Hello again, friends!
I took a few weeks off to soak in as much time as I could with my own family, it felt like life was flashing by in fast forward for a bit there! (To be honest, it still a little bit feels like that, but I was feeling ready to get back to sharing resources here!) I’m excited to be back and end the fall season with a few special folk songs.
Today’s Folk Song Friday is a fun little song that is perfect for bridging the gap between Halloween and Thanksgiving. I used it in my classroom during pretty much the entire months of October and November. It’s a song I used in my first grade classes, and it’s a perfect example of when we don’t just choose a song for its “sol/mi” isolation or its simple quarter note/eighth note rhythm patterns for our youngest friends. This song has much more complex melodic and rhythmic elements, so it’s not one that I would “read” with my students, however, it is excellent for developing a lovely and flexible range. Because it’s such a lyrical song, it is so inviting to just smoothly sing through the intervals, and can be a very lovely experience for young kids. My students always loved this song (and I think a big part of that is because of the wonderful actions that they can do along with the song, make sure to check out the instructions on the song card! I think I’ll put a demonstration in my instagram stories today too.)
Another reason I love this song so much is because at first glance it’s this enchanting magical and mystical plant that produces golden flowers, and you stop to wonder what in the world it could be that grew from this tiny old fairy seed. Then you realize, it’s simply a song about a little pumpkin plant. But when you think about it, it is pretty magical that great big pumpkins can grow from a tiny seed, with wonderful curling and sprawling vines. The yellow flowers that help to pollinate the pumpkin plant really do look like they’re little flowers made of gold. And a pumpkin itself is a world of possibilities, it can be a jack o lantern, soup, or a yummy pumpkin pie. I love that this song expresses those complexities through the wonder a child might experience when they see a pumpkin plant.
Remember a few weeks back when I shared my new favorite quote about folk songs: “Complexity within simplicity and sense within nonsense.” Well I think this song perfectly encompasses that sentiment, and is just such a lovely little tribute to the magic that can happen during the fall season. Check back Monday for a few activities to go along with this folk song.
Happy singing!
