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Thanksgiving song and activities: Over the River and Through the Woods

Do you remember this song?

Over the river and through the woods
To Grandmother’s house we go.
The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh
Through white and drifted snow.

It’s hard to say when this famous American poem became so synonymous with the Christmas holiday, but the tune truly belongs to Thanksgiving.

Written by journalist, poet, and human rights advocate Lydia Maria Child, the poem first appeared in Child’s Flowers for Children, Volume 2, in 1844.

It was originally titled “A Boy’s Thanksgiving Day,” and celebrates Child’s childhood memories of visiting her Grandfather’s house.

As an advocate for Native American rights, anti-slavery laws, and women’s voting rights, Child raised her voice on many issues flaring in the in the 1840s, but refused to raise a fist. Her writings urged people to find a peaceful, non-violent way to progress.

The song can be a great holiday tradition for your family, too. We’ve put together a few simple ways to adapt the song to your child’s learning ability.

Learn more about helping families create musical traditions together in online Kindermusik Educator training. Click here to receive FREE information on becoming a Kindermusik Educator.

Baby (newborn to 2)

Hold your baby close and bounce in rhythm to the music, or pat the steady beat of the song on her back as you sing the song. Studies show a baby prefers the sound of her mother’s voice, and the sound of your voice paired with rhythm of the words – as you gently rock baby, or pat her on the back – helps your baby begin to identify the patterns of language.

Toddler (2 to 3 years)

The “giddy-up” tempo of this song makes it a great lap bounce for toddlers. Exaggerate the movement words, and make the weather and animal sounds mentioned in the lyrics to help your toddler better connect the vocabulary word to the physical movement.

Preschool (3 to 5 years)

Sing the song together and ask your preschooler to draw a picture of the story, and act it out: Pretend to ride a sled, ride through the wind, and ring bells!

Big Kids (5 to 7)

Engage your big kid’s active imagination and write your own lyrics about your family’s Thanksgiving tradition. Use the “Over the River” melody with lyrics about your own journey to Grandma’s house. What do you see? What does the weather do? Do you go over a river? Write your own lyrics.

Click here to see the long and short form of the lyrics.

AMERICA_THE_MUSICAL_PART_I — play.kindermusik.com

Play Kindermusik @Home

Talk with your family about the meaning of the Thanksgiving holiday. You’ll find several folk and Americana songs in this collection of Kindermusik songs, “America the Musical Vol. 1 and 2.” Lydia Maria Child would have loved the song, “Follow the Drinking Gourd,” a song used to help people find the Underground Railroad.

Alvin and the Chipmunks

The Andrews Sisters and Danny Kaye

The connection between timbre and phonemic awareness

Improve Listening Skills with Kindermusik

In response to a popular holiday song, “Do you hear what I hear?” the answer just might be: maybe. Hearing distinct differences in sounds takes practice. For example, back in August and September, early childhood teachers welcomed new students into the classroom. On that first day of school, the classroom full of children sounded like, well, a classroom full of children. By November, however, teachers learned to identify the distinct voices of each student. In music, we call distinct sounds timbre and it helps us distinguish the sound of a violin from a guitar; Jack’s voice from Aidan’s voice; and even aids in phonemic awareness by helping us hear the difference between the sound of a letter “v” and the sound of the letter “b.”

How people perceive timbre

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University recently created a computer model that mirrored how people make judgment calls regarding timbre. In the study, participants listened to two sounds played by different musical instruments and rated how similar the sounds appeared. The computer model recognized similar subtle differences in sounds that human participants did. For example, both acknowledged that the violin and cello appeared to be closer in sound to each other than a violin and flute and wind and percussive instruments were the most different.

“There is much to be learned from how the human brain processes complex information such as musical timbre and translating this knowledge into improved computer systems and hearing technologies,” researcher Moanya Elhilali said in the article, “Music in our ears: The Science of Timbre.”

We look forward to the next phase of this research!

Connection between timbre, phonemes, and early literacy

In ABC Music & Me, our early literacy and language curriculum, children explore the concepts of timbre whenever they compare the differences between and among sounds. Each week in class, children may participate in active listening, singing, vocal play, and instrument exploration activities to teach them auditory discrimination. That same sound discrimination helps children hear the minute differences between letter sounds or phonemes, which supports early literacy and language development. Plus, researchers agree that music improves phonemic awareness in young children.

For more information about using ABC Music & Me to teach young children early literacy and language development, email us at info@abcmusicandme.com.

Bed Time? And do lullabies really work?

“What are you doing? You’re supposed to be going to sleep.”

It’s late at night, and your baby needs to go to sleep. Everything’s been taken care of – clean diaper, quiet house, feeding, burping … so what’s with all that squirming? Maybe all that’s missing is a lullaby.

All research points to yes — lullabies are scientifically proven to lull babies to sleep, stimulate language and cognitive development, as well as strengthen the emotional bond between a parent and child.

This bond is communicated without words. Since your baby can’t yet understand words and language, a lullaby can communicate that everything in the house is taken care of, there is no danger, and so much love that a voice is literally lifted into song.

See (or sing) for yourself

Many thanks to Kindermusik parent, Janice Müller, who filmed this video of herself singing her baby to sleep with a lullaby in the Zulu language. Janice is enrolled in Brandy Butler’s Kindermusik class in Switzerland.

You can watch the video and hear Janice sing here: Click the Oct. 1 blog post.

Janice writes:

“If you want to hear the legendary Miriam Makeba do it justice: click here. The words and translation:”

Tula Baba | Traditional Zulu lullaby

Thula thul, thula baba, thula sana,
Tul’ubab ‘uzobuya ekuseni
Thula thul, thula baba, thula sana,
Tul’ubab ‘uzobuya ekuseni

Kukh’in khan-yezi, zi-holel’ u baba,
Zim-khan yi-sela indlel’e ziyak-haya,
Sobe sik hona xa bonke be-shoyo,
Be-thi bu-yela u-bu-ye le khaya,

Thula thula thula baba,
Thula thula thula sana,
Thula thula thula baba,
Thula thula thula san.

English Translation

Hush, little man, hush, child of mine
Daddy is coming in the morning
Hush, my child, hush, my son
Hush, Daddy is coming from the mountains

We will be here, as the saying goes
They were saying; come back home
We will be here, as the saying goes
I say come back, my child, come to your home

Hush, hush, my son
Hush, hush, my little man
Hush, hush, my child
Hush, hush, my little man

Keep quiet my child
Keep quiet my baby
Be quiet, daddy will be home by dawn

There’s a star that will lead him home
The star will brighten his way home

The hills and stones are still the same my love
My life has changed, yes my life has changed

We’re working to celebrate the diversity of languages around the world, as well as to preserve the lullabies from disappearing languages, and we’d love your help. Do you have a favorite lullaby in your mother tongue? Let us know, and check out “The Mother Tongue Lullaby Project,” a special effort from ABC English & Me.

National Parents as Teachers Conference

We partner with a lot of experts to create and support our standards-based early literacy curriculum, ABC Music & Me, including experienced early literacy educators, trainers, researchers and professional musicians and music producers who understand how music can unlock a child’s potential. However, we also recognize the pivotal role of parent involvement in early childhood education, which is why all of our programs, including our early literacy curriculum, include a child’s first and best teacher: the parent.

Parents as Teachers and early literacy

The organization, Parents as Teachers (PAT), shares our commitment to equip parents with the tools and resources to help provide young children with school readiness skills, including early literacy. PAT organizations around the United States use our early literacy curriculum, ABC Music & Me, to increase parent involvement in early childhood education. For example, the Choctaw Nation Support for Pregnant and Parenting Teens is a PAT program that uses ABC Music & Me in its group connection meetings with parents and children. The Tulsa Public Schools Parents as Teachers even received the coveted PAT Losos Prize for Excellence in 2010 in part for being the first in Oklahoma to use our early literacy curriculum, ABC Music & Me, to increase parent involvement in early childhood education.

National Parents as Teachers Conference

To learn more about how Parents as Teachers programs use our early literacy curriculum, stop by the ABC Music & Me booth at the National PAT Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, November 7-9. The first 100 people to visit Booth #2 will even receive a special surprise!

Not able to attend? Email us at info@abcmusicandme.com for more information about using ABC Music & Me.

Notable Mention

Submit your sustainability efforts into the Star Steward Competition!

Star Stewards – submit your Green/Sustainability/Eco efforts to win 50 free Kindermusik song credits, $100 donation to your charity of choice, and have your sustainability project celebrated and promoted on Minds on Music!

Submit your posts, pictures or videos by 12/07/12 to: Facebook.com/Kindermusik.

No project is too big or too small… just check out these upcycled pinwheels from old sheet music, found on Dishfunctional Designs blog. Small, delicate designs from upcycled material make a big statement. Check out the other great, inspiring ways this blogger has repurposed the music!

Where did I read that? A wrap up of bilingual stories and trends in education

ELL preschoolers coloring — Source: She Knows Activity Center

Learning Two Languages Makes Children Excel in Host of Skills

Counsel & Heal, August 4, 2012

Researchers say bilingual children are often on their mental toes, switching back and forth between two languages. That mental acuity has an influence on a number of abilities, new research shows. Studies show bilingual children have larger vocabularies, a deeper understanding of words, as well as “selective attention,” or, the ability to focus on what’s important.

Who says Klingon is a dead language? The Calgary Herald, November 2, 2012

The language was created more than 30 years ago for the American Sci-Fi television show, Star Trek. With only 2,000 to 3,000 words, and new book coming out, it’s the most spoken fictional language ever created.

Early Autism Intervention Can “Normalize” Brain Activity, Education Week, Oct. 31, 2012

Several parents with children with autism celebrated the release of this article over the Halloween holiday. Could be because the study simply shows that early intervention with focused interaction between parents and their children could lead to changes in the child’s brain activity. “This may be the first demonstration that a behavioral intervention for autism is associated with changes in brain function as well as positive changes in behavior,” said Thomas R. Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health

Will iPads Replace Textbooks? Seeking Alpha, November 1, 2012

If test scores keep going up, they will. Educators can’t ignore a student’s preference for an interactive tablet over a used textbook, and it seems grades are improving, too. “Houghton Mifflin recently performed a pilot study using an iPad text for Algebra 1 courses, and found that 20 increase in the number of students who scored ‘Proficient’ or ‘Advanced’ in subject comprehension when using tablets rather than paper textbook counterparts.”

Hannah Pingree, Mom on a Mission

Meet Hannah Pingree, former Main Speaker of the House and #6 finalist for the Healthy Child Healthy World’s “Mom on a Mission” Competition (and honorary KI Star Steward!). Hannah has successfully convinced state legislators to regulate and ban toxic chemicals in consumer products. Of the nearly 80,000 known toxins ubiquitous in consumer goods, only 200 have been tested and regulated. This is absolutely horrific (Halloween-caliber) if you consider the deadly effects of toxins in children, and how frequently children put toys and plastic into their mouths. Hannah believes that moms are paramount in the crusade to regulate the production of these toxins. See for yourself!

Questions from the ESL classroom: Setting boundaries with puppets, instruments, and more.

Screen Shot 2012-10-29 at 12.15.24 PM — Puppets can help to provide a cultural connection to the classroom while helping young children learn English.

Puppets are often used in the ESL classroom for young children. These playful characters are used to provide a cultural connection to the classroom, to enhance storytime, and to model conversational phrases. In addition, the puppet can speak exclusively in English, and the teacher can speak in the child’s first language to help facilitate class activities.

Even in the most playful classroom, behavior issues with puppets can arise. For one educator, a few students started a “hitting game” with the puppet during class time. Should this problem arise, an educator can use the opportunity to set appropriate boundaries with the puppet and all the classroom props – such as instruments – and redirect the behavior back to appropriate, playful classroom behavior.

We asked curriculum authors and Master Kindermusik Educator Carol Penney and Cindy Bousman to provide a few classroom behavior tips.

Here’s what they had to say:

When the puppet is first introduced to the class, it is important to set and state acceptable behaviors. Be clear and simple when these are stated. The same goes with instruments, books, visuals, and all other materials used in the class. When a teacher does this, it’s helping the children build and develop respect for other people’s “things.”

1. Start all over with a brand new puppet. Even if it is a homemade sock puppet. Talk to the children as a class about how to treat and handle this new puppet. If a child starts to hit the new puppet, immediately withdraw the puppet and explain why, then go on to the next child. The child needs to understand hitting the puppet is an unacceptable behavior.

2. Let puppet stay at home for a while. The teacher can use his or her own hand as a puppet – opening and closing four fingers together and thumb. To make it interesting, put circle stickers on hand for eyes.

3. Speak up. Say, “I don’t want you to hit my doll. You can touch him gently and sing or say hello or you can choose not to.” Make clear what you expect and/or remove the temptation.

Want to know more? Read more about using puppets in the ABC English & Me classroom in “One Puppet, One Language.”

Hurricane Crafts by Star Stewards

Kindermusik Star Steward Upcycles Clothing

Upcycle your baby clothes!

If you have clothes that are not suitable for donation…think about upcycling.

: This Kindermusik kid and her mom upcycle clothing! They re-use baby clothes by sewing them into creative outfits like this patchwork skirt.

Enhance Family Bonds

When the going gets tough, the tough gets going– for any of our U.S. East Coast families stuck inside (hopefully with power!) during the blows of Hurricane Sandy, we’re thinking of you! While power outages and being stuck at home is disruptive, Psychology Today points us to the silver lining: how to use hurricane preparation to enhance family bonds. Among these pointers, we’re told to 1) assign everyone a role, 2) practice emergency drills, 3) take advantage of power outage as a chance to communicate, 4) emphasize togetherness and unity and 5) take pictures to document the experience.

Why not use this time to get crafty, like Kindermusik kid, Stella, and her mom pictured above? These Star Stewards upcycled Stella’s old baby clothes by sewing them together to make a patchwork skirt. The skirt features a t-shirt from one of the child’s favorite bands, Elephant Revival, which was her first live concert when she was just eight weeks old! — She was born to love music!

Don’t forget to submit YOUR Star Steward projects, stories, and ideas!

WIN 50 free Kindermusik songs & $100 donation to your favorite charity by sharing your family’s Green/Sustainability/Eco efforts by 12/07/12.

Submit your posts, pictures or videos to: Facebook.com/Kindermusik.

In one Zimbabwe classroom, music brings together children of different ESL levels

Screen Shot 2012-10-29 at 12.07.56 PM — Laura Ainamo teaches English in Zimbabwe with ABC English & Me

Many stories coming out of Zimbabwe these days are tough to hear. A suffering economy. Rising inflation. The AIDS crisis, spiraling crime, and the country is struggling to preserve its disappearing Mother Tongue languages as well as learn English.

Learn how Kindermusik is helping to preserve Mother Tongue Languages and visit the Mother Tongue Lullaby Project Tumblr page

Yet in a small school in Zimbabwe, 20-year-old Finnish Educator Laura Ainamo is making music. Laura uses music, rhythm, songs, and animals to help children there learn English. One of her classroom challenges is to find one program that helps children at different ESL levels. ABC English & Me is helping to bring these groups together, Laura says.

Below, she shares her own classroom experience.

Hi, my name is Laura and I am from Finland. I’m 20 years old and I just finished my high school. I am in Zimbabwe for three months. Staying here till 29th of November. I am teaching ABC English & Me to eight groups of ten children.

Most of the children are in 1st and 2nd grade, but about ten of the children are in 3rd and 4th grade because they do poorly in English.

I have printed the visuals in color and have them laminated, I am using a laptop for the music and I have all the instruments sent by Kindermusik. I have a puppet called Maria, she is a bear and named after my big sister in Finland.

Lessons that I have had have been good. The children like the instruments and tapping the drum but most of them have been able to count to four already or they know many of the animals. Sometimes I do extra activities, such as a little game with the egg shakers. I say “down, up, or middle” and they have to put the shakers where I tell them to go.

They are also very musical and they like the songs. Unfortunately my time here won’t be enough for more than maybe the 1st and 2nd theme but we already have a likely successor to take over and she will be helping me with my lessons. She is Nyasha and lives in Zimbabwe.

– Laura Ainamo

Screen Shot 2012-10-29 at 12.14.59 PM — ABC English & Me incorporates a multi-media approach to learning English, using integrated pictures, songs, activities and stories with each new unit theme. Each unit is about 4 weeks and incorporates some repetition with the introduction of new activities.

Screen Shot 2012-10-29 at 12.15.12 PM — "Rub Your Ears!" In the classroom, children spend time listening to sounds of instruments, or sound effects in a story, to develop focused listening skills.

Screen Shot 2012-10-29 at 12.16.00 PM — The children smile and play music together, while learning English.

Screen Shot 2012-10-29 at 12.16.19 PM — Children develop an awareness of the rhythm and patterns of language using musical instruments, such as the egg shaker.

Visit the English Language Learning category or Subscribe to our blog for current news on ABC English & Me, ELL research, and Kindermusik programs around the world.