This song is available on Hap Palmer's Can Cockatoos Count by Twos?
Objective:
Distinguish between fact and fantasy
· Recognize rhyming words
· Count by twos and tens to discover number patterns
· Count backwards from ten to zero.
Setting:
Sit in chairs or on the rug.
Activity:
This song is a series of questions. Listen to each question and sing it back like an echo. Answer each
question by saying, "Yes" three times or "No" three times. End each verse by counting: first verse count by
twos, second verse count by tens, third verse count backwards from ten to zero.
Can a tree chase a flea?
Can a pig dance a jig?
Can a car travel far?
Can cockatoos count by twos?
two, four, six, eight, ten, twelve,
fourteen, sixteen, eighteen, twenty
Can a cat catch a rat?
Can a mouse lift a house?
Can a child run wild?
Can little red hens count by ten's?
ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty,
seventy, eighty, ninety, one hundred
Can a fish wash a dish?
Can a wall crack and fall?
Can a snail read the mail?
Can a rocket ship hop and skip?
ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five,
four, three, two, one, zero
Variation:
Show in movement how it would look if a mouse lifted a house or a tree chased a flea. As you listen to the song, create motions to act out the real and imaginary situations described in each question.
Follow Up:
Identify the rhyming words in each question. Can you think of other words that rhyme and make up your own questions about real and imaginary situations?
Book Suggestions for this Song:
See more of our Early Childhood and Skip-Counting Song Lyrics
Many thanks to Hap Palmer for permission to display these lyrics.
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