Fill the Basket Sample Song.pdf

Fill the Basket

Music and Lyrics by Anne Meeker Watson

Targeted signs: ALL-DONE, APPLE, BANANA, EAT/FOOD, LOVE/HUG/SNUGGLE, ORANGE, PLAY/TOY, PLEASE, SHARE,

S TO P, WA N T

Bonus signs: CARROT, GRAPES, PEACH,

My son Kevin was the inspiration for this tune because he never met a fruit or vegetable he didn’t like. He loved for me to tell him a bedtime story that consisted of us naming all the goodies we could put in a basket and take on a picnic to our imaginary “Fruit Island.”

I wrote this sweet song to give young children the opportunity to learn and practice words associated with eating, including food choices and manners. I recommend singing and signing the food vocabulary for the first verse and singing food words without signing for the following verses. You can teach and practice all of the food signs included on our bonus sign list as you enjoy them during snacks and meals. The tempo of the song is quick, and I do not want children to be overwhelmed by the demands of signing every food. Our goal is for them to enjoy the song! Add gestures and signed words as they are willing and able.

With repeated opportunities to sing “Fill the Basket,” your children will “fill” the song.

Fill the basket to the top. Fill the basket to the top. Time to eat. So please don’t stop!

Fill the basket to the top.

VERSE 1.

Do you want banana? Yes, please! Yes, please! Do you want an orange? Yes, please! Yes, please! Do you want an apple? Yes, please! Yes, please! All done. All done. Time to play. Time to play.

Dance Dance Sign EAT Sign STOP

Do you want a pear? Yes, please! Yes, please! All done. All done. Time to play. Time to play.

Then it’s time to . . .

VERSE 2.

Sign WANT or BANANA Sign PLEASE Sign WANT or ORANGE Sign PLEASE Sign WANT or APPLE Sign PLEASE Sign ALL-DONE Sign PLAY

Do you want some grapes? Yes, please! Yes, please!

Do you want a peach? Yes, please! Yes, please!

Sign WANT (Optional: sign PEACH) Sign PLEASE Do you want some grapes? Sign WANT (Optional: sign GRAPES) Sign PLEASE Sign WANT (Optional: sign PEAR) Sign PLEASE Sign ALL-DONE Sign PLAY

VERSE 3.

Do you want tomatoes? Yes, please! Yes, please!

Do you want some carrots? Yes, please! Yes, please!

Do you want some peas? Yes, please! Yes, please! All done. All done. Time to play. Time to play.

Tips for Introducing "Fill the Basket"

• Your children will certainly be motivated to sing this fun song about their favorite subject: yummy food! Introduce the song by showing your children how to gently pat their legs for the duration of each chorus and sign some of the key vocabulary during the verses. With time and lots of opportunities to practice, you can add the words EAT and STOP to the chorus. They will enjoy performing the chopping motion required to sign STOP exactly on the beat as you enthusiastically sing the word “stop!”

• Language requires reciprocity. We take turns with our partners as we converse. We look at each other’s faces and make interesting expressions as we listen and talk. The verses are written in a song form called call and response. As the caller, you can ask your children the questions that include the food choices, and your children can answer with “Yes, PLEASE!” The pattern and predictability of the song will boost the likelihood that your children will respond with their spoken or sung as well as their signed responses.

Fun Activities to Share With "Fill the Basket"

Make sign instruction and vocabulary enrichment meaningful by saying and signing these new words throughout the day across the child’s routines and environments. Learning is enhanced when early childhood professionals team with parents to teach the important skills we want youngsters to master. Families who play, sing, talk, explore, and laugh together enhance the secure attachment they form with their child, which provides the foundation for emotional development and brain growth.

• There is a special motor action for the last three words of the song that your children will love. A young girl says, “to the top!” Show your children how to clap one time for each word. The words are spoken quickly after a bit of a pause. Your children will think this final touch is funny in that wonderful way that youngsters find joy in unexpected moments.

• You will need a basket and several copies of your “Fill the Basket” song page for this activity. Cut along the black lines of the grid with scissors to create individual food cards. Extend the life of your food cards by laminating them or covering them with plastic packing tape. Place the cards face down and let each child select one. Sing “Fill the Basket” without the recording so that you can allow children to respond at their own pace to the directions. Modify the verse lyrics slightly so that you ask the children “Who has an apple?” instead of “Do you want an apple?” The child with the apple visual then places that picture in your basket. Encourage each child to sing the words “I do, I do!” in response. Your basket will be filled with food by the end of the song.