Sing Across America

Families Sing Music Kit: Sing Across America

Library storytimes are designed to enhance a child’s language development by giving them a variety of experiences. Take this Families Sing Music Kit home and create your own family storytime at home with our books, felt board stories, fingerplays, songs, music and action rhymes.

Although we have included a plan to use all the materials in one 45-minute sitting, each item can be used independently or with just one or two other items.

We hope you have fun exploring each theme in your home and at your own pace!

KIT CONTENTS:

White Program Notebook

1 Traveling Felt Board with 2 felt board stories

“Five Little Hats” (5 pieces)

“Hush Little Baby” (8 pieces)

BOOKS

Bates, Katherine LeeAmerica the Beautiful

Frazee, Marla, Ill.Hush Little Baby: A Folksong with Pictures

Guthrie, WoodyThis Land Is Your Land

Ryan, Pam MunozWhen Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson with CD

Spier, Peter, Ill.Star Spangled Banner

CDs

Music for Little PeopleCelebration of America

Ella Jenkins Songs Children Love to Sing

Pete Seeger For Kids and Just Plain Folks

Families Sing, a collaborative project of the Mohawk Valley Library System and member libraries, is supported by Federal Library Services and Technology Act funds, awarded to the New York State Library by the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Prepared by Joyce R. Laiosa for the MohawkValley Library System, 2006

Families Sing Music Kit: Sing Across America

Suggested Program

1) Read/listen This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie

The pictures in the book are very busy, so point out all the different scenes in the book as it is being read. Talk about our country and where New YorkState fits in to the song: “from the New York island…”

Listen to Pete Seeger CD for the music of “This Land is Your Land.”

2) Sing “If I Had A Hammer” (use Pete Seeger CD)

If I had a hammer, I’d hammer in the morning,

I’d hammer in the evening, all over this land.

I’d hammer out danger, I’d hammer out a warning,

I’d hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters,

All over this land.

If I had a bell, I’d ring it in the morning,

I’d ring it in the evening, all over this land.

I’d ring out danger, I’d ring out a warning,

I’d ring out love between my brothers and my sisters,

All over this land.

If I had a song, I’d sing it in the morning,

I’d sing it in the evening, all over this land.

I’d sing out danger, I’d sing out a warning,

I’d sing out love between my brothers and my sisters,

All over this land.

Well, I got a hammer, and I’ve got a bell,

And I’ve got a song to sing, all over this land.

It’s the hammer of justice, it’s the bell of freedom,

It’s the song about love between my brothers and my sisters,

All over this land.

Clap the rhythm of the song as you sing.

3) Sing/chant “Peter Hammers”

(Do appropriate actions as you sing or chant)

Peter hammers with one hammer, one hammer, one hammer;

Peter hammers with one hammer all day long. (“hammer” with one fist pounding)

Peter hammer with two hammers, two hammers, two hammers;

Peter hammers with two hammers all day long. (“hammer” with two fists pounding)

Peter hammers with three hammers, three hammers, three hammers; Peter hammers with three hammers all day long. (“hammer” with two fists pounding and one foot stomping)

Peter hammers with four hammers, four hammers, four hammers;

Peter hammers with four hammers all day long. (“hammer” with two fists pounding and two feet stomping)

Peter hammers with five hammers, five hammers, five hammers;

Peter hammers with five hammers all day long. “hammer” with two fists pounding, two feet stomping, and head bobbing up and down)

(sing/chant slowly with no “hammering”)

Peter’s very tired now, tired now, tired now;

Peter’s very tired now, all day long.

(sing/chant fast while “hammering” with two fists pounding, two feet stomping, and head bobbing up and down)

Peter’s wide awake now, awake now, awake now;

Peter’s wide awake now, all day long.

4) Read/listen to When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan

Hold the book and point to the words as the book is read on the CD. This helps children with print awareness, one of the early literacy skills every child should know before they begin school. This will prepare them for reading.

Talk about changes in our country in the years since Marian Anderson was denied access to sing in Washington, D.C. How many famous singers can you and your children name?

Think of singers of today and ones from the last century.

5) Felt Story: “Five Little Hats”

First time place rings on fingers as you say the poem. Second time let children place “hats” on felt storyboard.

One little girl, on a sunny day

Put on her hat and went out to play.

Two little girls, when the day was dark,

Put on their hats and went to the park.

Three little girls, when the sky was blue,

Put on their hats, and went to the zoo.

Four little girls, by the kitchen door,

Put on their hats and went to the store.

Five little girls on a sunny day,

Nodded their heads – and they all ran away!

6) Sing/chant “Miss Mary Mack”

Use Ella Jenkins CD and sing/clap along

Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack, All dressed in black, black, black,

With silver buttons, buttons, buttons, All down her back, back, back.

She asked her mother, mother, mother, For fifteen cents, cents, cents,

To see the elephant, elephant, elephant, Climb up the fence, fence, fence.

They jumped so high, high, high, They reached the sky, sky, sky,

And never came back, back, back, Till the 4th of July, ly, ly.

7) Read America the Beautiful by Katherine Lee Bates and Wendall Minor

Listen to song from Celebration of America CD. Sing along.

8) Read Hush Little Baby by Marla Frazee

Read the book/sing the book.

Now sing the song with the felt board figures. Have the children place the figures on the board as it is sung. Have the children chime in with the rhyming word. Having children recognize rhymes is called phonological awareness and one of the skills in early literacy to help a child prepare for reading.

Hush little baby don’t say a word, Papa’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.

If that mockingbird don’t sing, Papa’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.

If that diamond ring turns brass, Papa’s gonna buy you a looking glass.

If that looking glass gets broke, Papa’s gonna buy you a billy goat.

If that billy goat don’t pull, Papa’s gonna buy you a cart and bull.

If that cart and bull fall over, Papa’s gonna buy you a dog named Rover.

If that dog named Rover don’t bark, Papa’s gonna buy you a horse and cart.

If that horse and cart fall down, you’ll still be the sweetest baby in town.

(Words can be changed to “mama.”)

9) Sing “Home on the Range”

Here’s another famous American song that everyone should know.

Oh, give me a home where buffalo roam, where the deer and the antelope play,

Where seldom is heard a discouraging word, and the skies are not cloudy all day.

Home, home on the range, where the deer and the antelope play,

Where seldom is heard a discouraging word, and the skies are not cloudy all day.

Repeat the song.

10) Sing “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain”

Clap as you sing to a lively beat. For every verse there is an echo that is chanted – not sung.

She’ll be coming ‘round the mountain when she comes

(echo: when she comes)

She’ll be coming ‘round the mountain when she come

(echo: when she comes)

She’ll be coming ‘round the mountain, she’ll be coming round the mountain,

She’ll be coming ‘round the mountain when she comes!

She’ll be riding six white horses when she comes

(echo: whoa there!)

Oh, we’ll all go down to meet her when she comes

(echo: Hi Babe!)

She’ll be wearing red pajamas when she comes

(echo: scratch, scratch)

Oh, she’ll have to sleep with Gramma when she comes

(echo: snore, snore)

We’ll eat French fries with gravy when she comes

(echo: yum, yum)

Oh, we’ll all be sad and lonely when she goes

(echo: boo hoo)

For extra fun, try this: In between verses, say the echoes in the order they came in, “whoa there; Hi babe!; scratch, scratch; snore, snore; yum, yum; boo hoo.” Then try adding hand motions to match the words, such as patting your stomach for “yum, yum.”

11) Read The Star Spangled Banner by Peter Spier

Talk about the history of the song (from the back of the book). Sing the song with the book.

12) CDs – listen and sing along with the CDs.

Try the many songs on the different CDs. Clap to the songs, parade and dance around.

13) Art Activity

It is always fun to extend your reading and music time with other activities.

Make a western vest for “Home on the Range.” You’ll need a large brown grocery bag, scissors, and markers, or crayons, to decorate. Cut the bag up the middle and cut out a section for your neck, and cut out arm holes. Make fringe on the bottom and decorate with fancy designs.
Make a shoe box guitar. You’ll need scissors, ruler, shoe box with lid, white glue, 4 toothpicks, and 4 large rubber bands of various thickness and a pencil. Cut a hole about 3 inches square near one end of the shoe-box lid. Glue the toothpicks onto the lid of the box, spacing them evenly between the hole and the opposite end of the lid. These are frets. Place the lid on the box. Slide the rubber bands, from thickest, around the box and lid so that they go across the hole. Insert the pencil under the rubber bands. Try making different sounds by holding down the rubber bands at the frets while plucking. Notice that the thicker rubber bands create a lower sound.
Make a mobile with a wire clothes hanger, string, and pictures of American symbols like a flag, the Statue of Liberty, presidents, and any thing that catches the child’s fancy. Cut these out of magazines and mount on color paper or oak tag (manila folders). Then hang the pictures on string and place on the hanger.

Felt Story: “Five Little Hats”

Story includes 5 hats.

First time place rings on fingers as you say the poem. Second time let children place “hats” on felt storyboard.

One little girl, on a sunny day

Put on her hat and went out to play.

Two little girls, when the day was dark,

Put on their hats and went to the park.

Three little girls, when the sky was blue,

Put on their hats, and went to the zoo.

Four little girls, by the kitchen door,

Put on their hats and went to the store.

Five little girls on a sunny day,

Nodded their heads – and they all ran away!

Felt Board Song: “Hush Little Baby”

Story includes baby, mockingbird, diamond ring, looking glass, billy goat, cart and bull, dog, and horse and cart.