Head, Shoulders, Knees, and all that

Bento!!!!

Last week I got to visit an English class for very young learners in Tokyo led by Justin of Tiny Tots Japan.  It was a great class and a lot of fun.  After class, it was time for lunch and all the young girls brought out their bento boxes. 

Now...when I was a kid going to kindergarten, I ate peanut butter and cheese sandwiches (which I apparently loved) dented by the apple which shared the same brown-paper-bag home.  So I really enjoy looking at the beautiful packed lunches young Japanese students eat.  A typical bento (Japanese lunchbox) for young kids has onigiri (rice balls wrapped in seaweed), and an assortment of small foods like sausages, croquettes, vegetables, tamagoyaki (a kind of rolled egg omelette),etc. 

Here are a few pictures I snapped with my camera phone of the bentos.  How excited do you think the kids are to open their lunch boxes when they have lunches like this?

 

What did you eat for lunch when you were a kid? 

Goodbye songs

This week's こどもと英語で話そう！ podcast features some easy ways to say goodbye in English and Japanese and a simple goodbye song.  Listeners in Japan also have a chance to win a free copy of Super Simple Songs, but you have to hurry... the deadline to enter is Thursday, Feb. 22 (today!) at midnight.

You can get the podcast through iTunes here:

Vote for Chip

The new school year begins in April in Japan, so about this time every year the publishing companies in Japan kindly host teaching seminars around the country.  Good promotion for them, and a great chance for a bunch of dedicated teachers to get together and share ideas. 

Saturday I attended the Oxford University Press event in Yokohama and had a chance to catch up with a friend of this blog, Potato Pals author Patrick Jackson.  We use the Potato Pals series of beginning-level readers with some of our 4-6 year old students and they love it.  You can have a look at some of the books at Patrick's youTube channel. 

Patrick has a poll going on over at his blog, The Potato Diaries.  He's asking folks to choose their favorite Potato Pal.  Something fishy is going on because the best Potato Pal, Chip, is way out of the running right now.  Through some obvious ballot stuffing, Dean (the bookish academic who wants to take music and PE out of the schools) and Nina (a material spud whose greatest joy is shopping) have taken a sizable lead.  Chip is the artistic one of the bunch, a big fan of music, and a sensitive soul...plus he has the best name for a Potato.   Trust me on this one, he is absolutely the coolest of the bunch. 

So please do me a favor, it will just take 20 seconds.  Pop on over to The Potato Diaries and VOTE FOR CHIP!!!   A vote for Chip is a vote for the arts!

If you happen to be in Japan, you can catch Patrick and the rest of the Oxford crew at a few more events, including next Sunday in Tokyo.

Now go vote!  

Chinese New Year Songs

February 18th is the day we welcome in the Chinese New Year (or Lunar New Year).  This will be the year of the Boar (or Pig, if you prefer).  Your search for Chinese New Year's songs for children begins (and ends?) with Nancy Stewart's Gung Hay Fat Choy – Chinese New Year Song, a very beautiful song which does a great job of staying simple while still managing to convey a lot about the holiday.  I like this song a lot.

Check out Preschool Express for activity, snack, and a few more simple song ideas.  Also have a look at the Chinese New Year blog for some Language Arts lesson ideas.

Skidamarink

We're working on a version of Skidamarink for Super Simple Songs 3...this is a gentle version we're using in classes this week to celebrate Valentine's Day.  Enjoy Jeremy-sensei and the puppets, and pass it on to someone you love!

More Valentine's Day songs

In the comments of the post below, Gwyneth from Gooney Bird Kids passes along a couple more Valentine's Day song suggestions...

Check out "Valentine" from The Hipwaders (channeling Brian Wilson) at their My Space page, and you can hear "Valentine's Day" from Laughing Pizza over at their website, and even send it to a friend! 

Thanks for the suggestions Gwyneth!

Valentine's Day songs for kids

Here are some suggestions for some simple Valentine's Day songs you can sing with preschoolers. 

Dr. Jean has some great ideas for Valentine's Day games, crafts, songs, and snacks over at the Preschool Express.

Nancy Stewart has a couple of simple and FREE Valentine's Day songs available at her tremendous site.  Who Will Be My Valentine? is an easy little tune and game for young ones and Valentine Song is great for singing before and during making valentine's.

And you can check out my Valentine's Day post from last year (wow, just realized I've actually been at this more than a year...just high-fived myself).

What are your favorite Valentine's Day songs?  Outkast anybody?

Days of the Week Song

Here's a couple of videos Jeremy-sensei made for a simple Days of the Week song.  After singing this tune with a young child a few times, try singing it together and alternating days.  For example, the parent/teacher sings Sunday, the child sings Monday, the parent/teacher sings Tuesday, etc.  Then try the same thing without singing the song.  Young kids will know their days in no time.

The Days of the Week (Read It!)

The Days of the Week (Sing It!)

Congrats

Congratulations to Connie from  Montéléger, France.  She is the winner of the Super Simple Songs giveaway from ESL Teacher Talk.  Thanks to all who entered!

Happy Birthday Bob Marley

Robert Nesta Marley was born on February 6, 1945.  Great  music for kids.  Young ones won't get the political impact of a lot of his songs (for that matter, most adults don't either), but they'll get the positive messages ("One love"  "Everything little thing is going to be alright" "Stand up for your rights") and they will love the groove.  Happy Birthday Bob!

One Love will be inducted into the Recording Academy's Grammy Hall of Fame this year, along with London Calling by the Clash, Are You Lonesome Tonight? by Elvis Presley, Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin and Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison.  Check out NPR for some interesting history of the song.

For more kid-friendly reggae try Putumayo Kids Presents: Reggae Playground and Children are the Sunshine by Asheba.