WHERE DO MY SNEAKERS GO AT NIGHT?

Activity Guide

Where Do My Sneakers Go At Night?

Do you ever have difficulty finding your sneakers in the morning? Ann Davidson, a talented puppet lady and friend, deserves special mention for the title of this song. She told me that when her children cannot find their sneakers in the morning, she often says to them: “Where do you think they went last night?” This opened all kinds of possibilities for a song.

Try signing some of the refrain. Snap your fingers on the word “out” in the last line of the refrain.

Create a story about where your sneakers go at night. You might want to draw a picture of what they look like. Design your own sneakers! You might want to think of other possibilities such as a sneaker-car, plane or space-ship.

Construct a paper slide projector. Invent and illustrate your own Sneaker Adventure (see model).

1. Take a sheet of heavyweight paper, 12x18”. Cut it into a 5 x 10” strip.

2. Measure 1¼ “ from each side and mark. Fold on lines toward center, then open flat.

3. Draw a window 2 x 2” on one end. Cut it out.

4. Fold paper on lines again and tape seam on back. This is your projector.

5. Now cut a piece of paper that will easily slide through your projector about 18” long

6. Outline the frames as you move strip through projector. You should be able to get 8 frames out of a strip of paper 18” long.

7. Illustrate your Sneaker Adventure in each of the frames.

8. Show and tell your story to a friend or to your class.

My Dog

Try signing the word “dog” while you sing the song. Listen for the sneezing part during the refrain (the part of the song that repeats) and join in. During the last verse, on the words “she cheers”, raise your arms high in the air and give a silent cheer.

Draw a map of you and your dog or pet going someplace – a short hike or a little adventure.

What do like most about a dog? Or a cat? Or how about a bird? Imagine an animal that combines all of these features. What would it look like? Using markers, crayons, paints, beans, dry cereal, pasta, pipe cleaners or whatever you have, make a picture or a 3 dimensional figure of this special pet. Would it sleep in your room? Would you take it to school? Write a story about your new pet.

Jacob’s Debut Performance

Thanks go to our friend and electrician, Dave Moon, who did some wiring in our home this winter. Jacob fell to the floor in fits of laughter when he heard Dave say these words. Jacob couldn’t stop saying it. He thought it was so funny.

I Hate My Name

This song originated in a letter I received from a friend, Barbara Smith, of Eastport, Maine. She told me she heard her 8 1/2 year old daughter, Rachael, singing about how much she hated her name and that she was going to throw it into the Atlantic Ocean. She proceeded to choose some names that she liked.

Have you ever not liked your name and wished it was something else? What names would you choose for yourself and why? Now, what do you like about your name? Where does your name come from? What does it mean? For instance, even though my friends call me Rick, my real name is Richard and it’s a French form of an Old High German name meaning “powerful, rich ruler”.

As you sing the song, try signing some of the lyrics. Buenos dias (say bway-nose dee-ays) is Spanish. Bon jour (say bawn-zhoor) is French. Hujambo hibari ( say who-jawm-bo ha-bah-ree) is Swahili from Africa. Ni hau ( say nee-how) is Chinese. They are all ways of saying: “Hi! How do you do? How are you doing? Why don’t you try saying them during the song. Be enthusiastic.

As you listen to each of the verses, what instruments are featured? Spain – flamenco guitar, France–organ grinder, Africa–kalimba & drums and China –Chinese bells.

Porky

This song was composed by John Brookhouse from Auburn, Maine – a sixth grader at the Webster School in 1986. This is a song he wrote about his big, fat cat named Porky.

Waterbed Afternoons

Special thanks goes to my uncle, Charlie Kilbride, and the little girl who told him that she would love to have a waterbed in her room so she could go swimming anytime she wanted.

Imagine having a waterbed that changes with a flick of your imagination into a swimming pool, a clear blue lake or a skating rink. As you sing the song, make up motions for swimming, rowing a boat, skating on ice and snuggling into a warm bed. As far as I know, waterbeds have not been designed to be used as swimming pools, lakes or skating rinks.

Discover water. This song can be a springboard to discovering some of the properties of water. Do some hot and cold experiments. Do some floating experiments. Try testing various objects like coins, Styrofoam, rocks, buttons etc..

Discover ice. Show how water expands by placing a full glass of colored water in the freezer. Then set the ice in the sun. Predict what will happen when the ice melts. Will it overflow?

Using crayons, draw and color a picture of some of the things you might see or would like to see underwater in the ocean, lake, river or pond. When your drawing is finished, take a small paintbrush and paint over your drawing using a light blue watercolor. Stand back and admire your underwater masterpiece.

Missing Sock

Have any of your socks ever disappeared? Where do socks usually get lost (behind the couch, between the mattress, in the closet, in your sleeping bag, etc.)? Do you have any socks that are missing? What do you do with socks you can’t find a match for? Here is one idea: Make a sock puppet. Better still, make lots of them!

Do a puppet show! Use your sock puppets. Write a script explaining perhaps how all of the socks got lost. Do you want them to find their matches at the end of the play? Maybe the socks can share their feelings about people and sneakers.

Play hide and seek. Bring in a pair of brightly colored socks. One person from the group looks at the socks and volunteers to leave the room. One of he socks is hidden. As the volunteer begins searching for the missing sock, the rest of the group may give clues by saying whether that person is hot or cold – hot as the person is getting nearer and cold if the person is moving further from the sock.

What are some other things that usually come in pairs? Mittens, sneakers,ears and jeans are a few.

Sea Gulls

Listen to the lyrics of the song. What images open up in your mind? Create a dance for the song by acting out the words.

This is one possibility for movement. Have people split into two groups; one group pretends to be sea gull and the other, people at the seashore. During the song, groups will be moving and interacting together (i.e. the “fly with the sea gulls” phrase in the refrain) or separately (i.e. “sea gull flying across the sky” the last line of each verse). When one group is highlighted, the other group could freeze in motion until it is time to move again. There is no single “right” way to choreograph the song. Discuss your ideas with one another and try them out. Decide what works best for you.

Construct sea gulls out of paper. You can follow the instructions below or design your own models. After cutting out and coloring or painting your sea gulls, attach the wings by sliding them through the slot. Using a coat hanger, some pieces of wood, string and the sea gull you have cut out, design and construct your own sea gull mobile. You might also include other object you have collected beside the sea like shells, sea glass and pebbles.

Build your own sandcastle. What would your “dream house” or castle look like? What rooms would you have inside? What would your life be like?

A couple of books you might want to look at and/or read for ideas:

1. Build Your Own Castle by Kate Petty. Franklin Watts Pub. NY, NY.

2. Castles by David Macaulay.

Baxter The Bear

Thanks to Ruth Graves for helping me name my “pet” bear – Baxter. This is the sign for bear in American Sign Language. On the word “paws”, place your hands, palms up, directly in front of you. On the words “roly poly”, move your arms and body in a clumsy manner.

This song is ideal for improvisation. Pretend you are Baxter, the bear. In verse 1,

Baxter sleeps, snores, wakes up, blinks his eyes, stretches, sniffs and gives a growl. Along with Baxter, use a low sounding voice and say: “I’m hungry now!” In verse 2, make a curious expression on your face. Pretend to eat like Baxter, taking one big bite when the word “bite” occurs. During verse 3, shake hands/paws with someone on “making friends”. Pat knees or move feet to the rhythm of the words “rumpety rump”. When Baxter meets a skunk, hold your nose and use a high sounding voice as you say “Phew!” In verse 4, pretend to climb an apple tree and lumber through an imaginary blueberry patch trying to catch a butterfly. Tickle your nose and toes. Then reach out and give yourself or someone a bear hug (only if they want one, of course).

Read along with Baxter. Print out all of the words to the song on a long scroll of paper. Tape it to the floor. Put bear paws in between some of the lyrics so you can keep your feet on the paws as you sing, read and walk your way through the song.

Go on a bear hike. Using the diagram, make 10 large bear paw prints on paper. Place the paws around the room. Now hop to the first paw print and pick it up. Skip to the second print and pick it up. Jump to the third print, roll to the fourth, crawl to the fifth, walk to the sixth, gallop to the seventh, baby steps to the eighth, giant steps to the ninth and run to the tenth. You might have the paw prints different colors. You may want to change the sequence or add new ones.

Broken Donuts

Barbara Keef deserves special mention along with her daughter, Jennifer. While talking with Barbara on the phone, she had to cut our conversation short because Jennifer was beginning to cry over a bag of broken donuts.

Make a broken donut puzzle. On a sheet of heavyweight paper, begin by drawing or painting a picture of some whole donuts. You might even invent some new flavors. After completing your picture, paste it on a piece of oak tag. Cut it up into puzzle pieces. Assemble by putting the puzzle of “broken donuts” back together.

Have a tasting party. Have everyone in the class bring an assortment of donuts and bagels. Have everyone taste and choose their favorites. Create a graph of the results.

Visit a local donut and/or bagel shop. Talk with the shopkeeper about their product.

Make a batch of play dough. Make miniature bagels and donuts. Once dry, paint and decorate them. Turn them into pins, bracelets, necklaces or refrigerator magnets. Another idea might be to make tree ornaments.

As a creative writing project, place a donut or bagel on a piece of paper and develop a story around it. The donut or bagel can be what it is or you can have it represent something else (i.e. a big cheerio, a life preserver etc.). Eat the donut or bagel after completing the first draft of your story.

My Trip Down The Drain

This song was composed with a talented group of fifth graders from the Woodstock School in Bryant Pond, Maine in 1985. They certainly inspired me. Their names are Stacy House, Nathan Clukey, Betsy Johnson, Kirk Thornton, Devin Benson and Cory Campbell. Sometimes young children are fearful of going down the drain.

These students were quite imaginative in turning a fearful subject into something playful and fun.

I Like Reading

Try signing the words “I like reading”. Where do you do most of your reading? What kinds of books do you like to read or look at? Draw or paint a picture of what you like to read about.

Invite local people to come into your classroom to read their favorite children’s book or story.

What is your teacher’s favorite book? Your parents’? A weather forecaster’s, a sea captain’s, your dentist’s, your favorite writer’s, the governor’s? Think of people you could write to and ask what their favorite books are. Display their responses on your school bulletin board.

Write and illustrate your own book about places you like to read. For instance, each page could begin with “I like reading……i.e. on a mountain. You might combine cutting out photos or drawing pictures for your book.

Make a book with photographs of children and grownups reading. Use the lyrics as a guide. Recently, I have changed the lyrics on the lasts to phrases of my song to “ I like reading with my family. I like reading while I’m sitting by the sea.” You might want to add a few of your ideas to my song.

When I’m With My Dad

This song can be about any of the special and important people in your life (i.e. your mom, a friend, a big bro). In my song, I chose to write about dads. You might want to substitute the name of someone that is special to you in place of the word, dad; for instance “When I’m with my ……..” Write some of your own verses describing some of the things you like to do with that person.

Talk about relationships. Who are some of the special people in your life? What makes a person special?

Make a big book of the song. Illustrate the lyrics. Invent some new verses with the names of other people. Act out the song.

Draw a picture of something your dad or your special person likes to do. Write a story about them.

On a large sheet of paper, draw a picture of your dad’s or that special person’s face. Then gather materials or fabrics of different textures. Cut out a shirt, pants, etc. and dress the paper.

Fuzzy Wuzzy

This song was composed by a group of second graders that I worked with at the Summertime Arts Camp at the Waynflete School in Portland, Maine.

As you sing the song, wiggle one of your index fingers (a fuzzy wuzzy) directly in front of you as you sing the first “fuzzy wuzzy”. On the word “hiding”, hide it behind your back. Wiggle your other index finger on the second “fuzzy wuzzy”. On the word “hiding”, hide it on your head. On the last “fuzzy wuzzy”, take out and wiggle the finger you used first. On the word “hiding”, move it towards your other hand that is now opened flat in front of you, palm down. Spread index finger and thumb apart on “opened up his mouth”. Move your index finger and thumb like a mouth on the words “Brush your teeth!” etc. Remember the first two verses are sung very quietly. The last time through, sing it faster ending with a loud shout on “BRUSH YOUR TEETH AND GO TO BED!”.