One of my favorite activities at the beginning of the school year is to hold each child on your lap as you sing this song to the tune of "Lassie and Laddie":
(Child's name) is important, important, important.
(Child's name) is important to you and to me.
At work and at play, she does her best each day.
(Child's name) is important to you and to me.
Here's a picture of me demonstrating the activity with a teacher in El Paso:
Carmelita Ramirez of Sweetwater, TX, taught us this song to the tune of "This Old Man."
I have two hands,
the left and right.
Hold them up high
so clean and bright.
Clap them softly, 1, 2, 3.
Clean little hands are good to see.
Yadira I. Chavez translated the butterfly song. (Sorry if I don't do the punctuation correctly.)
La Mariposa
(Tune: "Up on the Housetop")
Primero viene la mariposa y pone un huevo.
Una oruga sale Ya
Veraz a la oruga
girar y girar
en un capullo se dormira.
Oh, oh, oh! Mira y ve.
Oh, oh, oh! Mira y ve.
Y del capullo que saldra?
Una mariposa volara.
The Butterfly
First comes the butterfly who lays an egg.
Out comes a caterpillar
with may legs.
Oh, see the caterpillar spin and spin.
A little chrysalis to sleep in.
Oh, oh, oh! Look and see.
Oh, oh, oh! Look and see.
Out of the chrysalis, my oh, my.
Out comes a beautiful butterfly.
