Songs and Finger Plays

Here are 10 songs and finger plays to do during transition and music time

Five Fat Peas
A counting fingerplay especially
useful in the spring and summer.
Five fat peas in a pea pod pressed
(children hold hand in a fist)
One grew, two grew, so did all the rest.
(put thumb and fingers up one by one)
They grew and grew
 (raise hand in the air very slowly)
And did not stop,
Until one day
The pod went POP!
(children clap hands together)



One Potato, Two Potato
An activity for this counting
rhyme is in the Counting and Number Theme One potato, two potato,
Three potato, four,
Five potato, six potato,
Seven potato, more!

One Little Flower,
One Little Bee
One little flower, one little bee.
One little blue bird, high in the tree.
One little brown bear smiling at me.
One is the number I like,
you see.


Five Cookies
Action poem Five little cookies in the bakery shop.
Shinning bright with the sugar on top.
Along comes (child's name) with a nickel to pay.
He/she buys a cookie and takes it away.
(continue with four, three, two and one).

 

 

  Turtles
Poem One baby turtle alone and new.
Finds a friend, and then there are two.
Two baby turtles crawl down to the sea.
They find another, and then there are three.
Three baby turtles crawl along the shore.
They find another, and then there are four.
Four baby turtles go for a dive.
Up swims another, and then there are five. 

  Birds
Poem There was one little bird in a little tree,
He was all alone, and he didn't want to be.
So he flew far away, over the sea,
And brought back a friend to live in the tree. Substitute two, three, etc. for one as you finish the verse.


 

Dinosaurs
Subtracting Numbers
Five enormous dinosaurs
Letting out a roar--
One went away, and
Then there were four.

Four enormous dinosaurs
Crashing down a tree--
One went away, and 
Then there were three.
Three enormous dinosaurs
Eating tiger stew--
One went away, and 
Then there were two.
Two enormous dinosaurs
Trying to run--
One ran away, and then there was one.
One enormous dinosaur, 
Afraid to be a hero--
He went away, and
Then there was zero.

Counting  Apples
A fingerplay

Five red apples
Hanging on a tree    five fingers held up
The juiciest apples you ever did see!
The wind came past
And gave an angry frown     shake head and look angry
And one little apple came tumbling down.
Four red apples, etc. 

Monkeys 
In A Tree 
Action poem
Five little monkeys
Sitting in a tree
Teasing Mr. Crocodile--
"You can't catch me."
"You can't catch me."
 Along comes Mr. Crocodile
As quiet as can be--
SNAP!!!
Continue until all monkeys
are gone

Away swims Mr. Crocodile
As full as he can be!!!

Ten In A Bed
Action poem

There were ten in a bed and the little one said, 
"Roll over, roll over."   rolling motion
So they all rolled over and one fell out.
There were nine in the bed and the little one said, 
"Roll over, roll over."
So they all rolled over and one fell out....

  This is repeated until you get to the number one.  Each time "roll over" is said, rolling motion is dramatized.

There was one in the bed and the little one said,  "Good night!"

Disabilities

Ok, so do to a misunderstanding in scheduling, I missed the in class activity with being in a disabled persons shoes. I did however try it at home with my own children which they thought was oh so funny to make it as hard on me as they could. "It has to be real to you mom", an excuse but one I took for the learning experience. We stayed in the house and went outside with the blindfold. It was much easier in the house because of familiar items, but outside was scarier because of the unknown. Being deaf was also a struggle because trying to read lips is hard to do and trying to read with someone who talks fast is almost impossible. There was a lot of being laughed at and hand gestures but it was frustrating and a little belittling.
 Here is a website I found with simple modifications that can be made in the classroom to help visually impaired students.
http://www.teachingvisuallyimpaired.com/accommodations.html
Some are are easy as just vocalizing assignments or giving more time on tests. Making accommodations for students with special needs is not hard and just takes a little more effort to help that student succeed.

Why We hold a Crying Baby

We hold children when they cry for a number of reasons. To make them be quiet, to build trust, to maintain or start a relationship with the child, but the most important reason is very rarely the one we think about. Holding a crying child/baby promotes self esteem and and positive self image. It shows a baby that they can trust, that it is okay to accept their feelings, and that we accept them and will be there to support their needs. Starting children out with this knowledge sets them up for a lifetime of positive thought that can be built on, or if something negative should occur will help with their resilience. We owe each child this as much as we owe them food and shelter. It is not just love that they get from comfort, but a building block that they carry for life. Babies can not be hand-spoiled, they can be taught to be self confident and develop trust that will follow them always.

Media Violence in Children's Lives

There is so much violence in our society each and every day, it seems to me that we only make it worse by promoting it in the T.V. and movies that we occupy our time with. We have control over what children do or do not watch so why are we allowing this violent behavior into their lives. They see many things we have no control over, but this we can control. I do believe that children's television should be more closely monitored by parents, but broadcasters also have a say on what goes on the air. They have a responsibility that they are lacking at. We as a society need to start standing up for what is right and not just what is popular. Stop thinking only for yourself and think about the future of  our country.

Music Experiences

During a transition time, lining up to go outside, I had the children sing songs to keep them occupied while all the children were getting their coats on. We sang The Itsy Bitsy Spider. I changed the words at the end of the first verse and the children all stopped what they were doing to look at me. They were surprised that I sang it wrong and were quick to correct me. So we started over and this time we all got it right. I did this for each verse, starting the entire song over each time. By the time we got to the end of the song correctly all the children were ready to go and it had kept their attention so completely that for the first time there was no shoving or hitting in the line. I will be doing this more often with different songs to see if it works all the time or if this was a fluke.

Respecting and Responding to Diversity

Children who are bilingual are very intelligent and should be treated as such. Supporting the home language while teaching a second language is in the best interest of not only the child but also of the family. Children need to know that they are accepted as they are and celebrated for their differences. Teachers should be eager to support all their students in whatever way they can and this includes going out of their own comfort zone. Learning about another person's culture and language shows respect and understanding. Even if you are only able to learn a few words or phrases, this shows effort which can make all the difference. Strive for success of the children in your life no matter where they may be. We can each make a difference if we only try.

Violence in the Lives of Children

After reading "Violence in the Lives of Children", a position statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), I am truly scared for the future of not just our children in our country but also for the adults. This paper was written in July of 1993, and 22 years later I know that things have gotten worse not better. To read these numbers is so shocking in its self, to know how outdated it is makes it scary. Violence in our country is out of control and we as adults SHOULD be outraged and do something about it as the article suggests. These are our children, if not physically than emotionally, and we need to protect them as a whole. The things we do to each other is horrible, and to know that children are watching and learning that it is acceptable behavior is not okay. Teachers are here to help both children and the family but parents are the first line of defense. Stand up and be heard. This is not okay and we as a family, as a community, as a town, a city, and a society will no longer just accept it as a norm.