Kindergarten Music: Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley Grow

Linking up with Blue Monday and Mandarin Orange Monday

I miss the days of being a kindergarten music teacher. The children and I had so much fun singing songs, using rhythm sticks and dancing along to some of our favorite tunes. Here's one that we like...

"Oats Peas Beans and Barley Grow" is a traditional British and American folk song. For more information on the history of the song, visit Wikipedia.

Yes, it's true that barley is a grain of the grass family. They even have a resource on Amazon: The Oats, Peas, Beans & Barley Cookbook I know these foods are discouraged in the Paleo Diet but nonetheless, I think it's a cute song. Are you familiar with the tune and have you sung a round or two?

  Group of children dancing together in a playroom in a nursery school.

There's a teacher online that I highly recommend, Heidi. She shared some statistics about boosting memory power and I totally agree. It works effectively to have children hear music, sing along and use movement. Here's a quote from Heidisongs:

Have your students use as many senses as they possibly can while practicing the material.

10% of what we hear we retain

30% of what we hear and see we retain

40% of what we hear, see and say we retain

70-100% of what we hear, see, say and do we retain.

 

Example: Children on YouTube Video

Chord Chart

C
Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow,

F                      G7
Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow,

C
Can you or I or anyone know

G7                     C
How oats, peas, beans, and barley grow?

C
First the farmer sows his seed,

F                G7
Stands erect and takes his ease,

C
He stamps his foot and claps his hands,

G7              C
And turns around to view his lands.

 

Key of F 

 

I play this song brightly and upbeat with a 6/8 time signature in the Key of F. I like to harmonize the melody with the right hand, so the single notes (3rd intervals) look like this:

AC AC AC CBb / FA FA FA /

GBb GBb GBb FA / EG EG EG EG /

FA GBb AF GBb / FA FA GBb AC FA /

EG GBb FA EG / F F F /

F                   C7   F
Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow,

C7                   F   C
Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow,

F       C7  F C7 F C7  F
Can you or I or anyone know

G7              F      C7   F
How oats, peas, beans, and barley grow?

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Warmly,


 “You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.” -- C. S. Lewis