This is a Celtic fiddle tune. Listen to the selection and pat a beat, or get up and move to the beat. Ask the students if the music is fast or slow. (fast) This is a great selection to play copycat with. Choose four or eight students to be leaders. Let 16 beats go by before beginning the movement. This will allow you to hear the tempo. If you have four leaders, each will lead for 32 beats of music. If you have eight leaders, each will lead for 16 beats. (If you lose count during the song, it won’t make a huge difference if you switch leaders at the wrong time.) Each leader can move in any way that keeps a beat - step, pat, jog, twist, kick, etc. The class copies what the leader does. Try to give everyone in the class a chance to lead. This selection will also work well as a rhythm instrument play-along. Give out rhythm instruments. Listen to 16 beats for the tempo, then play the beat along with the music. This is an excellent example of the fiddle or violin.

The music opens with a solo fiddle, so it’s very easy to hear it.

Echo the rhythms.

If you have access to instruments, create new patterns and say the word rhythms.

In supporting resources there are instrument cards for creating rhythms.

Talk about Groundhog Day with students.

If it's sunny and the groundhog sees his shadow, winter will stay.

If it's cloudy and there's no shadow, spring will come soon.

This is an echo song and is easy for children to echo sing. Create movements for it.

The song “Chew Chew” is an all-time favorite song to practice using fast and slow. Teach the song by rote. Discuss why the song goes faster and slower. Discuss with your students why it really is important to chew your food. Create movements.

Use the song to practice fast and slow. Choose eight students to be tunnels. These eight students pair up and form a tunnel by holding hands with their arms stretched up. Have the other students line up, and move around the room and through the tunnel like a train. The teacher could be the leader of the train, or you could choose a student to be the leader. When moving fast with students, it is easier to move if the students don’t join up - just have them chug their arms like a train. Ask students which parts of the song were slow and fast.

Choose eight students to be tunnels. These eight students pair up and form a tunnel by holding hands with their arms stretched up. Have the other students line up, and move around the room and through the tunnel like a train. The teacher could be the leader of the train, or you could choose a student to be the leader. When moving fast with students, it is easier to move if the students don’t join up - just have them chug their arms like a train.

Teacher note: We don't have a kids demo for "Page's Train". If your students would like to see themselves on MusicplayOnline please review the submission requirements here: https://help.musicplay.ca/can-i-submit-a-kids-demo

Play the Fast and Slow game.

Use this song to add to the train repertoire. Teach the song by rote, and then teach the actions. Teach it as an action song to Kindergarten and don’t try to teach it as a round. Discuss the kinds of sounds a train might make, and create sound effects with instruments to go with the song. A train slows down when coming into the station or going up a hill. Sing the song slowly. When does a train go fast? Sing the song fast!

Down by the station early in the morning, (chugging motion with both arms)
See the little pufferbellies (shade eyes, look from right to left)
All in a row. (point from left to right)
See the engine driver (lookout - shade eyes)
Pull the little throttle. (pull throttle with left hand)
Puff puff (pull down twice with right hand)
Choo choo (pull down twice with left hand)
Off we go. (chugging motion)

Teacher note: We don't have a kids demo for "Down by the Station". If your students would like to see themselves on MusicplayOnline please review the submission requirements here: https://help.musicplay.ca/can-i-submit-a-kids-demo

In Lesson 19, we suggested making pompoms out of 100 strips of paper.

Use your pompoms to move to the song.

Copy Mrs. Gagne's movements for the song.

Play the song again and make up your own movements.

The pompoms are made with 100 pieces of tissue paper!

Sing and move to “Skinnamarink”.