Tag Archives: Halloween music

Shake Them Skeleton Bones!

skeleton pngJust in time for Halloween, here’s a cute kid’s version of the African-American spiritual song, Dry Bones (or Dem Bones). It’s really fun for this time of year plus a great way to learn or quiz the bones in the human body.

And, don’t you just love when you can dance around, make music and learn something new all at the same time?

LYRICS TO THE SKELETON BONES SONG

Them Bones, them skeleton dry bones
Them Bones, them skeleton dry bones
Them Bones, them skeleton dry bones
Let’s shake them skelton bones

The toe bone’s connected to the foot bone
The foot bone’s connected to the ankle bone
The ankle bone’s connected to the leg bone
Let’s shake them skeleton bones

The leg bone’s connected to the knee bone
The knee bone’s connected to the thigh bone
The thigh bone bone’s connected to the hip bone
Let’s shake them skeleton bones

The hip bone’s connected to the back bone
The back bone’s connected to the neck bone
The neck bone bone’s connected to the head bone
And… shake them skeleton bones

Them Bones, them skeleton dry bones
Them Bones, them skeleton dry bones
Them Bones, them skeleton dry bones
Let’s shake them skeleton bones

Then backwards…From the head bone to the toe bone

Who Wrote The Dry Bones Song?

Do you remember the actual Dry Bones or Dem Bones song? Here’s more about the actual song that’s being parodied here.

Who Wrote The Dry Bones Song?

https://makingmulticulturalmusic.wordpress.com/2015/10/25/the-story-behind-the-dry-bones-song/

Guitar Chords For “Dry Bones”

http://www.chordie.com/chord.pere/www.gospelmusic.org.uk/a-g/dry_bones.htm

The Dry Bones Song By The Delta Rhythm Boys http://multikidsmusicvids.com/?p=1535

Links and Resources

Craft a spooky Halloween rattle based on a real jawbone instrument! http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/classroom-music/shake-them-rattles-and-bones/

Two Great Interactive Halloween songs – In English and Spanish

http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/babies-and-music/halloween-musical-fun-in-english-and-spanish/

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Shake Them Rattles… And Bones!

real and homemade quijadaSo many kids love Halloween and this particular holiday invites you to explore things that are fantastic, creepy or even a bit scary!  So why not add some musical rattles to your slightly spooky fun?  And this recycled project is doubly scary, because it’s based on an actual set of bones – a jawbone to be exact!

What is a Quijada?

The quijada (this word means jawbone in Spanish) is a real musical instrument colorful quijadamade from the jawbone of a donkey.  It’s a part of Afro-Peruvian music and keeps the beat by making the sound of teeth rattling in their sockets- like the teeth you see here (to the left).  Most often it is played by striking it on the side of the jawbone with your fist but you may also see someone running a stick up and down the rows of teeth as seen here: http://multikidsmusicvids.com/?p=1530 .

A Green Version Of This Spooky Instrument

Since most folks won’t have access to jawbone and probably would not want to play one, we’ve created a version of this instrument from a recycled egg carton.  quijada suppliesYou get to pick what take the place of the teeth in each of the 12 spaces of the egg carton.  Try marbles, pebbles, rocks, pine cones, paper clips, beads, erasers buttons or any other object that that fits easily into that space.

Counting, Sorting and Listening Skills

One look at the empty egg carton and it’s easy to see how to incorporate counting and sorting skills into the creation of  this musical rattle.  Don’t rush to complete and close the rattle.  Stay and play at this stage as long as you like.

And since each set of objects will make a distinctly different sound, you can fill the rattle (or several egg cartons) several times and discover the different making a quijada recycledsounds each set of items makes when placed inside.

Will a paper clip egg carton rattle sounds the same as a marble rattle?  No way!

Seal It And Decorate

Last but not least, your rattle will need a great funny face.  The activity pdf below has a series of full color and colorable images that range from scary to super-silly.  Or create your own by outlining the top of the carton and designing away!

And since some egg cartons have holes in them,  we suggest taping the finished rattle up with clear packing tape so none of the small pieces can escape.

Then, all that’s left to do is make some scary noises with the rattle and have lots of Halloween fun!

egg carton rattlesLinks and Resources

Step-By-Step Instructions/Coloring Pages from TeachersPayTeachers
(.99 on TPT)
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/EGG-CARTON-QUIJADA-MUSICAL-RATTLE-1146672

What is a Quijada (Free on TPT)
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/What-is-a-Quijada-Jawbone-Instrument-1406336

World music crafts and coloring pages for kids from DARIA MUSIC
http://www.dariamusic.com/crafts.php

Watch a Real Quijada Be Played on Multicultural Kids Music Vid’s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wmJsBNIh24

Halloween Musical Fun!

monster rattlesMusic is a great way to share the lighter side of Halloween.

We recommend creative crafts and some of the classic kids songs and rhymes as ways to connect with the changing seasons and focus on a creative and whimsical celebration of Halloween.

Make A Silly Monster Rattle

Have any extra egg cartons?

It’s easy to make this kids rattle inspired by a real jawbone instrument from Peru.  In the actual instrument – called a quijada – teeth rattle in the sockets making the percussion sound and keeping a beat.  Spooky, huh?

In our version, one object goes into each egg space creating the same type of rattling effect.  Here are some suggestions that make great noise-makers for this Halloween craft:

monster rattles - innerds12 pebbles or stones
12 acorns
12 jingle bells
12 buttons
12 pieces of dried pasta
12 marbles

Once you’ve counted to 12 and sealed up your rattle, it’s time to give it a mask!  Pick a bright, colorful mask or get out crayons and markers and use the black and white versions to color your own.  Complete directions and masks are all on the free pdf at the link below.

5 Little Pumpkins And Five Little Turkeys

I love how kids enjoy these simple poems.  They are so proud to find they’ve mastered the skill of counting to five and can hear how the words work as a rhyme!  Here’s two of our favorite “5” rhymes:
5 little pumpkins
5 Little Pumpkins

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.

The first one said, “oh my it’s getting late.”

The second one said, “there are witches in the air.”

The third one said, “but we don’t care!”

The fourth one said, “let’s run and run and run.”

The fifth one said, “I’m ready for some fun!”

OOOhh OOOhh went the wind 
And out went the lights

And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

5 Little Turkeys
The 5 Little Turkeys went out to hunt for food.

The 1st one said, “I’m in a THANKFUL mood!”

The 2nd one said, “Let’s go eat some corn!”

The 3rd one said, “It’s a beautiful autumn morn!”

The 4th one said, “I’m filled with GRATITUDE!”

The 5th one said, “I need to change my attitude!”

Then the 5 Little Turkeys ate the corn and sat to rest;

Counting harvest joys and how richly they are blessed!

Halloween Finger Play Fun!

And here’s two Halloween songs and rhymes that work perfectly as fingerplays, too!

Ten Little Witches

One little, two little, three little witches
Four little, five little, six little witches
Seven little, eight little, nine little witches
Ten witches in the sky

Ten little, nine little, eight little witches
Seven little, six little, five little witches
four little, three little, two little witches
One little witch, bye bye!

(Finger Play – Use fingers to count up to ten and then back to one.)

Gobbling Turkey Finger Play

The turkey is a funny bird
His head goes “wobble wobble”
And he knows just one word
Gobble, gobble, gobble!

(Finger Play – Pretend your hand is a turkey – with the thumb as the head and the fingers as the feathers.  Wobble the head for the second line. Use your hand to point make a “1” with the “just one word”, then use your hand to pretend to gobble for the last line of the rhyme! )

Make Your Own Silly Monster Rattle

http://www.dariamusic.com/docs/MONSTERInstructions.pdf