Monday, August 9, 2010

3 Back to School Songs for Musical Monday


 School days , school days, good old golden rule days!
No, that's not one of the three songs but it seemed appropriate.

The beginning of the new school year is almost here and it's time for teacher's to jazz up those lesson plans and for parents to get the kids ready for school, especially, the little ones who are just starting school.

I've found three fun songs to help get the little ones excited about school, really.
The first song is really cute and sung to the tune of Zip-a-dee-doo-dah from Disney's Song of the South. This song is just too cute and a great song to teach your child a few weeks before they start school. You can also change the lyrics a little and continue to use the song throughout the year. You could, for instance, change that second line of the first verse to...."I'm going to school and I'll have a great day!" Nothing like starting the day with a positive thought.



My second song is a classic nursery rhyme/song. Most of us know the song Mary Had A Little Lamb, but did you know that according to Wikipedia:
The nursery rhyme was first published (as opposed to written) by the Boston publishing firm Marsh, Capen & Lyon, as an original poem by Sarah Josepha Hale on May 24, 1830, and was inspired by an actual incident.
In the 1830s, Lowell Mason set the nursery rhyme to a melody adding repetition in the verses:

Mary had a little lamb,
little lamb, little lamb,
Mary had a little lamb,
whose fleece was white as snow.

And everywhere that Mary went,
Mary went, Mary went,
and everywhere that Mary went,
the lamb was sure to go.

It followed her to school one day
school one day, school one day,
It followed her to school one day,
which was against the rules.

It made the children laugh and play,
laugh and play, laugh and play,
it made the children laugh and play
to see a lamb at school.

And so the teacher turned it out,
turned it out, turned it out,
And so the teacher turned it out,
but still it lingered near,

And waited patiently about,
patiently about, patiently about,
And waited patiently about
till Mary did appear.

"Why does the lamb love Mary so?"
Love Mary so? Love Mary so?
"Why does the lamb love Mary so,"
the eager children cry.

"Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know."
The lamb, you know, the lamb, you know,
"Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,"
 the teacher did reply.

Follow up activities for Mary Had A Little Lamb:
  1. Have the kids change the rhyme and put in their name and their own pet or favorite animal.
  2. Then have the kids think up rhymes for their name and animal.
  3. Illustrate and write out each child's poem/song.
My third song is On the Way to School. Unfortunately, I can't show you the tune for the song but you can makeup your own simple tune.

On The Way to School 

What a lot of things to see,
On the way to school!
Chipmunks running up a tree,
On the way to school.
Sparrows busy building nests,
Robins smoothing down their vests,
What a lot of things to see,
On the way to school!

What a lot of things to hear,
On the way to school!
Someone whistling loud and clear,
On the way to school.
Workmens' hammers go bang, bang!
Fire engines go clang, clang!
What a lot of things to hear,
On the way to school!

What a lot of things to do,
On the way to school!
Act like monkeys at the zoo,
On the way to school!
Jump in puddles, climb a tree,
Cross the street so carefully,
What a lot of things to do,
On the way to school! 


Follow up activity:
Have the kids make up their own verses for this song. Ask them what they see, hear or do on their way to school or what they would like to see. hear or do.....possibly a loaded question. 





 

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Here We Go "Round the Mulberry Bush ( a going to school book) ...... Tuesday Book Look

Today's Book Look is Will Hillabrand's Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush.

Yesterday's Musical Monday featured the Mulberry Bush song. Today's book takes that same song and expands it into a fun, musically book about a pig's first day in school.


This rhyming story is set to the tune of "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush". It's the first day of school and little pig is scared. He can't quite get the hang of things at school and ends up making messes. When the other pigs go outside to play, he hides inside a mulberry bush. There he finds another little pig hiding also. Read the book to find out what happens next! (Hint - the two become friends)

 This is a great first day or week of school book to read to kids. After reading the book and learning the tune, the children can have fun playing the game (check the Musical Monday blog).

Other book related activities:

Nature: What is a Mulberry?

Art - I love this Mulberry Bush Rebus. Have your kids can make/draw their own rebus for the song.

Art -  Mulberry Bush Coloring Page

Creative Writing - The author of this book took a simple song and made it into a story while staying true to the song, more or less. Have your kids pick their favorite song or nursery rhyme and either add new lyrics or make up a story around the rhyme.


Monday, August 2, 2010

Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush......Musical Monday


I love a good circle game! Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush is a very old nursery rhyme/song.

According to Wikipedia:
The rhyme (Mulberry Bush) is first recorded as a children's game by James Orchard Halliwell in the mid-nineteenth century.  He also noted that there was a similar game with the lyrics 'Here we go round the bramble bush'. Some commentators believe that the bramble bush was the earlier version, and perhaps changed because of the difficulty of articulating the alliteration, not least because mulberries do not grow on bushes.
Halliwell noted that subsequent verses included: 'This is the way we wash our clothes', 'This is the way we dry our clothes', 'This is the way we mend our shoes', 'This is the way the gentlemen walk' and 'This is the way the ladies walk'.
Today "Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush" is sung or played in preschools. And , you'll note that there are many books based on the song. (see the books listed at the end of the blog)
If you don't know how the tune for Mulberry Bush goes, click here.

These are the traditional words and activities for Mulberry Bush.  As a circle game the children hold hands and go around in a circle during the chorus. During the different verses they stop and act out the verse.

Here we go round the mulberry bush
The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush                               
Here we go round the mulberry bush
So early in the morning

This is the way we wash our clothes
Wash our clothes, wash our clothes
This is the way we wash our clothes
So early Monday morning

This is the way we iron our clothes
Iron our clothes, iron our clothes
This is the way we iron our clothes
So early Tuesday morning

This is the way we mend our clothes
Mend our clothes, mend our clothes
This is the way we mend our clothes
So early Wednesday morning

This is the way we sweep the floor
Sweep the floor, sweep the floor
This is the way we sweep the floor
So early Thursday morning

This is the way we scrub the floor
Scrub the floor, scrub the floor
This is the way we scrub the floor
So early Friday morning

This is the way we bake our bread
Bake our bread, bake our bread
This is the way we bake our bread
So early Saturday morning

This is the way we go to church
Go to church, go to church
This is the way we go to church
So early Sunday morning


There are lots of variations to the song:
Here we go round the mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush, The mulberry bush.
Here we go round the mulberry bush
On a cold and frosty morning.



For a school song you might use the verses:
This is the way we go to school,
Go to school, go to school,
This is the way we go to school,
On a cold and frosty morning.

This is the way we come out of school,
Come out of school, come out of school,
This is the way we come out of school,
On a cold and frosty morning.

 
The Mulberry Bush song can be used to teach the days of the weeks, good hygiene habits or any other activities that can be explained simply and incorporated into the songs lyrics.