Would you believe that even though we’re entering the second week of January, I’ve only seen one honest-to-goodness snowfall? And the snow didn’t even stick on the ground! Personally, I am not a fan of winter weather at all…but my students are, which is why I’m crossing my fingers that they’ll have a chance to make this song come true very soon.
I have Listen & Learn Plus! member Nell H. to thank for this week’s song topic. It’s such a fun idea — what child doesn’t enjoy catching snowflakes on his or her tongue?
I don’t think we’re going to see much snow in the next few days, considering the forecast calls for temperatures in the 50s. We’ll just have to keep waiting, I guess — and enjoying the warmer weather in the meantime!
Winter doesn’t officially begin until December 22 this year — a mere 3 days before Christmas. This throws my students off every year; when it starts getting cold in November, they tell me that it’s winter (and understandably so). That’s why this song came to be.
As much as I usually dread this season, I’m thinking winter and I are going to get along this year. Now that I work from home almost exclusively, I no longer have a scary highway commute to worry about when there is ice and snow on the ground. I’d much prefer to enjoy the view of a winter wonderland from my window rather than walk in one :)
Are you looking forward to winter this year, or are you hanging on to these last couple weeks of fall for dear life? It’s coming either way, so get out the boots, earmuffs and giant parkas (unless you live somewhere warm, in which case I’m super jealous!).
It’s here! It’s here! Hellooooo, SPRING! My students and I have been singing Wave Goodbye to Winter all month long in anticipation of the new season, and though I had planned to feature this song in last week’s video, laryngitis got in the way.
As you can tell by listening, the song was written to be sung before spring actually begins. But I’ll continue singing it for the rest of March with just two minor lyric changes:
Sing because spring is finally here.
Sing because the sky is blue and clear.
Sing with the birds, up in the tree,
Sing and clap your hands with me.
When I started writing this song last year, I didn’t intend for it to be a movement song. But it’s hard not to move and dance around when you’re singing about something as happy as waving goodbye to winter…am I right?
Alternate headlines include Snowmaggedon, Snowpocalypse, Snow-M-G, Blizaster, and Tsnownami, or fill in the blank with your own: _________.
As if you hadn’t already heard, the Midwest (among many other parts of the country) is currently being battered by a serious blizzard. In fact, my city declared a Level 3 Snow Emergency yesterday afternoon, and almost every single school has been shut down…except one.
Suddenly, my snowy day weather song sounds ridiculously wimpy, as do the rest of my winter-themed tunes. I mean, really — how do you do justice to a snowstorm of this magnitude? Maybe you have a spectacular answer to that question, and if so, please share it in the comments.
Truth be told, I’d rather just concentrate on the fact that winter will be over in six weeks or so, regardless of what the groundhog says. (Happy Groundhog Day, by the way!) I keep thinking about the lovely spring songs I’ll soon be able to sing, not to mention the lovely weather that will accompany them.
But then I float back to reality, which at the present time involves lots and lots of snow, ice, and wind. I hope you are keeping safe and warm today. As Al Roker might ask: what’s the weather like in your neck of the woods?
I know what you’re thinking…not another song about winter! Trust me, I don’t like winter any more than you do, but my students (and yours as well, most likely) need to hear about and understand it as it’s happening.
As I mentioned in the video, this is an older song that I don’t use very often these days. (Here’s my latest song about winter.) But it’s still fun to sing, and I like that it’s so short. It’s also a great one for use during songwriting activities — it’s easy to come up with additional verses.
Who else is counting the days until spring is here? As the midwest prepares for yet another winter storm, I’m assuming I’m not alone in my countdown. Stay warm, stay safe, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow.
Welcome! I’m Rachel Rambach, board-certified music therapist and creator of Listen & Learn Music — educational songs and musical materials for children. I love sharing my work with you, along with my behind-the-scenes creative process, adventures in business ownership, and life as a mom of two.
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