Make-It-A-Song Monday - Clean Up!

I was laughing that I had been thinking of doing this post today, when this morning I was NOT in the mood at ALL for singing about 'cleaning up' since J had decided he was going to look for a lost puzzle piece by emptying all the other puzzle boxes onto the ground... Mommy was not amused. Or feeling any urge to sing.

However, not all clean-up times are quite so distressing. And, something rather monotonous like cleaning up (although most of the time, my boys turn clean-up time into a basketball shoot out, no need to have a ball, any toy will do) is often improved by adding some melody to make it fun.

You all probably already know the pre-school-classroom classic for cleaning up (all together now!), "Clean up, clean up, everybody do your part! Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up!"

This is certainly a viable option and kids pick this simple melody up easily, but if you're getting tired of the same -ole tune, get your creative juices going and make a new one!

Last week, we were singing this one to the tune of "The Farmer In the Dell"
The toys want to go home,
No longer shall they roam;
Come on let's take them home again,
The toys want to go home.

Today however, they weren't feeling in the mood for too many lyrics, so we used "Staying Alive"

Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Clean up your toys, clean up your toys,
Ha, ha, ha, ha, clean up your toys, clean up your toys,
Ha, ha, ha, ha clean up your tooooooooyyyyyyys....

And, you can feel free to break into some killer disco moves as you go.
(If the cleaning up is not going so well, you can certainly add the lyrics, "I'm goin' nowhere, somebody help me....)

So, these are some silly and simple examples to get more melody going throughout your day.


Again, if your child doesn't naturally jump right in, don't worry. They are listening and learning. The more singing they hear, the more their brain develops its own ability to hear and make melody themselves.  Use simple melodies with repeated words to aid in quick learning! If the only words you use are "clean up" - that will be fine with them, I'm sure!

Get singing with those little ones!
What did you make into a song today?

Make-It-A-Song-Monday - Musicals!

So, I semi-recently saw Les Miserables in the theatre. It was a fun night out with some friends, and I really wanted to see it, seeing as me and 5,000,000,000 other people love the show.

Do you really want to know my opinion of the lead roles' singing? Maybe not.... so, I'll just skip that.

But, I have been singing Les Mis songs all day every day since I saw the movie. And, if you're like me, you start to get creative with the lyrics.

Today, I made "At the End of the Day" into a song about vegetables.
It went something like this....

At the end of our lunch, there still are those carrots.
And also some broccoli, staring at me.
I know I have to eat it. I won't get candy if not.
But I really don't want to eat it, healthy or not.
But mommy looks angry.

Then we made it a bit more veggie-descriptive, since the boys didn't care for my rendition as much (I know, what gives???).

Oh, we need to eat all of our broccoli and carrots,
Our green beans and peas, and all our fruit too.
All these foods make us stronger,
so we'll eat our veggies and fruit,
to be strong like super heroes, they eat them too.
And they eat them quickly!


This one came to my head easily at nighttime...

At the end of the day, the children are crazy.
Like they don't even know that it's bedtime at all.
Running down the hallway, laughing and singing and shouting,
Mom and Dad are stunned, ready to fall.
And we can't find clean jammies.


Do you want to know other lyrics that have destroyed enhanced these lovely melodies? I thought you'd want to know!

"I Dreamed a Dream"
I dreamed a dream of toy-free floors,
where I won't trip, and spill my coffee.
I dreamed of children who close doors
quietly, so they won't wake baby....


Anyway - enough glimpses into my life....

Melodies from musicals are great for fond remembrances from your own childhood which you can pass onto your kids. I certainly wouldn't put my 5 year old in front of "Les Mis" yet, but a few I would do are, "Mary Poppins" or  "The Sound of Music" or "Chitty, Chitty, Bang Bang" or "The King and I" or "Annie" or "Lion King" or "Peter Pan."

Here's some fun from "Mary Poppins" to get you singing today... Go Here!.  Enjoy!

Make-It-A-Song-Monday - Working Together

We've been bagging endless amounts of leaves, and when the task seems that it will never be through, I take the advice of the 7 dwarves and decide that singing will help the time pass, and will also put me in a happier mood. So, whether you choose to "whistle while you work" or make up a song, I'm sure the work-attitude will get better! :-)

So, during our leaf-bagging, I was trying to show the kiddos how to work together, not just doing whatever-that-thing-is-that-I-wanted-to-do-and-oh-yeah-no-one-else-can-use-that-thing-but-me.
So, as we were learning how to work together, I started a little tune, which went as follows:

It's so fun to work together,
So much fun to work together,
It's so fun to work together,
it helps us get done fast!

It's so fun to work together, 

So much fun to work together, 

It's so fun to work together, 

that's what friends do best! 

This one was to the tune of "Glory, glory Hallelujah" - which is the chorus to The Battle Hymn of the Republic ("....His truth is marching on! Glory, glory hallelujah, glory glory hallelujah...." If you need a reminder, here's the melody).

There's also this one you're sure to recognize -  but, instead of singing "the more we GET together..." try "the more we WORK together..." 

"The more we work together, together, together, 

the more we work together, the happier we'll be!

You'll help me, I'll help you, 

We'll work hard 'till we're through, 

The more we work together, the happier we'll be!" 

If they sing along and enjoy it, great!! Even if they don't, that's OK. You are getting melody into their heads and showing them that singing is a great way to pass the time when working on tasks. Your example to them may be the most valuable they see to train them in a positive outlook of work - that it's not a burden and a drag, but can be joyful and relationship-building as well. 

What did you make into a song today? 

"Make-It-A-Song Monday" Simple Games

Well, on rainy/indoor days, it's good to have little games to do when your little cuties need some one-on-one time.  Today, we were doing a simple hide-the-marble game for baby M (only it was a marshmallow... then a grape, since he didn't care for the marshmallow).

So, when doing simple activities, it's usually a great opportunity to make a simple song to accompany it. Again, children are naturally drawn to melody.  After just hearing words all day, it's a refreshing change for your tot to hear something musical out of your mouth. :-)

A super simple way to make a singable melody for young ones is to only use 2 notes.  Two simple notes to use with younger kids are the same that you sing in the tune, "Rain, rain Go away;" or in the typical doorbell ring in your house (if you sing "Ding, Dong" you'll have the notes! Or, if you happen to be in western New York sing,"Let's Go, Buffalo").

Those two notes (called a minor third)  are both appealing to young children and are easily singable for their little voices.

So, we gathered some materials:
3 cups, some treats and a few kids. :-)

Sing along as you hide a treat under a cup and move the cups around:
"Peek a Boo, where are you? Here I come to find you..."  or something similar.

Sing while or until they start picking up cups. When your little one finds the treat, rejoice! And let them eat it and try again and again (depending on your treat, as I'm sure 20 marshmallows might not be so great....).

What other simple games do you play with your little one/s? Consider adding a simple song to the game to add a musical component and get more music in your day!

And... just to get you smiling, go check out this adorable video clip I found on YouTube. No idea how well the Hyland's Baby product works, but I just might go get some because of their awesome, rhythmic ad! :-)

Go Here!

Enjoy! :-)

Make-It-A-Song Monday: Vacations!

Today, we are thinking about and planning a mini-beach trip, and since we haven't been there yet this year (ahh!!), mommy is probably more excited than the kiddos.

So, all this joy in my heart wells up to.... singing! The kiddos are actually, very excited, and usually are always excited for whatever trip we're going on, so it's a great opportunity to funnel that excitement into a simple melody to sing happily... to help with the great joy of.... packing!  :-)

Here's one we're singing around the house about the beach (to the tune of "London Bridge is Falling Down"):

We are going to the beach,
to the beach, to the beach,
There's sand and crabs and crashing waves
Oh, I love the beach!

We are going to the beach,
to the beach, to the beach,
Bring shovels, buckets, snacks and treats,
Oh, I love the beach!

Or.... if you're taking a trip to the mountains,

Up to the mountains we will go,
we will go, we will go,
Hiking, fishing, swimming too,
at the mountain house.

Those are some silly examples to get you thinking of more ways to incorporate melody and description into your daily routine!

BTW.... you can certainly have the kids make up their own verses.... or do a 'Mad Libs' version and have them complete the sentence. Maybe next time I'll share what K and J came up with when we did it. I'm sure it'll be silly..... since that is what they are all the time. :-)

What did YOU make into a song today?

Peanut Butter and JELLY!!

Lunchtime sometimes is a bit hectic because K and J and M all have inner hunger-alarms that go off around 12:00ish... So, if lunch is delayed, it's just loud, nonstop, hunger-induced fussiness.... no, that's too mild of a word..... out-leashing of hunger vengeance. Yes, that's better.

I was reminded of this little song/chant recently, and the boys love it... So, it's worth sharing/reminding with you all, who very well may already know the chant. It helps give us all something sequence and song-oriented to do (to distract from complaining) while assembling the oft-encountered lunch of PB & J.

Here's a link to hear a sample of the song: Click Here!


We kind of do a shortened version, and we kind of go nuts on the word "Jelly" by throwing our hands up and saying the word in a high-pitched silly voice....
So, this is our version, feel free to adapt your own!
We do motions with each 'verse' for the words crush, spread, smoosh, bite, etc...

PB&J

Peanut, Peanut butter and JELLEEEEE!!!
Peanut, Peanut butter and JELLEEEEE!!!


First you take the peanuts and you crush 'em, you crush 'em,
you crush 'em, crush 'em, crush 'em.
Then you spread 'em, you spread 'em,
you spread 'em, spread 'em, spread 'em.

 Peanut, Peanut butter and JELLEEEEE!!!

Peanut, Peanut butter and JELLEEEEE!!!

Then you take the berries and you smoosh 'em, you smoosh 'em, 

you smoosh 'em, smoosh 'em, smoosh 'em. 

Then you spread 'em,  you spread 'em, 

you spread 'em, spread 'em, spread 'em. 

Peanut, Peanut butter and JELLEEEEE!!!

Peanut, Peanut butter and JELLEEEEE!!!

Then you take the sandwich and you bite it, you bite it, 

you bite it, bite, it, bite it. 

Then you chew it, you chew it, 

you chew it, chew it, chew it. 

Then you swallow, you swallow, 

you swallow, swallow, swallow. 

Yummm.......  

"BURP!"

Oops.... excuse me. 

Peanut, Peanut butter and JELLEEEEE!!!

Peanut, Peanut butter and JELLEEEEE!!!   Weeeee!!!

So, here's to singing and fun at lunchtime! 

Have fun! 

Make-It-a-Song Monday: Good Morning Songs!

Imagine.... It's a beautiful day.... you got a great night's sleep.... the birds are chirping... the children are skipping around the house with laughter... the coffee is perfect.... Ahh....

OK, fine - that's not a typical morning around here, but we DID have a pretty good morning today.... even though the bird chirping was a little too early and too close to my window, and the boys were happily 'snipping' (their word) each other with kitchen tongs, not skipping... but the coffee was good!

If the morning is going great or not-so-great, singing helps! Hence my recommendation to have a "good morning" song/s! They're not just for preschool classes, people.

You may have one from childhood you remember... I do. I can't remember it at the moment, though...

I CAN remember one from grad. school, from my sight-singing class. We had this very nice but slightly  silly professor, who, when anyone came in late would immediately go to the piano and start banging out some chords, and the whole class would sing, "Good morning, bright sunshine, we're gad you are here! You make the world happy we're glad you are here" to the late person, who would then have to describe (in the same melody) why he/she was late. Oh the memories....

Anyway - Having a morning song is one way to get your kiddo's spirits up in the morning and get them thinking in melody throughout the day!

Choose one you're familiar with, do an internet/YouTube search for some ideas (just be careful... there's some surefire cheesiness out there that is not good for ANY morning!), or make up your own.

Today we were singing a little song with these lyrics and a pretty simple melody we had in our heads:

Good morning, good morning,

I hope you're feeling fine.
Good morning, good morning,
to all the *boys here who are mine.

*or kids, or girls, or family, etc.

Another one is the good 'ole popular song with the following Bible verse:

"This is the Day" 
This is the day (echo: This is the day)
That the Lord has made (that the Lord has made)
We will rejoice (We will rejoice)
And be glad in it (and be glad in it)
etc....

Having an echoing song is great because children naturally want to echo it after you once they get the hang of the melody, which makes it more likely that they'll sing with you!

If you want one put to a melody you know, this one fits with the tune "There's a Hole in the Bucket."
(If you need a reminder for this melody, go Here!)

Good morning, dear *baby, dear baby
Good morning, dear baby, dear baby, Good day!
I'm so happy to see you, to see you,
I'm so happy to see you, to see you, today!

*insert child's name. 

Or, to "Farmer In the Dell"

It's time to start the day,
get up out of the hay,
the sun is out, so let's get up,
It's time to start the day

Sing your favorite morning song while getting the kids up, while getting them dressed, while making breakfast, whatever! They'll catch on quick!

Do you have a "morning song" to start the day off?
If not, find one and get it in your household repertoire!

What did you make into a song today?

"Make It a Song" Monday

So, I thought I'd do a semi-regular post about making random daily events into songs. Monday is great because usually I'm feeling rather sluggish and tired (although I did get to sleep in today after a lot of early mornings... thanks to my sweet hubs!!), so it's a good way to get me (and you!) singing with our kids even if that may be the last thing I (you) feel like doing.

So, the point is to get more melodies going in your child's brain to get them thinking musically about words, events, feelings, etc. An easy way to do this is to just put activities or thoughts to simple melodies.

You can use any number of familiar tunes to accomplish this. Here are some suggestions to get you thinking:

• Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
• Jingle Bells
• There's a Hole In the Bucket
• London Bridge
• Hot Cross Buns
• Polly Put the Kettle On
• Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush

Today's singing subject: Getting Dressed.  

 We chose the tune, "Polly Put the Kettle On" for this.
It went something like this: We'll use the name.... Susie!

"Susie" put your pants on please, pants on please, pants on please.
"Susie" put your pants on please; then we'll go outside.

"Susie" put your shirt on next, shirt on next, shirt on next.
"Susie" put your shirt on next, then we'll go and play!

You can use it to help teach body parts to younger kids, or left and right to older ones....

(To the tune of  Twinkle, Twinkle:)
One leg goes inside your pants,
next leg goes inside one too.
Out comes a foot, then there's two
Now we pull them up, up, woo!
Now our pants are on our legs,
Next our shirt goes over our head.

They don't need to rhyme... but you can always make up nonsense words to make a rhyme, which kids usually love.

They may start to sing along with you, make up their own words to finish the thread, or just stare at you like you have three heads. Either way, they are listening and hearing melody and descriptive words, helping them to learn how to make melodies of their own.

The above "getting dressed" singing took about 2-3 minutes, then they were off to play, singing as they went!

So, welcome to "Make It a Song" Mondays.
Share what YOU made into a song today!