Our Favorite Things

You are currently browsing the archive for the Our Favorite Things category.

51a0pffd16l_sl500_aa240_jpg

Troy has started a fun discussion over on the SSL community forum.  What are your top 10 story books for kindergarten ESL?

Here is Troy’s list:

10. Good Night Gorilla

9. Big Bugs! (a popup book with amazing…big bugs!)

8. Five Little Monkeys (the version where mommy jumps on the bed at the end)

7. The Farmer and the Beet

6. Go Away Big Green Monster

5. No David! (the first one, not the others)

4. Ten Little Ladybugs

3.

2.

1.

To see his top 3, you have stop by the forum! :-) While you are at the forum, please take some time to read the posts from EFLJoelle.  She’s got a TON of very helpful ideas.  I love her idea for making a “Feely Box” in this discussion.

Hey Joelle, you’re cake!

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky!

When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Then the traveller in the dark,
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.

In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye,
Till the sun is in the sky.

As your bright and tiny spark,
Lights the traveller in the dark,—
Though I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

Betcha didn’t know all the words to that song did you?  Neither did I!

Today the Super Simple Songs ABC Song Video hit 2,000,000 views on YouTube!  The ABC song’s melody is, of course, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”.  And, according to Wikipedia, that song was originally an English nursery rhyme called, “The Star”, published in 1806 and sung to the tune of a French melody, “Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman” which dates back to 1761!

Many people think Mozart wrote the melody but, in fact, it was a set of variations on the already existent melody.  It’s definitely a melody that’s stood the test of time and ranks right up there with Frere Jacques for melodies that can be (and have been) used for just about anything.

Talking about stars got me thinking about a song I fell in love with last year.  It’s from a beautiful collection of music from Kids Factory France.  It has nothing to do with the ABC song or magical magnetic letters, and its actually called, “I See the Sun”.  But, there *are* stars in there, and its an absolutely magical song.  Be sure to check out their MySpace page.

-Troy

(This video can’t be embedded, so click on the image below to go to the YouTube Page)