Jungle Songs

Our Jungle theme was perfect for introducing lots of fun jungle and animal songs, the most popular one being A Jungle Adventure: A Journey with Jesus.  This one gets requested by the kids ALL the time! Unfortunately, I can't show you a link because I can't find it on youtube, but if you search "A Jungle Adventure" on iTunes you will find it under the album title "Big Jungle Adventure: Jammin' Jungle Tunes".

Who's the King of the Jungle? is another fun song we've been singing.  Here's a video of the exact song we use in class, but you'll have to get your child to show you the actions since we use different ones.



Out of all the stories we read this month, Ten Naughty Little Monkeys was probably the kids favorite, so we of course had to sing 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.  I'm sure you know the song, but here's the lyrics anyway:


5 little monkeys jumping on the bed (all five fingers up, with your hand moving up and down)
1 fell off and bumped his head (smack the palm of your right hand to your forehead)
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said (make your thumb and your pinkie into a phone and hold it up to your ear)
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" (wag your finger and scold the monkeys in a deep voice)


4 little monkeys.....(continue down to one)

1 little monkey jumping on the bed
He fell off and bumped his head
Mama called the doctor and the doctor said
"Put those monkeys straight to bed!"


Another requested monkey song we learned was 5 Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree.


5 little monkeys swinging in a tree (all five fingers pointing up and swinging side to side)
Teasing Mr. Crocodile "you can't catch me!" (wag your finger and taunt the crocodile in a higher voice)
Along came Mr. Crocodile as quiet as can be.....(whisper these words as you place your hands together to make a crocodile's mouth)
AND SNAP! (yell this, as you clamp your hands together)


4 little monkeys.....(repeat all the way down to one)

1 little monkey swinging in a tree
Teasing Mr. Crocodile "you can't catch me!"
Along came Mr. Crocodile as quiet as can be....
AND..."Missed me, missed me, now you gotta kiss me!" (point to your cheek and taunt the crocodile in a high voice)
MUAH!!!! (make an exaggerated big kiss in the air)




We've been singing Hip Hip Hip Hippopotamus  a lot as well, but the new favorite song of the kids is Elephants Have Wrinkles.

Creation

"In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth.  Genesis 1:1"

We are so lucky to have Pastor Nathan come up and tell us the bible story once a week.  We sure do love his huge flannel story board!  Each week Pastor Nathan and I tell a new bible story and of course we started the year off with Creation.  

We made really cool splatter paintings by using a small plastic contraption called a "bellow", squishing it so it could suck up some yellow paint and then squeezing it some more so it squirted the paint all over our black card stock.  This was to symbolize how God created the heavens and the earth.  

Our paintings looked so beautiful displayed on the wall all together!

All month long the kids have been practicing their memory verse as well:

"In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth.  Genesis 1:1"

You should ask your child to demonstrate for you how well they know this verse!

A fun song we learned about creation was Hip Hip Hip Hippopotmaus.  The kids crack me up when they do their great big hippo dances!  Here's the lyrics and a video to show you the tune:

"In the beginning God made the seas
And the forest filled with trees
He built the mountains up so high
And at the top he placed the sky.

God's fingerprints are everywhere
Just to show how much he cares
And in the middle he had so much fun
He built the hippo who weighed a TON!

Hip hip hip Hippopotamus
Hip hip hooray God made all of us!

Hip hip hip Hippopotamus

Hip hip hooray God made all of us!"

Animal Songs & Rhymes

We learned LOTS of fun animal songs and rhymes in January. We focused on one song a week (sometimes two) and sang them all multiple times throughout the month. Each time we learned a new song we made fun finger puppets to act out the song. Those finger puppets were VERY popular!



5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

The Tues/Thurs class learned this song the very first week. The Mon/Wed/Fri class learned this song back in November when they learned about Doctors and Nurses. We still get requests for this song during circle time.




5 Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree

This is a really fun version of the original song. The Mon/Wed/Fri class learned this one instead of the other and they just love it. The version the kids learned is slightly different than this one. They sing in a really quiet voice "...along came Mr. Crocodile as a quiet as can be" then really loudly "...AND SNAP!" Instead of the last monkey being snapped he teases "Missed me, missed me now you gotta kiss me! SMOOCH!"




5 Green and Speckled Frogs




Hey Diddle Diddle





Little Bunny Foo Foo

The words we sing to this one are slightly different. Instead of the good fairy turning Bunny Foo Foo into a goon, she warns him that she will turn him into a frog.




Elephants Have Wrinkles

This has become VERY popular in both classes.




I Wanna Be a Dog

Another great Charlotte Diamond song, this one still gets requests at last circle time too. We get down on our hands and knees like a dog on all fours and we act out the lyrics. Very fun and silly.

Who's the King of the Jungle?

We focused on this Christian song for the whole month of January and sang it every class. I've still been getting requests for it! Ask your child to show you the actions that go along with it.

Restaurant

On our restaurant day, we had the play kitchen set up for the children to cook in as well as a little table dressed with menu's and placemats. There were little pads of paper so the children could take each other's orders.



Each child made his or her own Paper Pizza. They began with a large beige circle that they painted red for the pizza sauce. Next they topped it with their choice of green peppers, pepperoni circles and red tomatoes that I had already die cut. The cheese was 2 inch strips of yellow ribbon, but you could easily substitute yarn.

All the pizza's were so adorable! The Mon/Wed/Fri class practiced their cutting skills by cutting out their own toppings with scissors.

Teacher Michelle taught both classes a great song by Charlotte Diamond called I Am a Pizza. The kids loved it! The Mon/Wed/Fri class sing this one regularly at the last circle time.

"I Am a Pizza" by Charlotte Diamond


A student from my Tues/Thurs class came to school that day bearing gifts as well. Her parents manage Boston Pizza in town, so the children were gifted with mini chocolate pizzas and Kids Eat Free coupons. The class ended with her handing out the treats to her classmates. I so appreciate how great our parents have been getting involved.

Police & Traffic Safety

To start our Community Helper theme we began by talking about Policemen and Traffic Safety. The Tues/Thurs Class was blessed to have Constable Stodolka come and talk to us during Circle Time. He showed us his policeman belt and the different tools and gadgets he uses like handcuffs, a gun, bullets, writing pad, and gloves. The kids even got to see Teacher Kindra with handcuffs! They thought that was pretty funny :)

During Centers both classes made stop signs by painting an octagonal piece of wood red. When they dried, Teacher Kindra and Teacher Michelle wrote "stop" on them and taped a popsicle stick to the back. This activity could also be done with octagonal shaped paper or cardboard, we were just lucky enough to have some wood precut.

Both classes also made Police badges. Teacher Kindra cut a badge shape out of cardboard and tore up some tinfoil. The children glued the pieces of tinfoil onto the badge and wrapped it around the edges to make a silver badge. The teachers wrote Police on the front so the children had their very own Police badges...they thought that was pretty cool.

During gym time, both classes enjoyed a "Safety Walk" around the school neighborhood. This gave us a chance to walk to the 4-Way Stop and talk about a Stop sign and see how it works. We looked both ways to see if cars were coming before crossing the street.

The Mon/Wed/Fri Class learned a song called "Twinkle Twinkle Traffic Light".

Twinkle twinkle traffic light
Standing on the corner bright
When it's green it's time to go
When it's red it's stop you know
Twinkle twinkle traffic light
Standing on the corner bright

This class also enjoyed making traffic lights that they painted Red, Yellow, and Green and they sprinkled with sparkles so they shone. They look so great!

During story time both classes enjoyed a really cool book called "What to do in an Emergency". It has a little phone key pad built into the book. When you press "911" it talks to you!

Learning about policeman and safety, we got off to a really great start with our community helpers month!

Octopus

Last week we had a few minutes left in class before home time, so Teacher Michelle taught us all a new song. The kids loved it so much we've continued to see it each day this week. It fits in great with our Opposites, since the song starts with a small slippery fish and each successive fish gets bigger, until the end when the humongous whale comes. There are actions to go with each fish that the video doesn't show:

Slippery fish - put your two hands together palm to palm and point forward. Sway your hands back and forth to show a fish swimming.

Octopus - hold your hand so that your palm is facing down and move your fingers like an octopuses tentacles.

Tuna fish - hold your left hand out with your palm up, put your right hand on top so you are palm to palm. Keeping your palms together, open and close your fingertips like a mouth.

Great White Shark - hold both arms out in front of you with the right hand on top of the other. Spread your arms apart and then pull them back together like a huge shark mouth opening and closing.

Humongous Whale - Hold your fingertips together so your arms make a great big circle.


This song is a lot of fun and your child will love singing it with you!

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

Yesterday we continued our study of Opposites with the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" poem. I was so impressed with the children's knowledge of the poem and their great spider actions. I asked the children what things were small and they said spiders, pumpkins and earrings :) I then asked what kinds of things are big, and I had a lots of children calling out "cars!", "elephants", "giraffe's" and "my house." We have a group of really sharp kids! We are really getting to know our opposites.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider poem is great for showing opposites because the spider is so cute and small. We said the poem once through while whispering to show how tiny it was. We then recited the poem changing the lyrics to the "Big Big Spider" and we all had to use our big, deep spider voices. So fun! The poem also uses opposites of the spider going UP the water spout and the rain coming DOWN.

Here's a video of the rhyme to jog your memory in case you forgot :) The only difference is we call it "Itsy Bitsy" while the video says "Eensy Weensy".


Our centers consisted of all things spiders. We made spiders out of an egg carton that I cut into single cups. The kids painted them and I glued on googly eyes and pipe cleaners for legs. We also had factual spider books at the Science Table, plastic spiders in the Sand Table, fun spider stories at the Library and an Itsy Bitsy Spider game at the Puzzle Table. We also did a fun art activity using a pringles chip can, bouncy balls and paint. This was to show the children how black and white are opposite. We rolled up a piece of white paper and placed it in the tube, dropped it a blob of black paint along with a bouncy ball, put the lid back on and the child shook it up. The ball rolls around in the paint creating a really cool piece of art we are going to hang on the wall. It was sheer coincidence that they ended up kind of looking like spider webs...so cool!

We will be continuing to recite the Itsy Bitsy Spider this week with more fun learning activities as well.

Everybody Praise the Lord

I hope you are all enjoying delicious turkey dinners this Thanksgiving. The children and I talked this week how we need to be thankful for all that God has given us. I originally wrote on the newsletter that this month's song focus would be "Who's the King of the Jungle" but I'm going to save it for our jungle theme in January. Instead I wanted to make sure we were all remembered to give thanks to God, so the children have been learning "Everybody Praise the Lord" by Lincoln Brewster. We have been singing it all month and will continue until October is over. I have shortened the lyrics for the children and added actions. You can listen to the song by clicking the video.

I thank the Lord for what, for what he’s done in us (point to yourself)
I thank the Lord for His love (cross arms over heart)
I thank the Lord for the smile that He’s put on my face (make a big smile and point to your cheeks)
I thank the Lord for his Grace (hold left hand up in a fist with fingers pointing away. Turn the fist towards you and open your fingers to symbolize grace coming from heaven. Click here for demo)
I thank the Lord for the joy that He has given to me (Click here for demo of "joy))
Cuz now I know that I am really set free (Click here for demo of "free")

CHORUS:
Everybody Everybody (wave arms in air for whole chorus)
Everybody praise the Lord
Everybody Everybody
Everybody praise the Lord




Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Father Abraham

Oh no! I got really sick with a stomach virus. Teacher Michelle is taking over today and going to do a great job. The kids are continuing with the story of Abraham.

Last week during our bible time the kids learned about Abraham. God told him to pack up his whole house and move to a new land. We talked about how there were no cars so he had to pack up all his things on camels backs. This week, we are continuing with our story about Abraham. God promised Abraham he would be "father of many" (which is what the name Abraham means) and he would have as many children as stars in the sky. That's a lot of children! For a fun movement activity the kids will sing the song "Father Abraham".



I hope I am better soon. Your children are in good hands with Teacher Michelle!

Music with Teacher Wendy

Music is so important to a child....they become little sponges when you sing songs with them or introduce them to concepts through music. Even though I sing with the kids through out the day, we have a wonderful music teacher named Wendy who has volunteered her time to come and teach the kids music. She has taught the kids twice already and we have her booked for every Thursday in October (with the exception of the last Thursday).

Wendy's classes are fun and interactive. The kids are learning about how sounds can be HIGH and sounds can be LOW and she lets them play the keys on the piano to find the high and low sounds. Through games and songs she is also teaching them FORTE (loud) and PIANO (soft) sounds. We are so happy to have Teacher Wendy with us!

Through Wendy's years of experience in teaching kids music, she is also undertaking the project of teaching our kids songs to sing for Easter as a concert at church. Her first song is "All Creatures of Our God and King" which happens to be one of my favorites. I was very excited to see that she is teaching our kids such a wonderful hymn. Here is a video of "All Creatures of Our God and King" as performed by David Crowder. The music in Wendy's version is a bit different, but all the words are the same. If you would like to listen to this song with your child or would like a copy of the music just let me know at school. The more your child listens to the song, the easier time they will have learning it. We have lots of time before Easter, but listening to the song and learning it won't hurt a bit ;)

Our Listening Ears

As part of our "All About Me" theme we talked about our ears that God created for listening. The kids told me about different things they liked to listen to with their ears. At one of our art centers I had materials set our for making Music Shakers. This was a very popular center! I had clean jars with lids, dried beans, dried chick peas, buttons, glue, stickers and foam shapes. The kids had so much fun with Miss Fran as they filled their jars with their choice of noise maker, glued the lid shut and then glued fun foam shapes on the outside to decorate. There was lots of "shake, shake, shake" sounds to be heard all over the classroom!



During Circle Time at the beginning of the day and then again at the end of the day, I brought out a toy telephone. We talked about how we use our ears to listen to the phone. The phone got passed around the circle in a song we sang called "Hey There Someone's On the Phone". It was a great way to reinforce the learning of everyone's names. Here's a video of the song if you would like to sing it with your child at home. (It's the third song on the video).

Hope you all have happy listening ears!

First Day

Our first day of preschool was a success! The children had fun getting to know one another, making hand print paintings, playing amongst the centers, singing songs and reading stories. During story time we read The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn which is a really cute story that tells children to remember their Mom and Dad love them and to take their kisses with them while they are at school. I gave each student a heart sticker in the palm of their hand just like little Chester in the story.

The song we sang together during Circle Time was "Jesus Loves Me". I plan to sing this song with the kids for the next couple week's so they can learn it really well. Here is a video of the song with actions if you would like to sing this song with your child at home.



I hope your kids were just as excited about their first day at preschool as I was :)

Circle Time

Circle Time is a great way to introduce structure into a preschoolers day. It helps them to learn the skills of sitting with their hands to themselves, listening to the teacher and interacting with one another. It allows me to greet all of the kids as well as for them to greet each other. This is the song we sing to greet everyone in the morning:




We use the calendar to learn counting, the day of the week and the month. My special helper of the day (your child's special day is the same as their snack day) points to the calendar and helps me to count. They really like being able to help. I also use Circle Time to teach the children songs and fun activities. I love being able to start our day with singing and saying hello to one another.

Songs & Rhymes

Songs:
5 Green & Speckled Frogs
5 Little Monkey's Jumping on the Bed
5 Little Monkey's Swinging in a Tree
Circle Time
Elephants Have Wrinkles
Everybody Praise the Lord
Father Abraham
Hip Hip Hip Hippopotamus
Hey There Someone's on the Phone
I Am a Pizza
I Wanna Be a Dog
Jesus Loves Me
Little Bunny Foo Foo
Octopus
Twinkle Twinkle Traffic Light
Who's the King of the Jungle?


Rhymes:
Hey Diddle Diddle
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Jack & Jill