Free Download: "Way Up High In the Christmas Tree!"

Way up high on the Christmas tree,

____ little candy canes winked at me.

So I shook that tree as hard as I could

Down came a candy cane,

Mmm it was good!

All of the candy canes on the tree are attached using velcro. When you start ask your students to help count how many candy canes are on the tree, then write (or have a student write) the number on the blank line. Each time you sing the song, remove one candy cane and recount how many are left on the tree. Continue singing until you wind up at zero! For a free download of the candy canes click here.

Teacher's Tip: The Best Bubbles Ever!

These bubbles by Gymboree are my all time favorite bubbles. For starters the bubbles are extra "floaty" and seem to dance around for a lot longer than other brands. An extra bonus of the bubbles is that they can be caught and held on a finger, or any other surface they land on. The bubble wand is easy to use (even for little people) and creates a large amount of bubbles from very little effort.  

A song we sing while playing with bubbles is:

Babies blowing bubbles, bubbles, bubbles,

Babies blowing bubbles, pop, pop, pop,

Babies blowing bubbles, bubbles, bubbles,

Babies blowing bubbles on the _______________.

(name an item in the classroom/playground, table, carpet, chair, tree, grass, etc)

(repeat second verse until students lose interest)

Music: Pitter, Patter - Free Puppet Download

It is Raining!

(to the tune of "Frere Jacques")

It is raining, It is raining!

On my ____________________, On my ___________________!

Pitter, Pitter, Patter,

Pitter, Pitter, Patter,

I'm all wet, I'm all wet!

• Fill in the blank parts of the song with body parts. The children can help name the body parts they want to include in the song (head, shoulder, arm). Sometimes my kids like to switch it up and say "In my Mouth! In my Mouth!" They hold their head back and open their mouths to the sky as though they are catching the raindrops with their moths.
• We like to clap our hands on our knees while we say "pitter, pitter, patter" to imitate the sounds rain actually makes. (great for nonverbal or struggling students)

I made these puppets for my class and the children place the rain puppet on each body part as we say it. They are available for download. Just cut them out, laminate, and tape to a popsicle stick!

Music: Rain Is Falling!

(Sung to the tune of "Happy Birthday")

This is a great song to include as we move into colder weather.

I have a set of class pictures that I have laminated and use for a variety of activities. During this song, place one child's picture on each blank line of the song chart. The pictured students should stand up with the teacher. As everyone sings, the teacher can hold his or her hands above the students head and move their fingers down to represent rain.

This is another great way to help non verbal students participate in large group activities.

Free Download: Music: Ted the Turkey

Here's another Thanksgiving song about turkeys. Each child holds a TURKEY PUPPET and points to the different body parts (head and feathers) on their puppet as they sing along. Not all of my studnts are able to sing along, so the puppets provide a fun way for them to still interact and participate. The "gobble gobble" sounds are also really enjoyable for students who are still learning to communicate.

Ted the Turkey

(Sung To: I'm A Little Teapot)

I'm a little turkey, my name is Ted.
Here are my feathers, here is my head.
Gobble, gobble, gobble, is what I say
Gobble, gobble, gobble, It's thanksgiving Day!

The turkey puppets are available here. Simply print out as many as you need, cut them out, lamenate them, and tape them to a popsicle stick. You make wish to write the word TURKEY or TED on the puppet to further increase exposure to litearcy.

I make one per student, and one per adult. Usually a total of 12). Its important for the adults to sing along and participate, as they serve as great models to the students.

Free Download: Music: Did You Ever See a Turkey?

Our main song for our Thanksgiving theme is titled, "Did You Ever See a Turkey" and is sung to the tune of "Did You Ever See a Lassie".

Did You Ever See a Turkey

Did you ever see a turkey, a turkey, a turkey
Did you ever see a turkey with feathers so bright?

With red ones and brown ones and yellow ones and orange ones,
Did you ever see a turkey with feathers so bright?

I make a poster for each of the main theme songs we learn. The posters help to serve as a visual or focal point for students who may otherwise be uninterested. Posting the words also promotes early literacy. This poster has a picture of a cartoon turkey that can be downloaded here. I cut out 2 sets of feathers in each of the colors mentioned in the song ( red orange brown yellow). As we sing the song a child can match the loose feathers to the feathers on the turkey.