Miss Carole of Macaroni Soup here in chilly Chicago!
This month I’ll introduce you to three of my favorite songs and dances that promote
sharing, caring and fun through music and movement.
Here we go!
Here we go!
1. Who Will Be My Friend Today?
The tune is “Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush” – hear it here. The activity is fairly simple. Make 2-3 hearts – they can be paper (single
use) or plush or felt (multiple uses.)
My hearts are felt with a little stuffing, then hot glued around the
edges. They’ve lasted years!
THE SONG: Who will be my friend today,
Friend
today, friend today?
Who
will be my friend today,
This
bright and sunny morning?
You
will be my friend today,
Friend
today, friend today!
You
will be my friend today,
This
bright and sunny morning!
WHAT TO DO:
For Preschool: Everyone sits together in the middle
of the room (or rug, or any open space.)
The teacher gives the hearts to 2-3 children - if your group is fewer
than 8 children, you may use 2 hearts, use 3 hearts for larger groups. The children with the hearts walk around the
group while everyone sings the first verse.
Then each child gives their heart to a sitting friend, taking them by
the hand to walk around the circle with them as everyone sings the second
verse. The hearts are collected by the
teacher, who gives them to new children.
Repeat the sequence until everyone’s had a chance to go around
the circle.
For K’s: Everyone sits together in the middle. The teacher gives the hearts to 3 children,
who walk around the group while everyone sings the first verse. Here’s where it’s different for some
groups. If your children have become
self-conscious about holding a classmate’s hand, as I occasionally find with K’s,
the game becomes a hand-off – with the new carrier of the heart now going
around the circle and the original carrier sitting in their place on the floor. You may have to try it once to see how your
class reacts. In this case, you would only use the first verse.
NOTE: I ask
children to only give the heart to someone who has not walked yet. “If you haven’t walked yet, raise your
hand silently so that the walkers know who they can choose. Should a friend offer you a heart and you've already had a turn say 'Thank you, but I've already had a turn.'”
 |
| Jump Jim Joe! |
This is one of my absolute favorite partner dances! Hear it here.
It’s a folk dance of the best tradition!
Please learn this song well enough to sing it with your students at a
slow enough tempo for them to do all the dance moves. You may never use the recorded music – I don’t! We need the slight pauses (P) I put in at the
end of each action so that everyone can do it well.
THE SONG:
Jump, jump, jump Jim Joe
Jump, jump, jump Jim Joe
Nod
your head (P) and shake your head (P)
And
tap your toe.
‘Round
and ‘round and ‘round you’ll go
Now
you find another partner
And
you jump Jim Joe!
THE DANCE: Each child faces their partner, holding
hands.
Line
1: They jump!
Line
2: Nod heads up and down - demonstrate “yes”
Shake
head – demonstrate “no”
Line
3: Tap toe to the side (still holding partner’s hands)
Line
4: Two hands circle – not too fast!
Lines
5-6: Find a new partner – someone you haven’t yet danced with!
 |
| ...And tap your toe! |
 |
| 'Round and 'round and 'round you'll go... |
I do "Jump Jim Joe" with three year olds through school-aged children, and they LOVE IT! Also great for mixed-age groups and parent participation events!
3. THE MUFFIN MAN DANCE!
 |
| Yes, I know the Muffin Man! |
THE SONG:
Oh do you know the Muffin Man,
Oh do you know the Muffin Man,
The
Muffin Man, the Muffin Man?
Do
you know the Muffin Man
Who
lives in Drury Lane?
Yes,
I know the Muffin Man,
The
Muffin Man, the Muffin Man!
Yes,
I know the Muffin Man
Who
lives in Drury Lane!
THE DANCE: Help children choose partners – they’ll be
keeping their partners in this one! They
hold “inside hands” so that they can walk together around the room (as they did
with the hearts in our first song.) For
the first verse, couples walk hand-in-hand around the room. For the second verse, they face each other
and clap hands pattycake style. Repeat!
REMEMBER: Demonstrate the dance before inviting the children to stand and join in. Use another teacher OR a child to help show what to do (choose your partner wisely!) There you go! Get those dancing feet moving – especially when the weather prevents you from going outdoors! It’s not just good for the kids, if you know what I mean…
Yours for a Song and Dance!
“Miss Carole” Stephens
Charming ideas - easily able to replicate in the Pre-K and K classroom!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Brigid! I know you use "Jump Jim Joe" often in your classrooms, keeping your students moving and smiling! For those looking for more easy-to-learn and do dances, please check out Peter and Mary Alice Amidon's "New England Dancing Masters" collections: "Down In The Valley", "Chimes of Dunkirk" and "Rise Sally Rise" - the latter has "Jump Jim Joe." All can be purchased with cds and are invaluable resources! http://www.amidonmusic.com/books-cds-store
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