Minibeasts Level: Early Grades - Songs & chants

Snail, Snail

First you could take the children outside to look for snails. Perhaps you will be lucky enough so to see the trail left by a snail or slug. I like to introduce this song by taking in an empty snail shell in a box. The children are always intrigued.

Hint: I learned (the hard way!) that it's essential to wash the snail shell first, otherwise it stinks.

This is a sing-song voice song and it's great fun to do.

Everyone join hands in a big circle. You don't need to teach this in advance – just do it, as long as you sing the words clearly! As you all sing the song, slowly lead the children in a spiral, curling inwards so that you form the pattern of a snail shell. At the finish, you will be in the middle of the snail and you can sing the song again as, keeping hold of hands, you walk slowly outwards again.

• Snail, snail
• Snail, snail
• Making such a long, long trail

Five Little Speckled Frogs

A fun, counting song that is quite easy to learn and sing unaccompanied, with actions.

• Five little speckled frogs
• Sat on a speckled log
• Eating some most delicious bugs - Yum Yum!
• One jumped into the pool
• Where it was nice and cool
• Now there are four green speckled frogs! Glub glub!
• __
• And so on, until there is just one green speckled frog