Super songs for teaching and just plain having fun!

If you have never had the pleasure of discovering Dr. Jean, go on YouTube and check her out. Here just a brief description of how I use two of her songs.

The Banana Dance seemed a bit repetitive the first time I heard it, but every group of kids I have ever danced it with LOVES it (especially the ketchup noise). It is extremely catchy, so kids keep practicing the vocabulary because they can’t stop singing it.

I first present a picture of a banana and elicit the name. Then I begin the dance (watch the video) with “Form the banana”. I put up a picture of a partially peeled banana to explain “Peel the banana,” and do this with the motions. I continue like this through the song, adding a picture for each fruit or vegetable, doing each one at a time. I also have a picture of guacamole, since most of my kids have never heard of it. Then we do the whole song to music.

A good time filler for the end of class is I am Slowly Going Crazy. This is especially good if it has been a class where they have had to think hard and not move a lot. I write the sentence “I am slowly going crazy,” on the board (or I have laminated cards with each word of the sentence for groups where there is no board) and pantomime until we get the meaning of the sentence. I have the kids say it word for word, then build the sentence one word at a time. Then I write “1,2,3,4,5,6”. Usually by “2” kids are saying the next number for me. I pause after “6” and when they all say “7” I shake my head and write “Switch!” Then I show them what switch means using various objects in the room. I tell them we will switch the sentence and write “Crazy”. I often have to point to “going” to elicit the next word, but by then they have figured it out and will tell me the rest.

Then I say. “Put your left ankle on your right knee. Put your left elbow on your left knee. Make a fist. Put your chin on your fist.” I show each movement as I say it. Then we sing through the song slowly a few times, switching sides on “Switch!” (Watch the video, it will make sense!). Once this is going well I tell them they are ready for music. We do it with Dr. Jean, and by the end everyone is laughing and begging to do it again!

To purchase the songs, click the links below.