What’s Big and Orange?

A hint: you’ve probably seen them cropping up in your neighborhood, as they are in high demand at this time of year. Pumpkins, of course! There are pictures of pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns lining the halls of my school, and I just might have to go pick one out this weekend. Here’s a song my students and I have been singing lately all about these fall fruits:

What’s big and orange,
And grows on the ground,
And has a shape that’s nice and round?
Every fall we pick one out,
Have you guessed what I’m talking about?

Pumpkin, Pumpkin on the vine.
This one’s yours, and this one’s mine.
Let’s take it home and soon it will be
A jack-o-lantern for all to see!

Pumpkins are also good to eat,
Pumpkin pie is such a treat.
We’ll roast the seeds and we’ll have a snack.
I need another pumpkin, so let’s go back.

Pumpkin, Pumpkin on the vine.
This one’s yours, and this one’s mine.
Let’s take it home and soon it will be
A jack-o-lantern for all to see!

And there you have it! You just might find yourself humming this cheerful little tune as you pick out your own pumpkin in the next couple of weeks.

Today it is October

Wow! Fall is in full swing, and today we begin the 10th month of the year. 2008 has flown by so quickly…is it just me, or does time speed up with each passing year?

October is almost synonymous with pumpkins, scarecrows, harvest, cool weather, and of course, Halloween. Though it is not my favorite “holiday” (much to the dismay of my dad, who is quite the Halloween enthusiast), I always put my lukewarm feelings aside and join in the fun – especially when it comes to my students! They love singing about bats, witches, ghosts, and goblins, so this month I have several new songs on tap.

Today it is October,
The tenth month of the year.
Summertime is over,
and autumn weather’s near.

Today it is October,
The leaves are turning brown.
The air is getting chilly,
And soon the leaves fall down.

Today it is October,
The tenth month of the year.
Summertime is over,
and autumn weather’s near.

Today it is October,
It’s time to celebrate
Fall festivals and Columbus Day
Oh, I can hardly wait!

Today it is October,
The tenth month of the year.
Summertime is over,
and autumn weather’s near.

Today it is October,
It’s time for Halloween.
Candy, spooks, and costumes,
And all those scary things.

Today it is October,
The tenth month of the year.
Summertime is over,
and autumn weather’s near.

Fall Into Fall (Part 2)

This is a song I wrote last year, and I was happy to take it back out this fall. This song can be used to reinforce location of body parts, while at the same time teaching that not all scarecrows are scary. It was inspired by the scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz — one of my favorite movies of all time — and I picture him every time I sing it. I bet you will, too!

Out in the field in a row of corn,
Stands a scarecrow so forlorn.
Crows on his head and crows on his feet,
He’s the saddest scarecrow you’ll ever meet.

Can’t scare the crows, oh no no!
Can’t scare the crows, oh no no!
Crows on his head and crows on his feet,
He’s the saddest scarecrow you’ll ever meet.

Out in the field in a row of corn,
Stands a scarecrow so forlorn.
Crows on his elbows and crows on his knees,
The scarecrow’s even scared of a little breeze.

Can’t scare the crows, oh no no!
Can’t scare the crows, oh no no!
Crows on his elbows and crows on his knees,
The scarecrow’s even scared of a little breeze.

Out in the field in a row of corn,
Stands a scarecrow so forlorn.
Crows on his nose and crows on his ears,
The scarecrow’s crying scarecrow tears.

Can’t scare the crows, oh no no!
Can’t scare the crows, oh no no!
Crows on his nose and crows on his ears,
The scarecrow’s crying scarecrow tears.

Fall Into Fall (Part 1)

Say goodbye to summer…it’s day two of fall and that gives us lots to sing about! I had no trouble coming up with this song, since there are so many great things about fall.

Today I asked my students to share their favorite aspects of fall, and these were the most popular answers: jumping in piles of leaves, cool weather, and of course, Halloween. While my fall song doesn’t mention this spooky day (there are plenty of others dedicated to it), it does cover most other bases. So take a listen!

Fall into fall,
the most colorful season of all.
Orange and gold, red, yellow, and brown,
Leaves are swirling all around.

September, October, November, fall is here.
At the end of December, we know that winter’s near.

Fall into fall,
the most colorful season of all.
Orange and gold, red, yellow, and brown,
Leaves are swirling all around.

Football, and pumpkins, and hayrack rides abound.
Most of the leaves that were once on trees, are now upon the ground.

Fall into fall,
the most colorful season of all.
Orange and gold, red, yellow, and brown,
Leaves are swirling all around.

The air is getting colder, the wind is getting strong.
The days are getting shorter, but we keep on singing this song.

Fall into fall,
the most colorful season of all.
Orange and gold, red, yellow, and brown,
Leaves are swirling all around.

September

It’s so hard to believe that September is here, and that the school year is in full swing. Over the past twelve months, I have written a song for each one of them which wraps up all the highlights of those thirty-something days into a neat little package. The first I’ll share with you is September:

September, September, today it is September.
Month number nine for thirty days,
Fall weather cools the sun’s hot rays.
We’ll see the leaves turn from green to brown,
And pretty soon they’ll all fall down.

September, September, today it is September.
The air is turning nice and cool,
And we spend all our days in school,
It’s a wonderful time of the year!

September, September, today it is September.
Month number nine for thirty days,
Fall weather cools the sun’s hot rays.
We’ll see the leaves turn from green to brown,
And pretty soon they’ll all fall down.

September, September, today it is September.
We’ll celebrate on Labor Day,
Home from school is where we’ll stay,
It’s a wonderful time of the year!

September, September, today it is September.
Month number nine for thirty days,
Fall weather cools the sun’s hot rays.
We’ll see the leaves turn from green to brown,
And pretty soon they’ll all fall down.

September, September, today it is September.
We’ll go outside, roll up our sleeves,
Make a bed of crunchy leaves,
It’s a wonderful time of the year!

September, September, today it is September.
Month number nine for thirty days,
Fall weather cools the sun’s hot rays.
We’ll see the leaves turn from green to brown,
And pretty soon they’ll all fall down.

Be sure to check back in on the first of each month (and of course, all the days in between!) for a new song. See you again soon!