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Here are some stories and music activities for children who are staying home from school. We will be adding to this daily.
Although it is perfectly fine to simply play these for children, we encourage you to do them with children yourselves; tell them stories (these and others), sing with them, dance with them, read them picture books adding your own favorite background music.
Although some of the activities are categorized by suggested age group, older children might very well enjoy the stories and activities for younger children, and younger children might very well enjoy the stories for older children.
P E T E R & M A R Y A L I C E
* S T O R Y T E L L I N G *
Joe & the Genie – 4th grade & up • in two parts, 16 min. total Part I • 9 min. – Part II • 7 min.
The Faerie’s Gift • 2nd grade & up • 7 min.
Peddler’s Dream • 3rd grade & up • 13 min.
Thorn Rosa – preschool – 2nd • 11 min.
Sir Gawain & Lady Ragnell – 3rd grade & up • 14 min.
The Eye of the Needle – K and up • 6 min.
The Owl & the Pussycat – preschool to grade 2 • 4 min.
The Month Brothers – 3rd grade & up • in two parts, 16 min total Part I • 7 min. – Part II • 9 min.
The Three Bears – preschool to grade 1 • 5 min.
Nyangara the Python – K and up • 10 min.
The Story of Roger – K – 3 • 7 min.
* P I C T U R E B O O K S W I T H M U S I C *
Johnny Appleseed • 4 min.
Keep On Singing – a Ballad of Marian Anderson • 4 min.
Where the Forest Meets the Sea • 6 min.
Madeline • 4 min.
The First Strawberries • 5 min.
The Whales • 5 min.
The Day You Were Born • 5 min.
Water and The Earth and I • 5 min.
I Live In Music • 4 min.
In the Fiddle is a Song • 4 min.
* S I N G I N G G A M E S *
Head & Shoulders • 2 min.
The Tree Song • 2 min.
Gramma Moses • 2 min
When I Was a Baby • 3 min.
Down Down Baby • 1 min.
Chicken and a’Chicken • 2 min.
Circle Round the Zero • 1 min.
Here We Go Riding Our Ponies • 1 min.
Sleeping Bunnies • 2 min.
Come Along Everybody • 2 min.
Hunt the Cows • 3 min.
* F I N G E R P L A Y S *
The Sun is In My Heart • 1 min.
Here’s the Little Girl – from Eric Maring • 1 min.
A Little Seed • 1 min.
The Teeny-Tiny Mousie – from Eric Maring • 1 min.
Eensy Weensy Spider • 2 min.
Thumbkin • 3 min.
Binary Hand Counting with special guests Sam and Stefan Amidon • 3 min.
* S O N G S & M O R E *
Abecedarius sung by 2-year-old Vera • 2 min.
How to Draw a Labyrinth – 7 min.
Vote for Me by Faya Rose Touré – 3 min.
Dreams to Be by Donovan – 2 min.
O T H E R F O L K S
* S T O R Y T E L L I N G *
Mezi Gallo – Len Cabral – 2nd grade & up – Story starts at 1:55 • 13 min.
The Skeleton Man – Joseph Bruchac – 6th grade & up • 10 min.
* P I C T U R E B O O K S W I T H M U S I C *
Abiyoyo – Pete Seeger – (Reading Rainbow) • 7 min.
* F I N G E R P L A Y S & O T H E R A C T I V I T I E S *
Hello Hands, How Are You? – Brandi Pace learned this from Finnish composer and music educator Soili Perkiö. • 2 min.
Two Fingerplays from Kathy Reid-Naiman – This is where Eric Maring learned “Here’s the Little Girl”. We have learned a lot of gems from Kathy Reid-Naiman • 3 min.
* A L S O *
Staying Home With the Children – Washington Post – watch the video • 4 min.