Song of the Month

Every month the song/dance/activity will change. Many of the songs will be from my Recordings. Please print the page and do the activity with your child. Teachers may print the page to use with their classes. If you have questions, Contact Me.

March 2011

B-Banana / Monkey See, Monkey Do!

Listen to the whole song on Stinky Cake, or hear it here:

Let's MOVE!!! This combination of a chant, B-Banana!, with a gross motor skill song is just the ticket for active children. If the weather isn't co-operating for outdoor play, put together a time of music and movement – even 10 minutes can get everyone's heart pumping, brain firing and a smile on each and every face! I made a giant banana out of yellow foamcore board (posterboard would work, but not last as long). I wrote on it, from top to bottom: "B", "peel", "eat" and "GO!" If I'm holding the banana, I point to each word as we do the chant. The children love to be banana-holders, too!

"Monkey See, Monkey Do" is an old camp song that I've re-worked to include many gross motor skills – feel free to add some of your own. It's a zipper song – just zip in a new movement and repeat the song again. I use a long-armed stuffed monkey, which I drape around a child's neck when it's their turn to pick an action for us all to do. Oo oo ah ah ee ee ee!

Lyrics:

B-Banana Chant (spoken rhythmically accent the darker syllables)

B ba-na-na, B B ba-na-na,
B ba-na-na, B B ba-na-na,

Now peel ba-na-na, peel peel ba-na-na
Peel ba-na-na, peel peel ba-na-na

And eat ba-na-na, eat eat ba-na-na,
Eat ba-na-na,, eat eat ba-na-na,

Now GO ba-na-nas, GO GO ba-na-nas
GO ba-na-nas, GO GO ba-na-nas!!!!

Movements:

1st verse: clap on the accented syllables
2nd verse: pretend to peel a banana
3rd verse: put fist to mouth as if eating a banana
4th verse: GO BANANAS! Move your body with big motions arms, legs everything!

Lyrics:

Monkey See, Monkey Do! (sung)

The monkey clap clap claps his hands
The monkey clap clap claps his hands
Monkey see, and monkey do
The monkey does the same as you!

Movements: You may pass a "monkey" stuffed toy, picture, whatever to a new child each time you do the verse. The child with the monkey chooses what to do jump, run, crawl, swing in trees, say "oo oo ah ah", spin get in lots of skills! If a child can't think of a movement after being given the monkey, I suggest two options and ask them to pick one. That ususally works well.

Age Range: 2 - 6 year olds love these songs! But I learned it when I was about 8 years old, so I think you can enjoy it with about any age. I recently did it with a group of 1's, and they jumped right in!

Purpose: Gross-motor movement, child-directed activity, letter identification (B!)

More Songs of the Month