Skip to My Lou as a Welcome Song and Story Time

I learned  this from another music teacher, and it's always been a favorite. If you want to add a manners lesson to this song, teach them how to shake hands.

If a child does not know how to skip, I encourage them that it's OK to just run and hop. They will figure something out.

I also found a cute picture book that tells a story using the melody & chorus. Very engaging!

Extend your hand to a child, singing to the verse tune:

"Good Morning Taylor, how are you?" 
Grasp their hand in greeting and help them rise to standing.
Go to the next child and repeat the actions
"Good Morning Jesse, how are you?"
And a third child...
"Good Morning Casey, how are you?" 
"Skip to my Lou my Darlin' "
Now the three children you have helped stand up follow you skipping outside the circle as you sing the chorus:
"Lou, Lou, skip to my Lou,
"Lou, Lou, skip to my Lou,
"Lou, Lou, skip to my Lou,
Skip to my Lou my Darlin' "

Those three sit back down. Repeat for the next three children. If there are two kids at the last turn that works just fine, but if there is only going to be one I end with a group of four.

When everyone has had a turn, I sing:
"Good Morning Sunshine, how are you?
Everybody stand up with me too,
Let's ALL skip around the room!
Skip to my Lou my Darlin' "

We all skip to the chorus, and I finish by singing
"Everybody can sit back down"

And for storytime ~

Skip to My Lou by Nadine Bernard Westcott, a Scholastic book, available through book sellers online.

The kids love the crazy pictures as the animals come in the house and make a big mess! Hurry quick! Mom and Dad are coming home! Skip to my Lou my Darlin'. You can sing the whole book, as it follows the song structure.

Rain, Rain, Go Away Welcome Song

I have a large (5 foot), beautiful sounding rainstick, a miniature (14") rainstick, and a pair of thick drinking glasses for this welcome song/activity.

If you don't have a rainstick, the internet is full of DIY craft instructions for recycling paper tubes into rainsticks.

INTRODUCE THE RAINSTICK

It's so fun to ask the kids what they think it is, what a good name for it might be, what it is made of.

Then produce the sound, and ask them what it sounds like. You will get many answers. Mostly they will want to start guessing what is inside. Since I don't know what is in mine, it is fun to keep it a mystery.

Ask them: "Could it be marshmallows?"
They will say "NO!"
"Could it be feathers?" "Why not?"

They understand so much about acoustical properties already.

Each child now gets a turn to tip the rainstick. They discover that lifting it slowly produces softer sounds, lifting it quickly makes louder sounds, and some will shake it.

While they have their turn, we sing:

Rain, rain, go away
Come again another day
(Child's Name) wants to play
Rain, rain go away

Week one I use the large rainstick, then for another week or two I use the little one which is easier to pass around the circle.

INTRODUCE THE WATER GLASSES

For the last week of using this welcome song, I bring two thick water glasses or jars from home that I know will give me the first two tones of the song (Sol Mi). Usually I have to tune one or both by adding a little water for the perfect pitch.

First, I preach a little to them about asking their parents before banging on their glasses at home! I show them mine are very thick and not likely to break.

Then using a spoon or a triangle beater I demonstrate playing the water glasses to our tune, but I only use the first two lines this time.

 sol       mi     sol    sol     mi       sol      sol    mi     x    sol    sol     mi
Rain,  rain,   go     a-    way    Come   a-   gain   a-   no-  ther   day

Each child then gets a turn playing the water glassses. I help them just a little if they need it. Some get very excited and want to sing the whole song. That's OK too!

Are You Sleeping? Triangle Welcome Song

I hold a triangle in my hand and ask the kids what it is. Of course it's a triangle! They are so smart.

Then I ask them how to play it. They have good ideas. I produce the beater and make some sounds, and they all agree this is correct.

Then I ask them what would happen if I hold it this way? I grasp it in my hand instead of by the string. They have theories. I play it now, and they are amazed at the difference in the sound. 

Now I ask the child on my right to pretend to sleep while I sing the folksong, but use the child's name instead of "Brother John":

Are you sleeping, are you sleeping

(Child's Name --- Child's Name)

Then I play the triangle gently as I sing

Morning bells are ringing, morning bells are ringing

Ding Ding Dong! Ding Ding Dong!

They almost always know to wake up when the triangle rings, but sometimes I need to instruct this. They soon get the idea.

Now I pass the triangle to the child who pretended to be asleep, and the child to the right of him/her "goes to sleep". I try to make sure the child does not ring the triangle until "Morning Bells are Ringing". 

Everyone gets a turn at being the sleeper and the ringer. 

The last child to get the triangle gets to wake up the whole class. 

December's Welcome Song: Christmas is Coming, the Goose is Getting Fat!

Today we enjoyed our penny toss game, a welcome song/game I made up for December, using a very familiar carol.

Every child is handed five pennies, and while we pass them out, I instruct the kids to count the pennies very carefully to make sure they have 5. They love this.

I set the rules: where a penny lands, it stays! No one is allowed to touch a penny once it has been tossed. (Oh this is hard, but following directions is such an important skill to learn)

Each child has a turn to gently toss their 5 pennies one at a time toward the center of the circle while I sing:

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat
(use child's name) put a penny in the old man's hat
If you haven't got a penny, a half-penny will do,
If you haven't got a half-penny, God Bless You!

I used to bring some hats to place in the center of the circle, and that was fun, but we now have a beautiful carpet for circle time that has a brilliant sun in the middle. It makes a perfect target.

The object is not to score points by hitting the target -- the kids are praised for taking a turn & following directions. Their motor skills are all over the map at this age! Some will improve their ability to do this as we play this again, but everybody can have fun.

Welcome Songs / Games : Peek-a-boo, Charlie Over the Water

I usually change the welcome song every four weeks or so. I call these welcome games, because the child being greeted gets to perform a fun activity.

"Peek-a-boo"  works great at the very beginning of the year. (By the end of the year they might feel too grown up for this game)

I brought a scarf & demonstrated for the kids by putting it over my head & singing:
The melody I use is in solfege \ down slash means go down the scale, / up slash = go up

Kathy is hiding, hiding, hiding.
 do do re mi do, re \ sol /mi do
Kathy is hiding. Where can she be?
do do re mi do, re \ sol / do

(I take the scarf off my head)

Peek - a - boo! I see you!
 / sol sol mi,      fa fa re
Peek - a - boo! I see you! 
 mi mi do,         re \ sol / do

Then I passed the scarf to a child, and they knew right away what to do. 

This week we learned "Charlie Over the Water"

As usual, I started with a traditional song and changed it to something I could use. It makes no sense whatsoever, but the kids don't seem to care.

To play this fun welcome game, I bring a little beanie toy that has no sharp projections. A simple bean bag would work also.

On "Charlie catch", I gently toss the toy underhand to the child. On "throw it back" they do their best to throw it back to me. They all get praised for their turns. It's too much to expect them to all be able to throw & catch perfectly, but they are learning to follow directions & take turns, so they deserve a "good job!" for this.

Of course, I use the name of the child being welcomed in place of "[Charlie]".

[Charlie] over the water,      [Charlie] over the sea
  do do     do do do do \ sol,   /  do do     do ti do  re

[Charlie] catch the beanbag -- and throw it back to me!
 /fa fa      \ re     re   ti  sol         sol    sol   sol  la    ti  do

Can You Say Your Name For Me?

I regard the "Welcome Song" as a valuable part of every pre-school music class.

• The child gets that guaranteed few seconds of my full attention and receives the greeting.
• All the other children in the class are reminded of each others names. Even though they are together so much, they often do not learn their classmate's names!

I change the welcome song every few weeks, but this is the one I love to start with.

(There are many variations of this one on the web)

Higgledy Wiggledy Bumble Bee (or Higglety Pigglety)

Higgledy Wiggledy Bumble Bee
Can you say your name for me?
(Child answers -- or if not, you say it for them softly)
Let's all say it!
(Child's name)
Let's clap and say it!
(Child's name)
Let's whisper and say it
(Child's name)

You can make up an easy tune. The kids enjoy singing this for each other, and it is GREAT practice for them to get comfortable saying their names in a group.

Here's a kindergarten teacher / wordpress author with a great page of name activities:
sheteaches.wordpress.com/2010/08/15/whats-in-a-name/