Acorn Song -- A fun way to get kids quiet and relaxed

A game kids love to play but don't tell them it is also a fantastic way to get them grounded and quiet.

For a free download of the full song and sheet music visit
http://www.willhale.com/music_for_peace_ya_salaam_peace_greeting_dance_free_d...

Acorn Song Actions for teachers below:
words & music by Will Hale
(c) 1993 www.willhale.com

Will uses "Acorn Song" at the end of his shows for ages 3-7, to get kids grounded after wild air guitar jamming. It is a popular request, right up there with the most rocking songs. Teachers and parents appreciate the calming effect.

Will uses the following motions to accompany the song:

Verse 1, Will invites the children to curl up in a ball like they are inside an acorn and imagine their heads are planted in the ground.

Verse 2, after the lines "Deep in the ground I sleep" & "Taking my time in peace" Will pauses, emphasizing and sustaining the quiet space in between each line. At the line, "I wake up to see", the children start to sprout, becoming small trees, still kneeling.

Verse 3, Will verbally adds the direction to imagine the sun, rain, wind on their leaves.
Will usually does not use verse 4 in live shows. But in classrooms, he stays on the C chord and directs the kids to grow really, really slowly, like trees, and to be sure and make their roots go deep in the ground until they are a tree.

Verse 5, the children stand, imagining being a tree. Will mentions different trees and different ways that branches grow, and continues to emphasize the importance of strong roots. Before singing verse 6, Will mentions, "And then do you know what happens? The trees drop more acorns!" Everyone quickly becomes an acorn again and the song and cycle continue 2-3 more times, going from being an acorn to sprouting, growing slow and being a giant sturdy tree. By the third time, the kids have it and Will only plays the first chord and they all drop to the ground as acorns again.

1. I am a small acorn,
leaving my tall tree home.
Tumbling down and down
safe in my shell
down to the ground.

2. Deep in the ground I sleep,
taking my time in peace.
Dreaming an acorn's dream
I wake up to see
now I'm a tree.

3. Breathing the sun and rain,
watching the seasons change
feelings of joy inside
expressing my thanks
to be alive.

4. And as the years go by,
standing a long, long time
one day I realized
the forest is deep
the forest is wise.

5. I am a wise old oak
standing so tall and green.
Stretching my branches high
growing in strength
up to the sun.

6. I am a small acorn,
leaving my tall tree home
tumbling down and down
safe in my shell
down to the ground.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Quiet songs
• kids
• children
• toddlers
• rest
• lulaby
• acorn
• oak
• tree
• forest
• Will Hale
• Tadpole Parade
• action song
• game song
• seed

[TadpolePararde]

Great! Thanks for letting me know. I'm glad it's working for you. It's interesting that kids like quite songs like this as much as wild jumping around songs. The Acorn Song is excellent for getting kids grounded quickly.

[tdowning11]

Hey I just started at a preschool this year doing kids music and I played this song on my guitar the first month of school. Ever since then classes constantly ask to do the acorn song. Thanks for this!