Friday Fave: Kristin Chenoweth

You may or may not have heard of this Broadway-turned-TV star, depending on if you’re a fan of Wicked or the television show Pushing Daisies (her most well-known endeavors). I actually became aware of her almost ten years ago, when she starred as Sally Brown in the Broadway production of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown. Since then, she has gone on to star in the made-for-TV versions of Annie and The Music Man, and she’s also done a couple movies, including RV and the upcoming Four Christmases.

Kristin has made several solo albums, including her latest, a Christmas CD called A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas. I am a huge sucker for holiday tunes, so of course I had to buy it, and I’m very glad I did. Her voice really is amazing. Check out this video of her singing one of her best and most impressive songs, “The Girl in 14G”.

Well that does it for this week’s Friday Fave. I will be absent over the weekend (I’m off to Orlando as you read this!) but be sure to check back in on Monday. Have a great Friday, and a wonderful weekend!

More Color Songs

Recently, a staff member at my school shared with me the color songs that her son was learning in kindergarten. They were so cute and easy to sing that I just had to pass them along to you – they are perfect for preschool and primary grades, and the best part is that anyone can sing them!

I wish I could give credit to the author of these simple but effective tunes…if anyone has this info, please let me know!

BLUE

tune: “The Farmer in the Dell”
B-l-u-e spells blue,
B-l-u-e spells blue.
Hi! Ho! Did you know?
B-l-u-e spells blue.
The big sky is blue.
The ocean is too.
Hi! Ho! Did you know?
B-l-u-e spells blue.

BROWN

tune: “Bingo”

There is a color we all know.
Can you guess what it is?
B-r-o-w-n, b-r-o-w-n, b-r-o-w-n,
That’s how you spell brown.
Teddy bears and squirrels are brown.
Autumn leaves are too.
Chocolate candy’s always brown.
Chocolate cake is always brown.
Chocolate milk is always brown.
I like brown, don’t you?

GREEN

tune: “Row Your Boat”

G-r-e-e-n, g-r-e-e-n,
I know how to spell green,
G-r-e-e-n!
Caterpillars are green,
And grasshoppers too.
I know how to spell green,
G-r-e-e-n!

ORANGE

tune: “Ten Little Indians”

O-r-a-n-g-e, o-r-a-n-g-e,
O-r-a-n-g-e, orange is what that spells.
Jack-o-lanterns are always orange,
Carrots are always orange,
Oranges are always orange.
O-r-a-n-g-e.

PURPLE
tune: “Camptown Races”

P-u-r-p-l-e
Purple, Purple
P-u-r-p-l-e
Purple’s what that spells.
Purple grapes on the vine,
Purple Kool-Aid’s fine.
P-u-r-p-l-e
Purple’s what that spells.

RED

tune: “Are You Sleeping?”

R-e-d, red
R-e-d, red
I can spell red.
I can spell red.
Firetrucks are red.
Stop signs are red, too.
R-e-d, r-e-d.

YELLOW

tune: “If You’re Happy and you Know It”

Y-e-l-l-o-w spells yellow,
Y-e-l-l-o-w spells yellow.
Like the early morning sun,
When the day has just begun,
Y-e-l-l-o-w spells yellow.
Daffodils and baby ducks are yellow,
Lemonade and scrambled eggs are yellow.
I like the smiley face that’s yellow,
He is such a happy fellow.
Y-e-l-l-o-w spells yellow.

Chilly Day

Hey there, everyone! I hope you are all doing well on this Wednesday – though it feels like another Monday to me after the Veteran’s Day holiday. It’s a short week, as I’ll be heading to Orlando on Friday for my friend Vanessa’s wedding. But for now, I thought I’d share another weather song with you.

The weather here in the midwest is completely unpredictable, and in the last week and a half, we’ve had 70 degree days, 40 degree days, and everything in between. Today it’s a little above average for (almost) mid-November, so it’s the perfect time to post “Chilly Day.” It goes like this:

I had to wear my jacket when I went outside today
I’ll have to wear it at recess if I go outside to play
Because it’s chilly, it’s chilly,
The air outside is chilly
It’s chilly, it’s chilly,
It’s chilly out today.

It’s fall and that is why the nice warm weather’s gone away
The temperature is lower and the cold is here to stay
That’s why it’s chilly, it’s chilly,
The air outside is chilly
It’s chilly, it’s chilly,
It’s chilly out today.

So bundle up when you go outside and do not catch a cold,
Zip up your jacket nice and warm, well this is what I’m told.
Because it’s chilly, it’s chilly,
The air outside is chilly
It’s chilly, it’s chilly,
It’s chilly out today.

I’m off to a Bulldog Pep Rally, where I’ll be singing the now-famous Hope School Fight Song. Enjoy your afternoon, and see you tomorrow!

Ten Little Turkeys

Ten Little Turkeys | Thanksgiving Song for Kids | Listen & Learn Music

This one is absolutely a November staple. A teacher I worked with shared the words of what was originally a poem with me, and mentioned that it might make a cute song.

So I whipped up a fun little melody and added Ten Little Turkeys to my collection of Thanksgiving-themed songs. Not only do my students love singing it, but it targets several objectives, including rhyming and counting backwards from 10.

I like to pause at the end of each verse and let the kids fill in the number – they keep track of how many turkeys are left and show me using their fingers. This song stands on its own, or with visuals like turkey cutouts.

{Updated on 11/20/17} Psst…right now, you can become a VIP Listen & Learn Plus member and get all of these songs (plus hundreds more music resources for children) with a biannual payment plan. I only offer this once a year, and it ends soon! Click here for details.

Tap Tap Your Rhythm Sticks

Kids love rhythm sticks, and with good reason: they are loud, and they get to hit them together. It doesn’t get much better than that when it comes to instruments. I use the 8″ Basic Beat sticks, which you can find at West Music, but there are lots of others out there from which to choose.

Playing rhythm sticks is not only fun, but they are a good tool to use when addressing skills such as discrimination of loud, soft, fast, and slow. I put all of the above to work in this rhythm stick song:

Tap tap, your rhythm sticks
Oh 1, 2, 3,
Tap tap, your rhythm sticks
Oh tap along with me.
We’ll tap and tap, and tap some more,
We’ll tap until we hit the floor,
So tap tap, your rhythm sticks with me,
Oooh-wee!

Now you’re gonna tap tap, your rhythm sticks so soft,
Shh, shh!
Tap tap, your rhythm sticks so soft,
Shh, shh!
We’ll tap and tap so softly now,
No worries ‘cause we all know how,
So tap tap your rhythm sticks so soft,
Shh, shh!

Now you’re gonna tap tap, your rhythm sticks so loud,
Mmm, hmm!
Tap tap, your rhythm sticks so loud,
Mmm, hmm!
We’ll tap and tap so loudly now,
No worries ‘cause we all know how,
So tap tap your rhythm sticks so loud,
Mmm, hmm!

Tap tap, your rhythm sticks
Oh 1, 2, 3,
Tap tap, your rhythm sticks
Oh tap along with me.
We’ll tap and tap, and tap some more,
We’ll tap until we hit the floor,
So tap tap, your rhythm sticks with me,
Oooh-wee!