Singing in the Leaves (my tribute to Gene Kelly)

So the leaves in my neighborhood are coming down in buckets.  It's so beautiful.  I had this thought...I want to use these leaves in primary but they are so messy.  But what if I filled a Rubbermaid tub with a bunch of colorful leaves.  That way the leaves are contained. 

So this is a simple singing time:  Inside the tub with a million leaves, put little objects in there with songs attached to them.  I have a few smallish fall and Halloween items, but they could be any kind of item.  Blindfold the helper and have them dig in the tub until they feel something that isn't a leaf.  Pull it out, sing the song. 

You could even do this next month and have the kids dig for an object that represents a blessing and a song...they have to guess what blessing the item represents and then sing a song that coordinates.

EX:  An apple- I am grateful for food.  Sing FUN TO DO (EATING AN APPLE IS FUN TO DO)

And so forth. 

Sing or Hallowen Dare! AKA Sing or SCARE!

One of my most successful singing times has been SING OR DARE.  I am not sure why the kids love this so much but they do.  And it seems like they always choose the DARE cards over the SING cards.  So I make sure I have plenty of DARE CARDS.

So for the Halloween version of this game you have create similar cards but the DARES have to do with costumes.  I have a tub full of random costumes I have collected over the years.  You will want to find things easy to get on...meaning just hats or belts or wigs or things of that nature.  So you present the cards to the helper and they choose to be safe or brave.  The DARE cards will all include a costume they have to put on as well as what they have to do with it. 

The Cowboy/girl:  They have to put on the hat and the bandana and hold the gun, stand on a chair and say YEEEE HAW!

The Pirate girl/boy:  ACT OUT HOW A PIRATE ACT, make sure you say, ARRRR MATEY!

Long blond wig and crown with wand (yes if a boy picks this card, they have to put it on)... go tap someone on the shoulder with the wand in a 'lovely voice' and give them a compliment.

Spider-man gloves (I have these funky gloves that make sounds that are part of a spidey costume)-  Lead the children in your favorite song wearing the spidey gloves!

Witch Hat-  Put the hat on and tell the children this Halloween riddle:  what do witches put on their hair?  Answer- SCARE SPRAY!

Mickey Ears Hat (from Disneyland) -  give your best voice impression of Mickey Mouse

The sing cards are as follow:

Sing your favorite Program song of this year

Sing your favorite primary song about our Savior

Sing your favorite song about autumn time.

Sing your favorite primary Christmas song

Sing your favorite wiggle song

Sing Do As I Am Doing backwards!

You can tweak this how you like, using the costumes you love and find appropriate and easy!  Enjoy!

Falling Leaves Singing Time

So my program is over and I have 3 whole months to just play.  Perhaps most of you choristers are still doing intensive reviews.  But for those of you wanting to play, here is an idea.

I made and laminated these leaves years ago and I use them for a variety of things.  I highly suggest having a set of these.  I free handed them on poster board and colored them with chalk.  They can be used so many different ways.

So I chose 10 of my leaves.  5 of them have a lyric taped to the FRONT.  5 of them have a song and a way to sing it on the back.  Here is how this works:

I will put all the leaves on the board with magnets.  The kids (pick helpers) get to choose.  They can choose what they see, which is lyric, or they can choose the unknown, having to turn the leaf over to find out what they have to do.

For example:  One leaf has the lyric on it...'everyday I need'.  They have to figure out where that lyric comes from.  You can go hard or easy with these lyrics depending on your crowd.  When they get the lyric and guess the song, you sing it.  For this particular lyric...it goes to Scripture Power of course.

The other leaves...well they choose and turn it over and read it silently.  It will give a song and tell the helper how they have to sing it.  So it's like name that tune.  The helper has to be brave in this endeavor so put out your disclaimer that if they choose the UNKNOWNS, they have to be prepared to sing.  Some will find this challenging and some will find this horrifying.  HA HA.  But let's say they choose the leaf that says CALLED TO SERVE, HUM on the back of the leaf.  Well they have to hum (solo) and see if the audience can guess it with just their voice.  Then once they guess it, sing it with the entire group and with accompaniment. 

For me, I may just do the lyric portion for the juniors as I don't see 3 year olds getting the task of humming, ooing or auuuhhhh a song.  Then with the seniors have both portions as they like challenges and tend to be more up for these sorts of task.  Either way, the goal is to make all the leaves FALL off the board.  So once all the 'easy' ones are gone, they will be left with the other. 

I hope it will be fun.  I chose seasonal and fun songs because the kids have worked hard and I thought it would be fun to just do up tempo fun things.

Writing the Lyric

So I was pondering my last post and that song, OH WHAT DO YOU DO IN THE AUTUMN TIME WHEN ALL THE WORLD IS CHANGED.

I was thinking I wanted to put a spin on this song and make it more interesting.  First I will present the song as it is written, found in this link:  We will sing it with the handy-dandy flip book pages.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6S_8KBQBYDxVkF3N3F1WVNfQVU/edit?pli=1

Then I thought it would be fun to get feedback from the kids.  What do they like to do in the Autumn time?  You ask for suggestions from the kids.  Chose someone to share and write it on the board.  Get a few examples of what they do in the autumn time and then try to put them in lyrics that rhyme

For example:  A child might say, play football, another might mention Halloween, or carve pumpkins or wear scarves or whatever.  So with the help of the kids, rewrite the song...

OH WHAT DO YOU DO IN THE AUTUMN TIME, WHEN ALL THE WORLD IS CHANGED?
Do you play football games?
then ask, what would rhyme with that?

Or dance in the rain?

Carve pumpkins for night?
Wear costumes that fright?

IS THAT WHAT YOU DO?  SO DO I?

You will have to help guide them in this, but with the help of their peers, I think you will end up cute lyrics. 

Holy Smokes, it's almost October...some goofy fall songs

Wow, the weeks are flying by. I have been MIA.  My primary program is in 2 weeks and we have had practices in the chapel for 2 weeks now which means I haven't had to come up with any ideas to entertain the kids.  However, we are still adding to our singing chain each week and I am going to post a picture in a bit.  It is so long it is in two enormous garbage sacks.  The kids think it is so ridiculous and funny...and well, it is.  When the program is over, we are going to roll it out and measure just how long it goes. 

I was blog stalking like I do because I love gleaning ideas.  And I came across alternative lyrics to OH WHAT DO YOU DO IN THE SUMMER TIME.  If you have gone into my archives, you know one of my favorite things to do is mess with 'fun' songs in the primary song book by changing their lyrics. 

It is just about time to get out 5 LITTLE PUMPKINS (Popcorn Popping).  But this one is kinda cute, too.  OH WHAT DO YOU DO IN THE AUTUMN TIME  (check it out, even has visuals all ready to go for it).  When the program is over, I will be using this to celebrate autumn (which is my favorite season!)

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6S_8KBQBYDxVkF3N3F1WVNfQVU/edit?pli=1

Singing the apostle song might be a fun addition to getting ready for conference!
http://www.scribd.com/doc/85291342/Living-Prophets-Song-First-Presidency-12-Apostles-Nalani

Trick Or Treat

Okay, I totally stole these ideas.  These were two seperate ideas and I combined them.  You could just use one or the other.  This game is posted on BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS as a party game.  They made their cans out of soup cans.  I didn't have a variety of soup cans lying around so I used pails I had and covered them with construction paper and put faces on them.  How to play...

So you get a small ball, like a bouncy ball, and line the pails up on the floor at varying lengths, or you could even set some on boxes to elevate them.  Pick a helper.  The helper gets to choose how difficult he/she wants his/her challenge.  It is easier to get the ball in the bigger pails.  The smaller the pail/can, the harder it is to make a basket.  Whether they get the ball in or not, have them then pick a card out of the pail they were trying for.

I made several cards some saying TRICK and some saying TREAT.  The Treat cards are all songs, and I put autumn seasonal songs on the back but you can put whatever songs you want on the back.  The Trick cards are silly Halloween riddles.  Again, some people might find it's weird to do this at church but I am a firm believer in making singing time fun and so some harmless jokes don't worry me too much.  If you don't want to do riddles, you could have the TRICK be like hide the object or make them do something like, stand on one leg and touch your nose, ect....  I totally morphed this orginal idea to suit me and you can do the same.  There is one Sunday left to play off of Halloween and so I am going to do this come Sunday.  We had a really great program last week and I feel the kids deserve a play day before he start Christmas songs!

RIDDLES:
What is a skeletone's favorite musical instrument?  A:  A Trom-BONE!
What does a bird say at Halloween?  A:  Twick or TWEET
What does a panda ghost eat?  A:  Bam-BOO
What pants do ghosts wear?  A:  Boo-jeans
What kind of TV is in a haunted house?  A:  A wide-SCREAM
What did the pumpking put on his boo-boo?  A:  A pumpkin PATCH
WHy didn't the skeleton want to dance?  A:  Because he had NO-body to dance with
Why did the little ghost cry?  A:  Because he wanted his MUMMY
What do you call a nervous witch?  A:  A T-WITCH
How do ghosts like their eggs?  A:  Terror-fried
What kind of streets do zombies live on?  DEAD-ENDS

Pumpkin Patch

 

So I free handed this scene, copying something my sister did years ago.  It is a bunch of pumpkins, some with eyes and some with mouths, but they are all missing something.  So in a bucket, there are the missing pieces.  You can go on a hunt for these pieces, or have them in a bag to pick out or a whatever.  Have the kids put the faces of the  jack-o-lanterns together and at the end, you have a cute little spooky pumpkin patch scene.  Happy Halloween!

Love Halloween

 

 

I love putting spins on songs in the primary book.  Some might find this a bit sacreligious for primary but I did last year and didn't get in trouble, so I am doing it again.  I LOVE the song

HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT

(it has so many ways to spin it!)

 

So I just printed Halloween clip art, laminted it and glued it to a stick.  Put the sticks in a bucket and the kids pick out a stick and sing HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT

 

GHOST:  If You're a Ghost and you know it , then say BOO.  BOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Witch:  If A Witch makes you laugh, say HEE, HEE, HEE.  HEE, HEE, HEE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monster:  If you're a monster and you know it, ROAR.  ROOOOOAR!!!!!!!!!!!!

BLACK CAT:  If you're afraid of black cats, say MEOW.  MEOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SKELETON:  If you think skeletons are cool, wiggle your bones (have them stand and shake)

 

The kids think this is hilarious. I find this a fun way to celebrate the season and what kid isn't totally ecstatic that Halloween is on the way?  I know I am excited about it!  So call me a big kid!

Put the Scarecrow Together

This is a pretty cute scarecrow.  It would work like a puzzle.  Songs on back or ways to sing songs on back.  Hide the pieces around the room and see if the kids can put him right!

5 Little Pumpkins...

Yes.... fall is almost here.  Last year, I taught the kids this song and they LOVED it.  I will be resurrecting it soon as autumn is on its way.

I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AND WHAT DID I SEE? (use hands like glasses)
5 LITTLE PUMPKINS STARING BACK AT ME (hold up 5 fingers and point to yourself)
FALL HAS BROUGHT ME SUCH A NICE SURPRISE (hands out in surprise)
A PUMPKIN PATCH RIGHT BEFORE MY EYES (hold up 5 fingers and point to eyes)
I CAN TAKE A PUMPKIN AND CARVE IT OUT (mold arms in a circle and pretend to carve)
GIVE IT 2 EYES (hold up 2 fingers and point to eyes)
A NOSE (point to nose)
A MOUTH (point to mouth)
IT WASN'T REALLY SO BUT IT SEEMED TO ME (shake finger)
5 LITTLE PUMPKINS STARING BACK AT ME (hold up 5 fingers and point to yourself)

I love a spin on an oldie but goodie!