So Big

Words, Music and Activities by Hap Palmer
©Hap-Pal Music, Inc.

Introduction

These easy-to-learn activity songs are designed for preschool and primary grade learners. They tap children's natural desire to move, sing and make-believe. From a tiny chick curled inside an egg, to the vigorous movements of a galloping pony, a full range of images and movement possibilities are explored through words and music. While clapping, stamping, turning, reaching, falling, throwing, catching, bending, twisting, crawling, walking, hopping, running and soaring, the whole child is engaged in developing movement skills, enriching language, experiencing basic math and science concepts, and stimulating imaginative powers.

Each song is repeated in an instrumental version. Once children have learned a song, they can sing along without hearing the words. The instrumentals have a soft melody line to act as a guide without overpowering the children's voices. The instrumentals also provide opportunities for choice making, problem solving and creativity. Children choose the things they would like to pretend, make up their own words and create their own movements. They then sing and move using their ideas. 
There are endless possibilities and variations of ways to use these songs. This guide is a starting point for introducing children to the joy of music and movement. 

So Big

So Happy You're Here

Words and Music: Hap Palmer

Activity:
This is a song to warm up our voices and welcome everyone to music and movement time. Listen to each funny phrase, then sing it back like an echo. During the first chorus, give yourself a pat on the back, shake your own hand, and give yourself a hug and squeeze. During the second chorus, give someone else a pat on the back, shake her/his hand, and give that person a gentle squeeze to say, " We're so happy you're here today!" 

Lyric:
Sing Doo wah doo, Tra la la, 
Yo-dle-ay, Sha na na
Hi dee hi, Howdy doo
It's all a funny way to say,
"We're glad you're here today!" 

Now give yourself a pat on the back
Reach out and shake your own hand
Give a gentle squeeze to say you're pleased
We're so happy you're here today, today
We're so happy you're here today

Sing Fee fi fo, Fiddly dee
Shooby doo, Golly gee
Skizzamaroo, An a hi to you
Now turn and face someone and say,
"We're glad you're here today!"

Now give someone a pat on the back
Reach out and shake a hand
Give a gentle squeeze to say you're pleased
We're so happy you're here today, today
We're so happy you're here today

Instrumental: 
Make up your own funny phrases. Write them on the board, then sing the song using your ideas. You can also create a funny motion that goes with each phrase and play follow the leader.

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Five Little Monkeys

Words and Music: Hap Palmer

Activity:
Act out the story of five monkeys who fell down and bumped their heads while jumping on the bed. The doctor told their mother not to let them jump on the bed. They decided to try hopping and then turning. They finally solved the problem of how to play and not hurt themselves by going outside and jumping on the lawn.

I'm A Pretzel

Words and Music: Hap Palmer

Activity:
Put your hand over your head. Put your shoulder under your chin. Touch your leg with your toes. Put your wrist in back of your spine. Can you hold this shape and twist a little? ... bend a little? See if you can make the whole shape move with the music. Can you hold the shape and bounce? ... sway? ... travel across the room?

So Big

Words and Music: Hap Palmer.

Activity:
Close your eyes and picture yourself as a newborn baby. You can also picture a baby sister or brother if you have one. Now I'm going to ask you some questions. If the answer is "yes," say it three times: "yes, yes, yes." If the answer is "no," say it three times: "no, no, no." Is a baby bigger than a kitten?... a mitten? ... an apple when it's ripe for pickin'? Picture your mother. Is she bigger than a fly? ... the sky?... a slice of blueberry pie? This song also asks questions about your father, and in the last verse asks about you! 
Try moving as you sing. Jump up and down each time you say "yes." Twist side to side as you say "no,no,no." When you sing "so big," reach up and out, lengthen your spine, and make yourself "soooo" big. 

Rock And Roll Freeze Dance

Words and Music: Hap Palmer 

Activity:
When you hear the music, dance any way you want. When the music stops, freeze like a statue. Add variety to your dancing by finding all the ways you can to move (jump, twist, turn, wiggle, swing, sway, etc.) and by changing level and direction.

Baby Chickie

Words and Music: Hap Palmer

Activity:
Curl up and make yourself tiny. Imagine you're a baby chick squished inside an egg. As you grow bigger you feel cramped because you can hardly fit in the shell. So you peck at the shell, stretch and squirm, until you break the egg. You then gleefully hatch and explore the world around you. 

Lyric:
Little, bitty chickie curled within the egg
Growing bigger day by day
It's getting squished inside and won't be satisfied
Until it's time to come outside and play

Peck, chickie, peck,
Stretch out your neck,
Squirm about and shake each leg,
Tap your beak and wiggle
Push real hard and jiggle
Until you crack the shell and break the egg 

Welcome to the world, baby chickie
Walk about and see what's all around
Peck a little here and peck a little there
And let us hear your merry peeping sound

Instrumental: 
Are there other animals that hatch from eggs. Could you pretend to be an ostrich? ... a dinosaur? ... what else?

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When I'm Down I Get Up And Dance

Words and Music: Hap Palmer

Activity:
Act out the feelings and do the motions described in this song. Respond to the changes in tempo and rhythm showing sad and happy ways of moving.

Ten Wiggle Worms - Part I

Words and Music: Hap Palmer

Activity:
Imagine your fingers are ten wiggly worms. They start down in the ground and come up to play in the sun. Using your fingers, act out the motions described in this song. When a bird swoops down from the sky to catch the worms, quickly lower your fingers to pantomime the worms wiggling underground to safety. 

Ten Wiggle Worms - Part II

Words and Music: Hap Palmer

Activity:
Start with wiggling your fingers and lifting one hand as five wiggle worms come up to play in the sun; then lift your other hand as five more follow to make ten worms playing in the sun. They all get together and wiggle to the right, then the left. A bird swoops down from the sky and snatches five worms. Another bird flies down and snatches four worms. When a bird swoops down to catch the last worm, quickly lower your finger to pantomime the last little worm wiggling safely underground. 

Jack-In-The-Box

Words and Music: Hap Palmer

Activity:
(Showing real jack-in-the-box) Who knows what this is called? Listen to the music as I turn the crank. When the clown jumps out of the box, jump up and freeze. Now imagine you are inside a jack-in-the-box. Make yourself small so you can fit. Instead of a clown, pretend you're a pony. When you hear the words "Pop goes the pony!", jump up and gallop around the room. When the music stops, curl up inside your box and get ready to pretend to be something else. 

Growing

Words and Music: Hap Palmer

Activity:
Sway from side to side with the music. Each time you hear the words "grow, grow, grow," lift your hands higher and higher in the air. With the first verse, make yourself small, and pretend you are a tiny little seed that slowly grows to a great big tree. During the second verse, act out the growth of a baby by crawling, walking, talking, and running. 

Bluegrass Jamboree

Words and Music: Hap Palmer

Activity:
Clap your hands then stamp your feet with the bluegrass band. As each instrument solos, do the following motions: jump and spin with the violin; hop and grin with the mandolin; step and swing as the banjos ring; run in place when you hear the bass and fall down with the guitar sound. Freeze when the music stops. When the music starts again, jump up and repeat all the motions.

Teddy Bear Play Time

Words and Music: Hap Palmer

Activity:
Gently throw and catch your teddy bear. Turn around once and jump three times. Balance your teddy bear on your head and walk around the room. Stop and put your bear on each body part named in the song. 

Put Your Hands Up In The Air

Words and Music: Hap Palmer

Activity:
Move with the rhythm of the music, and add your own movements as you follow the directions in this song. 

Lyric:
Put your hands up in the air
Put your hands down on your nose
Put your hands up in the air
Now bend down and touch your toes
Everybody turn around
Now let's all jump up and down

Put your right hand in the air
Put your right hand on your lips
Put your left hand in the air
Now put both hands on your hips
Everybody turn around
Now let's all jump up and down

Tip toe quietly to your seat
Don't let anyone hear your feet
Put your hands down in your lap
Bow your head and take a nap

Instrumental: 
What other body parts could you put up in the air? Can you put your foot in the air? Can you put your elbow in the air? Lower your elbow and find and contact it with a different part of your body.
Sing this song again using your ideas. For example:

Put your elbow in the air
Put your elbow on your knee
Put you thumbs up in the air
Bring them down and touch your heels

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Big Things Come From Little Things You Do

Activity:
Everything we do is a series of small tasks. To build something with blocks you put the blocks in place one at a time. What are the steps for making a cake? ... preparing for a birthday party? ... growing a garden? ... What things do you like to make or do? What are the steps you take to reach your goal? Act out the tasks described in this song. Each time you hear the word "big," make a big shape with your body, and each time you hear the word "little," make a small shape.

Lyric:
Step by step, bit by bit, 
Piece by piece, dreams come true
Big things come from little things you do
Clear some space, bring your blocks
Stack them up to build a house
Big things come from little things you do
One by one, each step you take
Makes your wish come true

Pour the mix, crack an egg
Stir in milk then bake a cake
Big things come from little things you do
Call your friends, hang balloons
Plan some birthday party games
Big things come from little things you do
One by one, each step you take
Makes your wish come true
Makes your wish come true

Dig the ground, plant some seeds
Spray the hose, a garden grows
Big things come from little things -
Big things come from little things -
Big things come from little things you do

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Producers: Tom Perry, Miriam Mayer, Hap Palmer Arranger: Miriam Mayer 
Recording Engineers: Tom Perry, John Slattery Lead Vocals: Hap Palmer 
Background Vocals: Karen Harper, Marsha Skidmore, Luana Jackman, Hap Palmer
Piano, Keyboards, Synthesizer: Steve Kaplan Bass: Jim Garafalo Drums: Tom Walsh 
Guitars: Grant Geissman, Hap Palmer Flutes: Suzanne Teng, Jon Kip 
Saxophones: Jon Kip, Miriam Mayer, Hap Palmer Trumpet: Stu Blumberg 
Percussion: Brian Kilgore Violin: Miriam Mayer Banjo, Mandolin: Grant Geissman 
Children's Chorus Director: Tricia Billes Children's Chorus: Aleza Axelrod, Arianna Axelrod,
Danielle Bateman, Patrick Billes, Sonja Billes, Brette Gentry, Logan Gentry, Lisa Hill, Jessica Hillard, Gena Inkeles, Sky LaBrot, Sondra Lanutti, Buckley Mitchell, Talor Mitchell, Jessica Nelson, Jody Rollins, Tami Rollins, Blake Stevens, Robben Wilson-Anger.

Illustrations: Carol Schumacher Onaitis Educational Consultants: Angelia Leung, Kelly Palmer 
Guidebook Editors: Paula Benjamin Little, Betty Williams, Raelynne Rein 
     

©Hap-Pal Music. All rights reserved. These songs and activities are for the personal use of parents and teachers only. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher Hap-Pal Music.