Happy Tucsday or “martes,” Tucson Songstress friends! With Cinco de Mayo coming up on Sunday, I thought we could use this week’s lesson to help brush up on some fun Spanish vocabulary using music to punctuate the words. I found a wonderful Spanish flavored version of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” entitled “Rubia and the Three Osos” that will help us with some vocabulary all while engaging your children.
Before we begin this week’s lesson, you will need the following items:
(1) A copy of the book “Rubia and the Three Osos” by Susan Middleton Elya. Here is a picture of the book cover:
It is available for purchase through Amazon.com. Click HERE to go to the Amazon page to check it out.
You will also need a glockenspiel. Any glockenspiel will do, but my favorite one is by Basic Beat. The lid is used as a magnetic music staff that can help reflect the notes played. Here is a picture of what it looks like:
Click HERE to go to Amazon to learn more about it.
The Activity
This story is best intended for children ages 3 & up. It involves learning and retaining Spanish words and the ability to identify and point to three different sized keys and pitches on the glockenspiel.
Before you begin the lesson, go over the following vocabulary with your child to help them comprehend the story as you read it. When you obtain a copy of the book, you will see that this glossary is located in the back.
Bebe = baby
Bienvenido = welcome
Buena = good
Caliente = hot
(la) Carretilla = (the) cubby bar
(la) Casa = (the) house
(la) Casita = (the) cottage
Dura = hard
Es tu casa = is your house
Eso = that one
Fabuloso = fabulous
Frio = cold
La = the
La adora = I adore it.
La grande = The big one
Las tres camas = The three beds
(el) Libro = (the) book
Lo siento = I’m sorry
Los Osos = the bears
Mama = Mom
(la) Masa = (the) dough
(la) Mesa = (the) table
Mi sopa = my soup
Oro = gold
(el) oso = (the) bear
Papa = Dad
Perfecto = perfect
(los) Platos = (the) plates, bowls
(la) Puerta = (the) door
Rubia = Goldie, a blonde
(las) Sillas = (the) chairs
(la) Sopa = (the)Soup
(la) Sorpresa = (the) surprise
Suave = soft
Now that you have gone over the foreign words, read the story to your child. For certain words, you will play keys on the glockenspiel. Pick three keys (or notes) right next to each other: a big key (low note), a medium-sized key (medium note) or a tiny key (high note). The keys will represent the the big, medium and large items in the story…just like in the Golidlocks story.
The “sopa” (soup) is caliente (hot), frio (cold) and perfecto (perfect).
For the big/cliente bowl, play the big key or low note. For the middle bowl/frio bowl, play the medium key (medium note). For the tiny/perfecto bowl, play the tiny key (high note).
There are three sillas (chairs). The big one is dura (hard). The middle one is suave (soft). The tiny one breaks. Play the corresponding keys on the glockenpiel with each of the vocabulary words.
There are also las tres camas (three beds) that corresponding keys can be played to: La grande (big), a middle one and a little bed that is buena (good).
As well, the three osos can also each get a sound and a corresponding key: Papa, Mama and Bebe.
Once you have finished reading the book, read it again to your child. Only this time, hand them the glockenspiel and ask them to play and point to the correct key/note with each vocabulary word. Repeat he activity until your child can play along correctly to all of the words.
I hope you have enjoyed today’s Top 10 Tuesday music activity. For a complete list of the Top 10 musical instruments under $40 that will help promote music education in the home, click HERE. For an archive of previous Top 10 Tuesday activities, click HERE. I hope you all have a great time celebrating Cinco de Mayo on Sunday. Don’t forget to check back next week for another fun-filled music activity. Until then, play on!
