Froggy Fun

Books, chants, songs, and stories that include songs from Frogs

Ga-goon – I learned this song aurally from a neighbor friend when James was young.  I have not yet found a website that allows you to hear the melody of the song.  But children have a great time making the “Ga-goon” from the back of their throat, and the final blinks

 

Ga-goon went the little green frog one day.

Ga-goon went the little green frog.

Ga-goon went the little green frog one day.

And his eyes went blink, blink, blink.

 “Peter’s Song” book by Carol P. Saul

A little pig makes up a new song, and can’t find anyone to share it with, until he meets a frog who likes to sing and make up songs too.   The text and the illustrations are absolutely magical, and encourage children to be themselves, and to find friends who appreciate them for who they are.  Frank is the friend he meets, and has a song of his own that he made up.

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“The Frog Prince” Grimm’s Fairy Tale – found in a variety of sources

A classic tale of a prince turned into a frog, but saved by the kiss of a young princess.

Frog Kiss   by Cindy Bousman (part of the Kindermusik Creative Team)

Frog kiss, frog kiss, such a special thing.For when you kiss a froggy’s noseThe frog will start to sing.Ribbit, ribbit, Croak, croak, Kou-ack-ack-ack.

Take turns kissing each other’s nose, and start to sing a froggy song of your own.

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Tiddilick – is an aboriginal folk tale from Australia about a huge frog who drinks all the water in the world, and how the other animals are able to get the water back.

The story of Tiddalick was inspired by an Australian Aboriginal dreamtime legend.  Dreamtime stories originated from the Aboriginal people’s tradition of the Dreaming, their rules for living.  Tiddalik reminds people of the importance of water conservation.

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SET UP for this activity by determining how to make a BIG FROGGY SOUND.  It could be using the voice to make a variety of froggy sounds.  OR homemade instruments can be used by taking an empty open water bottle, and rubbing a pencil up and down the sides to make a Ribbit, or a Croak sound.  The following version was adapted by Ms. Debbie to be a bit shorter, and allow the children to make a BIG FROGGY SOUND at regular intervals during the storytelling.  I hope you enjoy it.  (Just copy the story and paste to a Word document, so you can print it out.)

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“Tiddalik was the largest frog in the world and he make a big frog sound.  One day he woke up and he was soooo thirsty.  He started to drink the water and he drank and drank and drank until he drank up all the water in the whole world!  Then he made a big frog sound.The animals were very upset that there was no water.  They were thirsty and there was nothing to drink. 

All the animals gathered together.  They decided that if they could make Tiddalik laugh all the water inside of him would come out of his mouth and they would have water to drink.  The kookaburra bird flapped his wings and told the funniest story.  Did Tiddalik laugh? No.  He just made a big frog sound.The kangaroo jumped very very high. Did Tiddalik laugh? No.  He just made a big frog sound.The lizard did a silly walk and even made his stomach stick out. Did Tiddalik laugh? No.  He just made a big frog sound.

Finally, the eel, who looks a lot like a big fat worm, slithered up.  He began to dance on the ground, slowly at first then faster and faster, and he wriggled and twisted and looked so funny that Tiddalik started with a little giggle, then it grew into a chuckle.  Finally, he burst out laughing with the biggest frog laugh that you have ever heard.

Tiddalick laughed so hard that all the water gushed out of his mouth and there was water again for everyone to drink.  Everyone was happy, especially the eel.

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I found a great website, http://www.suetrainor.com/gamemain.html , by Sue Trainor, where you can hear a great storyteller re-tell the Tiddilick story, adding sound effects, including the digideroo in the background, and a song at the end.  She also includes a game for the children to play, helping Tiddilick catch flies, while they are listening to the story.

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Five Frogs – by Anna Moo

The album “Anna Moo Crackers” also has Alligator Stomp.  You can HEAR Anna Moo sing these songs on her website http://www.annamoo.com/hear_anna_moo_sing.htm.  But I HIGHLY recommend buying the “Crackers” album, and GO SEE HER IN CONCERT, if you ever have the chance.) 

Five frogs hoppin’ on a log,          One jumped off into the bog,         

And a big alligator came swimmin’ along,       He went CHOMP, mmm-mm, and he’s gone.

• Use hand motions and show # with fingers.

•  Use five stuffed toys to hop then disappear.

• Use five green M&Ms, & sing till their gone.

• Talk more about what frogs & alligators eat.

• Find a place to eat fried frog’s legs.  “He went CHOMP, mmm-hmm, and he’s gone.”

Other Hopp-ening ideas: (or up-LEAP-ting ideas J) 

• Hop (or leap) from the squatting position 

• Have a hopping race to a finish line 

• Play hopping tag 

• Hop to go brush teeth 

• Place objects on the floor and see how many you can hop over in one hop; -in one leap; –in a row without falling; -stacked high . . . 

• Place carpet pieces, or hoops, on the floor and hop on top or in them, not touching the floor

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What is the difference between a hop & a leap?“    A leap is an exaggerated run.  The upward and forward direction is increased, the suspension in the air is longer, the knee and ankle action is increased on take-off and landing.”  – Creative Dance for All Ages by Anne Green Gilbert

 

Have a Hopping Good Time !!!

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.