- Roots, Trunks, Branches, Leaves (tune: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes): Did you ever wonder how your body is like a tree?
Lyrics:
Roots, trunks, branches, leaves, branches, leaves
Roots, trunks, branches, leaves, branches, leaves
All this started with a tiny seed
Roots, trunks, branches, leaves, branches, leaves. - Flutter, Flutter Butterfly (tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star): Have you been noticing the butterflies fluttering around this summer?
Lyrics:
Flutter, flutter butterfly
Floating in the summer sky.
Floating by for all to see
Floating by so merrily.
Flutter, flutter butterfly
Floating in the summer sky. - I Am A Cricket (tune: You Are My Sunshine): What color is a cricket? In this song, it can be all different colors!
Lyrics:
I am a cricket
A little green cricket
I have six legs and two pairs of wings
My body’s covered with an exoskeleton
And I rub my legs to sing.
Change the colors! - I’ll Plant A Little Seed (tune: I’m a Little Teapot): Summer planting turns to Fall planting!
Lyrics:
I’ll plant a little seed in the dark, dark ground
Out comes the yellow sun, bug and round.
Down comes the cool rain, soft and slow
Up comes the little seed, grow, grow, grow. - You Are My Sunshine
- The Listening Walk by Paul Showers, illustrated by Aliki: Do you ever take a listening walk? So many sounds can be heard, especially outside in the Summertime! What sounds do you hear? Watch Part 3 here!
- Ten Fingers (a chant from the Music Together Collection): Let’s count the fingers on our hands!
I have ten little fingers and they all belong to me
I can make them do things, just you wait and see.
I can shut them up tight or open them wide
I can put them together or make them all hide!
I can make them jump high, I can make them jump low
I can fold them quietly and hold them just so.
I have ten little fingers and they all belong to me
Do you have ten fingers, too? Let’s count them and see!
1, 2, 3… - Spanish Counting Song: Let’s count our fingers in Spanish!
Uno, tra la la, dos, tra la la
Tres, quatro, cinco, seis, tra la la
Siete, tra la la, ocho, tra la la
Nueve, diez, tra la la! - Ladybug (from the Music Together Collection): All insects have six legs and four wings. Some bite us and some just tickle! What insects do you see in the summertime? You can add them to this song!
Ladybug she creeps along and as she creeps she sings her song
Doo doo doo…..
Ladybug she spreads her wings and as she flies her song she sings
La la la….
Bumble bee she creeps along and as she creeps she sings her song
Buzz, buzz, buzz…..
Bumble bee she spreads her wings and as she flies her song she sings
buzz, buzz, buzz…
Dragonfly he creeps along and as he creeps he sings his song
Doo doo doo…..
Dragonfly he spreads his wings and as he flies his song he sings
Zoom, zoom, zoom….
Caterpillar creeps along and as she creeps she sings her song
Doo doo doo…..
Butterfly she spreads her wings and as she flies her song she sings
La la la…. - Fruit Salad Salsa by Laurie Berkner: What kind of fruit do you like to put in your fruit salad?
Here come the mangoes with one hand out
And here come the apples with one hand out
Here come papayas with one hand out
All for the fruit salad salsa!
Here come the pineapples, shake shake shake
Here come the oranges, shake shake shake
Here come bananas, they shake shake shake
All for the fruit salad salsa!
And then they jump, jump, jump, jump, jump into the bowl
And then they jump, jump, jump, jump, jump into the bowl
And then they jump, jump, jump, jump, jump into the bowl
All for the fruit salad salsa!
Then all the fruit they go spinning around
Spinning and tumbling and mixing around
Then all the fruit they go spinning around
All for the fruit salad salsa!
And everybody goes in, in, in, in, in, shake shake shake
And everybody goes out, out, out, out, out, shake shake shake
And everybody goes in, in, in, in, in, shake shake shake
All for the fruit salad salsa! - 45 Comics That Sum Up Parenting In 2020: Parents have illustrated their coronavirus anxiety, homeschool struggles, quarantine chaos and more.
- Listening Walk by Paul Showers, illustrated by Aliki: What do you hear when you play outside? Take a walk? Go to the beach? Listen to all the sounds around you. There are so many!
- Five Hungry Ants (a chant): Having a picnic is fun, but look out for the ants! Why do they walk or march in a line?
Five hungry ants marching in a line
They came upon a picnic where they could dine.
They marched into the salad
They marched into the cake
They marched into the pepper - uh oh!
That was a mistake! A, a, a, a-choo!
4, 3, 2, 1 hungry ants… - The Ants Go Marching: Ants always seem to march in a line. Maybe they enjoy playing follow-the-leader or having a parade!
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one
The little one said, “Let’s have some fun!”
And they all go marching down, under the ground to get out of the rain.
Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum , oh…
Two by two…the little stopped to tie his shoe.
Three by three…the little one said, “Let’s climb a tree.”
Four by four…the little one said, “Let’s go through the door.”
Five by five…the little one said, “Let’s take a dive.”
Six by six…the little one said, “Let’s tap on our sticks.”
Can you make up your own rhymes? Keep going all the way to ten or more! - Riding in the Car (from the Music Together collection): What do you like to do while riding in the car?
Zoom, zoom, riding in the car, here we go, here we go, here we go, here we go
Zoom, zoom, riding in the car, we’re going out today.
Brrroom, broom, driving in the car…
Turn, turn, turning in the car…
Screech, screech, stopping in the car…
Sing, sing, singing in the car…
Clap, clap, clapping in the car…
Eat, eat, eating in the car…
Drink, drink, drinking in the car…
Sleep, sleep, sleeping in the car…
Make up more verses! - When Will We Get There? (a chant from the Music For Aardvarks collection): Do you ever feel like this when you’re traveling?
When will we get there?
When will we get there?
When will we get there?
We want to know!
Hooray, we’re here!
Hooray, we’re here!
Hooray, we’re here!
When can we go? - Row, Row, Row Your Boat (a classic!): How many ways can you row in your boat?
Row, row, row your boat
(Gently) down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream!Quickly, slowly, quietly, loudly…what else? - Say Goodbye to Boredom: These 6 Backyard Activities Are Fun For the Whole Family
"I'm bored" might be every parent's two least favorite words in the English language. No matter how many books, toys, and games they have in the playroom, kids inevitably get bored — and parents inevitably need to come up with some genius idea to entertain them.With many team sports and sleep-away... - Wynken, Blynken, and Nod (a Dutch lullaby, words by Eugene Field)
Lyrics:
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe
They sailed on a river of crystal light
Into a sea of dew.
“Where are you going and what do you wish?”
The old moon asked the three.
“We’ve come to fish for the herring fish
That swim in the beautiful sea.
Nets of silver and gold have we,”
Said Wynken, Blyken, and Nod.
The old moon laughed and sang a song
As the rocked in the wooden shoe
And the wind that sped them all night long
Ruffled the waves of dew.
The little stars were the herring fish
That lived in the beautiful sea.
“Now cast your nets wherever you wish,
Never afeared are we!”
So cried the the stars to the fishermen three,
Wynken, Blyken, and Nod.
All night long their nets they threw
To the stars in the twinkling foam
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe
Bringing the fishermen home.
“Twas all so pretty a sail it seemed,
As if it could not be,
And some folks thought ’twas a dream they dreamed
Of sailing that beautiful sea.
But I shall name you the fishermen three,
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.
Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes
And Nod a little head.
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
Is a wee one’s trundle bed.
So shut your eyes while (Mother) sings
Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
As you rock in the misty sea.
Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three,
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.
Change the name to whomever sings you a lullaby! - Old MacDonald Had A Band: Gather any and all instruments and include them in your very own version of this song!
- Staten Island Ferry by David Weinstone/Music For Aardvarks: Will you take a ride on a ferry boat this summer? What is the boat’s name?
Lyrics:
If you’ve got the notion to be sailing on the ocean
Then here’s what you should do
Grab your hat, let’s hurry to the (Staten Island) Ferry
She’s waiting just for you.
And it only takes a quarter to be floating on the water
Where the sky is big and blue
So, grab your hat, let’s hurry to the Staten Island Ferry
She’s waiting just for you.
Listen to the whistle - toot! toot! toot!
And the engine - chugga chugga chug!
You can see Lady Liberty and seagulls up above.
And it only takes a quarter to be floating on the water
Where the sky is big and blue
So, grab your hat, let’s hurry to the Staten Island Ferry
She’s waiting just for you. - Sailing, Sailing by Kathy Reid-Naiman: Sing this as you move like a sailboat, go back and forth on a swing, or settle down to sleep.
Lyrics:
Sailing, sailing, over the water
Sailing, sailing over the sea.
Sailing, sailing, over the the ocean
Sailing back home to me. - We Are The Dinosaurs by Laurie Berkner: What’s your favorite dinosaur?
Lyrics:
We are the dinosaurs, marching, marching
We are the dinosaurs, what do you think of that?
We are the dinosaurs, marching, marching
We are the dinosaurs, we make the earth flat. We make the earth flat.
We stop and eat our food, when we’re in the mood
We stop and eat our food on the ground.
We stop and eat our food, when we’re in the mood
We stop and eat our food, then we march around…because…
We are the dinosaurs, marching, marching
We are the dinosaurs, what do you think of that?
We are the dinosaurs, marching, marching
We are the dinosaurs, we make the earth flat. We make the earth flat.
We stop and take a rest, over in our nest
We stop and take a rest at the end of the day.
We stop and take a rest, over in our nest
We stop and take a rest, then you’ll hear us say…Wake up!
We are the dinosaurs, marching, marching
We are the dinosaurs, what do you think of that?
We are the dinosaurs, marching, marching
We are the dinosaurs, we make the earth flat. We make the earth flat.
And then we roar…(ROAR!!!)…because we are the dinosaurs! - Goodspeed Opera, Kids Company, Theater Ensembles and Studios
- An Argument for Music Education
- Inspirational Video! Enjoy listening to young cellist, Ifetayo Ali-Landing!
- Summer by Alice Low, illustrations by Roy McVie: We’ve come to the end of this book, but not the end of Summer! Enjoy activities - like the ones in this book and more! - for another month and a half! Hooray!
- What Shall We Do When We All Go Out? What do you like to do when you play outside in the summer? You can put those ideas into this song!
What shall we do when we all go out, we all go out, we all go out?
What shall we do when we all go out, when we all go out to play? - Five Cranky Crabs (a fingerplay): Let’s count the crabs at the beach: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Careful! Don’t get pinched!
Five cranky crabs were digging on the shore
One swam away and then there were four.
Four cranky crabs were floating in the sea
One got caught in seaweed and then there were three.
Three cranky crabs were wondering what to do
One dug a hole in the sand and then there were two.
Two cranky crabs were warming in the sun
One got scooped up in a cup and then there was one.
One cranky crab was quicker than his friends
He hid between the jagged rocks and that’s how the story ends. - Fishing Song: Do you go fishing with your family or know anyone who does?
One time I went a-fishing, a-fishing, a-fishing
One time I went a-fishing on a Summer’s day.
And the fish I caught was this big, this BIG, THIS BIG
The fish I caught was THIS BIG!..but it got away.
Owen caught a minnow, Ella caught a frog.
Archer caught a turtle from underneath a log.
But the fish I caught was this big, this BIG, THIS BIG
The fish I caught was THIS BIG!…but it got away. - Stars Shining (a lullaby): Count the stars in the summer night sky!
Stars shining, number, number one, number two, number three, good night
By and by, by and by, good night, by and by, by and by.
Stars shining, number, number four, number five, number six, good night
By and by, by and by, good night, by and by, by and by.
Stars shining, number, number seven, number eight, number nine, good night
By and by, by and by, good night, by and by, by and by.
Stars shining, number, number ten number eleven, number twelve, good night
By and by, by and by, good night, by and by, by and by. - Fun Games To Play With Kids
- Backyard Camping Ideas For Summer Nights
- Ten Fun Family Board Games
- Bring The Beach Into Your Backyard
- Make Your Own Ice Cream!
- Travel The World Without Leaving Home
- Virtual Museum Tours
- Clap Your Hands, Clap Your Hands by Kathy Reid Naiman: Clap your hands, then think of other ways to move your body to the beat of this song!
Clap your hands, clap your hands
And sing a happy song
Clap your hands, clap your hands
And sing a happy song
Clap your hands, clap your hands
And sing a happy song
And then you shake them, shake them, shake them right along. - I Have A Little Hammer - a cumulative song by Kathy Reid Naiman: This gets pretty silly!
I have a little hammer and I tap, tap, tap
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap this way
I have a little hammer and I tap, tap, tap
Tap, tap, tap all day.I have two hammers…(tap two hands on lap)
I have three hammers…(tap two hands on lap and one foot)
I have four hammers…(tap two hands and two feet)
I have five hammers…(tap two hands, two feet, and nod your head!) - Tapping On My Sticks by Kathy Reid Naiman (tune: Knees Up, Mother Brown): Tap with your hands, fingers, rhythm sticks, paint brushes, wooden spoons, or whatever you can find!
Tapping on my sticks, tapping on my sticks
Tapping, tapping, never stopping, tapping on my sticks.Tapping in the air…
Tapping on my tummy…
Tapping on the floor…
Quickly, slowly, loudly, quietly…how else - or where else - can you tap your sticks? - ABC Musical Instruments for Kids
- Little Bird Up in a Tree: Do you hear the birds singing outside? What do you think they’re singing about?
Chorus:
Little bird up in a tree, in a tree, in a tree
Little bird up in a tree, sing a song for me.
Sing about the roses on the garden wall
Sing about the birdies in the tree top tall.
Sing about the farmer planting beans and corn
Planting peas and carrots on this summer morn.
Sing about the mountains, sing about the sea
Sing about the rainbows, sing a song for me. - Inspirational Dance Video - fun for the whole family to enjoy!
- Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by Jane Cabrera: Enjoy more verses to this beloved song! Can you make up your own? Follow the book’s lead and think of an animal and its habitat. Stars shine all over the world!
- A Picnic on the Grass: Summer is a great time to have a picnic!
Lyrics:
Were you ever on a picnic
When the summer sky is blue,
With the green grass for a table
And for a tablecloth, too?
With the platters made of oak leaves
Tied together with a string,
And with cups made out of birch bark
You can drink from the spring.
Picking flowers, picking berries,
‘Till the good things are all spread.
Eating dinner in the sunshine
While the birds sing o’erhead. - I Love To Row in My Big Blue Boat: Do you ever go on a boat ride in the summer?
Lyrics:
I love to row in my big blue boat
My big blue boat, my big blue boat.
I love to row in my big blue boat
Out on the deep blue sea.
My big blue boat has two red sails
Two red sails, two red sails
My big blue boat has two red sails
Out on the deep blue sea.
My big blue boat goes up and down
Up and down, up and down
My big blue boat goes up and down
Out on the deep blue sea.
My big blue boat goes side to side
Side to side, side to side
My big blue boat goes side to side
Out on the deep blue sea.
So come with me in my big blue boat
My big blue boat, my big blue boat
So come with me in my big blue boat
Out on the deep blue sea.
We’ll catch a fish in my big blue boat
My big blue boat, my big blue boat
We’ll catch a fish in my big blue boat
Out on the deep blue sea! - Oh, Mr. Sun: Enjoy some new verses!
Lyrics:
Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun
Please shine down on me.
Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mister Golden Sun
Hiding behind a tree.
These little children are asking you
To please come out so they can play with you
Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun
Please shine down on me.
Oh, Mistress Moon, Moon, bright and silvery Moon
Please shine down on me.
Oh, Mistress Moon, Moon, bright and silvery Moon
Hiding behind a tree.
These little children are asking you
To please come out so they can sleep for you.
Oh, Mistress Moon, Moon, bright and silvery Moon
Please shine down on me.
Oh, little stars, stars, little twinkling stars
Please shine down on me.
Oh, little stars, stars, little twinkling stars
Hiding behind a tree.
These little children are asking you
To please come out so they can wish on you.
Oh, little stars, stars, little twinkling stars
Please shine down on me. - We Clap and We Stop! Change the movements in this song! It’s like a freeze dance and can also be used as a transition song. Anything works!
Lyrics:
We (clap) and we (clap) and we stop!
We clap and we clap and we stop!
We call and we clap and we clap and we clap
And we clap and we clap and we stop! - Musical Programming and Summer Intensives at The Quick Center for the Arts!
- Scratch: Create Stories, Games, and Animations!
- Digital Resources from The Smithsonian
- Not Just For Kids: Norwalk Symphony Orchestra - Percussion Lesson!
- Norwalk Symphony Orchestra - DIY Water Xylophone
- Norwalk Symphony Orchestra - Test your Percussion Instrument Knowledge!
- Summer by Alice Low, illustrations by Roy McKie: What kinds of things do you enjoy doing in the summer? Maybe you could make your own book about it! Find some paper, fold and staple it into a book format, draw pictures of your favorite things to do in the summer, and ask an adult to write a description below. Now you’re an author and illustrator!
- She Sells Seashells By The Seashore (Alliteration…and a tongue twister!…from the Music Together Collection): Shells can be many different colors, textures, and sizes. They also have different names. Do you look for shells when you go to the beach?
Lyrics:
She sells seashells by the seashore.
She sells seashells by the seashore.
Brown and grey and blue, yellow, pink, white, green.
Brown and grey and blue, yellow, pink, white, green.
Birds in the sky, singing songs, flying high!
She sells seashells by the seashore.
She sells seashells by the seashore.
Oyster, mussel, snail, periwinkle, clam.
Oyster, mussel, snail, periwinkle, clam.
Birds in the sky, singing songs, flying high! - Yea Ho Little Fish (an Australian lullaby): Does someone in your family sing you a lullaby? Maybe you sing to your stuffed animal friends before you all settle down for a nap or bedtime!
Lyrics
Come all you bold fishermen, listen to me
I’ll sing you a song of the fish in the sea.
Chorus
Yea ho little fish, don’t cry, don’t cry
Yea ho, little fish, you’ll be a whale, bye and bye.
You go to fish school and learn from a book
How not to get caught on the fisherman’s hook.
You just swim around the fisherman’s bait
So you won’t end up on the fisherman’s plate!
Look out little fish, they’ll be after you
But you can escape away into the blue.
Now the crew is asleep and the ocean’s at rest
And I’m singing this song for the one I love best. - Walking To The Drum: How many ways can you move to the drum?
Lyrics
I’m walking, I’m walking, I’m walking to the drum.
I’m walking, I’m walking, I’m walking, now I’m done.
Tiptoeing, stomping, running, spinning, etc. How else? - I Find A Seed (a fingerplay): What are you growing in your garden?
Lyrics
I find a seed
I plant a seed
I water a seed
I grow a seed
And now I have a _________! - Norwalk Parks and Rec Offerings
- An Inspirational Video! Enjoy the incredible vocal talent and performance of this 7-year old girl, Malea Emma, singing the National Anthem!
- Here is the Sea (a fingerplay by Debbie Carroll)
Lyrics
Here is the sea, the wavy sea
Here is my boat and here is me
And all the fishes down below
Wiggle their tails and away they go! - Summer by Alice Low: Enjoy the rhymes in this book about all things summer. I will read a few pages each week as the whole book is very long!
- The Goldfish by Laurie Berkner: Have fun pretending to be a fish and acting out this silly song! Feel free to make up your own verses.
Lyrics
Lots of little fish were sleeping on a rock in the bottom of the ocean.
They lifted up their heads and they shook out their tails
And they said let’s go swimming!
Let’s go swimming, let’s go swimming
Yeah, let’s go swimming
Let’s go swimming, let’s go swimming
In the bottom of the ocean.
Then the little fish got so very, very tired
That they came back to the rock.
And they put down their heads and they put down their tails
And they took a little nap.
And when they woke up…they were feeling a little dirty! So, they decided to take a shower!
And they washed their hair and they washed their ears
They washed their tummies and they washed their beards.
And they washed their nose and they washed their toes
And then they said…Wait a minute! We’re fish! We don’t take showers!
Let’s go swimming, let’s go swimming
Yeah, let’s go swimming
Let’s go swimming, let’s go swimming
In the bottom of the ocean.
Then the little fish got so very, very tired
That they came back to the rock.
And they put down their heads and they put down their tails
And they took a little nap.
And when they woke up…they decided to brush their teeth!
So, they got out their toothbrush and their toothpaste
And they squeezed a little on, they tried not to waste.
Then they put it in their mouth, they brushed north and south
And then they said…Wait a minute! We’re fish! We don’t brush our teeth!
Let’s go swimming, let’s go swimming
Yeah, let’s go swimming
Let’s go swimming, let’s go swimming
In the bottom of the ocean.
Then the little fish got so very, very tired
That they came back to the rock.
And they put down their heads and they put down their tails
And they took a little nap.
And when they woke up…they decided to ride their bicycles!
So, they rode to the left and they rode to the right
And they rode all day and they rode all night.
They rode down the hill and faster still
And then they said…Wait a minute! We’re fish! We don’t ride bicycles!
Let’s go swimming, let’s go swimming
Yeah, let’s go swimming
Let’s go swimming, let’s go swimming
In the bottom of the ocean. - The Handwashing Song by Kathy Reid Naiman: Sing this song whenever you’re cleaning yourself up - in the sink, the bath, with a hose, wipes, or hand sanitizer! Wash other parts of your body, too - and wash away mud, dirt, paint, sand, etc!
Lyrics
I’m gonna wash my hands, my hands, my hands
I’m gonna wash my hands and wash the germs away.
Away, away, and wash the germs away
Away, away, and wash the germs away. - Welcome Summer by Kathy Reid Naiman: Enjoy singing this seasonal song with your child!
Lyrics
Welcome summer, birds and bees and butterflies
Welcome summer, wildflowers and berry pies
Summer, summer, my favorite time of the year
Summer, summer, summertime is here.
Welcome summer, lakes and ponds and swimming holes
Welcome summer, campfires and fishing poles.
Summer, summer, my favorite time of the year
Summer, summer, summertime is here.
Fireflies on summer nights
Nesting ducks and birds in flight
Shooting stars and thunderstorms and camping ‘neath the moon.
Welcome summer, soft winds whispering through the pines
Welcome summer, ripe tomatoes on the vine
Summer, summer, my favorite time of the year
Summer, summer, summertime is here. - Visit Seussville through Dr. Seuss Activities!
- Virtual Summer Camps at the Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield, CTSuper Cool
- Virtual Summer Camps for Kids!
- Macy’s Fireworks Display!
- Slippery Fish: This song expands children’s vocabulary: sliding, squiggling, flashing, lurking, spouting!
Slippery fish, slippery fish, sliding through the water
Slippery fish, slippery fish, gulp, gulp, gulp!
Oh no, it’s been eaten by…
An octopus, an octopus, squiggling through the water
An octopus, an octopus, gulp, gulp, gulp!
Oh no, it’s been eaten by…
A tunafish, a tunafish, flashing through the water
A tunafish, a tunafish, gulp, gulp, gulp!
Oh no, it’s been eaten by…
A great white shark, a great white shark, lurking in the water
A great white shark, a great white shark, gulp, gulp, gulp!
Oh no, it’s been eaten by…
A humongous whale, a humongous whale, spouting in the water
A humongous whale, a humongous whale, gulp, gulp, gulp!
BURP! (Excuse me…) - The Jellyfish (a chant): This is a summery version of the Too-Di-Ta camp song! It is an echo and cumulative song. Sing, follow along, and move like a jellyfish! Warning: it gets silly!
Hands up (hands up) and do the jellyfish, the jellyfish, the jelly fish-fish!
The jellyfish, the jellyfish, the jellyfish-fish!
Hands up (echo), wrists together (echo)…and do the jellyfish…
Hands up, wrists together, elbows together…
Hands up, wrists together, elbows together, knees together…
Hands up, wrists together, elbows together, knees together, eyes closed…
Hands up, wrists together, elbows together, knees together, eyes closed, tongue out…
Make up your own version with different body parts! - The Fish in the Sea (tune: The Wheels on the Bus): Enjoy these ideas from the beach and make up even more (all summer long…)
The fish in the sea go round and round, round and round, round and round
The fish in the sea go round and round, all day long!
The waves at the beach go up and down
The gulls at the beach fly way up high
The people at the beach they swim like this
The kids at the beach go dig, dig, dig
The kids at the beach go splash, splash, splash
The crabs at the beach go snap, snap, snap
The sand at the beach feels hot, hot, hot
The ice cream at the beach tastes yum, yum, yum - One Little Red Fish: Count on in this song and change the colors and patterns of the fish! It’s a good song to sing while playing outside at the beach or pond, but also for playing with fish toys and bubbles in the bath!
One little red fish, swimming in the water, swimming in the water, swimming in the water
One little red fish, swimming in the water, bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble, pop!Two, three, four, five… - Five Little Seashells (a chant): Enjoy investigating all the colors, patterns, and textures (hopefully not smells!) of sea shells at the beach. You could also collect them to paint, count, build, and decorate with them!
Five little seashells sitting by the shore
Whoosh! Came a wave and then there were four.
Four little seashells sitting by the sea
Whoosh! Came a wave and then there were three.
Three little seashells under a sky so blue
Whoosh! Came a wave and then there were two.
Two little seashells sitting in the sun
Whoosh! Came a wave and then there was one.
One little seashell not having any fun
Whoosh! Came a wave and then there was none. - Virtual Summer Camps For Kids!
- Chop, Chop, Chippity, Chop (a chant): Enjoy chanting along while you chop fruits and veggies from your garden, a community garden, the store, or a farmer’s market!
Chop, chop, chippity, chop
Cut off the bottom and cut off the top.
What there is left, we’ll put in the pot
Chop, chop, chippity, chop! - Ten Little Garden Snails: Let’s count the snails in this book…by ones and twos!
- Hunt the Cows (a play party game)
Wake up you lazy bones and go and fetch the cattle
Wake up you lazy bones and go and fetch the cows.
The sun is hot (down on one knee).
The cows are gone (down on two knees).
I think I’ll rest (down on two knees, one elbow).
’Til they come home (down on two knees, two elbows).
(Cock-a-doodle-do!). Wake up…!
Repeat… - Open and Shut Them (with a new verse!)
Open and shut them, open and shut them
Give a little clap, clap, clap.
Open and shut them, open and shut them
Put them in your lap, lap, lap.
Creep them, creep them, slowly creep them
Right up to your chin, chin, chin
Open up your little mouth, but…
Do not let them in.
Open and shut them, open and shut them
To your shoulders fly
Then like little birdies
Let them flutter to the sky.
Drifting, drifting, slowly drifting
Right down to the ground
Quickly pick them up again and
Turn them round and round.
Faster….faster….faster….
Slower…slower…slower…clap! - The Garden Snail (a tickling chant)
Slowly, slowly, very slowly creeps the little snail
Slowly, slowly, very slowly, up the wooden rail.
Quickly, quickly, very quickly, runs the little mouse
Quickly, quickly, very quickly, all around the house! - Here is a Box (a chant and guessing game)
Lyrics:
Here is a box
And here is the lid.
I wonder whatever inside is hid?
Give three guesses…Objects could be from your child’s toys (puppets, plastic animals, legos, crayons), from the kitchen, from outside, etc. - Who’s In the Barnyard? (a chant and guessing game)
Lyrics:
An oink, a moo, a cock-a-doodle doo
Who’s in the barnyard, playing peek-a-boo?
Give three guesses: an animal’s color, sound, job on the farm, etc. - Frog Went A Courtin’ (traditional story/ballad): Enjoy our (somewhat lengthy) version of this classic story song. So many versions exist!
- A Dramatic Reading of Charlotte’s Web! (by E.B.White)
- Here Comes Uncle Jessie (a color/movement game)
Lyrics:
Here comes Uncle Jessie
He’s riding through the field
With his horse and buggy and he knows just how you feel.
He’s hollering (color)!
Stand up (color)
Jump, jump (color)
Turn around, turn around, turn around
Sit down!
Repeat with different colors and patterns! - The Ladybug Song (tune: Mary Had A Little Lamb)
Lyrics:
I have a little ladybug, ladybug, ladybug
I have a little ladybug
Its wings are black and red.
See the little ladybug, ladybug, ladybug
See the little ladybug
Flying here and there.
Now it’s landing on the ground, on the ground, on the ground
Now it’s landing on the ground
And crawling everywhere.
Change the insect and the color of its wings! - Make Music Day - June 21! I think every day should be for music making, but here is information about an organized, world-wide, musical event!
- Sesame Street Addresses Racism
- Watermelon (tune: Frere Jacques) It’s watermelon season! Yum! Next time you eat some, you can sing this song!
Watermelon, watermelon
See it drip, see it drip
Up and down my elbows, up and down my elbows
Spit out the pits! Spit out the pits! - Down By The Bay: Enjoy this classic story song and then make up your own verses! The sillier, the better!
- Five Little Hotdogs (a subtraction chant and fingerplay) It’s grilling season! Can you make the sound of food sizzling on the grill or pan? Tsz, tsz, tsz, tsz...Feel free to substitute your favorite food!
Five little hotdogs frying in a pan
The oil got hot and one went BAM!
4, 3, 2, 1 (and the pan went BAM!) - One Rock, Two Rock (chant up to 10) Make a fist and pretend to stack rocks, alternating with both hands in a pattern. Try it with a partner, chant and count along, and trying snapping your fingers, too! The name of the rock towers you encounter at a beach or on a hiking trail are called cairns.
- Here We Come Riding Our Ponies: Practice galloping like a horse or a pony! Off you go!
Here we come riding our ponies, our ponies, our ponies
Here we come riding our ponies, Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
Take a moment and you say
How are you this very fine day? Oh... - Woodwind Craft Activity
- The Birdie Song (a poem and fingerplay)
Way up in the sky
The big birdies fly
Way down in the nest
The little birdies rest
With a wing on the left
And a wing on the right
The little birdie sleeps
All through the night.
Shhhhhh! - Hush, Be Still (a lullaby)
Hush, be still, as a mouse
There’s a baby in the house.
Not a dolly, not a toy, but a sleeping baby boy.
Hush, be still, as a mouse
There’s a baby in the house.
She’s a treasure, she’s a pearl
She’s a sleeping baby girl. - Five Little Dragonflies (a subtraction song - tune: Five Green and Speckled Frogs)
Five little dragonflies
Sat on a plant nearby
Eating some most delicious bugs, Yum! Yum!
One flew up and away
Where it could catch his prey
Then there were four little dragonflies. Zoom! Zoom!
4, 3, 2, 1... - The Caterpillar ( a poem and fingerplay)
A caterpillar crawled to the top of a tree “I think I’ll take a nap,” said he.
So, under a leaf he began to creep
To spin a chrysalis, then he fell asleep.
All winter long he slept in his bed
‘Til Spring came along one day and said,
“Wake up, wake up, little sleepyhead.
Wake up, it’s time to get out of bed.”
So, he opened his eyes that sunshiny day
And lo! He was a butterfly and he flew away! - Caterpillar Crawling By (tune: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star)
Caterpillar crawling by
Soon you’ll be a butterfly.
Eat some milkweed ‘til you’re filled
Then a chrysalis you’ll build.
Caterpillar crawling by
Soon you’ll be a butterfly.
In your chrysalis of green
Caterpillar can’t be seen.
One day soon when you come out
You’ll begin to fly about.
Caterpillar, my, oh, my!
You’re a monarch butterfly! - Big Green Bug: Pretend a big green bug (or change the color!) lands and crawls on different parts of your body! It’s ok - he’s just tickling you!
- Parents, Resources, Tips, and Advice
- Visit the New Canaan Sculpture Trail!
- Adios, Amigos (Goodbye, My Friends - tune: Frere Jacques)
Adios, amigos, adios, amigos
Ya me voy, ya me voy Me dio mucho gusto Estar con ustedes.
Adios, adios.
Translation:
Goodbye, friends, goodbye, friends
It’s time to go, it’s time to go
It was very nice To be with all of you.
Goodbye, goodbye. - I’m Moving Up (or I’m Stepping Up)
I’m moving/stepping up
Way, way up
I’m moving/stepping up with hopes and dreams
Making my way in the world.
We’re moving/stepping up
Way, way up
We’re moving/stepping up with hopes and dreams
Making our way in the world.
We’re changing every day
Making friends along the way
Living and loving and learning, too
Making our way in the world. - Two scarf songs!
One Bright Scarf (tune: Ten Little Indians)
One bright scarf waiting for the wind to blow
Wiggle it high, wiggle it low
Wiggle it fast, wiggle it slow.
Where did you go? Achoo!
There You Are?
Popcorn Kernels (tune: Frère Jacques)
Popcorn kernels, popcorn kernels
In the pot, in the pot
Shake it, shake it, shake it
Shake it, shake it, shake it
Til it pops, til it pops! - Creeping, Creeping Little Bee (fingerplay, ascending/descending scale) Pretend your fingers are a bumble bee tickling you from your toes to your head!
Lyrics:
(Ascending musical scale)
Creeping, creeping
Little bee
Up my leg and
Past my knee
To my tummy
On he goes
Past my chin and
To my nose.
(Descending musical scale)
Now he’s creeping
Down my chin
To my tummy
Once again
Down my leg and
Past my knee
To my toe that
Little bee. - This Land is Your Land: Words and music by Woody Guthrie, paintings by Kathy Jakobsen. Enjoy this patriotic song and picture book (and some sign language, too!) Please note: only three out of six verses are included!
Lyrics:
As I was walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
I saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me.Chorus:
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me.I’ve roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling lands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me.
When the sun was shining, and I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
As the fog was lifting a voice was chanting
This land was made for you and me. - Podcasts for Kids! Music, theater, and more…for all ages.
- Five Little Ducks (a subtraction song)
- Pre-K Songs and Activities related to the US Census - Everybody Counts!
- Shake That Little Foot, Dinah-O: Enjoy watching the limberjack shake his feet, the banjo play, and the shakers shake. Do you have shakers you can play or make at home?
- (Not) Just For Kids: Norwalk Symphony Orchestra and Stepping Stones Museum for Children
- Nature Activities from the Woodcock Nature Center
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle: Enjoy this classic Springtime story, accompanied by funk music!
- The Red, Red Robin: Dance or fly around like the CT State Bird in the Spring!
- Fun Exercise Videos for Kids!
- Here is a Beehive (a counting fingerplay and chant): Get ready to be tickled by a bumble bee!
Lyrics:
Here is a beehive
But where are the bees?
Hidden away where nobody sees.
Watch and you’ll see them come out of the hive
1, 2, 3, 4, 5! Bzzzzz! - Five Little Pastries (a subtraction fingerplay and chant)
Lyrics:
Five little pastries in a bakery shop
You know, the kind with the sugar and the honey on top
Along came a (boy/girl/child’s name) with a penny to pay
He/she took one pastry and he/she ran away. Leaving…
…4, 3, 2, 1
Substitute your favorite bakery items: cookies, muffins, bagels, etc. for more vocabulary! - Shoo, Fly, Don’t Bother Me!
Substitute other insects for “shoo, fly”: ladybug, bumble bee, dragonfly, butterfly, etc.
Lyrics:
Shoo, fly, don’t bother me
Shoo, fly, don’t bother me
Shoo, fly, don’t bother me
‘Cause I belong to somebody.I feel, I feel, I feel like a morning star
I feel, I feel, I feel like a morning star
I feel, I feel, I feel like a morning star
I feel, I feel, I feel like a morning star. - Animals Around the World During Covid-19
(music: Edvard Grieg, Peer Gynt Suite, In the Hall of the Mountain King) - Animal Exploration!
- Puppet Theater Ideas! Save cardboard boxes from deliveries to make puppets and a puppet theater! Read in BBC News.
- A Six-Year Old Boy Sets Up A Joke Stand During Covid-19!
- Violist Arav Amin: Enjoy listening to this incredibly talented Roton Middleschooler (Rowayton/Norwalk), who made this video for Teacher Appreciation Week. Although not a Toddler through K, he must have started studying and practicing viola at an early age!
- In The Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming: Enjoy this bluesy accompaniment to a well-loved story about Springtime critters!
- Dancing Jokes!
- Why should you never dance with horses? Because they have two left feet.
- What do you call a dancing sheep? A baaaah-lerina.
- What do cows like to dance to? Any kind of moo-sic they like!
- What is a duck’s favorite dance? The quackstep!
- How do hens dance? Chick to chick.
- Which dance will a chicken not do? The foxtrot!
- What's an owl's favorite kind of dance? The whoo-la.
- What is a pig’s favorite ballet? Swine Lake!
- Why did the bunny cross the road? To show his friend the hip-hop.
- What is the fly's favorite dance? The jitterbug.
- Why do ants dance on jelly jars? Because the lids say twist to open.
- What do you get if you cross an insect and a dance? A Cricket Ball!
- What does a snail wear to go dancing? Escargogo boots.
- What’s a chip’s favorite dance? The salsa.
- Where did the hamburger go to dance? At the Meat Ball.
- How does a hamburger dance? It shakes its buns.
- What kind of dance do buns do? A-bun-dance.
- Where do fortune tellers dance? At the Crystal Ball.
- Why didn’t the skeleton want to go to the Friday the 13th Dance? Because he had no body to go with.
- How do you make a tissue dance? You put a little boogie in it.
- Where are bare feet not allowed to dance? At the sock hop.
- What dance do all astronauts know? The moonwalk. - A Riddle
I love to dance and twist and prance,
I shake my tail, as away I sail,
wingless I fly into the sky.
What am I?
A kite - A Dancing Cockatoo!
- And A Drumming Cockatiel!
- Spring Is Here: Can you move like the springtime critters in this song? They strut, they fly, they do their thing!
- Head, Thorax, Abdomen (tune to Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes): Can you pretend to be an insect and tap your different body parts to the beat?
Lyrics:
Head, thorax, abdomen, abdomen
Head, thorax, abdomen, abdomen
Compound eyes, antennae, and six legs
Head, thorax, abdomen, abdomen. - Mi Cuerpo Hace Musica (My Body Makes Music): Happy Cinco de Mayo! Dance along to this song in Spanish!
Spanish Vocabulary:
Manos - hands
Pies - feet
Boca - mouth
Cuerpo - body - My Garden (for Mother’s Day!)
Lyrics:
Dig a garden
Plant some seeds
Give them water
Pull up weeds.
Plants get bigger
Flowers grow
Take them to someone you know! - Musical Food For Thought: After silence, music comes closest to expressing the inexpressible. Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.
- Why Music Matters For Children
- Live-streaming Concerts to Enjoy from Your Couch (for parents)!
- April is National Poetry Month!
- Make up your own poems: Any subject will do! Write them down or have a family member help you. Practice rhyming!
- Read children’s poetry and Dr. Seuss books and enjoy the rhythms and rhymes! Try adding a drum beat or tap the table. A steady beat (tapping toes or clapping hands) is so important to reading poetry and making music! - Make your own musical picture book: Staple blank pages together and write a phrase or sentence from the lyrics of your child’s favorite song, such as Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Wheels on the Bus, You Are My Sunshine, etc. at the bottom of each page. The child can then illustrate each page, make a cover, and voila! You have a new musical book to share and add to your bookshelf.
- Create your own version of Over in the Meadow: Walk around your yard or neighborhood and notice signs of Spring! Write them down or record them. Again, staple blank pages together, write the observations at the bottom, and your child can illustrate above.
- Drawing and Painting to Music: Draw or paint to different genres of music and notice how you feel and how the artwork might reflect the mood or energy in that music. Put on classical, punk rock, hard rock, new age, etc.
- Make an Instrument Book: Gather any and all instruments in your house. Take and print a photo of each instrument or have your child draw a picture of each and then compile them into a book by once again, stapling together the pages. Write the instrument name on the bottom of each page (ex. a piano OR This is a piano - for better reading practice!). Kindergarteners could do this, too and also challenge themselves by putting the pages in alphabetical order! Don’t forget to make a cover! *An alternative: take a photo of your child holding or playing each instrument, print, label, and compile the book!
- Read Poetry and Nursery Rhyme Books: Tap out the beat on your lap, table, or with a percussion instrument to the inherent rhythmic language.
- Make a Sound Book from Your House: Listen to sounds throughout your house, write them on the bottom of each blank page, and have your child illustrate above. Examples: water dripping in sink, a dog barking, a doorbell, the tv, a refrigerator humming, a garage door opening, phone ringing, etc.
- Make a marching band parade in honor of the month of March: Pull out any and all portable instruments, pots and pans, flags, put on some marching music (John Philip Sousa, New Orleans Jazz/When The Saints Go Marching In, Carnevale, Irish, The Ants Go Marching, etc.), and make a marching band parade. You could even make a sign to hold up in front: i.e., The (name) Marching Band. Someone could video tape it for all to enjoy later and/or to send to friends and relatives.
- Play the game Twister to fun, upbeat music!
- Play musical games to familiar songs: Kindergarteners could really have fun with this phonetic one. Sing My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean. Start by sitting down, then stand up and sit down every time you sing a word of the song that starts with the letter B (there are a lot of them!). Try this activity with other songs that use a lot of alliteration!
- Dance with your favorite stuffed animal, baby doll, toy dinosaur: Put on the appropriate music depending on the dance partner: lullabies, waltzes, high energy.
- For some fun songs visit: www.jbrary.com (Two children’s librarians from Vancouver, BC share a wealth of fingerplays, songs, and stories) or www.musicforaardvarks.com (Songs and videos about family and urban life. I used to teach these classes in Brooklyn)
- Have a dance party! Put on your favorite music and show everyone your moves! Family members could take turns choosing the music each time, ensuring great variety. This is also good exercise!
- Make recyclable instruments: Save plastic water bottles and containers and fill them with small items, like rice, pasta, paper clips, and small random plastic objects. This would be a good way to clean out your junk drawer! After filling, tape the bottle or container closed. Make a tissue box string guitar! Wrap 4-6 rubber bands around the opening of an empty tissue box and pluck away to hear the different sounds!
- Read musical stories: So many choices here, but classics like Over in the Meadow have a parent and child part, so it’s interactive and encourages children to sing. Read Dr. Seuss books and tap the steady beat on a drum or other percussion instrument. It will get silly, but enjoy trying to fit the zany language into a beat.
- Play musical games: Classic party and playground games like Duck, Duck, Goose, London Bridge, and Bluebird encourage listening, following directions, following the beat, and singing.Jump rope to classic rhymes like Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear. Hula Hoop to your favorite music with a good beat!
- Sing Lullabies: There’s nothing more comforting than settling down at nap or bedtime to your caregiver’s gentle voice. Pick your favorite mellow song - it could be the Beatles or Adele! - and sing it slowly and sweetly.
- ABC Instrument Word Wall: Make an alphabet word wall with instrument names (could use pictures, too)
- Sound Book: Cut out pictures of objects from magazines, flyers, circulars, and brochures. Organize them by the sound they make: high, low, loud, quiet. Write each of these words on a blank piece of paper, glue the pictures on the appropriate page, and staple the pages together. Remember to make a cover!
- Write a story, song, or story song: ...about your time at home and put it to a familiar tune. (Look up coronavirus parody songs on YouTube.)
- Freeze Dance: Dance to your favorite music! Freeze (in silly poses) when the music stops.
- Musical Ball Fun: Bounce a ball to the beat of a song or chant (i.e.Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear Turn Around, A, My Name is Alice) or throw a ball back and forth with someone to the beat of a chant or song.
- Learn a new dance style via YouTube: from bellydancing to breakdancing!
- Listening Walk: Walk around your yard or street and notice sounds: i.e. a dog barking, bird song, a lawnmower, a chainsaw, a car horn, squeaky brakes, an airplane. Are they loud or quiet? Pleasant or annoying? Why? Count how many sounds you hear!
- Move at different speeds around your house: Move in slow motion, move in fast motion. Could also move like slow/fast animals (turtles/rabbits, snails/cheetahs).
- Name That Tune: Hum, play the melody, or sing the lyrics to a song. Everyone guesses the name.
- Tune That Name: Think of a word. Everyone has to think of a song that has that
word in the title or the lyrics. - Guess the Object: I’m thinking of an object that sounds like this...
- Guess the Animal: I’m thinking of an animal that sounds like this...
- Musical Scavenger Hunts: Look for things that make...
- high pitched sounds (i.e. tea kettle, baby crying)
- low pitched sounds (i.e. big dog barking)
- loud sounds (i.e. dog barking, door slamming, baby crying, chair scraping, snoring/sneezing)
- quiet sounds (i.e. clock ticking, sewing machine, water boiling)
- Hide any and all musical instruments (not valuable ones!) in one room and then take turns trying to find them. - Musical Chairs: Line up chairs, put on your favorite music, dance or march around the chairs, stop the music, and everyone tries to find a seat. If they can’t, they’re out of the game. Take one chair away each time.
- Cooperative Musical Chairs: Do the same as above, but instead of eliminating players, everyone gets to stay in the game by sharing a chair, touching a chair, or touching someone sitting in the chair when the music stops. Take one chair away each time.
- Musical Stairs: When going up and down stairs in your house, use a musical scale to count them.
- YouTube videos:
- All I Really Need
- If You Have To Cough or Sneeze
- Here Is My Garden
- Spring Has Sprung
- John the Rabbit
- The Little Band
- What a Wonderful World
- I Love the Mountains
- The Fox Went Out On a Chilly Night
- Inch by Inch
- Swimmy
- The Worm Song - Links to Songs, Games, Movement, Dancing, and Instruction
- https://family.gonoodle.com/
- https://pbskids.org/games/music/
- https://newvictory.org/new-victory-arts-break-percussion-week/
- Instrument Matching Game
- Orchestra Game using Mozart’s Magic Flute
- “Name That Instrument” Matching Game
- “Beep Box”:Make your own song using high and low “beeps.”
- Chrome Music Lab: A free website (no login required) with musical games, experiments, and tools to use.
- Other Links: 100 songs to help lift your spirits during a pandemic - Telephone Game: This is a classic listening game! Sit around a table or in a circle on the floor. One person starts by thinking of a phrase or sentence and whispering it into his/her neighbor’s ear. That person passes it on around the circle and so forth. The last person to receive the message tells everyone what they heard. The person who started reveals if that is what he/she said. It can get real silly!
- Folk and Fairy Tales: Enjoy acting out folk and fairy tales with the whole family. Exs: The Little Red Hen, The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and The Three Bears,The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Jack and the Beanstalk. Fairy tales involve magic, which we could all use just about now! Everyone pretends to be a character in the tale. Can switch and take turns. Use props and costumes, if you have them. Videotape t and send to friends and relatives!
- Guess the Animal: Everyone takes a turn acting out an animal by it’s movements and sound. Others guess what it is. Next level: act out movements with no sound!
- Tips and suggestions:Please send photos, videos, and messages of your children (and family!) enjoying the above activities and/or making up their own! Send to sdmurtha@sbcglobal.net. I’d love to see them! It’s important to enjoy...
- the live, real-time energy of family music-making
- the fun, spontaneity, experimentation
- creativity
- learning new skills and knowledge
- a new normal and silver lining of this crazy time! - Move a Parachute, Tablecloth, or Sheet to Music: Put on your favorite music and move the above in a large room or your backyard to the varying beats and tempos: steady beat, big beat, micro/small beat, fast, medium, slow.
- Drumming Circle: Get out any and all drums, pots, pans, empty coffee cans, and bowls and have a drumming circle with the family! One person lays down a rhythm pattern, establishing the beat, and then each person adds a different rhythm cumulatively around the circle (or table). Keep it simple at first! It gets tricky keeping your own rhythm pattern going, even though you can hear everyone else’s! It involves concentrating and listening to the beat. That’s the pulse underneath it all! Cool overlapping rhythms will happen! Everyone takes turns starting. Alternative: Tap out rhythms around the kitchen table with just your hands.
- Kitchen Things That Ring
Look around the kitchen
Hang utensils from a string.
Tap them with a pencil
To see if they ring!
- I.e. a garlic press, scissors, serving fork, spoon, whisk. What else?
- Rest a fork on the plastic lid of an empty coffee can.
- Ping the prongs with your fingernails to hear the fork sing!
- Strum a spatula and scrape a cheese grater with a stick or pencil. - Make Cymbals: Tap two pot lids together (warning: ear plugs might be needed!).
- Make a Tambourine: Use an aluminum pie plate and bottle caps. Punch holes and use wire or twist ties to attach caps.
- Make A Windchime: Google How To’s.. There are so many ideas and resources on the web, using many different materials. Get thee to your junk drawer!
- Water Glass Xylophone: Line up and fill eight tall glasses (preferably the same) with varying increments of water. Tap on them with a pen, spoon, etc. from small amount to high amount and hear a musical scale (and back again!) Try to play a simple song, like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
- Wine Glasses Sing! Do the same with stemmed wine glasses and run a wet finger around the edge to hear them sing!
- If You’re Happy and You Know It
Make up your own version and stretch your vocabulary! Add sounds and movement.
Examples:
If you’re itchy and you know it, scratch your nose...
If you’re loud and you know it, shout hooray! Quiet...go like this...Shhh!
If you’re cool and you know it, go like this...or strut like this...
If you’re funny and you know it, laugh like this...(belly laugh, giggle...)
If you’re silly and you know it, make a face...
Endless possibilities! - I Had A Rooster (a traditional cumulative song)
Lyrics
I had a rooster and my rooster loves me
I fed my rooster ‘neath the green bay tree
My little rooster said, “Cockadoodle doo, a doodlie doodlie, doodlie, do!”
Change the animal names and sounds! - Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton: Enjoy the rhythmic language of this story to live fiddling (compliments of my husband, Sean)!
- A Springtime Chant
Here’s a nest for robin (make small circle with hands)
And here’s a hive for bee (make pointed hive with fingers touching)
Here’s a hole for rabbit (make big circle with arms)
And here’s a house for me! (make roof over your head with fingers touching) - Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
Flap your wings and enjoy some added sounds in this beloved Springtime story. - Baking and Cooking Chants:
Patticake, Patticake
Patticake, patticake, baker’s man. Bake me a cake as fast as you can.
Roll it, pat it, mark it with a (first letter of child’s name), put it in the oven for (child’s
name) and me!
(Fours and Kindergarteners can practice doing patticake - it’s a pattern!)Chop Chop Chippity Chop (while chopping fruits and veggies together!)
Chop, chop, chippity, chop
Cut off the bottom and cut off the top.
What there is left, we’ll put in the pot
Chop, chop, choppity chop. - Joseph Had A Little Overcoat by Simms Taback
- Groove Pizza: An app for programming your own instrumental digital track! Ask an older sibling or adult for help.
- Sidewalk Chalk by Rebecca Frezza and Big Truck: Have you been drawing outside with sidewalk chalk? Many people have been using it to write nice messages for their community. Here’s a great dance song written about it. How does it move you?
- I Had An Old Coat by Paul Kaplan: Please sing along with the Murtha Family, echoing on “what’ll I do” and ending with “and I sing everyday of my life!”
- Cluck Old Hen Medley: Here are two versions of the same song - one Irish, one Old-Time - accompanied by fiddle and fiddlesticks! You can use anything to gently tap the beat on the strings. We use chopsticks!
- Make a Rainstick: Enjoy learning how to make a rainstick from my son, Graham (age 17)!
- Make a Rubberband Banjo: Wrap rubber bands around the width of a shoebox. Pluck the bands (like strings) and hear the different tones they make depending on how much you stretch them (long and short). Try to play a song!
- Recycled Instrument Jam: Look around your house and in your recycling bin to invent your own instruments! Tap, shake, scrape, and make vibrations to your favorite music! Here is the Murtha Family singing and playing along to our version of Jack Johnson’s The 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
- Tongue Twisters: Tap on a drum, the table, your lap and try to say these tongue twisters five-10 times fast! It gets silly! Can you make up your own? Have an older sibling or parent help you. Have fun with alliteration!Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
She sells seashells by the seashore.
The tip of the tongue, the teeth, the lips.
Copper kettles carry comfort killing cough and cold.
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood? - Magic Carpet Ride: Spread a big scarf or blanket on the floor and pretend it is a magic carpet that can take you anywhere you want to go. Get off and pretend to explore this wonderful new place. Get back on and go to the next place! Take turns suggesting destinations.
- Fill a box with old clothes and props (i.e. old glasses, jewelry, purses, phones, hats,
scarves): Encourage your child to pretend to be characters from folk and fairy tales or their own made-up stories! Keep adding to the box (as you clean out your house) and let your child’s imagination soar (i.e. a scarf can become a cape!) - A Little Seed (an echo song)
A little seed (a little seed)
For me to sow
A little soil
To make it grow
A little sun
A little shower
A little wait
And then a flower! - Plant Four Seeds (written by first graders!)
Plant four seeds when you make a row
One to rot and one to grow
One for the pigeon and one for the crow. - The Bubble Song (tune: 10 Little Indians): Have you been playing with bubbles outside (or in your bath)? Count them as they float away or count on your fingers.
One little, two little, three little bubbles
Four little, five little, six little bubbles
Seven little, eight little, nine little bubbles
Ten little bubbles in the air! Oh...Pop, pop, pop those bubbles
Pop, pop, pop those bubbles
Pop, pop, pop those bubbles
Pop those bubbles in the air! - Make Your Own Puzzles: You could make one with musical instruments, your favorite artists, songs, and more!
- Fun with Scarves: Put on your favorite music and play with scarves!
Scarf Toss - Play catch with scarves that are silky or lightweight. They’ll float through the air and require a lot of quick movements as you try to catch them.
Scarf Jump Rope - Tie several scarves end-to-end or to a doorknob and use as a jump rope.
Scarf Monster! - If not too scary, put a scarf over your head and move around like a monster or ghost, trying to catch people. Take turns! You could be also be a hugging monster, silly monster, or tickling monster.
Body Scarf Catch - Throw a scarf in the air. Take turns naming a part of the body players should use to catch it! i.e. with your big toe, with your head, with your chest...!
Scarf Balance Beam - Line up long, narrow (winter) scarves and take turns walking across them like a balance beam. “Put one foot in front of the other...” or put some circus music on!
Scarf Paintbrush - Pretend to paint the sky with a scarf, high, low, swirly patterns, different colors. Try to reach the sun, moon, and stars!
Scarf Catch - Throw your scarf in the air, then quickly turn around to catch it before it touches the ground. - Obstacle Course Fun: Set up an obstacle course inside (with pillows, cushions, chairs...) or outside (chairs, benches, hoses, buckets...), play your favorite music, and have fun going over, under, around, and through the course.
- Hula Hoops and Sidewalk Chalk: Put on your favorite music and play these games!
- Make a hopscotch course with sidewalk chalk or hula hoops. Hop on one foot or two! Also, you can pretend to be a frog or a bunny!
- Draw shapes with different colored sidewalk chalk or lay different hula hoops on the ground and follow the directions: Hop to the yellow square, tip toe to the purple circle, run to the green triangle, walk backwards to the red square, etc.
- Hula Hoop Journeys: Use a hula hoop as a steering wheel and sing your favorite transportation songs (The Wheels on the Bus, train songs). Also, have your child stand inside the hoop while you hold it from behind and let them steer: stop, turn right, turn left, go forward, back up! You could also pretend to be a horse in this same way and as you “hold the reins,” whinny, neigh, toss you mane, and sing horse songs. - Do the Limbo! Use a broom, mop, fishing pole, etc, line everyone up, put on your favorite dance music, and limbo! You can also look up The Limbo Song online. Children can learn the concepts of high and low (How low can you go?)
- Move Like a Snake! Can you and your family pretend to be a long snake who has just woken up from its winter sleep and is hungrily slithering around, looking for food? Try attaching to each other at the shoulders or waist and slithering around to your favorite groovy music! Take turns as the head of the snake, leading everyone around, until the head (or someone not participating) says, “Snake, shed your skin!” and the head becomes the tail, making way for a new leader.
- Alternative: do the same as a train! All Aboard! Choo Choo! - Where Are The Froggies? Can you move like the animals in this song? First they sleep, then...
- Over In The Meadow: Enjoy singing and counting through this classic Springtime story. You can also make up your own version, with different animals, habitats, and rhymes.
Ms. Deirdre's Musical Ideas