Ideas For Boomwhackers®

Kinder Patriotic Song

Submitted by Sue Michiels, Los Angeles, California

Idea posted 2003-09-19

I made up a "Red, White, and Blue" song which I use with kinders and they love it. I add giant streamers made out of plastic tablecloths cut from end-to-end in strips, about three inches wide. The handles for the streamers are three pipe cleaners folded in half and twisted - easy and cheap to make.

When they sing a color, the group holding the color mentioned does the movements... i.e. three color groups. This is much simpler than trying to teach them "The Star Spangled Banner," which does not use words that are understandable to kinders; and the melody line is too hard for them. The accompaniment for the "Red, White, and Blue" song I use is good old "The Stars And Stripes Forever" for Boomwhackers® (from All-American Boomwhackers®). This is a showstopper - great for Flag Day, Memorial Day, etc.

Words for the song:
To the tune of "The Stars And Stripes Forever"
Red, red, red,
White, white, white
And blue, blue, blue. (last line everyone does the flag motion)
Are the colors on our flag.
Red, red, red
White, white, white
And blue, blue, blue (Last part goes fast)
There are 50 stars...
We wave the flag to you.

The same CD (All-American Boomwhackers®) has a great rendition of "You're A Grand Old Flag" that is nice and slow, which I also do with kinders; Pre-K also likes that one.