ARE YOU LOOKING AROUND FOR A FUN SONG WITH SOME SURPRISING COGNITIVE BENEFITS FOR YOUR PRESCHOOLERS? Here is my free Music Activity: "Icky, Sticky Bubblegum"... a favorite of my Montessori music groups!
THE SONG
"Icky, Sticky Bubblegum"
If you haven't yet discovered this funny little song, you'll be delighted to see how it can be used to develop vocabulary about the parts of the human body! To make this song really fun, I like to be very dramatic in acting out the motions and I also like to choose unusual body parts such as cheeks, jaws, elbows, forehead, etc. But don't forget some really funny ones for acting out like lips and nose and cheeks (hilarious!)
Great for your Cultural Unit about The Human Body!
This bubblegum song is fun for very young children, although they may not understand about bubblegum, in which case you can show pictures of people blowing bubbles with bubblegum before teaching the song to the children.
~4. "And, it sticks right to my... elbows!" (Choose a part of the body, ex: elbows, cheeks, eyebrows, etc. Place the palms of the hands so they mimic being "stuck" to that part of the body, such as: "elbows.")
~5. Move palms up and down on the particular part of the body while singing "And, I pull it, and I pull it, and I pull it off!"
~6. Return to line 1 etc. of the song (see above)
~ Repeat:
~1. "Icky-sticky, icky-sticky bubblegum," etc... (continue with lines ~2, ~3...)
~4. "(And, it sticks right to my...") choose a new part of the body.
~5. Move palms up and down on the body part "And, I pull it, and I pull it, and I pull it off!"
~6. Return to line 1 and proceed as above with a different body part
Repeat ~1 through ~6 as long as children are engaged
THE ACTIONS
~1.Clap palms together and flip hands over and under while keeping the steady beat.
~2. Continue to clap palms as above through ~3 of the song.
~4. Move palms of hands to the body partas if your hands are stuck to the body part by the sticky bubble gum.
~5.Move palms back and forth on the body part as if trying to get the sticky gum loose from the body part.
Repeat these actions (~1-5) with each new body part you sing about.
EXTENSIONS
+Give each child a tambourine to tap instead of clapping palms of their hands together
+Children can hold a scarf in one hand and pretend it is the bubblegum
+ Invite children to stand during this song and they can move in larger ways. (Ex: shoe is stuck to gum on the ground, knee is stuck to gum on the ground, elbow is stuck to gum on the ground, etc.)
SEE THIS SONG IN ACTION
Here is a Youtube video showing the motions to the song:
MORE EXTENSIONS:
+ Individualized Shelf Work for 2 or more children: Print off pictures of parts of the human body and place them in a basket. One child picks a picture and then both children sing the song including that body part. You can purchase my set of cards to go along with this Activity at my TpT Store. (see below)
MORE RESOURCES
If you would like to create a little "Curriculum Unit" featuring this song...
I have produced some fun Language and Movement Activities with Printables and Templates for more musical fun for your group.
Here is what is in my TpT Pack to complement today's Lesson:
~Visuals of people chewing bubble gum
~Montessori-style Command Cards to go along with the song lyrics
~"Icky Sticky" rhyming words cards (Great for using with the Moveable Alphabet)
~Body Parts visual cards for creating individualized shelf work games
~A Write-up including instructions on how to do the activities and links to hear and see the song being performed.
COGNITIVE BENEFITS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
~Refining Large Motor Skills ~Developing the singing voice ~Enriching vocabulary ~Creatively exploring and coordinating movement to music ~Preparing for writing and reading
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PRESCHOOLERS IN MY MONTESSORI GROUPS LOVE REPETITIVE SONGS THAT REQUIRE THEIR PARTICIPATION. "We're Going On a Lion Hunt" has always been one of their favorites! You can get this FULL lesson for free at my "Musically Montessori" eCourse site. (or purchase the Full Lesson at my TpT Store.) You'll find THE LINKS at the END of this post.
LET'S GO ON A LION HUNT!
Recently, I spent just about the entire season of Autumn taking care of my little grandchild who turned three during those months. Every night, at bedtime, he would ask me to tell him a story. Then, he would have to have a song...too. You probably know that little routine: Child thinks: " Let's stretch out this cuddly time before going to sleep! A book, a story, a drink of water, gotta go to potty, oh...and please sing me a song!" Over the weeks, my grandchild became very particular about the story and the song. For his younger years he had always asked for stories about Minnie Mouse or a cute little bunny, etc. And, his song request was always "Old MacDonald". However, during these recent months, he had moved into his "big boy" bed and he wanted stories about lions, dinosaurs, and then about super heroes. He also wanted our night-time song to go along with the subject of the story! When he heard "We're Going on a Lion Hunt" after our "Lion Story" he proceeded to ask for that song (rhyme) every night! That's when I remembered how much my Montessori groups had loved that song when I was a teacher in the classroom. After weeks of the Lion Hunt, I began to get requests for going on a T-Rex Hunt...then a Pteranodon Hunt, and then even a Spiderman Hunt!
I hadn't realized how versatile this little rhyme could be! I've prepared one of my quirky videos so you can hear how my version of the rhyme goes:
This repetitive rhyme is fun for Preschoolers and doesn't require a perfectly tuned singing voice. It is actually spoken in a steady, rhythmical way. Great for "first days" and great for "warming up" the group. (or even transition times!)
THE WORDS
~1. "We're going on a lion hunt,"
~2. "We're going on a lion hunt, to see if we can find one"
~3. "Stop...Look...and Listen..."
~4. "Ribbit!" (this is where the teacher makes a sound that a familiar animal would make, ex: frog, or bird, or cow, etc.)
~5. Everyone says: "No, that's a frog!" (or a bird, cow, snake, dog, cat etc.)
~6. Return to line 1 etc. of the rhyme (see above)
~ Repeat:
~1. "We're going on a lion hunt," etc... (continue with lines ~2, ~3...)
~4. (teacher makes another animal sound, as above, ex: bird)
~5. Everyone says "No, that's a bird!"
~6. Return to line 1 and proceed as above with a different animal sound
Repeat ~1 through ~6 as long as children are engaged (I suggest 5 or 6 animal sounds)
Finally...it's time for the animal sound to be a lion's roar!
Now, the children tap their knees quickly as if running back home!
THE ACTIONS
(to go along with the lines of the rhyme above)
~1.Pat alternating knees as if "walking"
~2. Continue patting motions
~3. "Stop"= hold hand up like a stop sign "Look"= make "binoculars" with fingers "Listen"= cup hand up to ear
~4. Make the motions to go along with the sound of the animal the Teacher is making
EXTENSIONS
(PDF Downloadable Templates are available at the links below)
+ Change the animal you are hunting for... (ex: "Bear", "T-Rex", or even "Spiderman" (he makes s swishing "web-making" sound)
+ Make up a "Drama Game": Provide pictures of various animals that you will include in the rhyme, then invite one child at a time to come up and pick a picture and make the sound of the animal pictured.
+ Substitute rhythm instruments (ex: Rhythm Sticks, maracas, tambourine, drum etc) for the sounds that the animals actually make. Use the pictures of animals and then assign an instrument to each picture. Children respond according to each instrument you play. TIP: a drum makes a good "roar" for the lion!
+ Set up an individualized Shelf Work for free play or work time: Place a plastic model of a lion, child-sized binoculars and a small selection of plastic animal models in a basket. One child hides the animals, then the other child uses the binoculars to "hunt" for the lion. They can sing the rhyme while they play!
+ Create a “Rebus” Story with this rhyme using pictures for the key words
+ Make Stick Puppetsfor dramatizing the Rhyme. On card stock print pictures (or outlines) of animals. Cut them out. Attach to craft sticks.
+ Include this activity in your Cultural Studies Unit featuring African Animals
DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO LOVES PLAYING WITH DINOSAUR TOYS? Like...maybe your entire Montessori group or whole neighborhood of kids!
Photo from Adobe Stock
"DINOSAURS"
AS PART OF
THE MONTESSORI CURRICULUM
"Dinosaurs" as a topic in the Montessori Curriculum have always been one of the all-time favorites with my groups, including my current Montessori music classrooms today! Every dinosaur song and movement activity is always a big hit. This song comes from one of my first introductions to dinosaurs (in the 1970's) when my own children played this album everyday! ~ "My Name Is Stegosaurus" from Juice Music (original song is from the Album, "Our Dinosaur Friends".1974)
So when I recently discovered that my little 3-yr old grandchild has become enamored with dinosaurs, I stepped right up to the plate and began gathering "Dinosaur Activities" to enhance his cognitive development and have lots of fun, too. In the Montessori curriculum, dinosaurs are important components of the Lower Elementary "Timeline of Life." In the Montessori Preschool classroom, I have always brought dinosaurs in with the study of Reptiles. (However, nowadays, there are debates about whether dinosaurs should be considered Reptiles or Birds. Actually, dinosaurs have their own "branch" called "Dinosauria.")
HANDS-ON EXPERIENCES
Photo from Adobe Stock
Maria Montessori discovered that children learn through "hands-on experiences." In the Montessori pedagogy, we offer children concrete experiences before we go into more abstract activities. Here is one quote I found at the AMS site, in which Montessori describes to educators what our task is:
"And so we discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being. It is not acquired by listening to words, but in virtue of experiences in which the child acts on his environment. The teacher’s task is not to talk, but to prepare and arrange a series of motives for cultural activity in a special environment made for the child."
From The Absorbent Mind by Maria Montessori
If it is possible to begin your dinosaur studies with a field trip to a local museum or a "dinosaur park", this will give your young dinosaur enthusiast a somewhat concrete experience with dinosaurs. Most museums have models or actual reconstructions of dinosaur skeletons that can give a child an idea of how large these creatures were.
"Dinosaur Park" photo from Adobe Stock
In "dinosaur parks" children can view authentic models of dinosaurs. There are even dinosaur "playgrounds" where children can climb, swing, and crawl through play structures that are kid-friendly replicas of dinosaurs.
Children's Museums often have "hands-on activities" related to dinosaurs. My grandchild and I recently went to a local children's museum where there were outdoor "sandpits" for children to dig for "dinosaur bones."
Here are some fun songs to go along with digging for "dinosaur bones: ~ "Them Bones" (Caspar Babypants) ~"Shake Them Bones" (Kidboomers) ~"Fossils" (Carnival of Animals by Camille Saint-Saens
AUTHENTIC TOY MODELS
Photo from Adobe Stock
I first learned the names of many of the most famous dinosaurs when my own children became enamored with dinosaurs way back in the 1970's!
One of the ways my own children and I learned about the dinosaurs was by collecting authentic child-friendly plastic models of dinosaurs. Along with identification books from the library, we discovered the names of the dinosaurs that the models represented.
Carnegie Collection of Dinosaur Toys
So, when my youngest grandchild became enamored with dinosaurs, I ordered some authentic models of his favorites: T-Rex, Plesiosaurus, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Parasaurolophus, and my favorite, Pteranodon.
Some of the best dinosaur models are at Safari Ltd. Here is a wonderful video showing the quality of their toy line.
TRADITIONAL & BEAUTIFUL
MONTESSORI ACTIVITY PACKS
Next, I went to the TpT site and I purchased some wonderful resources for creating a "unit of study" for my 3-yr old dinosaur enthusiast. We played lots of games with these materials and I even saved some activities to introduce to him as he gets older.
When I began my search for some classic Montessori "Parts of the Dinosaur" Activities, I ran into some snags. I wanted a puzzle and then 3-Part Cards to go along.
Next, I decided to create our own Montessori-style 3-Part Cards and this Activity is part of my "Exploring Dinosaurs" TpT Activity Pack. (seen in the picture above)
2. Montessori-style Command Cards
for
Movement Activities
(Large Motor & Language)
Book available from Amazon
The book, "Stomp, Dinosaur, Stomp" has been a big favorite for us. So, after reading it day after day, I decided to create a fun Montessori-style Activity based on the dinosaur "actions" from the rhymes in the book. ( I created 3 levels of reading for these "command cards.")
This Book and my Command Cards are very fun for acting out the motions. We also made the rhyme in the book into a musical story by adding rhythm instruments for the motions and using the stick puppets (see activity below) to tell the story. (Ex: drum for "stomp", tambourine for "swoop. etc.)
3. Exploring "Dinosaur Skeletons"
Matching Dinosaur Models to their Skeletons
(Practical Life, Sensorial, &
Pre-reading)
My grandchild loves exploring kinetic sand in his sensory bin. We found some purple (his favorite color) kinetic sand and some plastic miniature dinosaur skeletons on Amazon, and voila! we had a fun "dinosaur dig" right in our own back yard.
We added a few "digging tools" and enhanced the authenticity of this archeological activity. Lots of skills development!
Kinetic Sand and miniature "Dinosaur Skeletons"
Later, our little one enjoyed matching the skeletons to dinosaur miniatures.
Matching Dinosaur miniatures with their "Skeletons"
This inspired me to create a Montessori-style matching cards activity for my "Exploring Dinosaurs" TpT Activity Packet.
Next, I decided to make some stick puppets out of the adorable dinosaur graphics that I purchased at Creative Market.
I pre-cut the dinosaurs and then Jules taped them to craft sticks. Later, he wanted to paint some of the outlined templates and then hang them on the tree!
5. Performing Musical Stories about Dinosaurs
(Music & Drama)
During my days as a Montessori classroom teacher, we always enjoyed singing various dinosaur songs (see suggestions below) and then acting out the motions in the songs.
We even created impromptu "shows" that we developed into full-fledged productions that we performed for families and other classrooms.
Photo from Adobe Stock
In my "Exploring Dinosaurs" Activity Pack, I have included a Dinosaur Story that you can develop with your group of dinosaur-loving musicians. My grandchild, Jules, loved "performing" this story over and over. He played the Glockenspiel for the rain drops and the fun part for him was when I put the dinosaur models in their "cave" when the rain storm came!
6. Exploring Fine Art Historical Pictures of Dinosaurs
(Fine Arts)
I've included in my "Exploring Dinosaurs" TpT Activity Pack, a set of twenty "Dinosaur Art" Pictures from traditional oil paintings created by National Geographic artists to ancient renditions in prehistoric caves & temples, to fun pop art and even beautiful street art and beach sand art!
Art by Charles Knight from Public Domain
My little one, Jules, was fascinated with these Art pieces and we had lots of fun exploring them. We even chose one to display in a frame.
Thank you again for visiting my blog today. I hope you have gotten lots of ideas for your dinosaur-loving kids! If you would like to provide even more dinosaur activities for your group, I invite you to check out my Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) "Exploring Dinosaurs" Activity Pack.
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Welcome! I'm Carolyn, a grandmother, long-time Montessori Teacher, and Orff-Schulwerk Music Specialist. I hope you enjoy these activities that I have curated over my many years of teaching in many different settings! You can check out my website by clicking on my picture.
~Visuals of people chewing bubble gum
