'Un Elefante' by 123 Andrés - Playing parachutes with elephants and learning Spanish as we go!
- Mamatomo Mama
- May 10, 2018
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 31, 2018
For this week's activity we are using 123 Andrés' beautiful song 'Un Elefante'. This traditional song has been produced in the musical style of the Andes and it is beautiful! The thing I love about using this particular song is that it is in Spanish so English-speaking kids, whether they are learning Spanish or not, can get exposure to some simple Spanish. The song counts up to five (uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco) so I would recommend covering this first with any non-Spanish speakers before you do the activity I'm suggesting below. You could also teach the vocabulary 'elefante' (elephant), 'la tela de una araña' (a spider's web) and 'araña' (spider).
So now to the game! I made the elephants using egg cartons but you could easily use soft toys or even beanbags if you just want to do the activity.
You will need:
A parachute (if you have one!) or a sheet or blanket. If you have a large group of children then a larger sheet or blanket is best
Five objects to throw into the parachute - elephants, soft toys, beanbags
How to play the game
Have all kids hold the edge of the blanket with both hands. An adult or two at opposite ends of the sheet is helpful but not essential. When I did it alone with my two kids I held the blanket with one hand and kept the other free so I could throw in the elephants as the song progressed.
Play the song. Start with one elephant in the sheet. Kids need to 'bounce' the sheet up and down and try to keep the elephant on the sheet. If it falls out you can carry on with the song and just throw the elephants back onto the sheet once everyone is holding the sheet again. It won't be as much fun if you keep stopping and starting the song so I'd keep on playing the music continually. As the song progresses to 2, 3, 4 and 5 elephants throw the elephants in. By the end you should have five elephants so it's very likely they will be falling out. You can just keep bouncing the sheet until there are no more elephants on the sheet. The idea is to have fun and practice counting as you go so you can encourage kids to say 'uno', 'dos', 'tres', 'cuatro', 'cinco'!.
Further information
To watch the You Tube video of 'Un Elefante' click here and for the vocals in Spanish and English see below:
Un elefante
Un elefante se balanceaba sobre la tela de una araña.
Cómo veía que resistía, fue a llamar a otro elefante.
Dos elefantes se balanceaban sobre la tela de una araña.
Cómo veían que resistía, fueron a llamar a otro elefante.
Tres elefantes se balanceaban sobre la tela de una araña.
Cómo veían que resistía, fueron a llamar a otro elefante.
Cuatro elefantes se balanceaban sobre la tela de una araña.
Cómo veían que resistía, fueron a llamar a otro elefante.
Cinco elefantes se balanceaban sobre la tela de una araña.
Cómo veían que resistía, fueron a llamar a otro elefante.
¡Buenas noches elefantes!
One Elephant
One elephant was swinging on a spiderweb.
Since the spider web didn’t break, he went to call another elephant
Two elephants were swinging on a spiderweb.
Since the spiderweb didn’t break, they went to call another elephant
Three elephants were swinging on a spiderweb.
Since the spiderweb didn’t break, they went to call another elephant
Four elephants were swinging on a spiderweb.
Since the spiderweb didn’t break, they went to call another elephant
Five elephants were swinging on a spiderweb.
Since the spiderweb didn’t break, they went to call another elephant.
Good night elephants!
About 123 Andrés and the album 'La Luna"
Andrés Salguero and Christina Sanabria are the husband-wife duo that make up 123 Andrés. Andrés grew up in Colombia and now he and Christina travel around the United States promoting literacy and bilingualism. Andrés and Christina encourage parents to sing with and to their young children every day.
“The first years of life are the most important for brain development and the formation of bonds between parents and babies,” says Andrés
Andrés holds a doctorate in music and frequently leads bilingual music workshops for educators
“Music is the perfect vehicle to forge (the bonds between parents and babies) and create memories.”
About the album 'La Luna'
The album 'La Luna', which is where the song 'El Elefante' can be found, is comprised of original and traditional songs, all in Spanish. Many of the songs are calming lullabies and so perfect for quiet time or bedtime. Music is a great way to introduce learning a language to kids and listening to the same songs over and over will certainly help to build a background knowledge without ever having to 'study'.
Do you have any games you play with your kids using music? Let me know in the comments!
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