FUN FOR (cooped-up) FAMILIES
SONGS, GAMES & RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES
During this crazy pandemic time many families and wonderful folks everywhere are finding ways to connect with each other, stay healthy and safe and share resources. Are you looking for ideas to help you stay sane while you work from home? Here are a few tips to keep your spirits up, and some strategies that might help you out. Sheltering in place does not mean we have to stay isolated, right?! Feel free to email us with more ideas - this list is constantly evolving...a work in progress! Stay tuned for more updates and videos. We're in it for the long haul with you! '
Unfortunately we are not currently doing the family singalong concerts on Facebook Live that we did for the first 18 months or so of the Pandemic. You can see some of our old concerts still loaded on Facebook:
- Go to our Facebook page www.facebook.com/RiseUpAndSing1/, look for our "live" link or scroll down to videos. Make sure you click on the one that shows that it is "live".
- Grab a copy of Rise Up Singing and/or Rise Again if you have them so you can sing along. Annie gives out the book and page number where the song is.
- We put our setlists up on our website. Set lists from our online singalongs: riseupandsing.org/singing/set-lists
- FYI We always love tips! Anytime! To tip us for these concerts and our work go to www.riseupandsing.org/donate
Some other great resources:
- Here's a wonderful page of family friendly song suggestions sent to us from a young fan, music lover, student and girl scout. (We hope your music teachers give you extra credit for sending us this resource, Whitney!)
- Kids Road Trip Playlist from Adventuresinfamilyhood.com - Great list for parents who need to hit the reset button on kid songs for the car.
- Self-care for parents: Colorado Public Radio (mental health advice for parents)
- "You are not alone" blogs: Mamakatslosinit, The Dad Website
Games
- Games with social distancing: 125 things to do with kids, tips & resources for parents and others, Labyrinthsociety
- Remember these? paper cup telephone, paper guitar, Mother May I
- Also: Simon Says, Red Light / Green Light, Indoor treasure hunt
- Pete Seeger TV episode with Bessie Jones (incredible resource about remembering/honoring the struggle behind the songs). Includes her singing "Thread the Needle" at 26:14, "Johnny Brown" at 36:00, and other play party games
- Pete Seeger's "Song & Play Time" CD is all play party games
Music
- Annie's YouTube music
- Pete Seeger's great animal songs CD "Birds, Beasts, Bugs & Fishes". (And do you have his "Abiyoyo & stories for children" CD?)
- Children's Music Network's blog, CMN page, Pass it On: Elise Witt's work with The Global Village Project.
- Explore: Smithsonian Folkways, Beth's Notes (music educators resource for ALL kinds of songs), Libba Cotten, Online Museum
- Lists of the songs in our singalong books Rise Up Singing and Rise Again. Searchable database of songs (the "Music Box"): www.riseupandsing.org/musicbox
- And for older kids: How to play chords in Rise Up Singing and Rise Again - teaching video with Lisa McCormick
Other fine musicians' websites (...just a few of our favorites):
- Bill Harley's "miniconcewrts" are happening Friday Mar 20th and then every Tues and Thurs at 1pm EST for as long as we're stuck at home at billharley.com/miniconcerts
- Tom Chapin live weekdays at 11am
- Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Sally Rogers, Sarah Pirtle, Two of a Kind
- Also Jay Mankita's Playful Earth, Carol Johnson (we miss you dear one!), The Nields, Jack Johnson, Terry SoRelle's kids songs
- Larry Long - check out Larry's Facebook page for concerts. He has a radio show called Conspiracy of Goodness with storyteller Tom Thibodeau.
- Amazing artists and Rise Up Singing songlists, and Rise Again songlists
Did you know you can enter the name of any song from our songbooks Rise Singing or Rise Again in The Music Box and get taken to a page for that song with lots of videos to learn it or listen it? Check it out when you get a chance. Meanwhile, here are some songs from our Rise Again 's "Play" chapter:
Travel & learning
- Virtual tours: The Outer Banks (yes, this is a travel site - but worth checking out for the 360degree virtual tour),
- Royal UK (Doesn't everyone want to know more about Queen Elizabeth?)
- Learn at home / book and movie reviews for parents: Scholastic Magazine online tools,
- Common Sense Media
Stay safe out there and keep in touch! - Annie & Peter
