Camping Theme Resources

If you received my newsletter, be sure and check out Canoeing in Preschool. And check out this camping resource by 2 Teaching Mommies.

Those who receive my SPARKS newsletter received the following ideas and more!

Camp Songs:

Children

• Do Your Ears Hang Low
• Boa Constrictor
• The Littlest Worm
• Little Bunny Foo Foo

Older Adults

• Picking Flowers in the Rain
• Tenting Tonight
• Trail of the Lonesome Pine
• Dip, Dip & Swing

Intergenerational

• Oh, We’re from Camp (insert the facility name, family name, etc.)
• Camp Granada
• Marching to Victoria
• If You’re Happy & You Know It

Books:

Children’s Story Books

• Camp Granada: Sing-Along Camp Songs by FranÃ
• How to Catch a Fish by John Frank and Peter Sylvada
• I Took a Walk by Henry Cole
• On the Way to the Beach by Henry Cole
• Wish You Were Here by Martina Selway
• Camping in Green (Know Your Colors) by Christianne C. Jones and Todd Ouren

If you would like to receive the rest of the information, sign  up for my SPARKS newsletter. You will be able to access the rest of these camping ideas from June 2011 from the archives.

Singable Books: Neighborhood Sing-along

Singing has been a great way for me to meet and to interact with people my whole life. I’m guessing it has also been that way for Nina Crews – the creator and artist for The Neighborhood Sing-along. This would be a wonderful book for:

• sharing standard sing-along songs with young children
• a book for reminiscing with grandparents
• developing a list of songs to use in an intergenerational group.

Here are some more insights on this fun book. 

Hope you enjoyed this installment of Singable books. Here are some past posts to keep you reading and singing with your child.

If you enjoyed this article, you might enjoy these:

• An Intergenerational Flower Sing-along (musicsparks.wordpress.com)
• Singable Books: Patriotic (musicsparks.wordpress.com)

Singable Books: Patriotic

Image via Wikipedia

I grew up in a household of readers. We were required to read each day as children – especially during the summer. Those frequent trips to the library have resulted in a lifetime of reading. During my sessions, I love to share singable books.  This post is the first in a series.

Today’s books give a nod to the many US patriotic holidays that happen during the summer months. Published by Picture Window Books and illustrated by Todd Ouren, I have used these resources with a variety of younger children. The songs include:

• America the Beautiful
• America
• The Star Spangled Banner
• When Johnny Comes Marching Home
• Yankee Doodle
• You’re a Grand Old Flag

Watch this to learn more about the books. 

Be watching for future singable books. In the mean time here are a few others:

• I’ll Love You for Always (musicsparks.wordpress.com)
• Looking for Musical Books (musicsparks.wordpress.com)

Do-Dah Day

Image via Wikipedia

June 4th is Do-Dah Day – A Salute to Silliness. No, I’m not making it up. It really is Do-Dah Day. So here are a few songs that might be fun to sing & share at an intergenerational Do-Day Day Celebration.

• Camp Town Races (For the pleasure of singing do-dah!)
• I’m Being Swallowed by a Boa Constrictor
• There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
• Mairzy Doats
• Down By the Bay
• Father Abraham Had Seven Sons
• Skinamarinky Dinky Dink
• I’m a Nut
• Ragtime Cowboy Joe
• I’m Going Crazy
• I’m a Little Piece of Tin
• There’s a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea
• There was a Crooked Man
• On Top of Spaghetti
• Flying Purple People Eater

If you enjoyed this post, you might enjoy this article:

• Musical Laugh for April Fool’s (musicsparks.wordpress.com)

Children’s Songs for Father’s Day

Image via Wikipedia

Father’s Day is coming. Here are some songs children can sing about men. In fact it might  be fun to sing them with fathers, uncles, and grandfathers…

• This Old Man
• When I First Came to this Land
• Hush Little Baby
• Billy Boy
• Farmer in the Dell
• Waltzing Matilda
• Yankee Doodle
• Father Abraham Had Seven Sons
• Noble Duke of York
• Michael Finnegan
• John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt
• Old Joe Clark
• Old Mac Donald

Here are some more articles you might enjoy:

• Men in Song (musicsparks.wordpress.com)
• Singalong about Ladies (musicsparks.wordpress.com)
• Top 10 Songs Long-Term Care Staff Should Know (musicsparks.wordpress.com)

Easy Summertime Music Fun With Your Child

With our local school year completed, many in my community are thinking of summer.  Some of my best memories as a child are of summer evenings playing games and having fun with my parents and siblings in our yard.

I love injecting some creative music making into a child’s experiences! So prepare for smiles on your face and a child’s as you try out a few of these ideas.

• Singing: Share favorite songs from your childhood. While you may not be a singing sensation, your voice is a free gift you can share. And you can also sing-along with recordings.  A wonderful source for older tunes can be “Disney’s Sing-along Songs” – many of which may be available at your local library.
• Attend a free community music event: Many communities have free concerts in the summer months. Look for community concert bands, groups in concert at an event, or on parade. The great part about free is you can leave without feeling like you haven’t gotten your moneys worth if your child becomes restless. And, it can be a place to begin to teach concert etiquette.
• Freeze dancing: Put a CD in a player. Take turns moving when the music plays & freezing your position when the music stops. Children enjoy getting to be in control with simple games like this.
• Make kazoos & march: Check out my post “Celebrate National Kazoo Day” & the link for directions to make you own kazoo. Hum a tune & march around the house, the yard, the neighborhood.
• Water-glass/container chimes:For young children, place a little water into an old pot or pan. Get the water swirling a bit and use a metal spoon to strike the underside of the pot.  For those age five and older and only with adult supervision you can try this second version. Gather some empty glass containers or water glasses, a couple large metal spoons, and a pitcher of water. (You can even put a couple drops of food coloring in the water to make it easier to see.) My recommendation is to do this activity in the yard. Pour water into the glasses. Gently tap the glass on the outside to hear the pitch/sound. Change the amount of water to make a different pitch. See if you can play tunes with your water container creation. When your done, use the water to water a plant in the yard.
• Homemade Wind Chimes: Gather a hanger, yarn or crochet thread, and various objects like old silverware, dried sticks, plastic tubes. Tie one end on the hanger and the other to the object with the yarn or thread. Hand several objects so they will touch when moved by the wind, your breath or your hand. See what sounds you can create.

I’d love to hear about your experiences with these activities. If you have photos of the fun, all the better.

She’ll be Comin’ Round the Mountain

This week my focus is on transportation in song. This post is inspired by a horse-drawn carriage that passed by my house a week ago. It is not uncommon for people in northwest Kansas to ride  horses. So, horse can be an appropriate means of transportation to include during Transportation Week. It so happens “She’ll be Comin’ Round the Mountain” is a frequently requested song in my intergenerational and older adult groups. I also use in my preschool groups. In an effort to create more variety in the song and to use various skill sets, here’s one adaptation I use:

In addition, we may have conversations about the items:

• Why would she bring a toothbrush with her?
• What juice is orange?
• Is anyone wearing blue socks?

I would love to read your ideas on this adaptation. Please share them in the comments below!

Songs for Transportation Week

Image via Wikipedia

May 15-21, 2011 is Transportation Week. (Those who subscribe to my newsletter, can use the August 2010 Transportation newsletter ideas.)  So here are some song ideas for the week. There are a mix of songs appropriate for preschoolers, older adults, and intergenerational groups.

• Bicycle Built for Two
• Wheels on the Bus
• I’ve Been Working on the Railroad
• Come Josephine in My Flying Machine
• Fly Me to the Moon
• Slow Boat to China
• Row, Row, Row Your Boat
• Yellow Submarine
• Route 66
• See the USA in a Chevrolet
• In My Merry Oldsmobile
• Trolley Song
• She’ll be Comin’ Round the Mountain
• Jingle Bells

Enjoy your week. See how many forms of transportation you can name in song. See what songs and forms of transportation the children or older adults around you can add.

Do the Chicken!

Image by Rob Boudon via Flickr

May 14th is National Chicken Dance Day!  Here in an area settled by Volga Germans it is a very common dance at community events. And, it is a great intergenerational dance!

I generally modify the circling portion to be hand clapping or simple movements to reduce the likelihood of an older person falling. When doing this in an intergenerational group, I often break out the egg shakers and lead into the dance with “I Know a Chicken”. With the children present, the action song becomes more chance for the older set to show their silly side.

Break out of your shell, get up! Get moving. Do the Chicken!

Bubbles

Image via Wikipedia

Bubbles seem to have a lifetime of uses. They are an affordable, relatively clean activity. I have used them with young children and with older adults. This past weekend, I read a post titled “Bubbles are more than meets the eye”.  Many of the developmental uses for bubbles are outlined in the article. It includes a bubble solution recipe. So, my article is more focused toward older adults and intergenerational groups.

Saying bubbles brings the songs “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles” and “Tiny Bubbles” to my mind. These are two songs many older adults know by heart. In particular, I find the lyrics of “I”m Forever Blowing Bubbles” a great discussion starter:

• What dreams have you seen in your life?
• Did they fade & die as the song suggests? Tell me more about that.
• What fortunes did you find hiding in your life?
• Why do you think the lyricist spoke of fortunes in a song about bubbles?
• Did you blow bubbles as a child? With your child?
• Rather than sending a bride & groom off with rice, people now blow bubbles. What significance may this have?

We could also discuss where we remembered seeing bubbles during Lawrence Welk shows. Often this is where the song “Tiny Bubbles” comes into the discussion. I loved using the room air handlers or a blow dryer and creating our own Welk type event.

As a nursing home activity staff member, I also found bubbles could be part of intergenerational programs with school aged children. Depending on the class age and the teacher, it could take on a science to a social approach.We would together explore making bubbles of different sizes, discuss expectations of various wand shapes, see who could blow the most bubbles or the largest bubble, and share bubble experiences. The group also would discuss the type of air stream needed to create bubbles. Often there were discussions on the rainbows found on the bubble surface.

Enjoy some bubbles with someone today and see if a song or a smile surfaces.