Cumulative Concentration

I've been doing something totally enjoyable with all my kids these last few days of school. I'm calling it the "Cumulative Concentration." I'm teaching the concept of cumulative songs. (For kindergarten through second grade, I call them "add-on" songs.) We start with my "Rattlin' Bog" Powerpoint and then:

1. Discuss how to pronounce the word, "cumulative." (except with K-2)
2. I give an example of how to use the vocabulary. (i.e., My mom told me that it was time for me to clean my room and get rid of all the stuff that has **accumulated** since Christmas.) I explain that just one piece of paper or one sock a day adds on and adds up.
3. **Cumulus** clouds - these are the puffy clouds that add on a little at a time.
4. "Rattlin' Bog" is **CUMULATIVE** because the song adds on a bit at a time.
5. Can you think of any other cumulative songs? (My classes know "The Green Grass Grows All Around" which is a cousin of "Rattlin' Bog." They have also come up with "Elephants Have Wrinkles," "12 Days of Christmas," "Old McDonald," "Hole In the Bottom Of The Sea," "I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly," "Father Abraham," "Hi-My Name Is Joe," etc.)
6. Next we start singing the songs, starting with "Rattlin' Bog." I let them create a small-group movement for the chorus (usually left and right hand swing if there are only partners, circle left and right for bigger groups).
7. We continue singing until we have run out of time.

The kids have had a blast with this curriculum, and I feel like I'm actually teaching something (cumulative form and indirectly phrasing). The process requires the students to think, there are other curricular connections, and they are experiencing the pure, unbridled love of dance and movement.