Wake Up (Now we're very quiet/Now we're very loud)

Love this, via Kendra

Wake Up!
"You can use any animal, person, or thing for this song. Ask the kids and grownups for ideas. My co-worker uses body parts even! Tap gently on the ground while you’re being quiet and pound the ground to wake everyone up."--Kendra

Dog is sleeping, don’t wake it up.
Dog is sleeping, don’t wake it up.
Dog is sleeping, don’t wake it up.
Now we’re very quiet. Shhhhh.

WAKE UP dog, it’s time to play!
WAKE UP dog, it’s time to play!
WAKE UP dog, it’s time to play!
Now we’re very LOUD!

Cat is sleeping, don’t wake it up.
Cat is sleeping, don’t wake it up.
Cat is sleeping, don’t wake it up.
Now we’re very quiet. Shhhhh.

WAKE UP kitty, it’s time to play!
WAKE UP kitty, it’s time to play!
WAKE UP kitty, it’s time to play!
Now we’re very LOUD!

My Thumbs Are Starting to Wiggle

(Tune: "The Bear Went Over The Mountain")

My thumbs are starting to wiggle;

my thumbs are starting to wiggle;

my thumbs are starting to wiggle--

and then they settle down. (or “and then they go to sleep”)

My hands are starting to wiggle, etc.

Continue with other body parts (or choose parts that start with the letter of the day).

Roll Your Hands (or adapt to other actions)

Roll your hands so slowly,
slowly as can be;
roll your hands so slowly,
and fold your arms like me.

Roll your hands so quickly,
quickly as can be;
roll your hands so quickly,
and fold your arms like me.

Clap your hands so softly,
softly as can be;
clap your hands so softly,
and fold your arms like me.

Clap your hands so loudly,
loudly as can be;
clap your hands so loudly,
and fold your arms like me.

[Stomp your feet/and then stand still like me etc]

We're Looking for an Animal That Starts With...

Wanting a "hiding game" similar to Little Mouse, Little Mouse that could be adapted to feature any animal that starts with the letter of the day, I made up this set of doors and a simple chant:

We're looking for an animal that starts with ["P"]
and we won't stop 'til we find it!
Now, let's give the [RED] door three sharp knocks
and see who hides behind it!
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!


The doors (and animals) are laminated cardstock with magnets on the back--I use a 13 x 13 black magnet board I picked up during back-to-school-magnet-boards-everywhere season (I glued black felt on the back, so this portable board can double as a small flannel board). Size reference: two doors fit on an 8 x 11" page in landscape orientation.

When an animal's revealed, I ask what kind of animal it is. "That's right; it's a koala! K-k-koala: does 'koala' start with 'P'? No? Okay, which door should we knock on next?"

When possible, I try to use slightly less "obvious" animals--a leopard instead of a lion, a hedgehog instead of a horse--to build vocabulary. Once you've made a set of doors, lots of variations are possible (For ex, "We're looking for a JOB that starts with 'P'" with images of different workers. "What's her job? That's right; she's a veterinarian. Does 'veterinarian' start with 'P'?")

Here's a .pdf of the doors if you'd like to reuse them. Most found via Google Image Search under free to use and modify, but I can't guarantee all of them (or remember which, if any, weren't).