Children’s Music and Games for Valentines Day

Valentine’s Pencils are an excellent alternative gift for this special holiday.  If your child got some, perhaps, instead of sharpening them, you might want to be creative, and make them into instruments.  Last year, my students enjoyed this challenge, and I posted a slide show of their creative works of art and music:  Homemade Instruments Made from Pencils.

I’ve posted a fun Animal Valentine video, as well as two other fun videos on my other blog:  Kids Love Animals.  Share the love and the learning.

It doesn’t take long online to find some excellent Valentine’s Game and Activities for children, but my daughter’s favorite is on The Kidzpage .  It has puzzles, and coloring pages to print, and fun online games.

SONGS FOR TEACHING is an excellent site that has the lyrics to wonderful songs for children, and it has a page full of Valentines Songs.  You can even listen to someone singing it, and if you like it, you can download it for a small fee.

Kindermusik families may remember some of their favorite songs from their Home CDs that are perfect for this day of family love.  Many of these are folk songs, so you may know them as well.  I am trying to include enough of the songs to help you remember how to sing it.

Skinnamarink a-dink-a-dink, Skinnamarink a-do, I LOVE YOU!   – Village: Dream Pillow

Love Somebody – Yes, I do… (3 times while pretending to look around for someone to love, then)… I Love Somebody and it’s YOU, YOU, YOU!

You are My Sunshine, my only sunshine.  You make me happy when skies are grey.  You’ll never know dear, how much I love you.  Please don’t take my sunshine away.

Mama loves, and Daddy Loves, and Everybody Loves a little Baby.    – Village: Dream Pillow

I love my Family, my family, my family, my family, take a look and you will see…  They’re OK with me.   on Family Time:  Our Kind of Day

Tell Me Why the stars do shine,  Tell me why the ivy twines,  Tell Me Why the skies are blue, And I will tell you just why I love you.      on Village:  Do-Si-Do

Shady Grove, my little love, Shady Grove I know, Shady Grove, my little love, bound for the Shady Grove.     on Village:  Cock-a-Doodle Moo

Cuddle Up A Little Closer Baby Mine, Cuddle up and be my little Valentine

Let Me Call You Sweet Heart, I’m in love with you.

Wiggle (4 x), Giggle (4 x)… Little Sack of Sugar, gonna eat you up   on Family Time: Our Kind of Day

Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland   - on Village: Dream Pillow

Find out more about Kindermusik at www.kindermusik.com !

Enjoy singing and playing with your family this Valentine’s Day !!!  LOVE, Ms. Debbie

Going Green – Ideas and Products

Recently, I have been surrounded with people who are GOING GREEN –  focusing more on our environmental impact:  Kindermusik International, and my daughter’s school, Lakeland Montessori.   

This blog posting is intended to list some great websites, blogs, etc. that I recommend for learning more, learning how, and learning about some really cool products that are available (if you really need to buy anything at all.)  I will continue to add things here as I find them – just to keep all the Green Stuff on the same posting.

You can reference my thoughts about Kindermusik’s new efforts here, or you can go directly to their blog, http://www.kindermusikgreen.blogspot.com , where they have a lot more information than JUST what Kindermusik is doing.

If you are interested in keeping up with all the aspects of becoming GREEN, check out:  http://www.thedailygreen.com/  – a website that is “the consumer’s guide to the green revolution”.  Includes blog postings with creative & inexpensive ways to “be more green”.  And there is a newsletter to which you can subscribe. 

 

I thought their gift ideas were quite unique!  For example, check out these websites for plantable paper, handmade paper that can be planted, and wildflowers will grow.

 

http://www.plantablepaper.com/index.htm 

http://www.swallowtailfarms.com  (click on Plantable Paper)

Lakeland Montessori found an excellent website that offers a wide variety of products to help in this process.  At www.greenraising.com , everything offered promotes reducing the impact we have on the earth, as well as supporting hard-working people in fledgling companies in third world countries.  Any purchases during the next year offer 10% of the sales to our school.  During the check out process, just select “Lakeland Montessori Schoolhouse-FL” from the drop-down list of affiliates.    Highly recommended items: 

• Wrap-n-Mat – this ingenious mat replaces sandwich baggies, wrapping around food items and closing with Velcro.  Then, it opens up into a clean, reusable placemat.  Easy to clean!  I ordered 2 and switch them out every other day – and no longer use zip lock bags in Cora’s lunch.
• Aluminum or Stainless Steel Bottles – stop using plastic bottles, this works everyday!  I NO LONGER buy plastic bottles of water!!!  You can also get these locally at your sports stores.
• TWIST Euro cloths & Loofah Sponges – made with cellulose from renewable tree farms.  These work great, and even run through the dishwasher well to sanitize them.  I like the Loofah sponges the best.

Flowers, Dewdrops, and Gardens Resources

The theme for the Kindermusik Village –  Dewdrop Semester, all about flowers and gardens.

My favorite poem that fits right into the theme is the following.  Below the verse, there is a list of more resources on the subject.

The Flowers    by Robert Louis Stevenson

From “A Child’s Garden of Verse”  It can be found as a Little Golden Book.

• All the names I know from nurse:
• Gardener’s garters, Shepherd’s purse,
• Bachelor’s buttons, Lady’s smock,
• and the Lady Hollyhock.
•  
• Fairy places, fairy things,
• Fairy woods where the wild bee wings,
• Tiny trees for tiny dames –
• These must all be fairy names !
• Tiny woods below whose boughs
• Shady fairies weave a house;
• Tiny treetops, rose or thyme,
• Where the braver fairies climb !
•  
• Fair are grown-up people’s trees,
• But the fairest woods are these;
• Where, if I were not so tall,
• I should live for good and all.

 

Favorite Books on the theme of Flowers and Gardens:

 The Carrot Seed, by Ruth Krauss, illustrations by Crockett Johnson, Harper & Row Publishers, 1945       This is the author of Harold and the Purple Crayon.   This is just as wonderful of a story about a young boy taking care of his plants, even though everyone is telling him it WON’T work.  His patience and persistence pay off with a HUGE carrot. 

 

TLC, Grow With Me!  by Lissa Rovetch, ill. by Chum McLeod  – A Do-Re-Me & You Publication  A young girl gets a present from a neighbor, a surprise in a pot of dirt.  She gets hints along the way to learn how to make the surprise appear.  Excellent for children just learning the art of gardening.  Since it is DRMY, of course it comes with a CD of fun songs for gardening.  You may find it on a good sale at www.shopkindermusik.com .

 

Dandelion,  by Don Freeman,       Scholastic, 1964         (Excellent author)    A Lion decides to dress up fancy for a party, but everyone is glad when he gets back to being himself.       

Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes,     GreenWillow Books, 1991  

A young mouse girl is lovingly named by her parents, but once she starts school, she’s not so sure how much she likes her name. 

I absolutely love the extended vocabulary that Dad uses in this book. For 3 and up.

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Inch by Inch, The Garden Song,  by David Mallet and Ora Eiten;  Trophy Picture Books, 1997.  This song is a classic song from the 60’s days of love and peace, and becoming more self-reliant.  The illustrations are simply, yet poignant, and you’ve got to love the biggest beet in the world that is harvested.  I love reading AND singing this to my daughter.   This one is actually very good for even young readers, and they will love you to sing the song – the melody is written on the back pages.

A recorded version is on Mary Miche’s Earthy Tunes album (see below).

Blog Postings on the subject for your enjoyment:

• Dewdrops  (NEW) – Beautiful pictures of dewdrops and rich musical sounds – video format
• Mary Miche’ – Earthy Tunes & Songs for Teaching website – cool gardening songs, including “Inch by Inch”, “Dirt You Made My Lunch”, and so many more.

 

• Musical Flowers and Trees (NEW) – 1932 Disney videos of flowers, trees, and babies

         

 

Traveling with Trains by books, music, and more.

These are some of my favorite resources about life surrounding the magical world of train travel, from historical, to classic, to silly, to futuristic imaginations.  I guarantee you, each of these resources have been experienced and loved many times.

There are several Kindermusik semesters that include train themes, see this list on my blog posting:  Kindermusik Programs with themes of travel & vehicles . 

Please feel free to add your favorites to the comment section as well!  I’ll look for them.

Musical Recordings:                                .

All Aboard – John Denver;  Family Artist Series from Sony Wonder, 1997   Avail. at large music stores.   A marvalous, kid friendly collection of songs ALL about trains.  You’ll love Choo Choo Ch’Boogie.  There are several available at www.Amazon.com, as well as other online and local music stores. 

The Little Engine that Could       .

The Little Engine That Could      A Platt & Munk Classic book by Watty Piper;  A little engine saves a train full of toys.        

The Little Engine and The Big Chase   2nd book in the series, and just as fun.  The silly little clown has gotten whisked away by a big diesel engine, and the Little Engine and his friends have to rescue him.   

The Little Engine That Could – An MCA Home Video, Inc. Presentation. 1991.  The classic tale gets a wonderful make over that keeps the classic feel, but flushes out the characters and the story very well.

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The Little Engine That Could – One selection from the Read With Me DVD Series.  Fisher Price has come up with a cool device that allows children to use the DVD player to have classic books read to them, and allows them to be interactive with the story, answering comprehension questions about the story, or playing games based on the story.  Scholastic has met the challenge with a nice selection of DVD books to choose from.  Find the device at www.fisher-price.com, then find the stories at www.scholastic.com .  My 4 year old daughter LOVES these.  Thanks, Valerie!————————————————–Thomas the Tank Engine:  The Complete Collection by Rev. W. Awdrey    Random House Publishing.   I love this book because it includes all of the stories, as well as some background on the author and the development of these stories.

www.thomasandfriends.com   A website full of fun for Thomas fans, includes links to the following:

• Videos
• Games
• TV – leads to information about television shows that include Thomas stories
• Events – information leads to character appearances, as well as
• A Day Out with Thomas, where a real engine has been designed to become Thomas the Tank Engine, and pulls train cars full of children all around the country.  His schedule can be found when you follow the links.

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Other Favorite Train books:

Tootle   A Little Golden Book by Gertrude Crampton; Ill. by Tibor Gergely.   A young engine attends school to learn to be useful.  He has a hard time with “Staying on the Rails, No matter what!”  We LOVE this story about learning to follow the rules.

 

 

Smokey Houghton Mifflin Co.      Written & Illustrated by Bill Peet.    An old rusty steam engine finds a new use, once he is no longer needed in the rail yard.  The ending is a wonderful surprise.  Teachers love it!

Tracks    Scholastic Inc.  by David Galef; Ill. by Tedd Arnold.  

Albert, the railway construction designer, builds a crazy railroad track when his eye glasses break. 

FUNNY picture book!

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I’ve Been Working on the Railroad       Scholastic   The words presented are the same as the classic song, but the pictures tell a bigger, much more fun story.  We spend LOTS of time just talking about what’s going on in the pictures.

Down By the Station  by Will Hillenbrand   Scholastic has done it again.  Classic song, but a whole new story is told through the pictures.  The conductor, the teachers, the baby animals, and the children combine for a wonderful read together book.  Cora pours over both these books, all by herself, singing the songs, and talking about the antics of these creatures.

Other Videos                                                                             .

There are two other videos are described in the blog posting:  Children’s media resources for vehicles and travel

• Cowboy Pooh
• Imaginaria

Florida rail lines:   Take a few of the books with you to enjoy on your REAL TRAIN RIDE.

• Inland Lakes Railways:    www.inlandlakesrailway.com
• Florida Railways Museum:  www.fgcrrm.org 

Best Railroad game:                                                                                                    . 

Rail Baron  – I LOVE this game, but it is definitely for at least 10 years old and older.  It is so cool that the railroads on the map are based on real rail lines that were some of the original built.  The goal of the game is to ride the rails from one destination to another, and collect the payment for making the trip.  The money is used to buy railroads which you can then ride for free.  WAY FUN!  I have the version released in 1984.  I’m not the only fan, you can read about the history of the game at http://www.railgamefans.com/rbp/rbgame.htm 

 

There has not been a new release in quite awhile, but you can find some good used copies on ebay.  Because it is rare, it can be a little spendy – but it is worth it!  If you find a game that doesn’t have all the pieces, it’s ok, you can buy replacement pieces if you follow the links on the website listed above.  There is even an online version that you can play on the computer.

St. Patricks Day Music for Children

• Knock, Knock
• Who’s There?
• Irish
• Irish Who?
• IRISH you a Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!!

Lots of Irish jokes for children, as well as crafts, history, games, printable art, recipies, etc. can be found at http://holidays.kaboose.com/saint-patricks-day/ .  Look around on this website,  www.kaboose.com , it is HUGE and chock full of cool information for moms and fun things for children. 

If you want to check out some fun Irish songs FOR CHILDREN, check out Mama Lisa’s World for both the words and melodies to the following:

Cockles and Mussels  (which is, by the way on the Creatures at the Ocean CD) Me Mother is Gone to Church

Michael Finnigan, (featured, even in book form, in the Imagine That!  Hello Weather semester in the Fall.)

Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ra   (Featured in the Village Dew Drops semester, This was James’ favorite lullaby song)

You might also have some fun with Limericks, reading a few (clean ones), and making up some of your own.  It can be FUN!  Read about them on Mama Lisa’s blog posting:  A Little about Limericks .  Here’s my attempt:

There once was a lady of song,

She sang and played all the day long,

With children, with families,

with Kindermusik-ologies,                         (yes, I make up the word!)

Pure love of music, just can’t go wrong.

Jack Hartmann – Loving to learn through music

 I am a big fan of Jack Hartmann!  He uses a variety of styles in his music, and has something for everyone.  Children find it very fun to watch this guy delve into hip-hop, rock, blues, etc., and end up having fun learning their multiplication tables, or test taking skills.  For the little ones, there are songs about taking turns and being friends. 

LOOK on his website for more information:  www.jackhartmann.com 

On the website, LISTEN & WATCH takes to you to some of his songs on little video clips.  Make sure to catch the BOP STOP!

WATCH the CHILDREN’S CONCERT section for one of his concerts to come nearby.  You have to register EARLY, as most of his shows are SOLD OUT about a month in advance.  Download his Registration Form, or call 1-888-219-2646 to purchase a ticket.  The group discount is 1 free ticket for every 20 that is purchased.  He is based out of Tampa, so most of his concerts are in Central Florida.

Check out his CD Recordings under PRODUCTS, and you will be AMAZED at the focus of each of the 22 CDs.  There are entire albums dedicated to MATH or READING, or PEACE.

MY favorite is It Starts in the Heart, which he completed in coordination with Becky Bailey!  This album is all about connections between yourself and other people!

 

So, I hope you get to connect with Jack Hartmann sometime soon, and enjoy a bit of musical learning - in such a FUN WAY!

Music storytelling from Africa and Pete Seeger

I was able to share some wonderful musical folk tales with some preschool students today.  We had a blast with about four stories.  I’d love to share them with you, and of course, I want to start with one that you can access right away, “Abiyoyo”.  Keep returning to this site, and I’ll share more fun musical folk tales with you.

 The story of Abiyoyo was handed down generation by generation through storytelling.  It is the story of a giant named Abiyoyo, and the young boy and his dad that save the village from this giant through music and magic. 

Pete Seeger discovered the story in Cape Province, South Africa, and was able to bring the story to the written page in his book: ABIYOYO, Pete Seeger’s Storysong, illustrated by Michael Hayes) 

Amazingly enough, I found both the story and the song located on it’s own website,   www.abiyoyo.com .  This is a wonderful introduction, but I promise you, the book is worth the $8 you’ll spend at Amazon.com, or other bookstores.

Children’s media resources for vehicles and travel

Many Kindermusik semesters have themes that have a lot to do with things that GO!  See blog posting, Kindermusik Programs with themes of travel & vehicles for that list of semesters. 

I thought you might enjoy my list of favorite books, recordings, videos, and other resources that help this world of travel come alive for children.  You might keep checking back, as I plan to continue adding more.  PLEASE feel free to add your own recommendations in the comment section.  Thanks!

Online Resources

Riding around on my JCB      www.jcbsong.co.uk/jcbvideo.asp    This is a very cool little short website music video about Luke riding around with his dad on a JCB (a big constructions vehicle).  The pencil on paper animated drawings are adorable, and the song is soooo catchy.  One of my Kindermusik moms sent me this link in an emai over a year ago.  Our whole family fell in love with it, and both Grammy and my son have it in their favorites section and go back to watch it frequently.  My 12 year old son has it memorized.

These are Blog Postings on my blogs that include resources for things that Go!:

The Wheels on the Bus  You and your children will enjoy watching these two videos together.  You’ll probably end up watching them repeatedly.  Move the computer chair and get ready to dance.

Travel by boat – in a book or two  Comparing books with similar themes, like boating adventures, helps children develop analytical thinking.  Best boat books recommended.

There is a separate blog posting on TRAIN resources at: 

The following resources are wonderful ways to enjoy expanding a child’s interest in OTHER types of things that go, and some resources here include a variety of ways to travel.

Books  (many can be found at your local library)                                      

Sheep In A Jeep       Houghton Mifflin Co.   by Nancy Shaw: Ill. by Margot Apple.    Hilariously funny adventures of sheep, in a jeep, in all kinds of rhyming ways.  A FAVORITE!  There are more fun books with these funny sheep, including Sheep on a Ship.

How Many Trucks Can a Tow Truck Tow?   Random House   by Charlotte Pomerantz; Ill by R.W. Alley.    How many times must a person read this book without tripping over these wonderful tongue twisters in the guise of creative story about a bad day for tow truck drivers.

The Sailor Dog    Golden Book   by Margaret Wise Brown;  Ill. by Garth Williams  – This book is just as much as a classic as “Goodnight Moon”.  Scuppers was born at sea, but then raised on land, and has to find his way back, exploring all kind of vehicles.  Finally, he is able to set out on his boat and get into a routine, only to find life on the sea is not always calm.

The Wind in the Willows   Courage Books    by Kenneth Grahame; Retold by G.C. Barrett; Ill. by Don Daily.    This classic tale comes in many books, the whole story being a bit too wordy and vocabulary rich for the youngest listeners (but GREAT for older kids).  This version has beautiful illustrations and the story starts with the shy Mole learning to enjoy boating on the river with Rat.  And then takes us on the wild and crazy escapades of Toady and his passion of all things that go.

Glow in the Dark – Trip to the Planets.  by Lucille Hammond, Ill. by Laurie Jordan;  A Golden Glow in the Dark Book.   This is one of our family favorites.  Cora really relates to Katie, who blasts off in her rocket into outer space to visit the moon, Mars, and beyond.  But will her rocket ship make it back in one piece.  I love the sweet surprise ending.  I also love that it is a fiction book, with lots of non-fiction facts, making it easy to understand our solar system.   This book is no longer in print, but there are many copies on Amazon for amazingly cheap prices. 

 

Video Resources    rent these if possible or find at a library.    Buy Imaginaria if you can!

Winnie the Pooh – Cowboy Pooh      Disney’s Playtime Video Series.    Take a trip to the Old West in “The Good, the Bad, and the Tigger”, as Tigger hijacks Christopher Robbin’s electric train, and their imagination concocts a wonderfully western tale.  The following video ”Rabbit Marks the Spot” has the Pooh Pirates (complete with sailing ship) following maps and digging for buried treasure.”

Muppets:  Jim Henson Video Series  -

1. Muppet Treasure Island – Examine the life of the sailor and pirates aboard a ship.
2. Things that Fly – Muppet Sing Along Series:  Watch as the muppets try to find a flying vehicle that will take a baby alien back home
3. Muppets on Wheels -  Muppet Sing Along Series:  Explore different types of transportation on wheels through action and songs. 

Imagin-It and Imaginaria: Imagination Videos  Each video contains a collection of original songs with creative computer graphics that dazzle the eyes and ears.  This was an absolute favorite of ours – the graphics and the imagination, as well as the wonderful songs and music really helped us travel different ways through our imaginations!!!  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.  I have so far only been able to find Imaginaria at www.Amazon.com through the search engine.  It is no longer in print, and is only offered in VHS, but it is SOOO worth having it in your library – everyone – all ages – will like it. 

BUY these if you can.

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Television Shows

Little Einsteins                    Disney Channel

“We’re going on a trip with our favorite rocket ship, zooming through the skies…”  Two girls, and two boys, with very different talents go on missions to solve problems, using explorations through classic fine art, and through the use of classical pieces of music.  We don’t watch much TV, but this one is worth it.

Frog and Bird Sounds

It is utterly amazing to me, when I play an animal sound in the Kindermusik class, how all the children are FASCINATED, and listen so intently.  It is fun to start a bit of fun vocal play based on the songs we hear.  Recently, in the Our Time program, we have focused on the sounds of frogs, recognizing that frogs from different places can make such different sounds.  Several of the songs on the CD are folk songs from other countries that use “their” frog sounds, like the lullaby “Co-qui” (Mexico);  “Ku-ack-ack-ack” (Sweden), and even this cool frog saying Kvaak (Finland).

I have found a website. by Lang Elliott, NatureSound Studio , that shows the pictures of different frogs, and plays the sound they make, as well as a short description that often helps us know how to replicate the sounds.  It is fun to take a few moments with your child, and check out http://www.naturesound.com/frogs/frogs.html - have them choose a frog, listen intently to their sound, then try to imitate the sounds. 

Ribbit, Ribbit, CROAK, Coqui, Ku-ack-ack-ack-ack, kvaak, etc.

In the Imagine That! program, as well as the Kindermusik for the Young Child program, the students have been listening to bird sounds, matching them with the pictures, and imitating their sounds.  http://www.naturesound.com/birds/birds.html is a different section of the same website that has the pictures, comments, and sounds of different song birds.

Cheerio, Cuckoo, Chick-a-dee-dee-dee, tweet tweet tweedle-eedle-eet…

Lang Elliot also has produced CDs you can purchase that will help you and your children recognize specific species of birds, or frogs, by their sound.  EXCELLENT listening discrimination activities for the older students!

This type of listening and vocal play really helps them to be more aware of their environment, and plays a crucial part of their abilities as musical people to really hear and replicate the sounds they hear – both vocally and on instruments.  

Brain Smart information:  This type of listening and imitation also accesses the frontal lobe sections of the brain which makes it easier for them to hear and respond to the sounds around them. 

It can be very useful in a situation where they a child is very upset (when they are operating in the “survival” centers of the brain).  Do your best to observe any type of natural sounds around them (including animal, plants, or even people or vehicles), and ask them if they can hear that sound and help you determine what is making that sound.   It can jumpstart the process of bringing thoughts to the proper parts of the brain that allow them to think and reason.  Be sure to support that processing long enough to help them calm down before trying to solve whatever problem might have caused the upset.

Pumpkin, Pumpkin Fun

I love pumpkins, a fun symbol of Fall

and all it’s warmth (pumpkin pie) 

and humor (jack-o-lanterns).

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My favorite Fall pumpkin chant with young children is a lap bounce:

Pumpkin, Pumpkin, on the wall      (bounce child on lap)

Pumpkin, Pumpkin, tip and fall,      (bounce, then gently let them tip over and fall onto floor)

Pumpkin, Pumpkin, rolling down the street,  (Roll hands, or roll on floor)

Pumpkin, Pumpkin… Trick or Treat!           ( Hide face with hands, then pop out!)

Carving a pumpkin SIMULATER – computer program. 

You should really try this OUT!

Recently a customer shared an online site where children can carve their own pumpkin – without the mess.  (Although I think the real mess is part of the fun.)  Maybe the best thing is that the online “knife” can’t hurt anyone, and children get to design it any way they want, then watch it glow.

Click here http://www.cubpack81.com/images/carve_pumpkin.swf