6 Little Ducks

Six Little Ducks

Six little ducks that I once knew

Fat ones, skinny ones, fair ones, too

But the one little duck with the feather on his back

He led the others with a quack, quack, quack

Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack

He led the others with a quack, quack, quack

Down to the river they would go

Wibble, wobble, wibble, wobble, to and fro

But the one little duck with the feather on his back

He led the others with a quack, quack, quack

Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack

He led the others with a quack, quack, quack

Back from the river they would come

Wibble, wobble, wibble, wobble, ho, hum, hum

But the one little duck with the feather on his back

He led the others with a quack, quack, quack

Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack

He led the others with a quack, quack, quack.

So another song, but fun to make!

Start by sponge painting yellow over the entire piece of construction paper.

K was a pro! :)

Let them dry and then cut a duck shape out. Glue it to some water, then let the kids add beaks and of course FEATHERS!

Cute!

Old MacDonald

So I found these in a book, and copied them and colored them.  I have written to the Author and Illustrator and they said I can't scan them in for you but if you email me I can send them to you that way.

I then covered them in packing tape and hot glued sticks to the back.

Then we sang the song.

It was fun.

Then they played themselves.

This is how I store them.

I bought these for 33 cents at Target on clearance and then put them in a notebook for the kids to flip through and decide what they want to play with.

If you want a copy email me at valeriewitte@yahoo.com I will send them right away.

Sand Blocks

Whew! What a crazy last two days, sorry I haven't posted!

Here is what you need:

Wood blocks, Sandpaper, Markers, Staple gun (not for the kids), and a bit o'glue.

Color the blocks with markers...in this house markers are big deal!

Measure then glue and staple to the sides.

PS, I am wearing lotion this time, but now I see a manicure is in my future! Yowza!

Ta-Da!

Now rub together...

We identified which sides to rub...

Then talked about rhythm, and beats.

Shake it people!

Picture me busting a move. Okay. Done. LOL.

Bull-Roarers

We are making Musical Instruments this week.


What is a Bull-roarer?
Known as the 'voice of God' to the Australian Aborigines and given to the males of the Clan at naming ceremonies or other auspicious occasions. Used as a 'talk back switch' to the Creator. To sound a Bullroarer it is swung lasso style which causes it to spin and make a 'humming type' sound.  


We (my husband and I) studied these all weekend and decided to make them with the kids. If you knew us, this would make total sense to you. School Science Projects here we come! LOL


So we thought we could recreate the Bull-roarer sound with these simple around the house items...

Then we attatched the rubber bands to the spoons.

L was very good at this!

Then you add the yarn.

Here is a close up!

Yikes! someone needs lotion!

After spinning it around we realized we needed to add tape.

I mean seriously look at those Colorado dried hands. Yuck! I am so sorry!

Then add the rubber bands. Now lets go outside and try it...

Make sure there is lots of room.

better.

L wanted sunglasses!

It makes such a cool sound.

We then traded out the different sized rubber bands and took notes on the different sounds they made.

We came in and talked about how sound is made and how to make vibrations and waves.

Try this...it is fun and easy!  Click on the Music Tab to see what we have done in the past.

5 Little Pumpkins

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate;

The first one said, "Oh my it's getting late."

The second one said, "There are witches in the air."

The third one said, "But we don't care.”

The fourth one said, "I'm ready for some fun!"

The fifth one said, "Let's run and run and run."

"Wooooooo" went the wind,

And out went the lights.

And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

This is one of my favorite Halloween Songs/Poems. So we made a project out of it.

What we used...

Orange paint, Brown Paint, White Paper, Blue Cardstock, Yellow Cardstock, Brown Paper Bag.

We painted pumpkins on every kids hands...

I even did it with my 7 month old's hands.

Then you stamp that on the paper.

Repaint and Repeat 4 times so there is 5 pumpkins on the paper.

Let dry and then cut the outline out. With the paper bag cut a gate, a simple one.

With the Blue Cardstock cut it in half.

With the Yellow Cardstock cut the moon.

Then assemble the project.

Here they are finished.

On mine I made 2 with all 3 of my kids hand prints. So cute right?

Aboriginal Clap Sticks

Here's a twist on the rhythm sticks that Australian aborigines use in ceremonial dances: decorated paint stirrers that let your kid be a one-man percussion section, clapping along to his favorite music.

What you need: Paint Stirrers and paint and Q-tips.
Time needed: About 2 to 3 Hours. To make a set, paint one side and all the edges of the 4 sticks with a base color, then let them dry.

2. Next, use other colors to paint on decorative bands and squiggles. Use Q-Tips to add dot accents.
My sister and I used the back side of the paintbrush to scrape the paint and make cool designs too.

3. Once all the paint has dried, clap them together and dance around.

I found the story of Dot painting online:
The indigenous people of Australia, or Aborigines, use dot painting as a form of storytelling. With dots of paint traditionally made from natural pigments, they create patterns and images of plants and animals that represent their culture's creation myths, which date back tens of thousands of years.

Bottle Shakers

At 6 months babies have good control of their movements, especially their arms and hands. These shakers or any rattling sound will make any baby feel excited and help them boost cause and effect awareness. It might also help with rhythm!

All of these from Walmart are less than a buck a piece!

What you need. Empty containers like spice bottles, baby bottles with flat lids, (I used Gatorade Bottles) sand, dried beans, water and oil, rocks or rice. Fill 'em secure them with glue or tape and let them have at it!

Here is my little fuzz ball after she woke up from her first nap.



Here she is with her siblings after dinner...

These bottle shakers help develop Cause and Effect, Listening, Music, and Large Motor. Make them, they are easy and everyone likes to Shake 'em.

Flat Maracas

Today we made Flat Maracas, next week we will make round ones.

Before we could start the kids wanted a snack. I know the picture is crooked but my daughter looks like a doll sitting in that chair!

Here is what you need:
(the scent crayons aren't necessary but I had them and my boy wanted to use the stinky crayons)

First color the plates
(I used small plates because I have kids with little hands, but you could use big ones.)

She thought it was hilarious to sit with her brother.

Then you staple all around the edges, leaving a 2 inch hole at the top. Then you fill with rice.
(You don't have to use rice, dry popcorn-unpopped, salt, beans...anything will work)

My son was very into this, look how serious he is!
She opted to use her hands
The last thing you do is staple the last 2 inches of the plate and shake away!
(staples work much better than glue and you don't have to worry about dry time)
He was double checking my stapling job.
They were quite easy to make and will last a very long time. We put them in our music box and will use them for Jack's Big Music Show tonight. We are doing a music themed Family Home Evening.

(these pictures were all taken in My Daughter's room, yes those diamonds are hand painted. My husband is great at full filling my visions. It looks awesome trust me!)

Happy Monday everyone!

Original Post 8/4/08