Happy Top 10 Tuesday, friends! On this Tuesday, I have school on the brain. In Arizona, our kids go back to school earlier than the rest of the country, and next week my children will be returning for their 1st grade and 3rd grade years. As a Mommy, I do everything I can to get my kids ready for the back-to-school routine, and as a teacher, I am gathering all of my back-to-school teaching materials together.
I have a favorite 1st day of school singable book that I though I’d share with all of you today. The book is a great back-to-school version of the classic children’s song, “Here We go Round the Mulberry Bush.” This sweet tale is by author, Will Hillenbrand, and the entire book can be sung. (If you forget the melody to “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush,” click HERE to listen to it on Youtube.)
In Hillenbrand’s book, one little boy is nervous about his first day at the Mulberry Bush school. He brings his pet turtle with him for show and tell, and on each page, the turtle is keeping him company. Nonetheless, he’s not enjoying himself until he makes a new friend at recess. That’s when the day turns around, and he can’t wait to return to school the next day.
Here is a picture of the book.
Click HERE to view Will Hillenbrand’s “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush” on Amazon.com.
To take the book one step further, teach your child the classic “Here we Go Round the Mulberry Bush” song. Here are the lyrics:
HERE WE GO ROUND THE MULBERRY BUSH
Here we go round the mulberry bush
The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush
Here we go round the mulberry bush
So early in the morning
This is the way we bale the hay
Bale the hay, bale the hay
This is the way we bale the hay
So early Monday morning
This is the way we feed the chicks
Feed the chicks, feed the chicks
This is the way we feed the chicks
So early Tuesday morning
This is the way we sweep the porch
Sweep the porch, sweep the porch
This is the way we sweep the porch
So early Wednesday morning
This is the way we paint the fence
Paint the fence, paint the fence
This is the way we paint the fence
So early Thursday morning
This is the way we groom the horse
Groom the horse, groom the horse
This is the way we groom the horse
So early Friday morning
Oh, this is the way we milk the cows
Milk the cows, milk the cows
This is the way we milk the cows
So early Saturday morning
Here we go round the mulberry bush
The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush
Here we go round the mulberry bush
So early Sunday morning
Once your child knows the song, try singing it and marching around a pretend Mulberry Bush. A house plant will do nicely! Ask your child to come up with a hand motion to each verse all while marching and singing at the same time. Once you have completed this step successfully, add rhythm sticks. Here are a picture of rhythm sticks:
Click HERE to go to Amazon.com to view a set for purchase.
Now sing the song all while marching around the “Mulberry Bush” and keeping a beat with the rhythm sticks. For a preschooler, this is easier said than done. Practice this step as many times as their attention span is held for. Your child has now practiced keeping a beat with an instrument, marching to a beat, learning music, singing and getting prepared for the 1st day of school all while having fun!
I hope you have enjoyed today’s Top 10 Tuesday music activity! Don’t forget to check back here every Tuesday for some more musical fun that you can do at home with your child. For a complete list of the Top 10 Tuesday musical instruments under $40 that will help promote music education in the home, click HERE. For an archive of all previous activities, click HERE. Until next Tuesday, play on!