Christmas Arts & Crafts #2

Apologies for the radio silence.  I have been fighting a cough and it has been winning.  I will try and get more Christmas items posted asap because, well, it is nearly here already!

Christmas Trees 

This isn't a hard one but it is a fun one to make.  Nothing special but it gives the kids something to make for Christmas and to take home.

Either collect Ice Lolly sticks or buy them from a craft shop.  If you are lucky they will have coloured ones.  If not then you will just have to get the kids to paint them before hand.

One stick is needed for the 'trunk' of the tree and at least two more to cut/snap as the branches.  Use glitter, stickers, paints, pens....whatever you want to decorate your tree.  Be creative or just let the kids decide from a bunch of different items.

St Nick Sacks

Here in Austria we celebrate St Nikolaus on the 6th of December.  So this is really for this particular fest.  However you could use the same idea for Santa Claus as well.

If you are having a Christmas event where the kids will get to collect sweets & fruit like a stocking then this is a nice craft idea.

The sacks were ordered from a craft catalogue and the rest is just pieces of paper and felt we had left lying around.  Oh and come cotton wool.

This may also be a nice way to pack up presents for the parents or maybe you can think of something else you can use it for.  They definitely look good hanging up around the room before Christmas.

Paper Stars

This is a very easy one but a nice item to make on one of those rainy/snowy Winter days.  They look nice hanging around the room and you can use up your left overs or splash out for some cool shiny paper if you want.

Draw the star on some coloured paper and let the children cut them out themselves.  Wind some glittery thread or ribbon around the star and add some shiny stones or whatever you have lying around.

These are easy and quick to make.  You can make them as simple or as extravagant as you want.  Use your imagination or better yet, make a sample, show the kids and then let them create their own!  You may be surprised at the ideas they have!

Birthday Songs #1 - The Pirate Birthday Song

Happy Birthday To You is your typical Birthday song no matter how young or old the person celebrating is on their special day.  However it gets boring and it seems strange that there aren't more Birthday songs.  More ways to sing your wishes.  This is one of the reasons I decided to come up with my own birthday song.

The Pirate Birthday Song is a great way to sing something different and add the age of the child.  It is also a little longer than the traditional song and has a little more bounce to it.  If you have a pirate theme going on then it is a great way to strengthen it and if you don't then maybe you want to use it as a base for your Birthday celebrations with the kids.

The lyrics complete with the guitar chords can be found here.   The chords are pretty easy with only G Am D and D7.  You can listen to a recording of The Pirate Birthday Song below.  A reminder : This is just me being recorded by a phone/computer so it is not the best quality but hopefully enough for you to hear the melody.

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Good Morning Songs #3 - Hello Everyone

Do you remember that song by Boney M?  Brown Girl in the Ring?  Well this next Good Morning song uses that melodie.  I actually got the idea from a book I looked through and then wrote the song to fit my needs.

The song is called 'Hello Everyone' and it is a nice easy one that is repetitive and therefore very good for younger children.  Feel free to change things around.  For instance I usually sing 'Hello to the Purple Group' instead of the 'whole group'.  Of course changing that around depends on your group/class name.

Here is a link to the Guitar Chords.  My copy of the song doesn't have the chords on it because I wrote them on to the print out of the lyrics afterwards.

If you come up with some new verses then please share them in the comments!!  

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Good Morning Songs #2 : Every Morning When I Wake Up

As I previously posted, I like to start my Morning circles with a Good Morning song.  I have managed to build up a little collection over the last couple of years and this next one I am sharing is one I wrote myself.

Every Morning When I Wake Up was one of those songs that just happened.  I can't remember why I thought of it but most likely I was playing the guitar chords and the words just came along.
There are a few nice things about this Every Morning When I Wake Up .  Firstly it is easy to play if you play the guitar.  It is only two chords D & G and it can be played as fast or slow as you want.  A great song for beginners and for people who aren't used to using the guitar when singing with children.

The other good thing about Every Morning When I Wake Up is that it is all about your morning routine.  So you are teaching the kids a variety of new words to do with getting up in the morning.  You can add a new verse each week and talk about each one individually.  How brushing your teeth is important, eating breakfast is healthy or even learning how to tie your own shoelaces!

Every Morning When I Wake Up is also a great song for younger children because it is repetitive with only a couple of words changing each verse.  Feel free to add your own verses if your daily routine is different.  Maybe you walk to Nursery?  Maybe you shower each morning?  I am always adapting songs to suit my needs and encourage others too as well.

Add actions to the song to make it more fun.  It isn't hard to come up with some for this song and the actions practically jump out of the song.  Oh and the 'It goes lala' Part...try mixing it up a little each verse.  When you are brushing your teeth you can sing it like your mouth is full.  Maybe sing it higher, lower, slower or faster.  Go with the flow and after all your know what your kids like.  Maybe just clapping and stamping is more their thing.

I have had a lot of success with this song and hope other will too.  The text and guitar chords for Every Morning When I Wake Up can be found here!  There is also a sound file below so you can have a listen to what the song sounds like.  Sorry for the bad quality...it is just me recording via my phone! ;)

If you come up with some new verses then please share them in the comments!!  

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Autumn Arts & Crafts #2

Autumn is the best Season for Arts & Crafts because Mother Nature gives us so many cool and unusual materials to use!

Leaves, twigs, conkers and many more interesting items can be found and used in a variety of ways and here are just a couple of ideas!

Conker Shell Hedgehogs

First you will need some conkers shells so make sure your kids don't just throw them away and keep the prize inside! ;)  After all the shells are just as prickly and spiky as hedgehogs!  You will also need some modeling clay that air dries or salt dough (salzteig).  

This one is pretty easy and a lot of fun.  Just let the kids pick a conker shell and then let them add clay/dough legs, face and tail (not sure if hedgehogs have such long tails but the kids added it!)  To make the eyes and mouth you will need toothpicks/cocktail sticks but you can also use a sharp pencil.

Obviously the parts need some time to dry and sometimes you will need to add some glue if the clay/dough doesn't stay attached to the conker shell (some do...some don't...not sure why!)  But the end result is cute and it is always fun to see what kind of faces the children give their hedgehogs!

Conker People

I have seen lots of conker arts & crafts projects with conkers using toothpicks/cocktail sticks to make people or animals but they also fall apart so easily.  So one year I made these conker people.

The kids pick a conker and add some wool as hair and make a tiny hat out of paper.  The feet are also cut out and help keep the conker standing up when glued on.  Lastly a couple of eyes, nose and mouth complete the conker person.

Each one looks different because everyone used a different combination of colours.  Also this project used up all those bits and pieces of coloured paper and wool we had been saving up for this kind of rainy day activity.  Basically just recycling.  Hardly any hassle, no need to prepare anything and the most important thing, the kids loved it!

So enjoy a nice long Autumn walk with your kids and get collecting!  

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Halloween Songs #2

There are so many great songs you can sing during the Halloween season.  These songs are not written by me but are songs I found over the years that you may have even seen somewhere else.  Of course I may have adapted them slightly by changing words around but I won't call them my own.

The Ghost in The House is sung to the tune 'The Wheels on the Bus'.  A song that is well known and easy to find guitar chords for if you want to play along.  You can make up your own verses with the children or prepare some of your own before singing the song with them.  Try and come up with some actions to make this one more fun for the kids.

If You're a Witch is a Halloween song sung to the tune of 'If you are Happy and You Know it'.  A song everyone knows.  There are so many variations of guitar chords for this one that you really need to find ones you are happy with.  Some are harder than others or just plain complicated while some don't quite sound right.

You can also make up your own verses for this song.  Ask the children what other creepy things they can be and what sounds they make.  You can also use actions or just strange noises.  Try and keep things funny.  Kids always like funny!

I'm Not Afraid is a nice chanting song.  I am pretty sure the melody I use is similar to something else I have heard but right now I can't remember what.  However this is a nice one to chant.  Maybe make up actions that involve stamping, clapping or slapping your legs in time to the chant.  Make up new verses with the children to get them involved and interested.

Lastly, my favourite and a favourite of all the kids I have taught over the years is, The Witch on Halloween.  This is sung to the melody for 'The Farmer's in the Dell'.  Feel free to swap out the characters in this one.  Maybe you are making pumpkins or vampires so use them in the song instead.

This is one is particularly good song for the kids to play along with.  Sit in a circle and pick a Witch.  As you sing her verse she goes around in the center of the circle.  When you finish singing 'wants a cat', the child/witch can then pick herself a cat to go with her.  This continues until you have five children in the middle.  At the end the five go around and scare the rest of the children.  The last person picked (in my version the spider) gets to pick the next witch.

A tip :  If you have 20 kids playing then make sure you leave this song with five rounds so nobody gets left out.  Adapt the song if you have more or less kids.  For example, if I had a full group of all 24 kids I would play the song four times and have 6 verses.  Then all the kids would get a turn.  Make sure they don't pick someone that has already played along.

Another tip : Make headbands/crowns with the characters on or have a witches hat etc.    Then the kids can dress up as they play/sing!

Are there any songs you enjoy singing for Halloween?  Feel free to share!  

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Fun Songs #1 : Grumpysaurus

A few years ago my boss encouraged me to learn how to play the guitar.  It was always something I had wanted to do since I was a teenager but courses were expensive and I didn't really have the time or money back then.

Older and wiser I decided I should at least look into it.  So I went home and looked up a few of the basics and chords.  It didn't look easy but I started simple and my partner gave me some tips.  I started practicing while in work with the kids (more about that later) and one day Grumpysaurus was born.

I was practicing three chords and changing between them when a kid had a bit of a tantrum.  A couple of days earlier I had seen the Grumposaur (see pic) somewhere and I told the kid  he was being a Grumpysaurus.  He instantly stopped having his tantrum and asked me what's a Grumpysaurus?  I improvised and started singing the simple text to the chords I was playing.

All the kids started singing along and I was surprised when they started suggesting more verses. Years later a special little boy called Ben even came up with a new verse.  I haven't added it to the text file yet but he is called Sillysaurus and I am sure there are more verses to come!

Each verse has its own sound or action.  Hungrysaurus goes Nom Nom Nom,  Iloveyousaurus makes a heart with his hands and the newest addition, Sillysaurus, makes faces.  It isn't hard to come up with actions, just ask the kids!  They came up with all the ones I use! :)

It is a simple song and a lot of fun.   The kids get to learn some words to do with actions and feelings plus the get some exercise if they move around while singing.

I hope there are other children out there who will enjoy singing it as much as the many children I have sung it with over the years.  It continues to be a favourite and is sung at least once a week in my group.

Listen to the first verse of the song below.  Also open the link for the song text and guitar chords.

Grumpysaurus Text

If you come up with some new verses then please share them in the comments!!  

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