Thursday, September 27, 2012

Finger Play Fun Day: Diez Perritos


Finger Play Fun Day:  Diez Perritos photo
Diez Perritos (10 Puppies)


 
Finger Play Fun Day:  Diez Perritos photo 
Diez Perritos
Today for Finger Play Fun Day, we will be singing a Spanish counting song!  This children's song focuses on the Spanish words for the numbers 1-10. 

The PDF printable that Carolyn from Wise Owl Factory has provided for us, teaches the Spanish names for the numbers 1-20!





Trouble viewing the video?  Click here.

 
 
This is a fantastic matching game!  Be sure to check it out.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Diez Perritos
By Tonya Dirksen

 
Uno
Dos
Tres  perritos

 
Cuatro
Cinco
Seis  perritos

 
Siete
Ocho
Nueve  perritos

 

Diez perritos en la casa

 
Diez
Nueve
Ocho perritos

 

Siete
Seis
Cinco perritos

 
Cuarto
Tres
Dos perritos

 
Un perrito en la casa.

 
Music is a fun way to learn!  Enjoy!
 
Title picture was created using artwork by Trina Clark at www.digiscrapkits.com
 



Sunday, September 23, 2012

Another Fun Listening Game!



Another Fun Listening Game!  photo
Where am I?  A Fun Listening Game


I am always looking for new listening games in the hope that some of it will rub off on my girls and they will clean up their toys the first time I ask them!  :)  Not really, but I do think listening is an extremely important skill for learning music and for life in general and it is always important for children to have fun while learning.

I wrote about this listening game for Dandelion Magazine, a free quarterly magazine that serves as a resource for Bay Area and Sacramento families of children with special needs.  You can read my post, Where am I? A Fun Listening Game at godandelion.com.

Enjoy!



Thursday, September 20, 2012

Finger Play Fun Day: The Alphabet Song with Sign Language

Finger Play Fun Day:  The Alphabet Song with Sign Language photo
Finger Play Fun Day
Finger Play Fun Day:  The Alphabet Song with Sign Language photo
Today is Finger Play Fun Day and we are doing a children's song that everyone knows - The Alphabet Song! 

But the reason I am featuring this well known  children's song is to emphasize the sign language that can be taught to children as they sing the song. 

Many children learn by doing an action with their body. Making finger signs for each letter helps them learn the alphabet that much quicker and easier.

For a chart of all the alphabet signs go to Deaf-Edge.com
or download Wise Owl Factory's FREE PDF for an alphabet chart.




Trouble seeing the video?  Click here.




 
 
Be sure to check out the 4 minute long A to Z Transition to Quiet Sing Language power point presentation created by Wise Owl Factory! 
 
 
 
Wise Owl Factory has also provided an alphabet/sign language chart plus other pages for creating an interesting words dictionary.
 
Music makes learning fun!

Sunday, September 16, 2012

All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in a Children's Song

All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in a Children's Song photo
All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in a Children's Song
Today, I have listed 10 skills that children can learn through a children's song.  There are certainly more than 10 but I thought this was a great place to start.  I actually wrote this post for Dandelion Magazine's Blog over at GoDandelion.com and hope you will go there to read the list of skills and song ideas. 

10 Skills Learned Through Children's Songs

Thank you for reading!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Finger Play Fun Day: The Good Day Song

Finger Play Fun Day:  The Good Day Song
Finger Play Fun Day:  The Good Day Song
Finger Play Fun Day:  The Good Day Song photo
Today's Finger Play Fun Day is a fun song with lots of animals sounds!
The Good Day Song, is also known as When Cats Get Up in the Morning.

In the video I sing about a cat, a dog and a bee but you can sing about all kinds of animals and what they say when they get up in the morning.  I used finger puppets but this is another great song for making hand signs for different animals. 

 After my girls and I sing about a bunch of animals, we often start putting family members' names in the verses and make up what each person says in the morning.


Trouble viewing the video?  Click here.



 
Find all the words plus animation on this fun power point created by Wise Owl Factory!
 
 
 

The Good Day Song
aka When Cats Get Up in the Morning


 
When cats get up in the morning,

They always say “Good day.”

When cats get up in the morning,

They always say “Good day.”

Meow, meow, meow meow

That is what they say.

They say, meow, meow, meow, meow.

That is what they say.

 

Repeat with different animals and their sounds.
 
These lyrics can be found at



Sunday, September 9, 2012

Fun Way to Practice Listening Skills

Fun Way to Practice Listening Skills photo
Fun Way to Practice Listening Skills
 
Today's post has some great ideas on practicing listening skills by following the cuckoo bird throughout a few fun symphony pieces.  I write a few times a month for Dandelion Magazine's Blog at www.godandelion.com .  
 
 Dandelion Magazine is a local magazine for families with special needs.  Please head over there and read "Follow the Cuckoo! A Fun Way to Practice Listening Skills."
Thank you!
 
 

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Finger Play Fun Day: The Apple Tree

Finger Play Fun Day:  The Apple Tree photo
Finger Play Fun Day:  The Apple Tree
Finger Play Fun Day:  The Apple Tree photo
Summer vacation is over and school has begun.  Fall and apple season is on the way!

The Apple Tree is the finger play for today's Finger Play Fun Day.

This is a simple finger play that my students always want to repeat and do again.  I made some cute little apple finger puppets out of felt but these are not necessary for doing the finger play!  Plain fingers do just as well.


Trouble viewing the video?  Click here.


The Apple Tree

 

Way up high in the apple tree,

Four little apples smiled at me.

I shook that tree as hard as I could.

Down came the apples!

Mmmm, were they good!

 

Way up high in the apple tree,

Three little apples smiled at me.

I shook that tree as hard as I could.

Down came the apples!

Mmmm, were they good!

 

Way up high in the apple tree,

Two little apples smiled at me.

I shook that tree as hard as I could.

Down came the apples!

Mmmm, were they good!

 

Way up high in the apple tree,

One little apples smiled at me.

I shook that tree as hard as I could.

Down came the apple!

Mmmm, was it good!

 
Words to this finger play and many othes can be found at http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems23.html


Here are more fun apple activities! 

Carolyn, at Wise Owl Factory, has created free worksheets:  Counting Apples-Counting and Skip Counting.    These are wonderful for children to practice counting by 2's and by 3's.  One worksheet has the children circling apples and then going back and counting the groups.  Another worksheet has the children filling in missing numbers.


Counting Apples:  Counting and Skip Counting

You can also view all the words plus apple animation on this
Counting Apples Power Point
 
Enjoy this apple season!