When I Was a Baby

A Music and Science Lesson 

In early elementary it works best to make up new verses as a class. Older grades can divide into groups and come up with their own versions. 
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Objective 
Students will learn When I Was a Baby, about the life cycle of a person, and change the game (in groups or as a class) to the life cycle of other living organisms (for example, a bird, frog, butterfly, or flower). 
Standards
Science
  • Life Science—Observe how living things change and depend upon their environment to satisfy their basic needs.
Music
  • Perform—Develop these skills and concepts essential to music performance (a. Perform a rhyme or song...; e. Perform steady beat with body percussion...; f. Perform beat versus rhythm; h. Perform music with expression; i. Respond to the conductor to start, stop, and stay together).
  • Create—Apply personal, peer, and teacher feedback to refine personal musical ideas.
Dance
  • Perform—Demonstrate a willingness to try new ideas when creating dance.​
Process
  • Learn the chant and actions by watching the teacher or the video.
  • Perform the entire sequence from memory with only reminders from the teacher (this is an easy chant to learn). 
  • Discuss or explore as a class other life cycles (through literature, online, or by other means). For instance, read and discuss the book Farfallina and Marcel by Holly Keller. Older students can divide into groups and research an organism online. 
  • Identify five stages in the life of the selected organism. Create a verse for each one with lyrics and actions.
  • Perform the life cycle as a group. (If using small groups, have them perform for the class.)
  • Discuss the performances as a class and identify what the performers did that was especially effective. 
  • Let the groups/class revise and/or refine their performances. Repeat. (Alternatively or additionally, the performances could be video recorded.)​
Extensions
  • Given the children's literature and/or research, this is also certainly a language arts learning experience. When sharing the book, have the students answer questions about the illustrations, including art elements (color, texture, space, etc.), thereby addressing visual art standards as well. ​