I really do enjoy seasonal activities and lesson! Fall is one of my favourite season and I like to celebrate it with songs about fall things, including pumpkins! So here are my top five favourite songs about pumpkins that I have used with all my students from Kindergarten to Grade 6! Pumpkin, Pumpkin This pumpkin-themed song is actually a poem that my grade 3-6 students really enjoy. And I like It because the poem has 16th notes in it, making it a great to prep, introduce, or reinforce 16th note patterns If I am being honest, the main reason my older students like this poem is because of the game we play with it. At the end of October, I usually introduce crescendo and decrescendo, so with this poem we play a pumpkin hiding game that has the students practice speaking in crescendos and decrescendos. Here’s how to play the game
Farmer Brown Has 5 Orange Pumpkins I use this specifically with Kindergarten students because it helps them practice counting backwards, but after a while counting backwards and singing gets boring and so does counting backwards. So here are some extensions!
Pass the Pumpkin This song and game is generally one that I play the most often with grade 1 and 2 students. The song is only sol and mi which is a focus in those grade levels. It reinforces keeping a steady beat and could be used for an introduction for quarter notes and eighth notes. Once you teach your students the song, it is time to play the game! To play the game you need a small pumpkin. I use the one for Jelly Cat, which my students love, but a small gourd would also work great! Ready to play the game, here’s how
Pick a Pumpkin I stumbled upon this song while teaching preschool music, and it’s also great for kindergarten. It is from Rachel Rambach at Listen and Learn Music. The song has great opportunities for teacher-led movement and creative movement. We all know how important movement is for those little ones! Check out the song here and you’ll know exactly what I am talking about! Pick a Pumpkin- Rachel Rambach Jack-o-lantern, Jack-o-lantern This song is kind of a bonus because it is more for Halloween than pumpkins, but it’s great anyway! I got the inspiration for this song and singing game from one of my classroom teacher friends who changed Eric Carle’s Brown Brown, Brown Bear to a Halloween version Here’s how it works!
This game is fantastic for students in grades 1 and 2 as it is all sung on sol, mi, and la and is great practice for solo singing. After we play the game a few times, my students like set a timer and see how fast they can complete the game. However, I always give the caveat that if someone doesn’t use a singing voice I add 5 seconds to their time! Enjoy! Jayna Do you need free resources to use in your classroom tomorrow? Make sure you check out the Free Resource Library!
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AuthorMiss Jayna is an elementary music teacher in Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada. In addition to being a public school teacher Miss Jayna also has a private piano studio and teaches a Children's Music Program. Archives
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