DO YOU KNOW THE VOWEL FAMILY?

Here's a song that introduces the long and short sounds for the vowels. Making manual signs for the letters or holding up letters will help add the visual connection as you sing.

The Vowel Song (Tune: “Are You Sleeping?”)
A makes two sounds. (Echo each line.)
/A/ and /a/.
/A/ for apron, /a/ for apple.
/A/ and /a/.
/E/ and /e/ - eagle and elephant…
/I/ and /i/ - ice cream and inchworm…
/O/ and /o/ - open and octopus…
/U/ and /u/ - ukulele and uncle…

The long vowel sounds are easier for children to remember because "they just say their name." Here's a song that will help put those short vowel sounds in the brain. Of course, the letter U will be their favorite!

The Vowel Family (Tune: "BINGO" - Just for Fun CD)
Aunt Aggie had an allergy
and she would always sneeze-o (Pretend to sneeze.)
/a/a/a/a/a/ /a/a/a/a/a/ /a/a/a/a/a/
And she would always sneeze-o.

Grandpa Eddie stayed in shape
and he would exercise-o (Pretend to lift weights.)
/e/e/e/e/e/ /e/e/e/e/e/ /e/e/e/e/e/
He liked to exercise-o.

Baby Izzi had chicken pox
and she would always itch-o. (Scratch body.)
/i/i/i/i/i/ /i/i/i/i/i/ /i/i/i/i/i/
And she would always itch-o.

Cousin Otto’s throat was sore
And this is what he’d say-o. (Put hand on throat.)
/o/o/o/o/o/ /o/o/o/o/o/ /o/o/o/o/o/
And this is what he’d say-o.

Uncle Unk wore underwear
and it did stink-o. (Hold nose.)
/u/u/u/u/u/ /u/u/u/u/u/ /u/u/u/u/u/
And it did stink-o.

Let the children use the attached pattern to make vowel puppets. Tape the letters to craft sticks or glue to an envelope that's been cut in half.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljRjhzN3oxNFliSEU/view?usp=sharing

Five Little Vowels (Adapted from "Monkeys and the Alligator")
Five little vowels swinging from a tree (Hold up 5 fingers.)
Teasing Mr. Alligator, “Can’t catch me! (Point finger.)
You can’t catch me!”
Along came Mr. Alligator quiet as can be (Open and close arms.)
And snatched that A right out of the tree.
/a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ (Make sign language A with hand.)

E…I…O…U

*Draw a tree on a magnetic board and remove magnetic letters as you say the chant.

PIZZA HUT & THE VOWEL FAMILY

It's just a silly song about food!

I have had complaints about this song because it is "commercial" and it "teaches children bad health habits." When I sing the song with children I use it as a “teachable moment” to talk about making good food choices. I say, “Boys and girls, this is a silly song, but I want to tell you the truth about fast food restaurants. It’s not good to eat that food all the time because it’s got a lot of fat, sodium, and chemicals in it. What are some good healthy foods that we can eat all the time?” 

You know, you could probably find something wrong with every book, every song, every story, every rhyme…. The bottom line is that if you don’t like a song or if a parent complains, you don't need to use it.

Silly songs are meant to make children smile. In the crazy world we live in sometimes you just have to shut your door and SING LOUD! 

Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut, Pizza Hut, (Arms out in a circle.)
Kentucky Fried Chicken (Flap arms like a chicken.)
And Pizza Hut.
Pizza Hut, Pizza Hut,
Kentucky Fried Chicken
And Pizza Hut.
MacDonald’s, MacDonald’s, (Hands together in front and then up and
Kentucky Fried Chicken over like an arch.)
And Pizza Hut.
MacDonald’s, MacDonald’s,
Kentucky Fried Chicken
And Pizza Hut.

Burger King and Taco Bell (Make crown with hands on “King,” and
shake head on “Bell.”)

Dairy Queen and Arby’s (Pretend to milk a cow on “Dairy Queen” and
twirl hand in the air like a lasso on “Arby’s”.)

Red Lobster and Wendy’s (Hands like pincers on “Lobster” and pretend
to make a hamburger patty for “Wendy’s.”)

More! For additional verses, let children suggest other restaurants and movements.

Click for video

The Vowel Family (Tune: "BINGO")
Aunt Aggie had an allergy
and she would always sneeze-o (Pretend to sneeze.)
/a/a/a/a/a/ /a/a/a/a/a/ /a/a/a/a/a/
And she would always sneeze-o.

Grandpa Eddie stayed in shape
and he would exercise-o (Pretend to lift weights.)
/e/e/e/e/e/ /e/e/e/e/e/ /e/e/e/e/e/
He liked to exercise-o.

Baby Izzi had chicken pox
and she would always itch-o. (Scratch body.)
/i/i/i/i/i/ /i/i/i/i/i/ /i/i/i/i/i/
And she would always itch-o.

Cousin Otto’s throat was sore
And this is what he’d say-o. (Put hand on throat.)
/o/o/o/o/o/ /o/o/o/o/o/ /o/o/o/o/o/
And this is what he’d say-o.

Uncle Unk wore underwear
and it did stink-o. (Hold nose.)
/u/u/u/u/u/ /u/u/u/u/u/ /u/u/u/u/u/
And it did stink-o.

Click for Video

Let the children use the attached sheet to make vowel puppets. Tape the letters to craft sticks or glue to an envelope that's been cut in half.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljRjhzN3oxNFliSEU/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-AlM6t9TxaRzZVHrT5RKhlg

PIGGY BACK "BINGO"

Piggyback tunes have been used forever because once the melodies are in the brain you can easily change the words. Here are a few new learning opportunities for this familiar tune.

Vowels
There are some letters you should know and they are the vowels.
A – E – I – O – U
A – E – I – O - U
A – E – I – O - U
And now you know the vowels.

Senses
There are five senses that we use to help us learn each day.
See (Point to eyes.)
Hear (Point to ears.)
Smell (Point to nose.)
Taste (Point to mouth.)
Touch (Hold up hands.)
See, hear, smell, taste, touch,
See, hear, smell, taste, touch,
We use them every day.

Zip Code
There is a zip code where we live and we know our zip code.
3 - 2 – 1 – 5 - 5
3 - 2 – 1 – 5 - 5
3 - 2 – 1 – 5 – 5
Now we know our zip code.

Word Families
There is a word family you should know and ILL is it’s name-o.
WILL
FILL
HILL
They end in ILL you know.



Number Bonds
There are some facts that you should know and they all equal seven.
2 + 5
3 + 4
6 + 1
7 + 0



Name Bingo
Play BINGO using children’s names and googly eyes. Write children’s names on sentence strips and give them googly eyes. “I spy the letter R. “ If children have an “R” in their name they cover it up with a googly eye.

P.S.  Here's the link to the "BINGO" tell and draw story I shared yesterday.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jlja1pwNjBaOUpBeGc/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-7DpioTdxWfUkhbTcBUSdBw

CHEESE PIZZA DAY

September 5th is "officially" Cheese Pizza Day, but I could eat pizza every day! (Seriously!) Here’s a silly song that I used to sing just because the children got a laugh out of it. Now, I tie it into standards because it demonstrates sound substitution and reinforces vowel sounds. Whatever!!!

Pepperoni Pizza
I like to eat, eat, eat, (Extend arms to make a circle like a pizza.)
Pepperoni pizza.
I like to eat, eat, eat,
Pepperoni pizza.

Sing substituting the long “A” sound for each vowel.
A lake tae ate, ate, ate,
Papparaynay pazzay…

Continue substituting with “E,” “I,” “O,” and “U.”

Hint! Make sign language letters for the vowels as you sing.


Word Family Pizza
Chris Baker created this video to demonstrate consonant substitution as children sing the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrpSSXZK9-I&feature=youtu.be


EASY PEASY PIZZA GAME
There are dozens of math skills you can tie in with this easy peasy math manipulative.


Why? sorting; sets; numerals; addition; subtraction, patterns; following directions; writing how to

What? fun foam (red, yellow, green, brown, black, white), pie pan, red felt, index cards, book ring

How? Cut toppings for your pizza from fun foam.

Sausage – brown
Peppers – green
Cheese – yellow
Pepperoni – red
Olives – black
Mushrooms – white
(Store the patterns in a zip bag.)

Cover the bottom of the pie pan with red felt.

*Let children sort the toppings.
*Give them numeral cards and ask them to make sets.
*Can they make a pattern with the toppings?
*Give them addition and subtraction facts and ask them to work out the problems with the toppings.
*Make recipe cards similar to the ones shown for the children to follow.
*Can they count how many ingredients in all on their pizza?


Paper Plate Pizza Collage
Give children a paper plate and some scrap paper, scissors, and crayons and let them create their own paper pizza. When they've finished they can add a few drops of glue and sprinkle with oregano or Italian seasonings to make it SMELL like a real pizza.

P.S.  Tomorrow is READ A BOOK DAY!  

MEET THE VOWEL FAMILY

Here's a song that introduces the long and short sounds for the vowels. Making manual signs for the letters or holding up copies of letters will help add the visual connection as you sing.

The Vowel Song (Tune: “Are You Sleeping?” Is Everybody Happy CD)
A makes two sounds. (Echo each line.)
/A/ and /a/.
/A/ for apron, /a/ for apple.
/A/ and /a/.
/E/ and /e/ - eagle and elephant…
/I/ and /i/ - ice cream and inchworm…
/O/ and /o/ - open and octopus…
/U/ and /u/ - ukulele and uncle…

Click to hear song

The long vowel sounds are easier for children to remember because "they just say their name." Here's a song that will help put those short vowel sounds in the brain. Of course, the letter U will be their favorite!

The Vowel Family (Tune: "BINGO" - Just for Fun CD)
Aunt Aggie had an allergy
and she would always sneeze-o (Pretend to sneeze.)
/a/a/a/a/a/ /a/a/a/a/a/ /a/a/a/a/a/
And she would always sneeze-o.

Grandpa Eddie stayed in shape
and he would exercise-o (Pretend to lift weights.)
/e/e/e/e/e/ /e/e/e/e/e/ /e/e/e/e/e/
He liked to exercise-o.

Baby Izzi had chicken pox
and she would always itch-o. (Scratch body.)
/i/i/i/i/i/ /i/i/i/i/i/ /i/i/i/i/i/
And she would always itch-o.

Cousin Otto’s throat was sore
And this is what he’d say-o. (Put hand on throat.)
/o/o/o/o/o/ /o/o/o/o/o/ /o/o/o/o/o/
And this is what he’d say-o.

Uncle Unk wore underwear
and it did stink-o. (Hold nose.)
/u/u/u/u/u/ /u/u/u/u/u/ /u/u/u/u/u/
And it did stink-o.

Let the children use the attached sheet to make vowel puppets. Tape the letters to craft sticks or glue to an envelope that's been cut in half.

Click to download vowel puppets

Five Little Vowels (Adapted from "Monkeys and the Alligator")

Five little vowels swinging from a tree (Hold up 5 fingers.)
Teasing Mr. Alligator, “Can’t catch me! (Point finger.)
You can’t catch me!”
Along came Mr. Alligator quiet as can be (Open and close arms.)
And snatched that A right out of the tree.
/a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ (Make sign language A with hand.)

E…I…O…U

*Draw a tree on a magnetic board and remove magnetic letters as you say the chant.

KATALINA AND PEPPERONI PIZZA

There is a song of mine that you are probably familiar with called "Katalina Matalina." I learned this song over 60 years ago when I was a Brownie.  It's a silly song that the kids love, but there is also a timeless lesson with her heart of gold.

                                    

Click for video

Katalina Matalina
Chorus: Katalina Matalina Upsadina Walkadina
Hoca Poca Loca was her name.

Her head was shaped like a baseball bat. (Point to head.)
And right on top was a funny, old hat. (Chorus)

She had two hairs in her head. (Point to hair.)
One was alive and the other was dead. (Chorus)

She had two eyes in her head. (Point to eyes.)
One was purple and the other was red. (Chorus)

She had two teeth in her mouth. (Point to mouth.)
One pointed north and the other pointed south. (Chorus)

Her neck was as long as a ten foot pole. (Point to neck.)
And right in the middle was a big, black bow. (Chorus)

Her hips were like two ships in port. (Wiggle hips.)
One headed south and the other headed north. (Chorus)

Her feet were as flat as a bathroom mat. (Point to feet.)
How did they ever get like that? (Chorus)

But she had a heart, so I’m told. (Put hands over heart.)
That was made of purest gold. (Chorus)

Here's a link with patterns so you can make your own Katalina:

Click to download Katalina printable

Syllables - Clap out the syllables in Katalina’s name. Clap out the syllables in the children’s names in your classroom. Count how many claps in each person’s name. Compare and graph.

Comprehension - Have children close their eyes as you sing the song and create a picture of Katalina in their heads. Give each child a sheet of paper to draw her interpretation of Katalina. Display on a bulletin board or make a class book.

Diversity - Talk about what it means to have a heart of gold. Cut out 4 hearts and decorate with gold glitter. Punch holes in the hearts and tie on string to make necklaces. Each day when you see a child being a kind friend, let them wear Katalaina Matalina's heart of gold.

            

Kindness Club
Make a poster that says "Kindness Club." When friends do a kind deed ask children to write their name on the poster. You could also run off "Kindness Tickets" that children to give to friends to thank them.
                                                      

Thanks to Carolyn Kisloski for creating these kindness tickets.

Click to download printable

Pepperoni Pizza
I like to eat, eat, eat, (Extend arms to make a circle like a pizza.)
Pepperoni pizza.
I like to eat, eat, eat,
Pepperoni pizza.

Sing substituting the long “A” sound for each vowel.
A lake tae ate, ate, ate,
Papparaynay pazzay…

Continue substituting with “E,” “I,” “O,” and “U.”

Hint! Make sign language letters for the vowels as you sing.

VOWELS, VOWELS, HAVE YOU HEARD?

Here's a song that introduces the long and short sounds for the vowels. Making manual signs for the letters or holding up letters will help add the visual connection as you sing.

The Vowel Song (Tune: “Are You Sleeping?” Is Everybody Happy CD)
A makes two sounds. (Echo each line.)
/A/ and /a/.
/A/ for apron, /a/ for apple.
/A/ and /a/.
/E/ and /e/ - eagle and elephant…
/I/ and /i/ - ice cream and inchworm…
/O/ and /o/ - open and octopus…
/U/ and /u/ - ukulele and uncle…

                                

The long vowel sounds are easier for children to remember because "they just say their name." Here's a song that will help put those short vowel sounds in the brain. Of course, the letter U will be their favorite!

The Vowel Family (Tune: "BINGO" - Just for Fun CD)
Aunt Aggie had an allergy
and she would always sneeze-o (Pretend to sneeze.)
/a/a/a/a/a/ /a/a/a/a/a/ /a/a/a/a/a/
And she would always sneeze-o.

Grandpa Eddie stayed in shape
and he would exercise-o (Pretend to lift weights.)
/e/e/e/e/e/ /e/e/e/e/e/ /e/e/e/e/e/
He liked to exercise-o.

Baby Izzi had chicken pox
and she would always itch-o. (Scratch body.)
/i/i/i/i/i/ /i/i/i/i/i/ /i/i/i/i/i/
And she would always itch-o.

Cousin Otto’s throat was sore
And this is what he’d say-o. (Put hand on throat.)
/o/o/o/o/o/ /o/o/o/o/o/ /o/o/o/o/o/
And this is what he’d say-o.

Uncle Unk wore underwear
and it did stink-o. (Hold nose.)
/u/u/u/u/u/ /u/u/u/u/u/ /u/u/u/u/u/
And it did stink-o.

Let the children use the attached sheet to make vowel puppets. Tape the letters to craft sticks or glue to an envelope that's been cut in half.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljRjhzN3oxNFliSEU/view?usp=sharing

Five Little Vowels (Adapted from "Monkeys and the Alligator")
Five little vowels swinging from a tree (Hold up 5 fingers.)
Teasing Mr. Alligator, “Can’t catch me! (Point finger.)
You can’t catch me!”
Along came Mr. Alligator quiet as can be (Open and close arms.)
And snatched that A right out of the tree.
/a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ (Make sign language A with hand.)

E…I…O…U

*Draw a tree on a magnetic board and remove magnetic letters as you say the chant.

                                            

While I was on my Pilgrimage to the Holy Lands Alex May (my webmaster) was busy creating some new videos.  One will help your children learn to spell number words and the other one has some silly November jokes.

http://bit.ly/drjeanSpellingNumbers

  

http://bit.ly/drjeanNov2019Jokes

INTEREST INVENTORY

Have you heard this quote? All children are gifted. Some just open their presents earlier than others. Most of the assessments that are done in schools COMPARE children to a norm. There are special things about each child, and that’s why I liked this idea so much.

Interest Inventory
In addition to saving writing samples and self portraits in a “portfolio” each month, have children complete an “interest inventory” by filling in sentences similar to the ones below: 
     I am good at______.
     I like to _____.
     I want to work on _____.
     My favorite book is _____.
     I wish _____.
                       
Hint! Younger children could just dictate their responses to an adult.

*Wouldn't this be good to share at parent conferences?  It would also be a good springboard for student led conferences.

Criss Cross Nursery Rhymes 
This activity combines two of my favorite things – nursery rhymes and crossing the midline. Wouldn’t this be a great brain break for any age?
You can adapt all nursery rhymes can to these movements:
     Jack (extend right arm)
     And Jill (extend left arm)
     Went up (right hand on left shoulder)
     A hill (left hand on right shoulder)
     To fetch (right hand on right hip)
     A pail (left hand on left him)
     Of Wa- (right hand on left knee)

     Ter (left hand on right knee)

     (Clap Hands!)
     Jack (extend right arm)
     Fell down (extend left arm)
     And broke (right hand on left shoulder)
     His crown (left hand on right shoulder)
     And Jill (right hand on right hip)
     Came (left hand on left hip)
     Tumbling (right hand on left knee)
     After (left hand on right knee)
     YEAH! (Thumbs up!)

Touch and Count
Touch different body parts as you count by tens. For example, touch your head as you count 1-9. Touch your shoulders as you count 10-19. Then touch your knees as you count 20-29, and so forth.

Vinny Vertical and Harry Horizontal  (Amy Freund)
Can you tell which one is Vinny Vertical and which one is Harry Horizontal?
       Money Signs
Reinforce coin value by adapting “high five.”

“high penny” – children touch pointer fingers in air
“high five” – children open palms and touch five fingers
“high dime” – children open both hands and touch ten fingers with their partner

Sticky Notes
Use sticky notes to encourage writing and reinforce functional print. “Get a sticky note and write it down so you don’t forget.” “Put a sticky note on your desk about riding home with your aunt.” “Put a sticky note in the book when you find the solution.” Hint! Many
times doctors or dentists have sticky notes from pharmaceutical companies that they will be glad to share with you.

Serious Science
Add a silly pair of glasses (Groucho Marx with a mustache or seasonal glasses available at dollar stores) to your science center. When children do experiments they get to put on the glasses.
                                                  
Dialog Bubbles
The speech bubbles used in cartoons are interesting for children to write in. Ask children to draw their picture and make bubbles saying their favorite word or phrase. You can also cut giant bubbles out of poster board and laminate them. Children can write on these with an erasable marker.

Row with Vowels
Sing the vowels to the tune of “Row Your Boat.”
     A E I O U
     A E I O U
     A E I O U
     A E I O U – and sometimes “Y”. (Put hands in the air and shake.)