#47 Singing Games - Updated 06/16
TOPICS (Just click on the title you want to view)
Resources---Not Singing during Game---
The Apple Tree---A Tisket, A TasketBall Tossing---Birthdays/Blake Snake
Bumblebee--- Chicken on a Fencepost--Cuckoo, Where Are You?---Dance of the Crazy Man
Ding Dong Diggi Diggi Dong---Farmer in the Dell---Freddy Oka--Freeze---Frog in the Meadow---Green Gravel
Hello Sir---Here Comes a Bluebird---Hide and Sing---Hokey Pokey---Icky Bicky Soda Cracker---I'se the Bye---Let Us Chase the Squirrel
Long Legged Sailor---Magic Sound---The Music House Game---My Lady's Garden---No Robbers Today---Old Grey Cat--Obiswana
Passing Game---Polly Wolly Doodle---Rattlesnake--Ronald McDonald---Roll That Red Ball Down to Town--Alternative to Running
A Sailor Went to Sea----School Songs--See Saw---Shoo Fly---Shoo Turkey Shoo
Sing Me a Monster------Snail, Snail---Snake Baked a Hoe Cake---Sol-Mi---Son Ma Caron---Strawberry Shortcake
Sur Le Pont---Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star--We All Live In the Ocean---Wolf in the Forest---Yoo Hoo
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RESOURCES
STEP IT DOWN Games, Plays, Songs & Stories from the Afro-American Heritage by Bessie Jones & Bess Lomax Hawes, published by University of Georgia Press, ISBN 0-8203-0960-5.Try singing backwards: (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star) Z Y X W V U T S R Q P O N M L K J I H G F E D CBA I know now that I can say My ABC's the backwards way It's actually a pretty useful skill, if you think about it. I use my backwards alphabet ability all the time (especially good for downwards scales) and it's good for letter recognition in kindergarten & special ed. And they're really impressed by how fast I can fire it off.
06/06 These games are all in Singing Games Children Love Vol. 1 - available from Plank Road. (www.musick8.com) These are all circle or double circle games. If any Orff chapter is every interested in a Singing Games workshop, this is my very favorite workshop to present. (And I have lots more games!!!)
Group Chase Games:
25. Witch Witch
26. The Old Gray Cat
27. Black Snake
Chase Games:
28. Lucy Locket
29. Mouse Mousie
30. Charlie Over the Ocean
31. A Tisket a Tasket
32. Madame I Have Gold and Silver
33. Let us Chase the Squirrel
34. Cut the Cake
35. Drop the Handkerchief
36. Ickle Ockle
New Partner Games:
46. Bow Wow Wow
47. I’se The B’y
48. Wake Me Shake Me
49. John Kanakanaka
50. Donkey Riding
51. Wishy Washy Wee
Cumulative Games:
52. Old King Glory
53. Circle Round the Zero
54. Here Comes A Bluebird
55. Go Round the Village
Choosing Games:
19. Hippity Hop
20. Farmer in The Dell
20. Goblin in the Dark
21. Purple Stew
22. One in the Middle
23. Dr. Knickerbocker
24. Rig a Jig Jig -- Denise Gagne
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***********************************************************************NOT SINGING DURING GAME
NOT SINGING DURING GAME When we add the game, I sing as much as needed at first, then I begin dropping out in the middle of phrases. Sometimes I need to tell a class that my voice is "getting really tired," and they need to help me out more.After several repetitions, the song is turned over to the class with only minimal help from me if needed. I have occasionally had to say we would need to stop the activity if we didn't have everyone singing. For a song that needs many repetitions, such a "Lucy Locket," we'll do girls-only, boys-only, and teacher-only turns both to save on singing voices and to provide me singing-assessment opportunities. Children's voices get tired after numerous repetitions of a game song, and I think it's normal for some of mine to forget to sing or need to take a break from singing. Usually, it's just a reminder that's needed to get singing participation by all, but I'm sure I have had to stop the game completely a few times over the year.
One of our favorite singing games in 1st is "Thorn Rosa," from the old World of Music text. We do it with the CD and use the full recording for a few times through the game. Then I begin fading out the voices within the phrases, which can be done only with split-tracks, of course! We finally reach the level where the class does the song with just the accompaniment. Some classes need more support for a longer time, but that can be judged only on a class-by-class basis. -- Connie Herbon
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***********************************************************************ALTERNATIVE TO RUNNING
CIRCLE GAMES-RUNNING ALTERNATIVE: I was watching Andrew Elingsen Singing Games on youtube. He suggested that instead of running you have them run on their heels. It works great. It slows them way down, your non athletic students do just as well as the athletic ones, and it makes for lots of giggles. This teacher also suggests that the next person does not start walking around the circle until they see that everyone is sitting quietly and respectfully. Once they start walking the class starts singing. This is a great utube to watch to pick up some great ideas. --- Andrew Elingsen “Singing Games.”BACK to Singing Game topics
***********************************************************************AIKEN DRUM
AIKEN DRUM: I just have my kids make Aiken Drum's body out of different foods. And then we have to sing about all his body parts, but modify the rhythm of the melody to fit the body part. I draw him on the dry erase board as the kids make his body up.And his ears were made of cauliflower ( ta ta tadi)
I suppose the objectives are creating new rhythms and making them fit into an existing melody? And also to show that we can recreate existing songs, or change the words to them! They also really enjoy the creative part of making him look totally different every time/making the song sound totally different each time. ----- Gary Heimbauer
I did something similar gaving each student a strip of paper containing the words of 1 verse: "his hat was made of....", "his shoes eres made of....", etc and told them the blank needed to be filled in with 2 or 3 syllables (1, 2 or 3 words combos were fine). My version (K8) has 8 verses, so I tried to have equal numbers of each verse represented. Then came the REAL fun! My job was to find pictures to illustrate the words and create a Power Point with the new lyrics & visuals. The final slide had Aiken with all the new 'parts'. The students LOVED it and were willing to sing the song as many times as necessary to cover everyone's ideas. ---- Linda Abbot
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*******************************************************APPLE TREE
MOVEMENT: Using voice inflections, different timbres and movement in, "The Apple Tree".Once there was an Apple Tree.
Two little Apples smiled at me.
I shook that Tree as hard as I could.
Down came the Apples! Hmmm, they were good."
The second time you say the chant/poem, tell the children to pretend like they are little bitty people with a little bitty apple tree and that these little bitty people have high sounding voices. All gestures are to demonstrate miniature movements. The third time you say the Apple Tree chant, tell the children to pretend that they are giants and they have a giant apple tree with giant apples on it and that giants have very low voices. The gestures are to demonstrate huge movements with huge-sounding voices. This is an excellent time to tell them that just because something has a high sound does not necessarily mean it is a loud sound and low doesn't mean soft, either.
12/11 GAME: Apple Tree, Apple Tree, Let your apple fall on me
I won't scream, I won't shout, if your apple knocks me out.
When the child is out, they go over to the bells and play for one turn. Because my class is very large, I have to have 2 bell sets (and the one who goes out, chooses another bell player) and when they are all there, later in the year, the K's will play the bells also. . My last school the lower grades could not so I just had the kids sit in the middle and I'd ask "What color apple is Anna?" the kids would say "purple" (shirt color) and we would end up with lots of kids in the middle. Remember: YOU may get tired of singing 25 turns of a song, but the kids will eat it up and building their "song library". ---- Chris Ann McClure
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***********************************************************************A TISKET, A TASKET
There are so many ways to use A Tisket, A Tasket.Most of the kids I teach don't know any of the songs at all so it is fun to do movement with them eg slow, slow , walk, walk, walk, walk, and tiptoe,tiptoe, tiptoe, tiptoe. I also get them to listen to where there are rests and strike a frozen pose at those points. I do some Kalani tricks with hoops or carpet squares where I put an instrument in each of four hoops or squares, with an empty one in the middle and when my feet are in the square that instrument gets to play but when I have my feet in two squares or hoops the two instruments get to play, but when I have my feet in the middle empty square or hoop everybody gets to play. Then you can have a child do it instead of you.
There are lots of other things I do such as loud and soft, children down low, moving to high according to the melody, sitting in a circle with children holding hands and moving arms up and down according to the melody, lummi stick beating , boom whacker touch, surprises with cymbals and triangles IE watch the conductor, using the child's body parts as instruments eg. sequencing the children's ideas to make a pattern.
I also cut out on the Ellison die stamp a lot of pink construction paper hands. I then laminate them. 8 will be normal hands for high 5, 16 will be stuck one on top of another IE clapping, 8 will have the pinky and ring fingers plug thumb folded over to make a tapping hand, 8 will have the thumb folded to the middle finger to signify snapping and then I also cut out by hand some feet for (light) stomping. I then use one of the pocket charts to put patterns on each line and they love it when I swap some of the order. I also put a word in front of the hand at the beginning of the line (bar) when they are used to doing this and so they say a word that they are learning to read or for kinder I put a letter. - Contributed by Susan Michiels
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***********************************************************************BALL TOSSING
The ball tossing is done in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Here's an example: football season/Bears Nerf football. 1st gr. - We go down the row with each S. tossing and catching as they sing "foot-ball" on sol-mi. I reinforce the pitch along the way by singing "--'s turn" or some other cue on pitch. 2nd gr. - students sing "NFL football" on sslsm or we brainstorm ahead of time to make of list of possible choices, such as "Min-ne-so-ta Vik-ings"/ "Dal-las Cow-boys" or player names. I'm not super picky about the tune, as long as it is on pitch. 3rd gr. get more freedom of choices. During basketball season, we do something similar with an NBA Nerf-basketball. Next month we'll add a bean-bag pumpkin and sing "pump-kin" on sm or "Jack-o-lan-tern" on slsm.In December we toss a bean-bag Santa and sing "Santa-Claus" or make up a phrase. Sometimes we also toss the koosh ball at a high spot on the wall as we sing "2 points." For "3 points" they aim higher and must sing higher. Tossing across a large circle of standing students and singing "hello" on a high sm as they toss also works. For K, I begin the year with the slsm greeting between us (sol=Bflat), then they start greeting whatever "furry friend" is visiting our class that day. We often pass the "friend" around for each K to sing a solo greeting to. As the year progresses, more and more "find" their singing voices. I think you could adapt the tossing activities to K, but catching is not always a strength with them! I never use the terms head or chest voice - only "singing" voice.
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***********************************************************************BIRTHDAYS
(l=quarter, /=eighth, \=sixteenth)
l l / / l / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /
Bluebells, Cockle Shells, Eevy, ivy overhead. My mother said that I was born in:
\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ l / /
January, February, March, April etc.,
Sing this poem in "sol-la-mi" (invent your own) Have the whole class chant this on a primary child's birthday, then repeat but the second time, have C. do "my mother....." as a solo.
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***********************************************************************BLACK SNAKE
BLACK SNAKE: I made up one to use with my kinders. I have them sit in a circle and one person walks around the outside with maracas and plays with the beat. When the song ends, the leader plays freestyle and whoever is sitting in front of them becomes the head of the snake and gets the maracas. I periodically make them sit back down when the snake becomes too long. ----- Delynne in ARUse a large circle of elastic with a bead on it. The children pass the bead along the elastic as they sing the song. Whoever has it at the end (and the person on either side of them) is out. The Kinders and first graders LOVE this game and with 3 out at a time, it goes very fast. ----- Julie in MN
(Artie Almeida – workshop) You use the song, playing a hiding game with a rubber snake, in a sort of "You're getting warmer, you're getting colder" game. But instead, the kids sing the song louder if someone looking for the snake is getting closer, or they get softer it the kid is moving away from it. I play this in first grade, and I still have third graders begging for it! ----Karen Stafford
I use the Black snake game to demonstrate dynamics. We hide the snake and the person who is "it" looks around for it. As they get closer, we sing louder, and softer when they move away. I use the song that I learned in an Artie Almieda class at TMEA. I've used it with first thru third graders, but may try the upper grades later this spring. ----- Lou Jean Beckett, Music Specialist
I found a cute stuffed animal of a snake that we use. When they hide the snake they have to let part of the tail show. I have been to workshops where they used a scarf as the snake.------ Also, In the Making Music book it says to play the game as a guessing game of Hot and Cold. If the the person looking for the snake gets close to the snake everyone sings the song louder. If they move away from the snake, the class sings the song quieter. --- Tami Mangusso
I have a small rubber black snake. The students sit in a circle and secretly pass the snake behind their backs. There is a person who sits in the middle of the circle and they try to guess where the black snake is hiding. AFTER three guesses, the kids tell them. If they guess it, we all cheer, but if they don't guess it, the new person who was holding the snake still gets to be in the middle and guess. We learn that if you have already had a turn, quietly sneak it to a neighbor so they get a turn. ----- Caryn Mears
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06/16 Instead of having one kid be "out" the idea I read said after the word "out" say "buzz" 4 times and each of those are out. Even though the author said to eliminate those 4 and keep going, I would have the student on the word "out" be the next bee and the 4 "buzzed" students go to an instrument for the next round! Everybody gets to play an instrument or be the bee and the game doesn't take an eternity to play!! ---- D. Brian Weese
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***********************************************************************BUMBLEBEE
12/11 BEE BEE BUMBLEBEE: Bee, bee, bumblebee, stung a man upon his kneestung a pig upon his snout I declare that you are out!
Child with the bee puppet goes around the circle and on "out" chooses the closest person to go to the "out" circle where they begin to play an instrument on the steady beat. Or, kids can just pass the bee around the circle (to the steady beat....not hot potato!) and whoever has the bee on the word "out" goes to play an instrument. ---- RaeAnna Goss
01/07 BUMBLEBEE This is one of my favorite grade 1 lessons - much of it is in Musicplay1. (revised 2005)
1. Listened to "Flight of the Bumblebee" - guessed what animal it was about. Talked about why the composer wrote it the way he did. Listened again and moved to the music.
2. Sang "Bringin' home a Baby Bumblebee" (Musicplay 1)
3. Read the rhythms for "Bee Bee Bumblebee" (Musicplay 1) - talked about the difference between beat and rhythm. The rhythm is "the way the words go". Played the metronome and reviewed the chant "The beat is the part that doesn't change - the beat is the part that stays the same" while we pat-clapped the beat. Had half the class step the beat / half the class clap the words.
4. Played the game "Bee Bee Bumblebee" - used tiny bumblebee (Buzzina) and great big stuffed bumblebee (Buzzy) to play the game. One child is beat keeper (bee keeper) and shows the beat with the bee. The child on the words you are "out" becomes the next bee keeper. We alternate between tiny bee singing in a very high voice and big bee singing in a low chest voice. The purpose of this is to help the kids find head voice - the extreme jump really makes them aware of the different quality.
5. Accompanied "Bee Bee Bumblebee" with instruments. Played the beat on the instruments.
We actually added another activity on unpitched instruments - looking at this it's a lot of material for 30 minutes, but went very smoothly. We'll repeat many of the activities in the next lesson to reinforce beat / rhythm and practise high /low voices. -- Denise Gagne www.musicplay.ca Musicplay - the Sequential Text Series [email protected] 888-562-4647
01/07 BUMBLEBEE GAME
Clap hands
Turn cup over (from upside down to like you are going to drink from it)
*TOUCH (CUP TOUCHES LEFT KNEE)
*TOUCH (CUP TOUCHES RIGHT KNEE)
*CHANGE(CUP SWITCHES TO LEFT HAND)
*PAT (PAT RIGHT HAND ON THE FLOOR IN FRONT OF YOU)
*DOWN (SET CUP DOWN IN FRONT OF THE PERSON ON YOUR LEFT, BOTTOM UP)-- Louise Eddington, Muncie, Indiana
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***********************************************************************CHICKEN ON A FENCEPOST
I have 4 kids make a small circle with hands joined. They are a fence. There is a rubber chicken placed in the center of their circle. I have 2 kids hide their eyes. They will be the seekers and will race here in a little while. The rest of the kids make a big fence around the smaller fence, hands joined. The teacher picks a secret gate (2 kids joined hands) for each circle. When the class starts to sing the seekers come tap the hands of the fences until they find the secret gate, they then find the smaller circles secret gate and grab the chicken. The person who grabs the chicken first is the winner and gets to choose the next secret gates. ---- D. Brian WeeseBACK to Singing Game topics
***********************************************************************CUCKOO, WHERE ARE YOU?
One child leaves the room while another child hides somewhere in the room. First child enters and searches for the hidden child. Hidden child sings: "Cuckoo" on So mi (tah tah) Class replies: "Where are you?" on so-so mi (ti-ti tah) This continues until the child is found. To repeat game, both "hider" and "searcher" choose a new player. In my classroom, the rule is that boys always choose a girl, and vice versa, so we don't get into a boy or girl "rut!"BACK to Singing Game topics
***********************************************************************DANCE OF THE CRAZY MAN
The Dance of the Crazy Man is a great activity and emphasizes steady beat. Here's the info so you don't have to ask me to post it. My kids love this, but the boys tend to fall over when you get to the hands-on-knees part.song:
ta ta ti - ti ta ta half ta I. ti ta ta half rest
so do do do do do do so do do do mi so
C'est soir nous al - lons dan - cer, La dan - se du fa da.
ta ta ti - ti ta ta ta ta ta ta ta rest ta rest ta
so fa fa fa fa fa mi mi mi mi re so^ do
C'est soir nous al - lons dan - cer, La dan - se du fa da.
Rough translation (very rough): This is the dance, the dance of the crazy man.
Group forms a circle and sings song several times.
First time - walk in circle holding hands
Second time - face right, outside hand on inside shoulder of person in front of you
Third time - about face, inside hand on outside shoulder, walk backwards
Fourth time - face in, hands behind head (watch the elbows), move right, left leg crosses behind right, right steps (grapevine) [looks great if you dip the knee as you cross left behind right]
Fifth time - face in, hands on knees of person beside you (if you start with feet together, it's easier to step sideways)
Sixth time - hands on ankles of person beside you
Seventh time - cross arms, put behind knees, hold hands
To be most successful, students should step on the steady beat.
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***********************************************************************DING DONG DIGGI DIGGI DONG
12/08 Ding dong, diggidiggi dongDiggidiggi dong, the cat - she's gone!
Ding dong, diggidiggi dong
Diggidiggi ding-dang dong.
Game: Formation: Sitting circle. Each person is pretending to be in his/her own "house." Person-who-is- it goes in the hall while we select someone to be the "missing cat."
The missing cat hides in a corner or behind some instruments/ etc.
We let the person-who-is- it come in the room, and walk around the outside of the circle while we sing the song. At the end of the song, the person can ring 3 doorbells where he/she stopped. (tap 3 shoulders.)
The person you tap may make any sort of doorbell noise he/she wants.
Person in circle: Ding dong! Person-who-is- it: Have you seen my cat?
Person in circle: if yes, give a clue about the cat: The cat is wearing a blue shirt, or has blonde hair, etc. If the answer is no, that person has to make up a reason why he/she hasn't seen your cat. "I was washing clothes," or "I was mowing the lawn," etc.
Sing the song again and the person who is it can ring 3 more doorbells. Keep playing until enough clues are given for the person to guess who the missing cat is. The missing cat then is the new person who is it, and the person who was it chooses a new missing cat.
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***********************************************************************FREEZE
Game which is the opposite in the sense that the signal is for inaction rather than action: Everyone walks freely around the room while teacher improvises on recorder. The signal to freeze is "so mi" (or whatever pattern you may be working on at the time). They must stay frozen until they hear the signal again.BACK to Singing Game topics
***********************************************************************FARMER IN THE DELL
06/09 There is a person chosen to be: a farmer, rain, sunEveryone else is in a circle standing. The farmer goes around and touches each head - planting the seed. They go down as if under the ground.While singing -
The farmer plants the seed, The farmer plants the seed, Hi ho the derry o. The farmer plants the seed.
The the farmer steps aside while the rain person sprinkles over everyone while singing:
The rain begins to fall, The rain begins to fall, Hi ho the derry o. The rain begins to fall.
then, the sun begins to shine...
then, the seeds begin to grow...
then, the farmer cuts the grain - with a scythe.
As the farmer cuts the grain all the people who were in the circle growing fall as the farmer swoops by. Very fun. --- Juanita Bellavance
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***********************************************************************FOUR WHITE HORSES
06/15 FOUR WHITE HORSES 4/4 Clapping Game (ADD TO INDEX) (Stamp 2x, clap hands with partner in groups of 4, so 2 clap under other 2) I I I I 7 I / I I I. I. I z / / I I d d d m d d l' s' d d d d d l' s' Four white horses on the river Heh, Heh, Hey, up tomorrow I / I / / / I I I / I I / / I I b d d d d d d bT-r d d d d d d bT-r d Up tomorrow is a rainy day, Come on up to the shallow bay. I / I. / I I I I I I / I / / / I I I d d d d d m d l' s' d d d d d d bT-r d Shallow bay is a ripe banana Up tomorrow is a rainy day, (Stamp 2x, clap hands)BACK to Singing Game topics
***********************************************************************FREDDY OKA
Freddy Oka is a singing game suitable for large groups. Form a circle facing inwards. Everyone put their left hand palm up in front of themselves. (Dad, can I have a dollar?) Everyone place their right hand palm up on top of their RH neighbor's left hand. From a starting person practice passing a clap around the circle keeping a steady beat until it gets back to the start. (no hard hitting, no holding hands) Next, do it while singing the song: "Freddy Oka quack, quack, quack. Ee-ko tee-ko tickety tack. Ee-ko tee-ko oh, no!"Here is solfege (all rhythms are eighth notes in a duple meter except the third "quack" is a quarter, and "tickety" two sixteenths-eighth, and "oh" quarter, and "no" fermata. Do do do (down to) so la la so-, Do do do so lalala so, so so ti re do- so---. On the word "no" the person clapping holds the clap making a three hand sandwich. This marks the starting point of the next phase of the game. Practice this a few times so the kids can sing the song and stop at the correct spot.
To play the game: after the singing part and the stop, pick any letter of the alphabet (except A, B, or C) starting from the next person from the stop point the teacher says "A" along with the first clap, from then on the alphabet cannot be said aloud by anyone. (complete silence except for the claps) When the clap for the chosen letter comes up, if the person clapping hits the hand of their neighbor as usual then the neighbor is out (must sit down from the circle and choose the next letter) But if the neighbor pulls their hand away and the clapper hits their own hand, then the clapper is out. To avoid people from pulling their hand away before the chosen letter I have an "early out" rule where they are out of the game. After the out person chooses the new letter and sits down the circle closes and you start again from the singing/clapping part.
People are eliminated one by one until at the end there will be only two people left. We decide the winner with a good old fashioned game of FLINCH. Notes: since it is an elimination game you must keep the out people singing eery time, teacher is the final judge and referee, change the key slightly each time you sing the song (challenge those ranges!) have some little reward for the winner. I use it with grade 2 on up. I have MIDIed the tune with accomp. on Mac Musicshop. I copied the tune to all the lettered sequences in the program and transposed it to every key imaginable. At a touch of a button the tune and accomp. will change. I let the first person out run the computer for the game.
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***********************************************************************FROG IN THE MEADOW
ta, ti-ti, ta, ta, ta, ti-ti, ta, Z, ti-ti, ti-ti, ta, ta, ta, ti-ti, ta, ZB B B A G B B B G B B B B A G B B B G
(OR you can use do, low-la, low-sol)
Frog in the mea-dow Can't get him out Take a lit-tle stick and Stir him a-bout
(leap leap leap - down)
The "leap, leap, down" (spoken) is to cue the four students hunkering at the front of the class that one at a time place their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them in order to vault over the others' backs. Once they've cleared the third person they put their own head down towards the floor out of harms way. The person at the back of the line (the first that was just jumped over) now becomes the next jumper. A fifth person can be added to tickle the active frog with a stick each time. This activity is otherwise known as LEAP FROG.
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***********************************************************************GREEN GRAVEL
All join hands and rotate while the following stanza is being sung:
q q q q q q q q q q h
G G E G G E G A G E D
Green grav-el, green grav-el, the grass is so green
q q q q q q e e q q q h
G G A G E C C C D E D C
All ov-er cre-a-tion I'm a-shamed to be seen.
(The above song is in 3/4 meter with a one-beat upbeat. The note values are given on the first line. q stands for quarter, h stands for half, e stands for eighth, and w stands for whole. The pitches are given on the second line in letter names.)
While the second stanza is being sung, sing:
Dear [child's name], dear [child's name], your true love is dead,
The king wrote a letter to turn back your head.
The child whose name is used drops hands, turns facing outward, joins hands again, and continues rotating with the rest of the circle.
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***********************************************************************HELLO SIR
One of my favorite pitch matching activities is to a street chant called "Hello Sir."
The words are sung to the tonal syllables So and Mi. All words are So except the word sir and the end of grocer. In other words each line of words ends on MI. The rhythm is in 6/8 meter with the beginning of the first hello an anacrusis.
Hello, hello, hello sir. Meet me at the grocer.
Why sir, why sir? Because I have a cold sir.
Where did you get your cold sir? At the North Pole, sir.
What were you doing there, sir? Hunting polar bears, sir.
How many did you catch sir? (Any number) polar bears, sir.
Since this is a conversation, it lends itself easily to a number of pitch matching activities. My favorite is using animal puppets that I got from Music in Motion. At first I use one puppet and sing all the lines on the left side. I pick five volunteers to each have a puppet and sing one of the lines on the right side. The most wanted part is the one who makes up the number. After they know it better I replace myself as leader with someone in the class. Another time I will have volunteers choose a partner to sing it with two puppets. I have also thrown a ball to students to sing the next line after me.
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***********************************************************************HERE COMES A BLUEBIRD
(l=quarter, //=2 eighths, b=half note)
l / / l l l / / l l b / / / / l l b
s s l s m s s l s m m r r r r d m d
Here comes a bluebird in thru my window Hey diddle um a day day day.
Pick a little partner Hop in the garden Hey diddle..... (same melody as first phrase)
1. Choose a "Bluebird."
2. The rest of the class joins hands in a circle, holding hands high.
3. Children sing the song as the "Bluebird" weaves in and out of the "windows of the
upraised arms of the children in the circle.
4. On the words "Pick a Little Partner," the "bluebird" takes the nearest child out of the
circle, joining both hands with the new partner and hopping into the centre of the
circle with the partner.
5. The two children drop hands, and begin the game again, now with the partners
becoming two "bluebirds." The circle rejoins hands and repeats the song. Both
"bluebirds" now picking partners.
6. Continue repeating the song, accumulating "Bluebirds" until there is no circle left!
IDEA: After kids know song, quiz them on which verse they are listening to (play melody with the necessary rhythmical changes for words.
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***********************************************************************HIDE AND SING
I did the "hide and sing" game with shapes this way: each kid gets a shape (cut from paper or whatever) and hides it so no one sees, especially the teacher! teacher closes her/his eyes and sings: who has the triangle (s m-l s-s m) whoever has one has to sing: i have a triangle (same pitches) teacher guesses who sang. change song to another shape and play until everyone's been guessed. have some kind of treat to offer as they're guessed-out of the game. this game is also great for colors (using colored candy) and letters (alphabits cereal) and numbers.
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***********************************************************************ICKY BICKY SODA CRACKER
01/02 The words are:
My mother, your mother lived across the way
Every night they had a fight and this is what they'd say
Icky bicky soda cracker icky bicky boo
Icky bicky soda cracker out goes you
Tune:
geegee(above middle c) ggeeg -- ggeegge eggeeg
ccaaccaa (higher) ccaac -- ccaaccaacca Rhythm:
qeeqee (q-quarter, e-eighth, h-half) eeeeh -- eeeeeee eeeeeh
eeeeeeee eeeeh -- eeeeeeeeqqh
For the game--pass an item--I use a stuffed animal but a nerf ball or
something soft will also work.
Students sit in a circle on the floor, cross legged, knee to knee
they must pass the item on the beat--not every word--who ever has it at
the end goes out. with younger kids I have the circle get smaller, but
with older kids you can make it harder by having them toss through the
empty spaces. I always remind them that I am the final say on who goes
out and give a sticker or something to the last two people.
My 2-5 graders would play this game every day if I would let them.
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***********************************************************************OLD GREY CAT
Old Grey Cat is a huge favorite of the K's and firsts. It has five verses set to 6 8 rhythm. (s'/ d s' d r / m d m s/ m d z s'/ d s' d r / m d r s/ d1.The old grey cat is sleeping, sleeping, sleeping. The old grey cat is sleeping in the house.)
2. The little mice are creeping, creeping, creeping. The little mice are creeping in the house.
3. The little mice are nibbling, nibbling, nibbling. The little mice are nibbling in the house.
4. The old grey cat is waking, waking, waking. The old grey cat is waking in the house.
5. The little mice are running, running, running. The little mice are running in the house.
Select a cat and five mice.
On verse 1, the cat enters, stretches and lays in the corner. At this point I have picked five mice, who are hiding somewhere in the room (they especially love that part!). On verse 2, the cat is asleep, motionless, and the mice tentatively enter creeping towards the center of the room, where there is an imaginary cheeseball. On verse 3, the mice begin nibbling at the cheese, sharing it with each other, licking their lips, etc. On verse 4, the mice continue eating, but the cat is now awaking, stretching and spots the mice (I slow the tempo on verse 1 and 4).
NEXT, all are waiting for my cue; when I say "MEOW", they all stand up (very important - don't want any rug burn) and the cat chases the mice. We sing verse 5 twice while the cat tries to catch the mice. If the mice are caught, they have to get out of the play area and sit down with the others. At the end of the second repetition of verse 5, all play stops. We regroup, recast the parts, and off we go again. Sometimes, to get their attention and to change things up for me (!) I add different verses... The old grey cat is going back to sleep, or.... the little mice are frightened.... or the little mice are sleepy... whatever! They then create the movements to go with what I sang. Of course, the kids that aren't acting at that particular moment love this and try really hard to sing exactly what I am singing.
I think they would use this game every day, if I could stand it. BUT, I have learned to save these tasty musical morsels and use them sparingly. BY the WAY, I have a huge room - so the running part works. I also have carpet, which allows for sure-footedness. Be careful in a smaller slippery room...
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THE OLD GREY CAT IS SLEEPING: When we play the game (K and 1st), I choose a cat and everyone else is a mouse. The cat gets to hold "Spot the Cat" which is the stuffed cat puppet that came with the the Spotlight curriculum (?). Anyway, everybody acts out the lyrics. Cat sleeps, mice creep, mice nibble, etc. When it gets to the "scamper" part, the cat gently tags the mice, who must turn over and lay on their backs. The cat chooses another cat (boys choose girls, girls choose boys).---- D. Brian Weese
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***********************************************************************HOKEY POKEY
HOKE POKEY: I have been using the suggestion in Music Express to do the Hokey Pokey in other languages and the 5th graders are loving it. I have a gigantic inflatable globe that I put in the middle at the end we say, "and walk around the world" and move around the globe We do hand, leg and head. We are doing Spanish right now since we are now in Hispanic Heritage Month. In October when we discuss October Fest, we will try German. One of my Spanish students was singing the whole song in Spanish ---- Susan C. HarrisBACK to Singing Game topics
***********************************************************************I'SE THE BYE
12/09 I’SE THE BYE: Children form a double circle, facing partners. Measure 1-8 partners do a clapping pattern: clap own, clap partners right, own, left, own, right, own left etc. On the words "Hip your partner" partners bump hips gently 4x's. On the words "All around the circle" the inside circle claps 4 times. The outside circle steps ahead to the next person and the dance continues with a new partner. --- Tami Mangusso in COAt the MENC website, a dance: http://www.menc.org/forums/viewtopic.php?id=
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***********************************************************************LET US CHASE THE SQUIRREL
06/14 LET US CHASE THE SQUIRREL: I always have an issue with NEVER having a even number of kids to do dances or circle games that require even pairs or trios, etc... :/ (someone on the list suggested having ghost partners. That works with older grades, but not with K and 1, at least not usually for me...)Anyway, after reading the typical game directions I decided to have a rule for the "homeless" squirrels and created a section B chant as well (since we were talking about AB form).
A: Let us chase the squirrel (dd rr m s / ee ee q q)
Up the hick'ry, down the hick'ry (dd rr mm rr / ee ee ee ee)br>
Let us chase the squirrel (dd rr m s / ee ee q q)
Up the hick'ry tree. (dd rr d / ee ee q)
B: (Chant on sol:)If you’re a squirrel,(e q) find anew home! (e q)
If you don’t, (e e q) then you’ll roam! (e e q)(repeat)
Game directions: Groups of 3 students: two holding both hands, forming a tree, with one student "in the tree" being the squirrel. Turn students that cannot make a group of 3 into “homeless” squirrels, unless you have no leftover kids, then turn 1 group into "homeless " squirrels. The job of the "homeless" squirrels is to roam around the trees during the singing. After singing the song ends all the trees raise their hands. While saying the chant ALL the squirrels (even the homeless ones) find a new tree. After a few repetitions, have the current squirrels trade places with one of their “trees”. Trade again so everyone gets a chance to be a squirrel!----- D. Brian Weese
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***********************************************************************LONG LEGGED SAILOR
Have you (clasp hands together and go from left to right)Ever Ever Ever in your long-legged life:
(the 1st "ever" clap, 2nd "ever" right hand crosses over to clap on the right hand of partner, clap left hand on the 3rd "ever", on the word "long" make the motion for "long" by showing a length-wise distance from left on the bottom to right hand on the top, on the word "legged" clap, on the word "life" cross your right hand over to clap on the right hand of the partner)
Seen a long-legged Sailor with a long legged wife:
"Seen" clap hands, "long" show the long motion again, "legged" clap hands
"Sailor" left hand goes over the left eye as if to salute, "with a" clap hands,
"long" show the long motion again, "legged" clap hands,
"wife" left hand crosses over to the right to meet partner's left hand.
Other things the legs can do and then just make the appropriate motion
for them are: short legged, bow legged, knocked kneed, shaky legged, one legged
no-legged (require a short hop with both legs bent upward and behind)
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***********************************************************************MY LADY'S GARDEN
I use a game very similar to . This one has been revamped to a more up to date subject. The words are now I have lost my corvette key in my nice jacuzzi. The solfegge syllables are the same as is the game. My students love to play and many time ask on activity games day.so so la la so so mi mi so so la la so so mi
We are play ing in the forest, for the wolf is far a way,
so so la la so so mi mi so so la la so so mi
Who knows what will happen to us, if he finds us at our play?
After students are familiar with the song, rhythm, solfege, etc., teach the game. The story is that the children sent out to play in the woods one day, when one of them suddenly spies a wolf. The children are so afraid that they freeze with fear. The wolf, who is wearing some very thick glasses, sniffs the air, but just walks past them. They discover that he has such bad eyesight, that he thinks they are trees if they don't move. So they play in the woods often, singing their song, but keeping a sharp lookout for the wolf.
If they spot him, they freeze in place until he goes away. If someone does move, they wolf take that one away to his cave, where he collects children so that he can play with them. (Just like their Beanie Baby collections....he wouldn't think of eating one of them!) When we play, I am the wolf. When my back is turned, they sing the song and move. When I turn around, they must freeze, or the wolf will put them in his collection. To make it even more fun, I use my funny wolf accent, (sort of like Count Dracula and Grover combined...) and do silly things to try to get the kids to laugh while they're frozen. I sniff them, do silly dances, try to scare them, and generally act goofy. (I do not touch or tickle them.) Play continues until they are only three "trees" left inthe forest, and they are declared the winners. The kids love this game, as you can imagine.
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***********************************************************************MAGIC SOUND
Children sit in a circle. One holds a large yarn ball or other object to pass (make it interesting to see and hold). The teacher improvises on recorder (or voice, or other pitched instrument). When the "magic sound" is heard (so-mi- so-mi), the ball is passed to the next student. If the children are not used to this aural discrimination, start vocally using solfege syllables. Eventually transfer to neutral syllables (loo, la, etc.) and then to instruments. Start by playing the pattern in predictable spots, like the ends of phrases. Also, at first play only other pitches when the magic sound is not present. Gradually make the placement less predictable, and challenge the listeners to pass the ball only when they hear the complete pattern. Kids should eventually become leaders.This can be used for any pitch or rhythm patterns, and is great for aural discrimination and building listening skills. It provides a great opportunity for you to model improvisation, and to build understanding of phrase.
Similar to Sue's "magic sound" game is one where everyone walks freely around the room while teacher improvises on recorder. The signal to freeze is "so mi" (or whatever pattern you may be working on at the time). They must stay frozen until they hear the signal again.
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***********************************************************************THE MUSIC HOUSE GAME
THE MUSIC HOUSE GAME: Child: Child hits woodblock three times!Teacher: Who is there? (so la so)
Child: My name is ________ (Do, mi, mi,so)
Teacher: Come on in! (so, low ti, do)
The child hands the woodblock and mallet to any child and then sits on the rug near the music teacher. Anyone in the house gets to help the music teacher sing! They love this. Sometimes there is one who is shy and I go and sit with them and help them sing their name.
When everyone is in the "Music House", I run out the back door (back edge of rug), pretending that I forgot to feed the dog. I then look everywhere for my keys and finally go to the front porch, pick up the woodblock and mallet and the kids always get the cutest grins on their faces when they know THEY are in charge now. I sing their part and they sing mine. I have been doing this for 20-some years.
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***********************************************************************NO ROBBERS TODAY
l / / / / l l / / / / / / / / / / / / l l / /s m m s s m s m m s s m m s s m m s s m s m m
No Robbers out today, no robbers out today for we are singing on our way no robbers....
The children stand in two lines, the Robber Catcher in the center and the four robbers on hands and knees at the end. After the song, the four robbers crawl past the Robber Catcher, who may not move his/her feet, but may bend in any direction. The first robber caught is the next Robber Catcher. The remaining three robbers and the old Robber Catcher each pick a child from the lines and take that child's place in line. The four new children are the next four robbers.
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***********************************************************************WE ALL LIVE IN THE OCEAN
This is a tone-matching game used with Ocean Pick-Up Pairs cards. This colorful card set has 4 decks of 24 different cards picturing fish and other ocean life and I got them from Whale Gifts, POBox 388, Centerbrook, Conn. 06409 for around $8.50 plus shipping. Sit in circle. Pass out two cards to each student, while you hold one deck. We all sing song which I made up below, then teacher holds up one card and sings question. Child or children with matching card/s sings answer and lays card down in center of circle. Continue until all cards are used."We Live in the Ocean"
4/4 ti ta ti-ka ti ta. (ta. = dotted quarter)
e g e e d c
We live in the ocean.
ti- ti ti- ti- ka ti- ti ta
c c e e e d d c
*Glub, glub, glub, and a glub, glub, glub.
ti ta ti- ka ti ta ti- ka ti- ti ti- ti ta-ah
e g e e d c c c d d e d c
We live in the ocean. Mother Nature's big bath tub.
(*Strum your lips with index finger as you sing.)
Question phrase:
ta ti. 16th ti-ti ta (ti. = dotted eighth)
e c c d d c
Who has an octopus?
Answer phrase: "I have an octopus."
Our students really enjoy this game.
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***********************************************************************OBISWANA
06/15 OBISWANA - We say and practice with the song. Grab, pass thumbs up thumbs down, then we do it without saying it and then we use rocks, put left hand behind your back. Where they get into trouble is thumbs up thumbs down and you have to make this part important. My kids love this song. When they get good at it, try passing to the left :) ---- Pam HallI also use bean bags for Obiswana. We start, as Karen mentioned, by slapping the floor in front of me and in front of my neighbor, saying me-neighbor-me-neighbor, etc. I usually introduce ONE bean bag and see if we can make it all the way around the circle. We say, "pick it up-pass it" while we practice. When we are pretty good at that, add in a second bean bag about half way around the circle. We can usually get it up to 3 or 4 pretty easily, and sometimes that is as far as I go. Another possible suggestion is to break into smaller circles, maybe even down to 4 students. I did this activity with a very small summer class and we had 2 circles of 4 students. They were able to work up to everyone having a bean bag, and even increasing speed each repetition. Finally, we put the two groups into a big circle and the passing worked just fine. That group was fun! ---- Sally Utley
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***********************************************************************PASSING GAME
WINTER: I have a great all-purpose game we play,using various props for the time of the year. I wrote this originally for Valentine's Day, but I have since also used it for St. Patrick's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving and now for winter. I use stuffed animal type props: a heart for Valentine's Day, a great green leprechaun for St. Pat's, a pumpkin, a turkey and a snowman.The song, in 3/4 time, goes like this:
| | | | d | | d. | d. |
so do do | do do | re | mi |
Val- en- tine | round the | cir- | cle, |
| | | | d | | d. | d. |
so re re | re re | mi | re |
Val- en- tine | round the | cir- | cle, |
| | | | d | | d. | d. |
so do do | do do | re | mi |
Val- en- tine | round the | cir- | cle, |
| | | d | | d. | tied d. ||
mi mi mi | re re | do | ||
Stop at a | friend of | mine. | ||
We sing the words while the children pass the object around the circle they're sitting in. Whever has the object when we get to the word "love" becomes the leader, and leads us all in doing some kind of steady beat as we sing the melody with just a neutral syllable. Great for kindergarten and first grade.
If you have two objects you can have two different circles in the room, making it easier to make sure that all kids have a turn to be the leader.
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***********************************************************************POLLY WOLLY DOODLE
Oh a grasshopper sittin' on a railroad track: cross arms over chestSingin' Polly Wolly Doodle all the day: pat-pat-clap-clap-snap right-snap left-clap
A pickin' his teeth with a carpet tack: pretend to pick at teeth
Singin' Polly Wolly Doodle all the day: pat-pat-clap-clap-snap right-snap left-clap
REFRAIN:
Fare thee well: wave right hand
Fare thee well: wave left hand
Fare thee well I'm on my way: wave right hand
For I'm goin' to Louisiana: hitchhike with left thumb over shoulder
For to see my Susyanna: right hand shades eyes and looks around
Singin' Polly Wolly Doodle all the day: pat-pat-clap-clap-snap right-snap left-clap
Oh I went to bed: Hands folded under head like you are sleeping
But it was no use: Cross hands in front of you
Singin' Polly Wolly Doodle all the day: pat-pat-clap-clap-snap right-snap left-clap
My feet stuck out like a chicken roost: flap elbows like a chicken three times
Singin' Polly Wolly Doodle all the day: pat-pat-clap-clap-snap right-snap left-clap
(REFRAIN) INSTRUMENTAL SECTION: whistle or hum while adding movements to REFRAIN
Behind the barn: point thumb over shoulder
Down on my knees: hands on knees
Singin' Polly Wolly Doodle all the day: pat-pat-clap-clap-snap right-snap left-clap
I thought I heard: right hand cups ear
A chicken: flap elbows two times
Sneeze: pretend to sneeze with both hands
Singin' Polly Wolly Doodle all the day: pat-pat-clap-clap-snap right-snap left-clap
REFRAIN
He sneezed so hard: pretend to sneeze again
With a whooping cough: pretend to cover mouth while coughing
Singin' Polly Wolly Doodle all the day: pat-pat-clap-clap-snap right-snap left-clap
He sneezed: pretend to sneeze
His head: hit head with one hand
And tail: hit backside with one hand
Right off: hands in the air!
Singin' Polly Wolly Doodle all te day: pat-pat-clap-clap-snap right-snap left-clap
REFRAIN
And we finish it up with a Hey! on the end (it just came out and stayed!)
This was so much fun that I almost forgot about teaching the song, and probably went into the movements too early, but I couldn't help myself - its just *so fun*!
I'm using a very simple patcsh/clap rhythm during this song for a performance. My third graders will be on risers so movement is limited. During each short instrumental part after each refrain they do this: Clap (half note) Clap (hn) Clap (hn) Clap(hn) Patsch(qtr. note) patsch (qn)RH on L shoulder (qn)LH on R shoulder(qn) Hands out (qtr. rest) clap (QN)clap (QN)
Then for the long instrumental section in the middle we go through this 4 times, alternating the clapping above our heads and down at our knees. It's pretty simple (although we did have to work on the rest!) and the kids have a ball!!
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***********************************************************************RATTLESNAKE
If I remember correctly, I got this one from one of the books by David Seneff McIntosh. One person stands stationary, holding hands with one child. Other children join hands in a chain. (This is in 5 measures of 4/4.)q q h q q h q q q q q q q q w
G A EGA E G GG G G A G E E
R-A-T-T-L-E-S-N-A-K-Espells rat-tle-snake.
While the stationary person remains stationary, the child at the other end walks around the stationary person, leading the other children, and continues doing so until a tight coil is created.
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***********************************************************************RONALD MCDONALD
Face your partner. l.h. (left hand) up and r.h. (right hand) down, 2 beats patting against partners hands, then 2 beats palms forward against partners, then clap 2 times, then 2 beats with thumbs over the shoulder.(melodic)
Ronald McDonald * * a biscuit! (note: the astericks are quarter rests)
Ronald McDonald * * a biscuit!
Oh shu shu wah wah, a biscuit!
I've got a sweetheart! a biscuit!
He's/She's so sweet! a biscuit!
Sweeter than a cherry tree! a biscuit!
(spoken)Ice cream soda with a cherry on the top.
Ice cream soda with a cherry on the top.
(melodic)
Down, down baby, down by the roller coaster. (make curvey roller coaster with hands)
Sweet sweet baby, don't wanna let you go! (hug yourself) Shimmy shimmy cocoa pop! Shimmy shimmy POW!(circular hand over hand)(on POW, clenched right handed fist upward movement) Shimmy shimmy cocoa pop! Shimmy shimmy POW!(circular hand over hand)(on POW, clenched left handed fist upward movement)
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***********************************************************************ROLL THAT RED BALL DOWN TO TOWN
01/07 ROLL THAT RED BALL DOWN TO TOWN: I use "Roll that GREEN ball down to town" instead of red ball because I use tennis balls when doing this activity. The game goes like this:Eight to ten students sit in a circle, legs spread, touching toes. (It makes somewhat of a star shape.) I ask someone to be the "ball person" and stand outside the circle and be ready to hand a ball to the students on my cue. We begin at a slow tempo, singing to the tune "Mary Had A Little Lamb" (or close to that tune): "Roll that green ball down to town, down to town, down to town. Roll that green ball down to town. Roll that green ball down to town."
As the game progresses I speed up the tempo and balls are added. Each ball is to be rolled on the word cue "roll." By the end of the game there is a ball for every child in each circle. (Purpose: Teaching students to continue to keep control even when excited.)
The game gets very exciting. If a ball is rolled so hard as to leave the circle, they cannot retrieve it. If someone rolls the ball on a word other than the word "roll" the assigned ball student is to take out one of the balls. If everyone in the circle is not singing the song as they play the game the assigned ball person takes out a ball and reminds them by saying "sing." (Oftentimes when the students get excited they forget to sing. I have found that they all sing at the beginning of the game but as the excitement grows the students forget to sing.) The team with the most balls at the end of the game is the winning team because they were able to keep control even when excited. -- Pamela Rezac
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***********************************************************************A SAILOR WENT TO SEA, SEE, SEE
I have found a local carpenter to make simple wooden instruments like claves, clappers, sand-blocks and tambours. A simple poem can be colored by these instruments or substitute for the voice. For example, the song,A sailor went to sea, sea, sea'
A sailor went to sea, sea, sea
To see what he could see, see, see
But all that he could see, see, see
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea
This is a great song to teach, especially to foreign children. (Teaching same sounds, different meanings.) First get them to select partners and make them stand opposite one another so that they make two parallel lines. On the words 'sea' and 'see' they clap their partners hands. At the end of the poem, one line can move down one person which means that one of the children at the top end then runs down to the bottom of the line and everyone gets a new partner. (while the line is moving you can shout 'Ahoy! Ahoy!)
With older children, make up a whole sequence of clapping throughout the song. (Both hands clap the thighs on the beginning of the word 'sai--, then clap own hands together on the '---lor' part. On the word 'went' snap fingers, on 'to' clap own hands together again; then clap partners hands on the words 'sea, sea, sea'. The sequence is the same throughout the song. but you may wish to put in an extra move like a snap/clap for the beginning of the next line, on 'To', 'But' on line 3, and 'Was the' on the last line.
Instead of claps etc. I sometimes make the students differentiate between 'sea' and 'see' by getting them to make wavy lines with their hands for 'sea' and putting their hands to their foreheads as though searching the horizon, on 'see'. With instruments, ask them to not say the words 'sea, sea, sea,' but beat the tambour or claves instead. The ideas are endless with simple poems and rounds.
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***********************************************************************SCHOOL SONGS
Grand Old School (sung to Grand Old Flag)You're a grand old school, you're a high ranking school. You're the best in the west we all say. Yea Walker!
The kids are smart and do their part.We're loyal to you every day.
Every heart beats true for our own colors, too. We're the best school in every way.
Should old acquaintance be forgot, But our school is here to stay. Yea Walker!
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Give Me That Old Walker Spirit (sung to Give Me That Old Time Religion)
Give Me That Old Walker Spirit Give Me That Old Walker Spirit
Give Me That Old WalkerSpirit, It's good enough for me.
------------
It is good for (principal's name) It is good for (teacher's name)
It is good for (fill in name) And it's good enough for me.
(Repeat as needed) ------------
To the Tune of Yankee Doodle Dandy: Walker Doodle Dandy's
Oh, we are happy Walker students. We love to learn to read and write.
We come to Walker with an open mind, Knowing we're smart and so bright.
We are caring friends together, We are careful what we say. We are friendly! We are smart!
We are Walker students, We will be learning everyday!
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***********************************************************************SEE SAW
See saw, up and down. In the air and on the ground. (Sing using sol-mi) Partner game. Hold your partner's hands (facing eachother). Start with one person squatting, pretending to be on the low side of the see-saw (or teeter-totter). The other person is standing (for the "in the air" side). Partners go up and down as if on a see-saw while they sing. If taught carefully, children won't slip into the "so-so mi-la so-so mi" pattern on the second half of the song. When we play this game, we repeat it, each time with a new partner, while interest lasts.BACK to Singing Game topics
***********************************************************************SHOO FLY
SHOO FLY: During the A section, the circle moves forward four beats, backward four beats, forward again and back again........ hold hands, step to the beat, etc.During the B section, one desinated couple makes an arch w/their hands, walks themselves under the arch and pulls the rest of the class through the arch..when the whole class has been pulled through, the circle gets turned inside out. (It's pretty cool!) The text suggests doing this in small groups but I always do it w/the whole class. It's important to remind the kids not to let go of hands...not to pull too hard...no "crack the whip"....etc.
Then, on the fermata before going back to the A section, everyone must let go of hands, turn around and re-join hands to repeat the A section movement. -- Contributed by Dan Fee
07/13 We always did the first A section the same way Joan wrote out.
Circle:
In for 4 out for 4 two times, but for the circle turned itself inside out on the B section. To do this, all in the circle keep hands loosely joined while a "leader" heads across the inside of the circle and ducks under two upraised joined hands. When the rest of the circle has followed through, the two who raised "the window" circle under their own arms- sort of like "wring the dishrag" - completing the inside-out circle. The following A section is down like the first, except the circle is facing outward. Since the "in" steps are down backwards, they need to be smaller than in the first A section.< P> To start the dance over, hands are dropped, and the original positions are taken. For a large group, this activity works best as a play-party type song with just singing - no recording. This allows the singing leader to hold out the "So......." at the end of the B section for as long as is needed to complete the turning of the circle. It's a good activity for building a cooperative classroom! I've done it with as many as 80 students outside on a grassy hillside. It takes a lot of room to turn that large a circle inside out! In a normal size music room, I usually used multiple circles with 7 or 8 students in each. --- Connie Herbon
***********************************************************************
SHOO TURKEY, SHOO
Little girl, little boy? Yes Ma'am Did you go to the barn? Yes Ma'amDid you get any eggs? Yes Ma'am Did you give 'em to your mama? Yes Ma'am
Did she put them in the bread? Yes Ma'am Did she give you some?
Yes Ma'am Did you feed my turkeys? Yes Ma'am Did my turkeys go? Yes Ma'am
Which way did they go? So', so' Which way did they go? So', so'
Can you help me find them? Yes Ma'am Get ready let's go!
Shoo turkeys, shoo, shoo Shoo turkeys, shoo, shoo Shoo turkeys, shoo, shoo
Shoo turkeys, shoo, shoo !
Directions: Form a standing circle with everyone, including the leader facing the center. The leader always chants first on the questions, and the others all join in together on the answers ("Yes, Ma'am").
When the leader asks which way did the turkeys go, everybody raises their hands above their heads and splays their fingers out like turkey feathers, rocking the hands together from side to side. When the leader shouts, "Get ready let's go!" everybody pivots a quarter turn facing left to start jumping in a clockwise direction. Hands can be placed with the backs of the wrists on hips, fingers splayed out. Lastly, hunker down with legs bowed out and start jumping forward in time to the shout, "Shoo turkeys, shoo, shoo!" The whole circle moves together in a clockwise direction until the end.
/ / l / / l l (slurred) b b / / l / / l l
s,s, d dd m d m d s s l s l m d
Lit-tle girl lit-tle bo-oy Yes, ma'am! Did you go to the ba-arn?
b b / / l / / l b b
m d s, s, d d d m m d
Yes, ma'am! Did you get an-y eggs? Yes, ma'am!
/ / / / / / l l / / / / / / l
s, s, d d d d l' , d s, s, d d d d r# m
Did you give them to your ma- ma? (Yes..) Did she put them in the bre-ead?
/ / l / / l / / l l l l
s s l s l m s, s, d d m s
Did it taste ve-ry good?(Yes..) Did you feed my tur-keys?
/ / l l / / - l l l / / / / - l b b
s, s, d d r# m d' l s l m d m d
Did my tur-keys go-o? Which way did they go-o? So' so' (south)
l l / / / / - l / / l l l l b
s, m d d l, d s, s, d d m s m d
Which way did they go-o? So', so' Can you help me find em'? Yes, ma'am!
l / / l l l b l b b
d' l s m d m d l, d m
Get rea-dy, let's go! Shoo tur - keys shoo, shoo
(then: m d l, d l, // m d l, r# - m // m d l, d l, )
Little girl, little boy..........
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***********************************************************************SING ME A MONSTER
Something that worked really well with my second-graders was a game that (well, my cooperating teacher, anyway) got out of the book "One Two Three Echo Me!" called the "Monster Game." We played it around Halloween, although you could probably adapt it for all year using animals or something. The kids really liked it, because they had fun making goofy monsters (the parts don't have to match - as long as they got a head, arms, tummy, and feet, it was a monster), and they really wanted that prize! The monsters' body parts were printed on cards, and there were four parts to a monster. Because our classes were large, we gave each child two cards to start with.The object of the game was to make a monster. You went around to each child and sang a question on a simple pattern like 3-3-3-3-1-3. The question usually requested a noun, and went something like "sing me an animal" or a color, or a number, or a food, or something. Then, on the same pattern, the child would respond "I'll sing tiger" or whatever they like. When they'd done this, they could take a card out of the hat the extras were in. The kids who actually completed a monster (there were relatively few as most kids wind up with two heads or something) got a prize.
In your case, I'd let them pick a card even if they whispered a correct answer - no singing involved, and then demand a little more each time - don't ever deny a kid a card; just make him/her do it until they do it up to yourexpectations. (I've used this idea too and it works well.-Sandy T.)
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***********************************************************************SNAIL, SNAIL
12/13 SINGING GAME: SNAIL SNAIL Form a circle, holding hands with one break. Leader (usually me) continues to step smaller and smaller circle while the rest follow until stuck, then reverse direction getting bigger and bigger until everyone is back in one big circle but are thoroughly amazed that they now are facing out instead of in. Your wizardry is acknowledged and then play again.When unwinding...Teacher tells children don't move until I tap you on the shoulder. As teacher unwinds children slightly tap each child until you are done. The cool thing is when you start the game you are facing into the circle when you finish you are facing outside the circle and you are on the opposite side of where you started...
A 2nd way to do this is have the end person pull everyone out. Give the last child a point in the room to walk too and when they do thisr it pulls into a slightly straight line if you have a big room which I don't so ours is catty wompus. But still fun. -----Pam Hall
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***********************************************************************SNAKE BAKED A HOE CAKE
David Saphras, d - r l, d r -
The snake baked a hoe cake
l, d d r d l, s, -
And set the frog to watch it
s, s, d - r l, d r -
But the frog fell a dozin'
l, l, d d r d l, s, - -
And the lizard came and took it
s - f m r d -
Bring back my hoe cake
l, d d - d - l, s s - - - -
You-ou long-tailed nanny-oooooooooh
The third, fourth and sixth lines begin with double eighth note pick-ups.
This chase game is a LOT of fun because the melody is nice (I hope you can get it from above) and the activity is unusual in that two children have to trap and catch the the third (lizard) character. I have the children sit it a circle around the frog and snake, acting out the story. They usually hold puppets or stuffed animals and a bean-bag for the hoe cake. Sometimes I bring out a plastic toy hoe and tell them about how in the old days they used to take flower and water and make pancakes over an open fire right out in the field on the back of a (well cleansed) hoe. I also use the hoe to get the children to follow a cue for an upbeat pick-up note. When the bean bag touches the upraised hoe, after having traced a letter "J," (two beat conducting pattern) they sing the first note of the song. I often pick a fourth child to start the game off (be the conductor).
The lizard, who has been hiding outside the circle, enters and snatches the hoe cake (bean bag) from the sleeping frog and runs outside again. The other two aren't allowed to run after the lizard until the very last (extended) syllable of the song. I have the other children on the circle do a drum roll in their laps to help generate more fun and frenzy and less interference, while they're holding out the "oooooooh" in nanny-o on the low "so."
I tell the frog and snake they can't win unless they are BOTH actually touching the lizard at the same moment. If they're in Kindergarten, or even older, I often have to break the news to them (via sign language) that they can run in the opposite direction to trap the lizard between the two of them. You can even have a child rhthmically drone on the open G and D strings of a violin for a real authentic Appalachan feel. But the main thing that makes this activity fun is the cut-throat style (three way) chase.
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***********************************************************************SOL-MI
1. The first player hides an object while the second player is out of the room. The second player enters the room and looks for the object. The class sings "so" to mean "you're getting warmer" or "mi" to mean "you're getting cooler."BACK to Singing Game topics
***********************************************************************SON MA CARON
SONG (nonsense words - although they sound Italian and are pronounced as such, they mean nothing):Son ma- ca- ron, son fair- ay - on Mar - i - on, Mar - i - on Lay - a lay - a tip tip tip
ta ti ti ta ta ta ta ta rest ti ti ta ti ti ta ti ti ti ti ti ti ta
sol mi fa sol la sol fa mi mi fa sol mi fa sol sol la sol fa mi fa sol
Lay - a lay - a tap tap tap One beat, two beat, three beat catch
ti ti ti ti ti ti ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta
sol la sol fa mi fa sol do do do do do do do
THE GAME: Students sit in a circle, cross-legged, sitting as close as possible. Students hold lower arms straight out (upper arm is not extended, it is against your body, lower arm is parallel to legs and about 6 inches above legs. This should be comfortable.). Left hand palm faces up (neighbor on left will place their right hand palm facing down on top of this upraised palm), right hand palm faces down in neighbors upward facing palm. Do not clasp hands. The hands barely rest on the neighbor's hand.
Select one person to begin. That person will be the first to "tap" their neighbor's hand with their own right hand as the song begins. That is, the right hand which is laying on top of their right neighbor's will cross over to tap the left neighbor's hand which is laying in their own left hand. This occurs on every beat. The first person taps the left neighbor's hand, that neighbor then taps the next neighbor and on and on around the circle. This MUST be done to the beat. On the word "catch" the person tapping tries to trap the neighbor's hand they are about to tap. If they catch the hand directly on the word Catch, that person is out. If they don't catch the hand, they themselves are out. If you are off beat at any point in the rhythmic pattern going around the circle, you are out. If you pull your hand away too quickly on the word "catch", you are out.
The ones that are out can play policemen and help in judging if the last word "catch" was caught correctly or not. Also, you can use an accelerando on the last phrase "one beat, two beat, three beat, catch", which makes it harder to escape being caught on the word "catch". The circle diminishes as one by one, the students are eliminated. To make it harder; on the words tip tip tip, the person who is tapping on the first "tip" has to tap the rhythm of "tip tip tip" before play can continue (all of this done strictly in rhythm). This happens again on "tap, tap, tap". It makes it a bit harder and the students must concentrate better. Beware: please remove all rings before playing! At the end, it comes down to two people slapping each other's hands at an incredible speed! What a wonderful activity - you must try it. It incorporates steady beat, with singing, with plain old fun. I did it this week with fourth graders. I think younger students might have difficulty keeping up. I wouldn't recommend it much below second grade.
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***********************************************************************STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
When I taught K-5, I used this rhyme when getting into a circle: "Strawberry shortcake huckleberry Finn, when I call your birth month, please join in." I walked around the room playing the steady beat on a hand drum and when I called a month, those born in that month followed the line. I called them out of order, sometimes two at a time, to vary things. When going back to their seats I would say. "Strawberry shortcake Huckleberry Hound, when I call your birth month, walk and sit down." You could also say shoe color, shirt color, row number, etc.This week I have tried making an imaginary circle with my feet. I tell them I have paint all over my shoes and I will draw them a circle on the floor. They watch me "paint my imaginary circle" and then come sit on it. So far it's worked like a charm--without squeezing/pulling/holding hands chaos!
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***********************************************************************SUR LE PONT
CHORUS:Part 1: Sur le pont d'Av - ign - on L'on y dan - se, on y dan - se
Part 2: Sur le pont d'Av - ign - on On y dan - se, tous en ronde
VERSE 1: Les jeunes filles font comme ci, et puis encor font comme ca
---------(Girls step into the center of the circle, curtsy and return to their places.)
VERSE 2: Les gar - cons (boys) font comme ca (Boys go to the center, bow and return.)
ACTIONS: During part one of the chorus, everyone holds hands in a circle and skips around to the left. Reverse the direction of the circle movement in part two.
2. Les poupees (dolls) font comme ci (All move to the center and back like stiff dolls) ---Et les soldats (soldiers) font comme ca (as soldiers)
CHORUS
3. Les grenouilles font comme ci (The frogs go like this-HOP)
---Les gorilles font comme ca (thump your chests)(chorus)
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***********************************************************************TWINKLE, TWINKLE, LITTLE STAR
You will need one long strip of fabric which is joined at the ends. This strip will be held in the hands of students. Work with 10 students in a group, circle formation. Number each student as 1,2,1,2, etc.,. The 1's step 4 back (returning to their place). The 2's take 4 steps in as the 1's stand in place (star again). You can maintain this position (2's in and 1's in place) and have the group move in a circle (now the star is turning.Try having group one sing the song (piano) up thru until last phrase - second time) tiptoeing toward group two with very small steps. On the second "How I wonder what you are, " Group two sings (forte) and stomps toward group one. Just silly fun!
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***********************************************************************WOLF IN THE FOREST
Sing: We are playing in the forest while the wolf is far awayWho knows what will happen to us if s/he finds us at our play!
Syllables: So so la la so so mi mi so so la la so so mi
So so la la so so mi mi so so la la so so mi
Rhythm: Ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ta
Ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ta
SPOKEN: (Wolf______ are you there?)
WOLF: (No, I'm ______ !)
Song again, then question again. When wolf is ready, s/he yells "Here I come!"
This is a circle game. Wolf is in designated "den" and must not pass a certain designated spot. Each time the wolf says "No, I'm_____" the circle ventures just a bit nearer the wolf den. When the wolf yells "Here I come!" the circle breaks apart and the children run for the designated "base." Anyone caught before getting to base must be part of the wolf'spack; however, the original wolf is always the decision maker for the wolf pack. Eventually there will be more "wolves" than "children." or....the kids freeze after singing the song and they whisper----wolf are you there? The wolf says either yes or no--if it's no they make up an excuse like I'm washing my hair. When the wolf says yes the wolf says-- YES AND I'M COMING TO GET YOU.
The wolf tags one person, now there are two wolfs, then four after singing the song again and you keep going until everyone is a wolf then the game starts over again and I pick the quietest person to be the wolf to begin the next game-to pick the wolf I have them come back quietly in a circle-also lets them rest a little bit. I first begin the game in a circle than after then after explaining the boundaries of the room(where they can go and can't go) and what is appropriate behavior.
The lyrics to the Spanish song are:
"Jugando al escondite en el bosque anochecio (While playing hide and seek in the forest, night came upon us)
El cucu cantando, el miedo nos quito (The cuckoo's singing took away our fear) Cucu, cucu, cucu Lobo, ?estas alli? (Wolf, are you there?)
Me estoy poniendo los pantalones (I'm putting on my pants)
Me estoy poniendo ________ fill in with other articles of clothing.
I use this song for a different game. I use it in K and 1st and they love it. Very simple. I have a puppet that looks like a Wolf and I choose one person to be it. The class sings the song while it is turned away, but if the wolf turns and looks at them they have to freeze. No one gets out, just tons of fun and good listening, watching practice. They also sing out more when they are watching the wolf. They forget that I'm watching them! Once through the song and the wolf picks someone else. We do it in short sessions, but I keep track of who was the wolf so eventually everyone gets a chance.
---------------
I observed a kindergarten class and taped them singing this song: The words were:
Ju-gue-mos en el bos-que mien-tras que el lobo es-ta? Ju-gue-mos en el bos-que mien-tras que el lobo es-ta Lobo es-ta? Ju-gue-mos en el bos-que The one they sang in Peru was: s dd dm d dd ss ss sd s dd dm d dd ss ss sd The melody was quite different. I think the first is a Hungarian melody, that may have been transplanted.