Intro and Description

Children are more musically sophisticated than what we might think. They are attracted to the quality and rhythm of popular young adult music, which is often lyrically inappropriate for them. There is a big gap between Raffi and Rap.

The full-production songs of Ready to Rock Kids are both highly entertaining and age appropriate—adult quality music, but with words and themes to which kids can really relate. The different adult and child soloists, children’s chorus, and wide range of instruments and styles of music easily hold children’s attention. While enjoying the music and singing along, kids are learning to feel good about themselves and to get along with others. This music has to be heard to be appreciated and understood.

From an early age, children are learning about their world, soaking up what’s happening around them. One of the most important things they can learn, and isn’t revealed on any tests, is how to make relationships with other people positive experiences. Teachers everywhere are often overwhelmed with the problems that keep children from learning the academics, and many are in districts that mandate the teaching of character/values education. Parents, too, want to do a better job at teaching these same values and character traits. Now there is an engaging way to do just that. The songs and activities in this book are fun, positive learning tools that support children’s social and emotional development.

Most of us remember the words to songs we heard as young children. Don’t you still sing the ABC song in your head when you’re trying to remember alphabetical order? There may be no more powerful method of learning than through music, and no more important lessons for children than those that focus on social and emotional skills.
--Dr. Mac

 

Song Titles and Themes

Ready to Rock Kids Vol. 1
Welcome to the Big Parade	Seeing how everyone is special
Give It Back	Earning respect by being responsible
Let Me Play Too	Including others
The Magic Word	Learning manners
Everybody Wants to Find a Friend	Reaching out to others
Go Away Bad Thoughts	Dealing with bad thoughts and fears
Talkin’ About Talkin’	Speaking in helpful ways
Diplodocus	Taking responsibility for our actions
Practice	Learning new things takes practice
Don’t Say Maybe	Being honest and kind
Happy as Happy Can Be	Being happy with a friend
Together	Being together and saying goodbye
Ready to Rock Kids Vol. 2
Bye, Bye Bully	Dealing with bullies
Sailing on the Seven Cs	Understanding friendship
The Gift of Giving	Giving the gift of love
Let ‘Em Out	Handling feelings
The Carousel Song	Understanding life’s ups and downs
The Golden Rule	Treat others as you would like to be…
Same and Different Too	Celebrating diversity
What You Can Do	Learning new things  takes persistence
Sharing Friends	Including others
I Don’t Understand	Asking questions
Clean-Up Time	Taking responsibility for your things
Soldier of Peace	Being a peacemaker

Note:  Although the songs from Ready to Rock Kids Vol. 1 are the same as from my previous CD and activity book, A Pocket of Tunes, the whole product has been upgraded. The songs have been re-mastered and the activity book has been enhanced with all new lessons, graphics and coloring pages.

Using the Book and CD

The songs and activities in Ready to Rock Kids are fun, positive learning tools for both classroom and home. You will find many ways to use both this book and CD in the classroom, at home, or on the go. One easy thing to do in the classroom is to play the CD at quiet or less-structured times throughout the day, such as when students arrive or during art classes. At home, listen to the CD while playing or while driving in your car—a fun way for kids and parents to learn the songs and talk together about what is important in living together as a family.

Research shows that “layering” concepts and related activities and experiences increases the likelihood that those concepts will become an integral part of who we are. Any time we integrate activities and concepts across the curriculum, there is a better chance of retaining, transferring, and understanding the information. Integrate the songs into your music curriculum, perhaps choosing a song of the week to learn the words and music. As you listen to the songs and review the related activities in this book, you will see that the songs and learning activities can easily be integrated into many areas of your curriculum, for example, use the book suggestions with each song in language arts, use the song Diplodocus when studying about dinosaurs, and use all of the songs when teaching character traits in social studies.

The book is divided into two main sections.

• In the first section for each of the 12 songs there is a lyrics page and a child’s activity page that reinforces a key concept of the song. These pages may be reproduced to help kids learn the song and understand its message. For easy use by children, this 24-page section has been placed at the front of the book, apart from the adult-directed activities, which are at the back of the book.

• The second section, beginning on page 30, is a collection of activities for each individual song. These hands-on learning experiences, for use at school or home, reinforce the key concepts of the songs, which you will see listed on the activity pages. Some of the things to note about the activities include the following features:
• Activities are provided across the span of ages 4-9. Some will be more appropriate for younger, and some for older, children. Be sure to consider how to adapt an activity for your specific age level
• With each song is a suggested book to read and talk about, which helps in layering the key concept with kids. The books are easily found in libraries or at many bookstores. Use the book suggestion, or others you know that address the song’s concept, to stimulate more thought and discussion with your child or children.
• The activities include arts and crafts, movement, drama, and games. It will be easy to make adjustments in the activities for age level, as well as time and space constraints. Be sure to use these ideas as a springboard for you and the kids to think of new and creative ways to learn together.
• Some activities will require you to gather basic supplies. The materials suggested in most cases are readily available around school or home. In some cases you may know of a way to adapt the activity for use with other materials. A good practice is to always try the activity yourself before using it with children.