Ten Little Ladybugs

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Over the last few years, I have amassed quite a collection of books that I use with my students. I always keep my eye out for books with bright, colorful pictures and engaging content, but most importantly, the words must rhyme or have a lyrical quality. This is a must because rather than just read the books to (or with) my students, I sing them. It’s easy to set the words to a simple tune, either original or familiar (such as “Twinkle Twinkle” or “Clementine”), and it is more appealing to the student, as well.

I can address multiple goals while singing books with my students: answering “yes/no” or “wh” questions, naming objects and colors, reading, counting, following directions (such as turning the page or pointing to something), and attention to task.

My favorite types of books to read, especially with the younger crowd, are those with texture or 3-D elements. One great example is Ten Little Ladybugs. The book is visually stunning and stimulating, and my students never grow tired of it!

Ready…Set…Wait!

by | Listen & Learn Music

As I mentioned last week, my husband and I went on a quick getaway this weekend and while we had a great time, it’s always nice to get back into the regular routine. This week is already off to a busy start, with an even busier weekend ahead…I’m performing this Friday evening, playing for a birthday party on Saturday, and then my children’s choirs are singing in church on Sunday morning. Phew, I’m tired just thinking about it!

But let’s get to today’s subject: impulse control. This is always an issue when working with any child, whether he or she has a disability or not. Last year I wrote a fun little song to target impulse control skills, called Ready, Set, Wait!

Let’s wiggle our fingers, when I say go.
We’ll wiggle wiggle wiggle them, to and fro.
Let’s wiggle our fingers, when I say go.
Ready…set…WAIT!

When I say wait, don’t go just yet.
Listen for what comes after “set”
But when I say go then you will know…
To wiggle those fingers to and fro.
Ready…set…GO!

Wiggle wiggle, wiggle wiggle wiggle,
Wiggle those fingers to and fro.
Wiggle wiggle, wiggle wiggle wiggle,
Wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle them to and fro…now STOP!

REPEAT:
Knees
Feet
Elbows

My students are always surprised when they hear “WAIT!” in the first verse, and then they are so excited to hear “GO!” so that they can wiggle whatever body part is called. They love to freeze when they hear “STOP!” and with a little practice, they can follow all three commands easily.

Musical Scarf Activity

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I’m back again today to share a song that I wrote to use with my youngest children in music therapy. I like to stick with a general theme each month, so October focuses mainly on fall and Halloween-related topics. This particular song accompanies a scarf activity, in which the child is asked to listen for the color of his/her scarf and then wave it in the air. The scarves I use are from West Music and can be found here.

There are twelve different colors, and the kids absolutely adore them and are always coming up with new ways to use them. So I wasn’t completely surprised when a couple of kids draped their scarves over their heads and began floating around even before I started playing this song:

Not all ghosts are scary,
And not all ghosts are white.
Listen for the color I choose
And let your ghost take flight!

If your friendly ghost is red,
Wave him in the air.
Wave him right and wave him left,
Wave him everywhere!

Not all ghosts are scary,
And not all ghosts are white.
Listen for the color I choose
And let your ghost take flight!

I change the color of the ghost each time I sing the verse so that every child has a turn. Not only is this a super-fun activity, but my kids are working on color discrimination, listening skills, and turn-taking at the same time. It’s a beautiful thing!

Cloudy Day

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It’s Monday, but I’m not in school…because it’s Columbus Day! Thanks, Christopher Columbus, for discovering America, and creating an excuse for a day off to do all of the things I didn’t have time for this weekend.

This work-week is an especially short one for me, as my husband and I will be spending a long weekend (Friday through Sunday) with friends in West Palm Beach. We need a mini-vacation after the whirlwind of the past couple months! So please try to contain your disappointment at my absence; I will try to make up for it by posting some great stuff in the next few days :)

Today, however, is not a very exciting day here at Listen & Learn. I had a very busy, family-filled weekend, which did not allow much time for all the recording that I have yet to do. So I will leave you with a song reflecting the current weather: cloudy, with a little gloominess on the side.

Cloudy day, it’s a cloudy day
The sky is dark and the sun’s gone away.
Cloudy day, it’s a cloudy day
The only color that we see is gray.

When the clouds finally pass us by,
The sun will come back to light the sky.
But until then we’ll have to sit and wait,
for the clouds to part just like a gate.

Cloudy day, it’s a cloudy day
The sky is dark and the sun’s gone away.
Cloudy day, it’s a cloudy day
The only color that we see is gray.

Learning To Set the Table

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When I was in seventh grade, we spent an entire unit of my home economics class learning to set the table properly. Now, many years later, I still sometimes mix up which side the fork, knive, and spoon are placed (just ask my mom, who knows from experience). So if a fully capable adult can’t always keep it straight, how can we expect a child to always set the table? By singing a song about it, of course!

At breakfast lunch and dinner,
Right before we eat,
We have to set the table,
The rules are short and sweet:

First comes the plate, it’s big and round:
Take it out of the cupboard and set it down.
Next comes the fork, everyone knows:
To the left of the plate is where it goes.

After that the knife and spoon:
To the right of the plate, we’ll be using soon.
Last are napkins and a cup,
Now our table is set so let’s eat up!

At breakfast lunch and dinner,
Right before we eat,
We have to set the table,
The rules are short and sweet!

And that’s all there is too it. I’ll just have to remind myself to sing this song at our next family dinner as I set the table. Happy dining!