, Give me a face.
A mouth and two eyes right in place.
Shapes will decorate and make me feel great!
Carve a pumpkin to celebrate.
Verse:
Triangle eyes, a circle nose,
A mouth with a toothy grin.
Your jack-o-lantern can be what you want it to be.
Put a light in me so you can see!
Pumpkin Questions to ask your preschoolers:
What do you call a pumpkin after you give it a face?
What is inside a pumpkin?
How do you think this pumpkin is feeling?
I made these five little pumpkins for our counting songs, but I also have pom-pom pumpkins for my Silly Glove.
Pumpkins on a Vine
Tune: This Old Man
Five pumpkins on a vine,
Each little pumpkin’s feeling fine.
And a Fall wind blows (*Woosh) a pumpkin down the hill.
How many pumpkins are there still.
*Woosh: At this point, I stop the song briefly to have the kids blow like the Fall wind. (This was surprisingly funny to my kids!)
Five Little Pumpkins on a Gate
Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.
The first one says, "Oh my! It's getting late!"
**The second one says, "There are witches in the air!"
The third one says, "But we don't care!"
The forth one says, "I'm ready for some fun!"
The fifth one says, "Let's run and run and run!"
Ooooooh! Goes the wind and out goes the lights,
And five little pumpkins roll out of sight.
**Alternative verse:
The second one says, "There's a chill in the air!"
Many people sing this song, and everyone has a different melody. I usually chant this one, but this is Raffi's version. (The video leaves something to be desired, but the song is gold!)
My sister and my cousin posing with their Jack-O-Lantern.
Don't forget the best pumpkin sensory activity there is! Open that pumpkin up and let your preschoolers and scoop out the seeds and goo!
I have many fond memories of carving pumpkins with my father. I remember sitting on his work bench with my three sisters and scooping goop out. Then we each drew faces on our pumpkins and my dad carved them. We would line them all up on our porch and light them with a candle.
My mother (an educator) would have us carefully separate the seeds from the goo and then roast them for us. I still remember the smell! (That's a great sensory experience and fine motor work.)
There are so many pumpkin activities to do in your classroom or at home. What activities do you enjoy?
Happy Halloween and Happy Singing!
It's officially Fall. Which means we are starting to sing Fall songs in WeeGroove classes and Kids' Work students are starting to get ready for their Fall festivals.
Today on the blog, you will find a link to all the Fall songs from last year and a few recordings to help students and teachers practice for their upcoming Fall Festivals.
This was recorded in 2014 with the children from the Kids' Work Too Ashland class. Many of those kid have now left me for Kindergarten! We will be singing it again this year, and I am sure there will be many more recordings.
This was recorded in September of 2015 in the Ashland class at Kids' Work Too. They are still working on this songs and will sing it for their parents at their Autumn Celebration.
"I'm a Nut" and "Brown Squirrel" are fun songs from my childhood.
Enjoy these Fall songs and enjoy the changing weather. It's almost pumpkin season and then we move on to turkeys... Fall is defiantly my favorite season for kids' music.
Happy Singing.