Shake My Sillies Out - Books You Can Sing

Shake My Sillies Out by Raffi (Troubadour Learning, 1987)

Oh, the joy preschool and kindergarten children have had with this book you can (and definitely should) read and sing! I've used Shake My Sillies Out for many a transition and steam releasing activity.

Illustrated by David Allender, this song-turned-picture-book delights with colors, words, and story line. Any person working with or loving young children needs this song in their arsenal of wiggle controlling delight producing "things to do with kiddos."

Some ways to use Shake My Sillies Out:

~ Learn the song first. Search Raffi and download the song. Teach to and wiggle with children before picking up the book.

~ Read the book as a picture book.

~ Read the book and sing at the same time. This has the added bonus of getting kids to pay attention to words and page turns.

~ Add props as you sing and wiggle - scarves, ribbons, crepe paper, or other flow-y materials.

~ View the illustrations and get children to help you make up a story that goes with the pictures.

~ Make a shaker by adding buttons to paper towel tubes and taping the ends shut. Let kiddos use markers to decorate the shakers. Sing and shake those sillies! (Caution: Supervise buttons - choking hazard if put into mouths - and securely tape ends closed.)

You may have to act silly and make a fool of yourself! But it's all in fun. Be a kid again.

Wiggle those waggles away.

Five Green and Speckled Frogs - Books You Can Sing

Five Green and Speckled Frogs - Illustrated by Constanza Basaluzzo
(Scholastic, Inc., 2008)

What do you get with five green speckled frogs, a great book, music, and a room full of children?

Silly, singing children having lots of fun.

This is one of the all time favorite songs and books of my kinders. No matter which version we sing, they love the story, melody, and motions. We read and sing through each as often as I can stand it.

Motions?
Of course. I always add or make-up and then add motions - the sillier, the better.

Props?
You bet. Some examples are:

~ large cardstock frogs that are colored and laminated. These are held up by five students and go down one by one as the frogs jump into the pool.

~ plastic toy frogs. Just what it sounds like. Those funny, greenish plastic tub or play toys. They love this activity when I also provide a blue towel (the cool pool) and a bumpy, messy log (the speckled log).

~ hand-made puppets. They love making their own green speckled frogs from paper plates, markers, felt, googly eyes, glue, and staplers. Tip: Fold paper plate in half, color the outside green, draw a red tongue on the inside (a strip of red construction paper works better), glue on googly eyes, and add a strap on the top outside to help students to grip the puppet.

Other ideas:

~ felt frog stickers on top of wide craft sticks

~ magazine frog cut-outs, glued to cardboard

~ oh, I almost forgot the absolute favorite - froggy bean bags

Music?

Definitely. Our favorites are Raffi and CJ's Fundamentals.

You will have so much fun, you may find yourself outside with a net, digging through mucky ponds, hoping to secure a green and speckled frog for your terrarium!

Who Stole the Cookies? - Books You Can Sing

Who Stole the Cookies? by Judith Moffatt (Grosett & Dunlap, Inc., 1996)

Yes, many of my books-you-can-sing are old and well-loved. That is the truth of the matter between books, children, parents, teachers - if you love them, sing them, read them - they will look like it. It reminds me of The Velveteen Rabbit.

Who Stole the Cookies? is a favorite of every young student I have had in class. They love to read and chant the book. This cut-paper illustrated version shows a young girl predicting, using clues, and enlisting animal friends to help solve the mystery of who snitched the cookies. This may be the only time is is OK to steal something!

After our read/sing/chant aloud, we always sit in a circle and play the game that goes hand-in-hand with the book. In the game, each child has a chance to be blamed. I think this may be the only time they want to be blamed for something. I always continue until all have had a turn. And then we make-up who we think stole the cookies.

Eating real cookies after the book and game is the perfect ending.


Game:

All: Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?

Me (or student who was just it): Khloe stole the cookies from the cookie jar!

Khloe: Who me?

All: Yes, you!

Khloe: Couldn't be!

All: Then who?

Khloe: Hayden stole the cookie from the cookie jar!

And then Hayden has a turn. The entire game is echo and response. The more drama, the better. They love it!

Old MacDonald Had a Farm - Books You Can Sing

Old MacDonald Had a Farm with Pictures By Holly Berry (Scholastic, 1994).

I may have had this book since it was published in 1994! The edges certainly look well loved.

I love singing books, which leads to children memorizing the words and singing books, which leads to children connecting memorized words to text on pages, which leads to reading and the love of books! What a fun and amazing ride!

Old MacDonald Had a Farm makes its appearance each fall when the FARM theme comes to life. Most students and children are familiar with this song utilizing farm animal sounds. We have a grand time singing, making animal noises, and acting out animal movements.

Berry enlivens this popular children's song by adding the element of animal participation - by allowing them to become band members who play and sing with the Old MacDonald. And a fun time was had by all . . .

You know it. You are humming the song. E-I-E-I-O.

America the Beautiful - Books You Can Sing

America the Beautiful (Scholastic Inc., 2001)

Just in time for the 4th of July, check out America the Beautiful.

Put out by Scholastic Inc., this small book delivers big on photographs of the natural beauty, space, vastness, and variety of our country. Large text words spread throughout the book of the first verse can be read, ignored, or enjoyed with the proper melody.

Share what makes our country great.

The Lady with the Alligator Purse - Books You Can Sing

The Lady with the Alligator Purse by Nadine Bernard Westcott (Megan Tingley Books, Little, Brown and Company, 1998)

My absolute favorite books (you will find that I use those words quite a bit - my favorite books) are ones that I can read or sing to children. Once the rhythm and melody are in their heads, children easily memorize the words and can then go on to apply that knowledge to decode words and read to themselves. No, that is not my ulterior motive.

Actually, yes, it may be. I do want children to read to themselves - and love it!

But mostly, I want children to love singing and reading and become lifelong readers. So let's give a hip hip hooray for books you can sing!

The Lady with the Alligator Purse by Nadine Bernard Westcott is a perfect example. Though the words and tune are old (I remember singing them as a child, and I've reached the 50+ category), this board book is an adorable adaptation of the popular children's chant. Not only for reading, this book/song is also a hand-slapping rhythm game - the type you do with a partner. I've even heard the song being used as a jump rope rhyme.

Let's bring back those singing, clapping, slapping, jumping, and rhythm songs. And while we're at it, let's pull in the book version to give our children links to the printed word.

(Humming) Miss Lucy had a baby. His name was Tiny Tim ...

The Snow Globe Family

Looking out the walls of my own private snow globe residence...

The Snow Globe Family
by Jane O'Conner (Puffin, 2008)

Current winter conditions make me think about a favorite picture book, The Snow Globe Family, by Jane O'Conner.

We recently read this lovely winter story at school. A family living inside the snow globe on the mantle is waiting for a snowstorm so they can play in the snow. They wait and wait. Meanwhile, a life-sized family enjoys a winter storm and heads out to play.

The baby is the one who notices the tiny family in the globe. Knocking it down causes a huge blizzard to appear for the family inside the globe.

Both families enjoy winter wonderlands.

After receiving snow globes for Christmas, several girls shared them with the class. Just last week, we had heavy snow days. It looked like we were living inside a snow globe while at school! The students loved the connection to the story and our real life weather event.

Make this delightful picture book a family winter favorite! It is perfect for inspiring the imagination of children as they create their own pretend snow globe worlds.