World Nursery Rhyme Week 2024
This pack is designed to support you in learning the songs for Snappy World Nursery Rhyme Week 2024 but it can be used at any time. Make sure you warm your voice up before singing. Remember, singing shouldn’t be painful or uncomfortable. Singing should be fun and relaxed. Keep your head straight and always aim for beautiful singing, never loud singing. Finally… Have plenty of fun!
Choose Your Nursery Rhyme
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SESSION 7: Jack and the Beanstalk
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SESSION 8: Goldilocks and the Three Bears
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SESSION 9: Gingerbread Man
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SESSION 10: Three Little Pigs
Curriculum Checklist:
Downloads:
Teaching Assistance
Twinkle, Twinkle is a popular nursery rhyme and offers lots of opportunities for actions. (Physical Development)
It is based on a 19th century poem by Jane Taylor and the melody is a French tune called ‘Ah! vous dirai-je, maman’ (‘Oh! Shall I tell you, Mama’), which was written in 1761. (Understanding of the World)
Written with a time signature of 4/4, there are 4 beats per bar counted as 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4. (Mathematics)
The melody opens with the interval of a 5th (‘Do’ – ‘So’) before moving by step. The opening phrase (both words and melody) returns at the end of the song.
The second phrase features repetition as ‘like a diamond in the sky’ is set to the same melody as ‘up above the world so high’. (Expressive Arts and Design)
The rhythm consists of crotchets (1 beat) and minims (2 beats). (Mathematics)
Like many traditional songs and nursery rhymes, Twinkle, Twinkle has lots of unfamiliar verses, so once you have learnt the ‘famous’ verse, explore some of the others.
As your bright and tiny spark
Light’s the traveller in the dark
Though I know not what you are
Twinkle, twinkle little star
Twinkle, twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are
Then the trav’ller in the dark,
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so,
Twinkle, Twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Alternative verses could also be created for exploring different seasons (Understanding of the World). Examples could include...
Falling, falling autumn leaves,
Falling, falling, from the trees
Up above and on the ground
Swirling, twirling all around
Falling, falling autumn leaves
Falling, falling from the trees
Falling, falling winter snow
Snowflakes fall upon my nose
Snowflakes dancing all around
Snow is falling on the ground
Falling, falling winter snow
Snowflakes fall upon my nose
Once confident, remember to sing the song with a clear voice and use actions to bring the song to life. This is a great song to perform to others in an assembly or concert (Communication and Language). Older children may enjoy singing this rhyme as a round, whereby one group starts the song and then another begins singing as they finish the first line. The staggered entries continue until all groups are singing. As each group finishes the song, they then stop singing and wait for the remaining groups to also finish.
Listening activity
(Expressive Arts and Design)
A variety of musical extracts can be used for listening activities to support this rhyme. Depending on the age of the children, the listening activity could be:
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a structured listening task where children listen and comment on tempo (speed), dynamics (volume) or pitch (high/low).
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The music is used as ‘ambience’ music whilst the children complete an independent drawing or craft activity.
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The music is used to create a calming environment by moving a lycra above the children as they lie beneath and listen to the music. A greater sensory experience can be achieved by dimming the lights, using soft toys, attaching stars to dangle from the lycra and using flashing lights.
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To create a sense of calm, rest a teddy on a piece of lycra as you sing the lullaby. Gently move the lycra to the beat to help teddy drift off to sleep. At the end of the song encourage the children to release the lycra carefully so that the leader can wrap it around teddy now that he is asleep. Alternatively, children could be encouraged to choose their favourite teddy or soft toy and rock them from side to side as they sing. This relaxing song brings the most energetic of sessions to a calming close. Younger children will enjoy lying on the floor underneath the lycra or parachute as it lifts gently above them. It’s perfectly acceptable for the leader to sing the song solo.
Music extracts include…
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‘Twelve variations on ‘Ah! vous dirai-je, maman’ for solo piano by Mozart.
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Symphony No. 94 ‘Surprise’, second movement by Haydn.
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‘The Planets’ Suite by Holst. Each movement represents each planet and their character. Mars (the Bringer of War) is angry and ominous, Venus (the Bringer of Peace) is slow with relaxing melodies on harps and flutes, Mercury (the Winged Messenger) is fast and lively, Jupiter (the Bringer of Jollity) is majestic and includes the famous tune known as ‘I Vow to Thee My Country’, Saturn (the Bringer of Old Age) is slow and unsettling, Uranus (the Magician) is brassy and boisterous, and Neptune (The Mystic) is mysterious and mystical.
Additional Activities
Space Mobile
(Expressive Arts and Design, Understanding of the World)
Create a mobile using a variety of pictures and string, suspended from a paper plate. Pictures could include planets, asteroids, moon, sun and stars.
Straw Rockets
(Expressive Arts and Design, Understanding of the World)
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Colour and cut out this rocket template.
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Using two different sized straws, cut the larger of two straws to the length of the rocket (tape the top end shut) and tape it to the back of the rocket.
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Using the smaller sized straw, insert this into the big straw, hold the straw, take a big breath a blow!
Explore other stories linked to space
(Literacy, Understanding of the World)
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Our Stars by Anne Rockwell
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Stars by Seymour Simon
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Zoo in the Sky by Jacqueline Mitton
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The Big Dipper by Franklyn Branley
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Aliens Love Underpants by Claire Freedman
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We’re Off to Look for Aliens by Colin McNaughton
Paint the Solar System
(Expressive Arts and Design, Understanding of the World)
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Using black paper, paint and different size sponges; create the sun. Place the planets in the correct order.
Wish Tree
(Communication and Language, Personal, Social and Emotional Development)
Cut paper into star shapes. Attach a piece of string to each star, and encourage the children to write a wish onto a star. They then hang their star on a tree/board and at the end of each day, a handful can be chosen and discussed as a class.
Teaching Assistance
Old MacDonald is one of the most famous farmers! His farm is well known, and the nursery rhyme introduces to us the noisy animals that live there.
Like most nursery rhymes, multiple versions exist. Some may have a slightly different melody, whilst others may have different words.
Written in 4/4, there are 4 beats in a bar counted as 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4 etc and the rhythm largely consists of crotchets (1 beat notes) and quavers (1/2 beat notes). (Mathematics)
When introducing crotchets, it is easier to refer to them as ‘Ta’. Clap and speak the word ‘Ta’ four times and ask the children to repeat this back. (Call and Response)
The song starts on ‘Do’ (the first note of the scale) with three repeated crotchets (1 beat notes) before jumping down to ‘So’ (the 5th note of the scale) on the 4th beat.
Different pitches can be shown using hand gestures and will reinforce the concept of high and low sounds. (Expressive Arts and Design).
The opening phrase is sung twice, with ‘e-i-e-i-o’ being written as a descending stepwise pattern of ‘mi-mi-re-re-do’. This returns twice more in the song.
The descending pitch can be shown on the body ‘e-i’ (head), ‘e-i’ (shoulders), ‘o’ (knees). Remember to tap the body to the rhythm of the words.
The third phrase introduces quavers which can be referred to as ‘Te-Te’.
Quavers are used for ‘with a moo moo here, and a moo moo there. Here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo.’ 2 quavers fit into 1 beat.
Beat hearts can help to show how quavers fit inside a beat.
Using the beat hearts above, tap each heart once as you speak ‘Old MacDonald had a farm’.
Now speak ‘here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo’. For the words in bold there will be two taps on a single heart to show the quavers. The words not in bold will be a single tap to show the crotchets. (Expressive Arts and Design, Mathematics).
To demonstrate further, place beat hearts or spots on the floor and ask two children to stand on a single heart/spot. This shows two quavers in 1 beat.
Place one child on another spot to show a crotchet (1 beat).
Using 4 hearts or spots you can place the children either in pairs or individually to compose (create) different rhythms consisting of crotchets and quavers.
Stick notation can then be introduced to show how crotchets and quavers would be notated.
The song concludes with a return of the opening phrase. This structure is AABA.
Once you have learnt the song, use your thinking voice for the animal noises (‘moo’ or ‘baa’). When you sing the song, there should then be a gap on the word you have chosen as you will be singing this in your ‘thinking’ voice.
Try making a new version of the song using different animals. You could even change the ‘farm’ to a ‘zoo’, ‘pet shop’ or similar. Think about the sounds the animals make and try to incorporate actions to tell the story of your song (Literacy, Physical Development).
Both versions could then be performed in an assembly or concert. (Communication and Language, Expressive Arts and Design)
Alternative versions of the song can be found on BBC Teach using the link below.
Old MacDonald had a farm (sung by Andy Day) - BBC Teach
Additional Activities
Listen to a recording of a farm
(Expressive Arts & Design, Understanding of the World)
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What can you hear?
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How would you describe the sounds? (High/Low? Loud/Quiet? Fast/Slow?)
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What can you imagine happening?
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Draw a picture whilst you listen to the music
Explore other stories linked to the farm
(Literacy)
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What the Ladybird Heard – Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks
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The Scarecrows' Wedding – Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
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The Tale of Peter Rabbit – Beatrix Potter
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A Squash and a Squeeze – Julia Donaldson and Axel Sheffler
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Topsy and Tim: At the Farm – Jean and Gareth Adamson
Understanding the working farm
(Understanding the World)
Choose an animal from the nursery rhyme and write a list of all the jobs the farmer would need to carry out to care for that animal. Discuss life on a farm using questions such as…
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Who takes care of the animals?
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What time does a farmer start work?
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How do they manage in the rain or snow?
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What will the farmer need to do if an animal gets sick?
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What machinery is used on a farm?
Older children can discuss…
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The differences between arable and livestock.
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Which animal do we get wool from?
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Which animal do we get milk from?
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What are the names given to baby farm animals?
Scarecrows
(Expressive Arts and Design)
Using a variety of craft materials, create a scarecrow to scare away the birds from Old MacDonald’s crops. Alternatively, join paper together and ask a child to lie on the paper. Draw around their body and cut out the shape. Decorate the outline to make a life size scarecrow. Attach it to a stick so that it can stand up.
To support your understanding of scarecrows, you could also learn the nursery rhyme ‘Dingle Dangle Scarecrow’.
SESSION 3: THE BIG SHIP SAILS
The big ship sails on [the ally-ally-oh] x3
The big ship sails on the ally-ally-oh
On the last day of September
The captain said [it will never, never do] x3
The captain said it will never, never do
On the last day of September
The big ship sails on the ally-ally-oh
On the last day of September
Teaching Assistance
The Big Ship Sails On The Ally Ally Oh is a traditional nursery rhyme but it’s original origin remains unclear. It is thought that it was sung in 1894 when the Manchester Canal was opened with ‘Ally Ally’ referring to the canal passage. Therefore, it is thought to have links with the Manchester Ship Canal and the Atlantic Ocean.
Miss Tooke’s version retains a simple melody, but like all traditional songs there are many different versions of this traditional song. Some have additional lyrics, others have slightly different tunes whilst some have a chorus added to make the structure more complex. The main thing is to choose a version that you enjoy!
The information below relates to the version recorded by Miss Tooke on our Snappy Music YouTube channel, but much of the material also applies to other well-known versions.
The song is written in 4/4 time, which means there are 4 beats per bar. They are counted as 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. The melody starts on an upbeat, which means the song starts on beat 4. This would be counted as ‘1, 2, 3, The’ (Mathematics)
The melody sits within an octave (8 notes) and begins with the ‘So’-‘Do’ interval for ‘The big’. This is the same for each verse. Different pitches can be shown using hand gestures, to demonstrate and reinforce the concept of high and low pitches. (Expressive Arts and Design)
The song features repeated crotchets (1 beat note) on the same note (Do) for ‘big ship’, and the movement of the sea is suggested through dotted rhythms that feature for ‘sails on the ally ally oh’. The dotted rhythms consist of dotted quaver – semiquaver patterns. This gives a ‘long-short’, skipping feel.
The melody (tune) moves over the dotted rhythms by step, first ascending then descending to finish on Mi (‘oh’). This idea is then repeated twice more, but a step lower each time.
The verse culminates with a simple crotchet and minim rhythm. The ‘last day of Sept[ember]’ is set to crotchets (1 beat notes), whilst ‘[Sept]ember’ is written as a minim (2 beat note) and crotchet. The melody finishes with a crotchet rest (silent beat).
It is important to feel the beat in this song as this will help to develop the accuracy of the dotted rhythms. (Expressive Arts and Design, Physical Development)
If you have access to a scrunchie, pull the scrunchie side to side to show the beat whilst listening and singing to the song. This can also be achieved by using a piece of lycra and moving it either side to side or up and down.
Once comfortable with the beat, move the beat keeping to the body. Start a ‘clap hands, pat head’ pattern as you sing the song.
As the beat becomes more integral, start introducing additional movements. Continue ‘clap hands, pat head’ for ‘the big ship sails on the’, before introducing a new pattern of ‘clap hands, pat head, tap shoulders, tap knees’ for ‘ally ally oh’.
Once you have learnt the song, use your thinking voice on different words, such as ‘sails’ or ‘September’. When you sing the song through, there should then be a gap on the word you have chosen. Once confident, remember to sing the song with a clear voice. This is a great song to perform to others in an assembly or concert. (Communication and Language)
Additional Activities
Listen to a recording of a seaside
(Expressive Arts & Design, Understanding of the World)
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What can you hear?
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How would you describe the sounds? (High/Low? Loud/Quiet? Fast/Slow?)
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What can you imagine happening?
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Draw a picture whilst you listen to the music
Water Safety
(Understanding of the World, Personal, Social and Emotional Development)
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How can we stay safe in the water?
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Who do we call in an emergency?
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Who are the RNLI?
Boat floating competition
(Expressive Arts & Design, Physical Development)
You will need scissors, tape, paper, cardboard, egg boxes, small carboard boxes or margarine tubs, tinfoil, lollipop sticks, marbles/pebbles
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Split the class into groups
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Each group must create a boat that can hold marbles/pebbles.
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Test each boat to see if it floats then see which boat can hold the most before sinking.
Make your own sailor hat
(Expressive Arts & Design, Physical Development)
Using a newspaper or a piece of A3 paper, create your own sailor hat.
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Hold the paper landscape and fold in half (side to side)
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Now turn the paper round so it in horizontal
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Fold in half (side to side), and open the step back out
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Take each top corner and fold into the middle
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Take the bottom edge of the paper and fold it up
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Turn the paper over and take the remaining piece of paper at the bottom and fold it up.
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You should now have a sailor hat! Don’t forget to decorate it!
Create an undersea cave and/or imagine you are the captain on the ship.
(Communication and Language, Personal Social and Emotional Development, Understanding of the World)
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What creatures live in this ocean habitat?
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What crew do you have?
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Where are you sailing to and how does this make you feel?
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What does the job involve?
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How do you keep your passengers safe?
Explore other stories linked to the sea
(Literacy)
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Commotion in the Ocean – Giles Andreae and David Wojtowycz
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Hooray for Fish! – Lucy Cousins
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The Snail and the Whale – Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
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Sharing a Shell – Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks
Walk the plank
(Physical Development)
Using a rope or piece of chalk, create a line on the floor. You could also use other materials such as crates or pieces of wood.
Imagine you are pirates and the line is the plank. Walk the plank and jump into the ocean when you reach the end!
Lycra
(Personal Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development, Expressive Arts and Design)
A piece of Lycra can be used for different listening activities.
Whilst listening to ‘Sea Cruise’ move a piece of Lycra and bounce an array of sea creature soft toys on the top.
For a calmer listening activity, listen to Aquarium from Carnival of the Animals. Attach strips of material to the underside of the Lycra. As you listen gently lift the Lycra up and down as the children lie beneath the Lycra.
Teaching Assistance
Incy Wincy Spider is a folk song that first appeared in the early 20th Century. It is sung all over the world and depicts the ups and downs of a spider.
Like most nursery rhymes, multiple versions of Incy Wincy Spider exist. They can vary in their time signatures (how many beats per bar) as some versions are counted in 3/4 with 3 beats per bar, counted as 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, which gives a waltzing and lilting feel whilst others are counted in 4/4, which means there are 4 beats per bar counted as 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4 . This would use dotted rhythms to give the lilting feel. (Mathematics)
For our version, we will be using a 6/8 time signature which means there are two beats per bar counted as 1, 2, 1, 2.
To help children feel the beat, move a lycra sheet from side to side whilst singing.
The beat falls on ‘In[cy]’, ‘Win[cy]’, ‘Spi’- ‘der’, ‘Up’, ‘Wat[er], ‘Spout’ etc. (Physical Development, Expressive Arts and Design)
Once comfortable with the song, clap or tap the beat whilst singing. The children can then tap the beat onto the beat hearts or spiders below.
6/8 time can be described as having a lilting feel, like the pendulum in a clock, swaying side to side or like a spider swaying as it dangles from its web.
Once confident in feeling the beat, introduce percussion instruments to suggest Incy Wincy’s movements. Explore the different timbres (sounds) and discuss which instrument would best suggest the sounds of the spider. Is the instrument loud or quiet? (dynamics), is the sound high or low? (pitch).
To explore the concept of 6/8 time further, try singing Hickory Dickory Dock (Expressive Arts and Design)
Once you have learnt the song, clap the pattern of the words to demonstrate how the rhythm is different to the beat. The rhythm largely consists of crotchets (1 beat) and quavers (1/2 beat) which is ‘long, short, long, short’ etc. (Mathematics, Expressive Arts and Design)
As children become confident in distinguishing the difference between beat and rhythm, join the two together.
Stamp your feet to show the beat whilst clapping the pattern of the words (rhythm). If this proves troublesome, split the class so half stamp the beat whilst the others clap the rhythm. (Physical Development)
The melody starts on ‘Do’ and mainly moves by step. The opening phrase moves across the interval of a 3rd (‘Do’ – ‘Mi’). This is repeated in the second phrase but the pitch sits higher and starts on ‘Mi’ (the 3rd note of the scale), with the phrase then ranging ‘Mi’-‘So’.
The third and final phrase are repetitions of the opening line with a slight change in rhythm to fit the pattern of the words. Each phrase should be sung a single breath, which has been prepared early to avoid snatched breaths. Shoulders should stay relaxed.
This is a popular rhyme and simple actions or use of puppets can bring the story to life. (Communication and Language, Literacy)
Once confident with the song, try using your ‘thinking voice’ as you perform using only your actions.
Another game can involve the children making a circle and joining hands. Begin the song and walk in a clockwise direction. As you sing ‘washed the spider out/washed poor Incy out’ everyone should rush into the centre whilst still holding hands. Move back out and tiptoe clockwise as you sing ‘out came the sunshine’.
Experiment with tempo (speed) and dynamics (volume) by stamping, tiptoeing and running. What effect does it have on the song and how does it make you feel? (Communication and Language, Expressive Arts and Design, Physical Development, Personal Social and Emotional Development)
An alternative video resource for this song can be found via this link Incy wincy spider - BBC Teach
If you have enjoyed singing about Incy Wincy Spider, you could explore another famous nursery rhyme called ‘Little Miss Muffet’.
Additional Activities
Pompom spider and web
(Expressive Arts and Design)
Using a ball of wool, create a giant spider web across the ceiling. Create small pompoms and attach pipe cleaners to create spiders that can be attached to the web.
Spider silk violin
(Understand of the World, Expressive Arts and Design)
Spiders produce silk to make webs or cocoons. They can use the silk, which is strong and elastic to float through the air. In 2016, Imperial College London created a violin which uses the properties of spiders’ silk. You can hear what the violins sound like here: Vibrating qualities of spiders' silk exploited in prototype violin
Explore other stories linked to spiders
(Literacy)
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The Very Busy Spider – Eric Carle
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Aaarrgghh! Spider! – Lydia Monks
Feelings and Emotions
(Personal Social and Emotional Development , Communication and Language)
Incy Wincy Spinder is about a spider climbing, falling down, and then climbing back up again. Emotion cards can be used to explore the responses to the below questions.
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How would this make them feel?
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What activities do the children find difficult?
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How does it make them feel when they achieve something.
Use of a feelings jar/wall with different shapes/pictures/colours/words can be used to explore and reflect different emotions. At the end of each day children can choose the card that best describes how they have felt and they place it in the jar/on the wall. This can allow for a teacher led discussion on the situations that could have prompted specific feelings together with an opportunity to provide advice on how to tackle different emotions.
The Behaviour Matters series of books by Sue Graves and Trevor Denton explore a range of emotions and support Personal, Social and Emotional development in EYFS. Titles include Tiger has a Tantrum, Lion’s in a Flap, Croc needs to Wait, Hippo Owns Up and Monkey needs to Listen. (Literacy)
Water Play
(Physical Development, Communication and Language, Expressive Arts and Design, Mathematics)
Fill a tuff tray or container with water and cut the ends off a range of empty bottles to create tubes.
Using plastic spiders, move them around the water and into the tubes before washing them out again. Encourage the children to catch the water and spiders with another container. Explore turn taking by putting the spider in one at a time until the have all been caught. Use of the words ‘big’, ‘small’, ‘empty’, ‘full’, ‘half’ can expand vocabulary.
SESSION 5: FIVE CURRANT BUNS
FIVE currant buns in a baker's shop,
Sweet and sticky with a cherry on top.
Along came a boy with a penny one day,
Bought a currant bun and took it away.
FOUR currant buns in a baker's shop,
Sweet and sticky with a cherry on top.
Along came a girl with a penny one day,
Bought a currant bun and took it away ...
Teaching Assistance
Originally from Virginia, 5 Currant Buns has become a popular nursery and counting song across the world (Understanding of the World).
A currant bun contains currants, sultanas or raisins, and depending on the type you have, they can be covered in icing and of course have a cherry on the top. Like currant buns, many versions of this nursery rhyme exist.
5 Currant Buns is a fun counting song and has scope for actions and use of finger puppets. It has a wide pitch range and has some difficult intervals, but even the youngest children can enjoy this song in some way. (Expressive Arts and Design)
Written in 4/4 time, the rhyme has 4 beats per bar counted as 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4. (Mathematics)
It consists of 4 short phrases with the first and third; and second and fourth being similar to each other. The structure would be A B A’ B’.
The rhyme begins on the 5th note of the scale for the opening word ‘five’ (‘So’) and jumps up to the 1st note of the scale (‘Do’) for ‘currant’.
The rhyme contains large jumps (intervals), noticeably at ‘baker’s shop’ which is a minor 6th, and ‘and took’ which is an octave. When singing these intervals, be careful not to slide between the two notes. Hand gestures demonstrating the pitch (high/low) will help children to understand the notes are further apart.
The melody consists of crotchets (1 beat) and quavers (1/2 beat). Each verse is set the same. (Expressive Arts and Design, Mathematics)
This rhyme can be sung as a circle game. Arrange the children into a circle, and choose one child to walk around the outside whilst the song is being sung. At ‘along came a boy/girl’ the child outside of the circle taps another child on the shoulder. This child turns and the first child ‘pays’ as he ‘bought a currant bun and took it away’. The children then switch places, and the second child now takes their place walking around the circle to tap someone new. (Physical Development, Communication and Language, Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Expressive Arts and Design)
An alternative video resource, featuring Mr Tumble and Friends, can be found via this link.
Additional Activities
Rhyming Words
(Literacy)
Sing the rhyme and identify the rhyming words. Create word labels for each of the rhyming words and ask the children to match them (‘shop’/’top’/’day’/’away’). What other words could make rhyming pairs?
Bakery Roleplay
(Understanding of the World, Communication and Language, Mathematics, Personal, Social and Emotional Development)
Encourage turn taking and imaginative play whilst developing an understanding of how a bakery works through roleplay. Discuss what running a bakery involves, what they sell and how they make their cakes and bread.
Counting
(Mathematics, Physical Development)
Using tweezers or tongs pick up the correct amount of pompoms or sequins to make the cherry on top of numbered currant bun cut outs.
Explore other stories linked to Baking/Currant Buns
(Literacy)
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The Tale of Peter Rabbit – Beatrix Potter
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Nadiya’s Bake Me a Story – Nadiya Hussain
SESSION 6: THREE BILLY GOATS GRUFF
Three Billy Goats Gruff came to a pass,
On their search for greener grass.
The troll on the bridge said you can’t pass me,
Unless you solve my riddles three!
I am lighter than a feather, but even the strongest person can’t hold me for very long. What am I?
A BREATH!
Teaching Assistance
As part of our new Snappy collection of songs based on Traditional Tales, Miss Tooke has created a song based on the Norwegian fairy tale Three Billy Goats Gruff.
Written with a time signature of 4/4, there are 4 beats per bar counted as 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2 ,3, 4. The rhythm largely consists of crotchets (1 beat) and quavers (1/2 beat), but also includes minims (2 beats) and dotted crotchets (1 ½ beats) (Mathematics).
In each verse, the melody of lines 1, 3 and 4 starts with an upbeat. This means it starts ahead of the strong beat (Expressive Arts and Design, Mathematics).
For line 1, clap a steady beat and explain to the children that the word ‘three’ falls on the 4th clap (beat). Practice clapping the beat and saying the word ‘three’ until everyone is confident (1, 2, 3, ‘three’, 1, 2, 3, 4).
Lines 3 and 4 have a different upbeat. Instead of the crotchet on beat 4, the melody starts with a quaver, which falls just after the 4th beat. Practice clapping the beat and saying the word ‘the/un[less]’ until everyone is confident with the entry (1, 2, 3, 4, ‘the/un[less]’, 1, 2, 3, 4, ‘the/un[less]’, 1, 2, 3, 4). You could describe it as the melody running late or a runner starting before the starting pistol has gone off!
The melody focuses on the ‘So’-‘Mi’ interval but has an overall range of a 5th (Expressive Arts and Design).
The song combines sung verses with spoken riddles. What other riddles could you create for the troll? (Literacy).
Additional Activities
Listen to In the Hall of the Mountain King
(Expressive Arts and Design, Understanding of the World)
Written by Edvard Grieg, the ‘Peer Gynt Suite’ features Norwegian folk tunes and tells the story of a young boy who runs into the mountains and is captured by trolls. As you listen to the music, ask the children to draw or paint what they think could be happening. For more structured listening, this music highlights the string section of the orchestra. Explore which instruments make up this section (Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass) and think about what the plucking of the strings (pizzicato) could be suggesting in the story. Orcehstral performances and further resources can be found in the BBC Ten Pieces link below
CBBC - Ten Pieces - In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg
Using the melody for ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’, sing the following words:
I can see three Billy goats
Billy goats
Billy goats
I can see three Billy goats
They want to cross the bridge!
Troll Pebbles
(Expressive Arts and Design, Physical Development)
Using a selection of pebbles, paint them to create your own mountain troll. Alternatively, you could add cotton wool or string to make the trolls reflect the trolls found in the movie/series of the same name.
Exploring Trolls
(Communication and Language, Personal, Social and Emotional Development)
Trolls can be found in other popular culture such as the movies Trolls and Frozen. Compare their different personalities and discuss how they would make you feel if you met them.
Paying a toll to cross the bridge
(Mathematics, Physical Development)
Arrange pennies into larger amounts to pay the troll to cross the bridge
Musical Storyland
(Communication and Language, Understanding of the World, Expressive Arts and Design)
Join musicians from the BBC Philharmonic orchestra as they tell the story of the fairytale
Musical Storyland - Series 1: 1. Three Billy Goats Gruff - BBC iPlayer.
SESSION 7: JACK AND THE BEANSTALK
MAGIC BEANS
Magic beans, Magic beans
Little, brown and round
Magic beans, Magic beans
Grow in the ground
Magic beans, Magic beans
Will you grow for me
Magic beans, Magic beans
What will you be
Teaching Assistance
As part of our new Snappy collection of songs based on Traditional Tales, Mrs Lycett-Findlay has created three new songs and rhymes based on the English fairy tale, Jack and the Beanstalk. (Literacy)
Written with a time signature of 4/4, there are 4 beats per bar counted as 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2 ,3, 4. The rhythm largely consists of crotchets (1 beat) and quavers (1/2 beat), but also includes minims (2 beats) (Mathematics).
The song uses repeated phrases, which are 2 bars in length. Each 2 bar phrase finishes witha minim (2 beats). (Mathematics, Expressive Arts and Design)
Each phrase beginning with ‘magic beans’ starts with the interval of a 5th (‘Do’ – ‘So’) and the range across the entire song is a Major 6th.
A scale starts the 5th and 6th phrases (‘will you be a ladder’/’will you grant a wish’), which means the notes move by step across the 5 notes.
Depending on the vocal development, an optional line is included in the last bar. The last 3 notes can be sung as an ascending line across a 3rd (‘La, ‘Ti, ‘Do’). (Expressive Arts and Design)
Experiment with tempo (speed) and dynamics (volume). What effect does it have on the song and how does it make you feel? (Communication and Language, Expressive Arts and Design, Physical Development, Personal Social and Emotional Development)
Percussion instruments could be used to enhance the storytelling of the song. Explore pitch (high and low) and a variety of different instruments/sound effects (timbre) to bring the song to life (Expressive Arts and Design, Physical Development).
STOMPING GIANTS
Giants, giants stomp, stomp, stomp
Eating bones crunch, crunch, crunch
Booming voices boom, boom, boom
Run and hide they’re in the room
Teaching Assistance
Stomping Giants is a spoken rhyme written in 2/4, which means there are 2 beats per bar counted as 1, 2, 1, 2. (Expressive Arts and Design, Mathematics, Communication, Literacy)
The rhyme consists of 4 phrases. Lines 1, 3 and 4 contain the same rhythms.
The rhyme features crotchets (1 beat), quavers (1/2 beat) and crotchet rests (silent beat).
Each line begins with a pair of quavers and finishes with 3 crotchets and a crotchet rest (silent beat).
The rhyme is to be spoken in strict time. Begin by tapping a steady beat. A piece of lycra or scrunchie can be used to help feel the beat by swaying it from side to side. Once confident, you could move onto feeling the beat by tapping the knees or shoulders.
To create a game, children could face each other in pairs. Feel the beat by clapping their own hands and then those of their partners.
Once confident with maintaining a steady beat, beat hearts or spots can help to show how quavers and crotchets fit inside a beat.
Using the beat hearts below, tap each heart once as you speak ‘stomp, stomp, stomp', 'crunch, crunch, crunch', boom, boom, boom', 'in the room’.
Now speak ‘giants, giants’. There will be two taps on a single heart to show the quavers (Expressive Arts and Design, Mathematics).
To demonstrate further, place beat hearts or spots on the floor and ask two children to stand on a single heart/spot. This shows two quavers in 1 beat.
Place one child on another spot to show a crotchet (1 beat)
Using 4 hearts or spots you can place the children either in pairs or individually to compose (create) different rhythms consisting of crotchets and quavers.
Stick notation can then be introduced to show how crotchets and quavers would be notated (Expressive Arts and Design)
Here is the stick notation for the first line. Note how there is nothing under the last heart as this shows the silent beat. It is important for children to recognise this beat and so could tap their shoulders for the rest.
Once children are confident with the rhythm, use rhythm cards for each of the phrases and ask the children to assemble them in the correct order. As a composition activity they could then swap the rhythms round to create new rhythms to play on percussion instruments. (Expressive Arts and Design, Mathematics)
Experiment with tempo (speed) and dynamics (volume). What effect does it have on the rhyme and how does it make you feel? (Communication and Language, Expressive Arts and Design, Physical Development, Personal Social and Emotional Development)
Percussion instruments could be used to enhance the storytelling of the rhyme. Explore pitch (high and low) and a variety of different instruments/sound effects (timbre) to bring the song to life (Expressive Arts and Design, Physical Development).
GIANTS
Giants, giants in the sky
Giants, giants way up high
Hear them stomp and hear them grumble
Careful Jack don’t take a tumble!
Teaching Assistance
Giants is a short song written in 2/4, which means there are 2 beats per bar counted as 1, 2, 1, 2. (Expressive Arts and Design, Mathematics, Communication, Literacy).
The song is written in a minor key, which gives it a scary and tense feeling. (Expressive Arts and Design, Personal Social and Emotional Development)
Starting on the first note of the scale, the melody rises across the interval of a 5th (5 notes) in the first phrase (‘Do’ – ‘So’).
The second phrase starts a semitone (half-step) higher than the last note of the first phrase before descending a minor 3rd and returning to the 5th note of the scale (‘So’).
The third phrase is a repetition of the first phrase.
The final phrase concludes with a descending scale back to the starting note (‘So’ – ‘Do’).
The song consists of crotchets (1 beat) and quavers (1/2 beat). (Expressive Arts and Design)
Each line begins with three pairs of quavers and finishes with either a crotchet, or an additional pair of quavers.
Whilst singing, establish a steady beat. A piece of lycra or scrunchie can be used to help feel the beat by swaying it from side to side. Once confident, you could move onto feeling the beat by tapping the knees or shoulders.
Once confident with maintaining a steady beat, beat hearts or spots can help to show how quavers and crotchets fit inside a beat.
There will be two taps on a single heart to show the quavers (Expressive Arts and Design, Mathematics). To demonstrate further, place beat hearts or spots on the floor and ask two children to stand on a single heart/spot. This shows two quavers in 1 beat.
Place one child on another spot to show a crotchet (1 beat)
Stick notation can then be introduced to show how crotchets and quavers would be notated (Expressive Arts and Design)
Additional Activities
Plant a sunflower seed
(Understanding of the world, Physical Development)
Plant a sunflower seed and insert a short bean stick into the pot for it to grow against. You could attach a cut-out cloud at the top of the stick.
Counting leaves
(Mathematics)
Attach paper leaves to a long strip on the table. Place a number on each leaf. Children should place the correct amount of pom-poms onto each leaf
Explore other stories linked to Giants
(Literacy)
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‘The BFG’ by Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake
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‘Greta and the Giants’ by Zoe Tucker and Zoe Persico
-
‘Wilfred’ by Ryan Higgins
Musical Storyland
(Communication and Language, Understanding of the World, Expressive Arts and Design)
Join musicians from the BBC Philharmonic orchestra as they tell the story of the fairytale
Musical Storyland - Series 1: 2. Jack and the Beanstalk - BBC iPlayer
SESSION 8: GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS
I love porridge,
it’s as scrummy as can be
I love porridge
when I eat it for my tea!
I LOVE PORRIDGE
Teaching Assistance
As part of our new Snappy collection of songs based on Traditional Tales, Mrs Lycett-Findlay has created three new songs based on the 19th century English fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears. (Literacy)
I Love Porridge is a short rhyme written in G major, which gives a bright and cheerful feeling. The rhyme is written in 4/4 which means there are 4 beats per bar counted as 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4. The rhyme consists of 4 bars. (Expressive Arts and Design, Mathematics)
The melody starts on the third note of the scale (‘Mi’) before moving down to the 1st note of the scale (‘Do’). This a good song for reinforcing the ‘Do’-‘Mi’ interval.
The song consists of 2 phrases, with both phrases starting the same. Both phrases have identical rhythms consisting of crotchets (1 beat), quavers (1/2 beat) and minims (2 beats). (Mathematics, Expressive Arts and Design)
The second phrase jumps down a 4th between ‘I’ and ‘eat’. This is the interval of ‘Do’ – ‘So’. The melody then moves by step back up to ‘Do’.
Clap or tap the beat whilst you sing the song. Remember there will be two taps on ‘be’ as it lasts for 2 beats.
Once familiar with the song, clap or tap the pattern of the words to introduce the concept of rhythm.
Use of percussion instruments will allow children to explore the different sounds made (timbre). Repeat the activity but now encourage ‘thinking voice’ (not saying the word out loud) whilst playing. (Expressive Arts and Design, Physical Development)
Rhythm and note values can be also explored by using visual representation. The 4 beats can be shown by using 4 spot markers.
Place 4 markers on the floor and ask 1 child to stand on each of the first two. This represents the 2 crotchet beats that are used for ‘I love’.
Now place two children on each of the remaining 2 spots. This shows the pairs of quavers for the 3rd and 4th beats.
To demonstrate the second half of the phrase, place two children on each of the first and second spots. This shows the pairs of quavers for ‘scrummy as can’. Finally ask a child to lie across the remaining two spots. This shows the minim for ‘be’, which lasts for 2 beats. (Expressive Arts and Design, Mathematics)
Goldilocks, Goldilocks
with your golden hair
Goldilocks Goldilocks
don’t upset the baby bear
GOLDILOCKS, GOLDILOCKS
Teaching Assistance
Goldilocks, Goldilocks is written in 4/4 which means there are 4 beats per bar counted as 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4.
The rhyme consists of 4 bars and begins and ends on the first note of the scale (‘Do’). (Expressive Arts and Design)
The overall range of the song is an octave, and it is written in C major, which gives it a bright and cheerful feel. Children can discuss how music in major keys makes them feel in comparison to that of minor keys. You could use the snappy song ‘Giants’ as a comparison between major and minor keys. (Personal Social and Emotional Development, Expressive Arts and Design)
The song consists of 2 phrases, and each phrase starts the same. Bars 1 and 3, (‘Goldilocks, Goldilocks’) are direct repetitions of each other. Each phrase should be sung in a single breath. (Physical Development, Expressive Arts and Design).
Note values include crotchets (1 beat), minim (2 beats), dotted quavers (3/4 beat) and semiquaver (1/4 beat). (Mathematics, Expressive Arts and Design)
The dotted quaver-semiquaver pattern that dominates the rhyme suggests Goldilocks skipping through the forest. It can be described to children as a long-short pattern. Each dotted quaver-semiquaver pattern fits within 1 beat. (Mathematics, Expressive Arts and Design)
The two phrases could be sung as a call and response. Split the class in half and ask half to sing the first phrase, the second phrase is then sung by the remaining children. To explore tempo, try singing the rhyme at different speeds to see how it changes the ‘feel’ of the song. (Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Expressive Arts and Design)
A circle game can be played once confident with the song.
Sit in a circle and ask one child to sit with their eyes closed in the centre with an empty bowl beside them. This child will be ‘baby bear’. Instruct another child to be ‘Goldilocks’. As the song is sung, ‘Goldilocks’ must sneak up to ‘baby bear’ and steal the empty bowl. They must return to their place in the circle before the song ends. If they don’t then ‘baby bear’ remains happy with their porridge and has another turn. If they do, then ‘baby bear’ has to try and guess who has stolen their porridge. ‘Goldilocks’ then becomes ‘baby bear’ in the centre of the circle and the game continues, (Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development, Expressive Arts and Design)
Goldilocks, Goldilocks tries the bowls of porridge
Goldilocks, Goldilocks she’s hungry as can be.
This one is too hot, this one is too cold
This one is just right so she ate it for her tea
THE GIRL IN THE HOUSE
Teaching Assistance
The Girl in the House is written in 6/8 which means there are 2 beats per bar counted as 1, 2, 1, 2. 6/8 time can be described as having a lilting feel, like the pendulum in a clock, swaying side to side. The crotchet-quaver rhythms (they can be described as long-short patterns) suggest Goldilocks skipping through the woods, much like in our other snappy song ‘Goldilocks’.
To help children feel the beat, move a lycra sheet from side to side whilst singing.
The beat falls on ‘Gol[di]’, ‘locks’, ‘tries’, ‘bowls’ etc. (Physical Development, Expressive Arts and Design)
Once comfortable with the song, clap or tap the beat whilst singing. The children can then tap the beat onto the beat hearts or porridge bowls below.
Once confident in feeling the beat, introduce percussion instruments to suggest Goldilocks' movements. Explore the different timbres (sounds) and discuss which instrument would best suggest the sounds of the spoon scraping the bowl, the soft chair, the hard, bouncy bed etc. This also allows for a discussion of the materials used for the instrument (wood, metal etc). Is the instrument loud or quiet? (dynamics), is the sound high or low? (pitch). (Expressive Arts and Design, Understanding of the World)
To explore the concept of 6/8 time further, re-visit Incy Wincy Spider (Expressive Arts and Design)
The song features repetition and has a range of a major 6th. Each phrase starts on the 5th note of the scale(‘So’). The melody often moves by step but also contains intervals of a major 3rd (‘So’ – ‘Mi’) and a perfect 5th (‘So’ – ‘Do’). (Expressive Arts and Design)
The song also features a dotted crotchet rest (this takes up the second beat), which occurs after ‘hot’, ‘cold’, ‘hard’, and ‘soft’. This is a silent beat. It is important for children to recognise this, and so could tap their shoulders for the rest to acknowledge its existence. (Expressive Arts and Design, Mathematics)
Additional Activities
Clay baby bear
(Expressive Arts and Design, Physical Development)
Using air clay, cut 2 small and 1 large circle. Fix them together to create a bear shaped head. Press in buttons or beads for eyes, and create marks in the clay to show the fur.
Cooking
(Communication and Language, Physical Development, Personal Social and Emotional Development, Literacy).
Gather the ingredients needed for porridge. Make the porridge and sprinkle a variety of different toppings on to see which you like best. Following the activity, encourage the children to write a recipe for their porridge.
Ordering items according to size
(Mathematics)
Using paper cut outs or physical objects, ensure there are 3 beds and 3 chairs of different sizes. Ask the children to order them smallest to biggest and vice versa.
Ballet
(Expressive Arts and Design, Understanding of the World, Physical Development)
Explore the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears through dance. Create your own movement for each of the characters before watching Goldilocks and the Three Bears: A CBeebies Ballet.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears: A CBeebies Ballet - BBC iPlayer
SESSION 9: GINGERBREAD MAN
YOU CAN'T CATCH ME OUT
The Gingerbread Man jumped up with a shout!
Catch me, catch me you can’t catch me out!
He ran past a cow, and he ran past a sheep,
The Gingerbread Man was fast on his feet!
By the river the fox did wait,
He tricked the Gingerbread and sealed his fate!
Fox was clever and on the riverbend,
The Gingerbread Man came to an end!
Teaching Assistance
As part of our new Snappy collection of songs based on Traditional Tales, Miss Dunn has created a new song based on the 1875 story of The Gingerbread Man. (Literacy)
You Can’t Catch Me! Is written in 4/4 which means there are 4 beats per bar counted as 1, 2, 3,4 ,1,2, 3, 4 etc. (Expressive Arts and Design, Mathematics)
The song is structured in 2 sections, which could be referred to as Section A and Section B.
The opening section is written in a major key (C Major) which gives it an optimistic, happy and cheerful feel. The second section is written in a minor key (A Minor) which gives a sinister and sad feeling. The song ends in the minor key. Discuss with the children how this change makes them feel. (Communication and Language, Personal, Social and Emotional Development).
The opening melody starts on the 5th note of the scale (‘So’) and begins on an upbeat. This means the melody starts ahead of the 1st beat of the bar. In this song, the melody starts with a quaver (1/2 beat) which falls just after the 4th beat. (Expressive Arts and Design)
Practice clapping a steady beat and saying the word ‘the’ until everyone is confident with the entry (1, 2, 3, 4, ‘the’, 1, 2, 3, 4, ‘the’, 1, 2, 3, 4). You could describe it as the melody running late or a runner starting before the starting pistol has gone off! (Physical Development)
The melody starts with repeated notes before ascending by step to the 1st note of the scale. This halfway through the first phrase (‘up with a shout’). The phrase concludes with a descent across the 1st and 5th notes of the scale (‘Do’’ – ‘So’ – ‘Do’). The higher and lower notes are an octave apart, which is the same interval used for ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’ from The Wizard of Oz.
The second phrase is reminiscent of the opening phrase, with slight rhythmic changes to fit the word pattern. A dotted crotchet – quaver (1 ½ beat – ½ beat) pattern is used (‘sheep, the’) and gives a sense of urgency like that of the opening upbeat.
The second section starts in the minor key and again consists of 2 phrases. The melody mainly alternates between A and E (‘La’ – ‘Mi’ in the context of C Major, ‘Do’ – ‘So’ in the context of A Minor) and again features crotchets, quavers and dotted crotchets before concluding on a minim (2 beats).
Additional Assistance
Make a clay/dough gingerbread man/lady
(Expressive Arts and Design, Physical Development)
Using air clay, use a cutter to cut the shape of a gingerbread man. Add buttons, beads and additional clay for the gingerbreads features and clothing.
Cooking
(Communication and Language, Physical Development, Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Literacy).
Gather the ingredients needed for gingerbread. Make the gingerbread and sample the treat! How would you describe the taste? Add icing to create gingerbread features. Following the activity, encourage the children to write a recipe for their gingerbread.
Fox Mask
(Expressive Arts and Design, Physical Development)
Using a paper plate cut into quarters, turn it so the ‘point’ is facing down. Add an assortment of orange and brown tissue paper to create a fox mask.
Explore other stories featuring Gingerbread and Foxes
(Communication and Language, Literacy)
-
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
-
Hansel and Gretel by Ailie Busby
-
Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl
-
Fox in Socks by Dr Seuss
-
The Animals of Farthing Wood by Colin Dann
Foxes
(Communication and Language, Understanding of the World, Literacy)
Explore different types of foxes whilst using vocabulary such as:
-
Nocturnal/Diurnal,
-
Mammal,
-
Different species such as arctic foxes,
-
Habitat
SESSION 10: THREE LITTLE PIGS
The first little pig just wanted to play,
so built his house all made of hay
He thought his house would be safe and sound
When the Big Bad Wolf came knocking round.
Little pig, little pig let me in!
Not by the hairs of my chinny chin chin!
Then I’ll huff and I’ll puff and blow your house down
Whoooooosh! Crash!
Soon word spread round little piggies town!
THREE LITTLE PIGS
Teaching Assistance
As part of our new Snappy collection of songs based on Traditional Tales, Miss York has created a new song based on The Three Little Pigs b James Halliwell-Phillipps, which went on to appear in English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs in 1890. (Literacy)
The song is written in 4/4 which means there are 4 beats per bar. It consists of 3 verses, each of which is followed by a chorus. (Expressive Arts and Design, Mathematics).
Each verse is written in a major key, and other than slight rhythmic variations to fit the word pattern, are all set the same. The chorus is written in a minor key and only features a slight change on its final occurrence. (Expressive Arts and Design, Mathematics).
The song consists of crotchets (1 beat), quavers (1/2 beat) and minims (2 beats).
The verse consists of two phrases and begins with an upbeat as the song starts on the 4th beat of the bar. The melody starts on the 5th note of the scale (‘So’) before jumping up a ‘4th’ to the 1st note of the scale (‘Do’).
Like the first phrase, the second phrase starts on the 4th beat of the bar with the same opening tune. This soon changes at ‘safe and sound’ as the melody features a jump down a ‘4th’ between ‘La’ and ‘Mi.
The second phrase concludes with a shift towards the minor key by including an accidental (a note not part of the key) leading up to the final note of the phrase ([knock]ing round’. When singing, ensure the last two notes of the phrase are precise as they are only a semitone (half step) apart.
The second section also consists of two phrases. The first bar of the phrase is repeated in the subsequent phrase (‘Little pig, little’/’Then I’ll huff, then I’ll puff’). A discussion on pitch can take place as the lower notes are representative of the wolf, whilst the higher notes are representative of the little pig. This could be sung as a call and response with one group singing ‘Little pig, little pig let me in’ and the other group responding with ‘not by the hairs of my chinny chin chin’. (Expressive Arts and Design, Literacy, Communication and Language).
A 4-beat sound effect is included in the chorus where the children can mimic the wolf blowing the house down. The final notes of the chorus are the same as the final notes of each verse. Explore different instruments to help create the sound effects for the wolf blowing, and the pigs building their houses. (Expressive Arts and Design).
In the final chorus, it has been extended to show the wolf’s struggle at blowing down the brick house. Each repetition of ‘then I’ll huff and I’ll puff…’ gradually gets shorter to show the wolf becoming tired and out of breath. The first sound effect occurs after the original 8 beats of the chorus. It then occurs after 4 beats, and finally after 2 beats. (Communication and Language, Expressive Arts and Design, Mathematics).
Additional Assistance
Explore other stories linked to Pigs and Wolves
(Literacy, Communication and Language, Understanding of the World)
-
Mr Wolf’s Pancakes by Jan Fearnley
-
Moon by Alison Oliver
-
There is No Big Bad Wolf in this Story by Lou Carter and Deborah Allwright
-
Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas and Helen Oxenbury
-
The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf by Axel Scheffler
-
The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Book by Lucy Rowland
-
Inside the Villains by Clotilde Perrin
Peter and the Wolf
(Expressive Arts and Design, Understanding of the World, Literacy, Personal, Social and Emotional Development)
Explore the music for ‘Peter and the Wolf’ by Prokofiev. Each character has a theme played by different instruments of the orchestra (Peter: Strings, Bird: Flute, Duck: Oboe, Cat: Clarinet, Grandfather: Bassoon, Wolf: French Horns, Hunters: Timpani for the gunshots). Discuss with the children how each theme makes them feel and how they would describe the sound of the theme/instrument.
Ballet
(Expressive Arts and Design, Understanding of the World, Physical Development)
Explore the story of the Three Little Pigs through dance. Create your own movement for each of the characters before watching Northern Ballet’s production of Three Little Pigs: A CBeebies Ballet.
Three Little Pigs: A CBeebies Ballet - BBC iPlayer
Musical Storyland
(Communication and Language, Understanding of the World, Expressive Arts and Design)
Join musicians from the BBC Philharmonic orchestra as they tell the story of the fairytale
Musical Storyland - Series 2: 4. Three Little Pigs - BBC iPlayer
Wolf Mask
(Expressive Arts and Design, Physical Development)
Using a paper plate and a variety of grey or brown material strips, stick them to the plate to create your own wolf mask.