The rainbow song [hide_on_uk](colors)[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us](colours)[/hide_on_us]

Lyrics:

Red and yellow and pink and green,
Purple and orange and blue.
I can sing a rainbow,
Sing a rainbow,
Sing a rainbow too.

Verse 2:
Red apples and yellow sun,
Pink flowers in the green grass.
Purple grapes and orange carrots,
A rainbow high in the blue sky.

Verse 3:
Red and yellow and pink and green,
Purple and orange and blue.
I can sing a rainbow,
Sing a rainbow,
Sing a rainbow too.

Gestures and activities to use with The rainbow song

There are a number of activities you can do as you sing along to the song:

• Simply pat your knees or clap in time with the music as you sing the song.
• Give each student a print out of the Rainbow Song song poster. As they sing along they touch each [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] or picture.
• Give out the 7 [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] to students ([hide_on_uk]colored[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]coloured[/hide_on_us] paper, origami paper, [hide_on_uk]colored[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]coloured[/hide_on_us] blocks, [hide_on_uk]colored[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]coloured[/hide_on_us] pencils – anything will do) and have students touch the [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] in time with the song.
• Put [hide_on_uk]colored[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]coloured[/hide_on_us] paper up around the walls of the classroom.  Have all of your students point to each [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] as it is sung.

Using The rainbow song in class

This is a wonderful song to use when teaching the [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] – even the youngest child enjoys singing along to this tune.

1. Start by teaching the vocab.  Depending on the age / level of your students you may want to teach a just few words per class, building up to the full 7 [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] words over a series of lessons. For older students you may also want to teach the objects in the song (apples, sun, flowers, grass, grapes, carrots, rainbow, sky). Prepare [hide_on_uk]colored[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]coloured[/hide_on_us] paper (origami paper is great for this) – enough [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] for each student in your class (so, 1 red per student, 1 yellow per student, etc.). Hold up the first [hide_on_uk]colored[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]coloured[/hide_on_us] paper and elicit the [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] (e.g. red). Chorus and practice saying the [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us]. Then pass the [hide_on_uk]colored[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]coloured[/hide_on_us] paper around the class so each student can hold and say the [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us].  Do this for the rest of the [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us].
2. Play “[hide_on_uk]Color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]Colour[/hide_on_us] stand up and jump”.  Give out all of the [hide_on_uk]colored[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]coloured[/hide_on_us] papers, 1 [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] per student.  Tell your students to sit down.  Say a [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] (e.g. “red”) and the students holding that [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] have to quickly stand up, jump and then sit down. Start off slowly and get faster and faster.
3. Play “Touch the [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] on posters”. If your classroom has lots of [hide_on_uk]colorful[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colourful[/hide_on_us] posters on the walls, this is a great activity to do.  Demonstrate by shouting out a [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] (e.g. “Red”). Run to a poster and touch anywhere that has a red [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us]. Do the same for another [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] (e.g. “Blue”).  Each time run to a new poster.  Now have the students do the activity – shout out a [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] and have them all run around the classroom touching the [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] on posters.
4. Do “[hide_on_uk]Color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]Colour[/hide_on_us] the circles” activity. Before class, prepare 7 large sheets of white paper (or if you are teaching less [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] that day, enough sheets of paper for the [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] you are teaching). On each sheet draw a large circle which fills up the sheet (or download and print our wall circle sheet).  Then stick the sheets on the walls of the classroom, at a height your students can reach.  At this point of your lesson, take out your [hide_on_uk]colored[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]coloured[/hide_on_us] pencils/crayons and demonstrate the activity. Walk around the class and [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] a small part of each circle with one [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] (always say the [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] as you are [hide_on_uk]coloring[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colouring[/hide_on_us]).  So there will be one circle with some red [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] in it, one with yellow, and so on.  Next, tell your students to take out their [hide_on_uk]colored[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]coloured[/hide_on_us] pencils/crayons.  Have them walk around the classroom, [hide_on_uk]coloring[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colouring[/hide_on_us] in a bit of each circle with the same [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] you used. Make sure they say the [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] as they do each [hide_on_uk]coloring[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colouring[/hide_on_us].
5. Play “Point at the [hide_on_uk]colored[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]coloured[/hide_on_us] circles”. Have all of your students sit down.  Call out a [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] and demonstrate by pointing at the [hide_on_uk]colored[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]coloured[/hide_on_us] circle on the wall. Do all of the [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] in the order of the song, with the students pointing at the different [hide_on_uk]colored[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]coloured[/hide_on_us] circles.
6. Sing “The rainbow song”. The first time you play the song, put up the Rainbow song song poster on the board.  Quickly elicit the [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us].  Play the song and sing along, touching the [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] as you sing.  You can even invite a student to come up to the board and touch the [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] with you. Next, give out all 7 [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] (e.g. [hide_on_uk]colored[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]coloured[/hide_on_us] paper, pencils, etc.) to each student.  Get each student to lay out the [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] in front of him/her, in the order of the song. As you pay the song again, have all students touch each [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] and sing along.
7. Do a [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] worksheet. To finish off this section of the lesson, give out worksheets which have the vocabulary from the song.  As your students are doing the worksheets, ask questions (e.g. “what [hide_on_uk]color[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colour[/hide_on_us] is that?”, etc.).  You can also give a [hide_on_uk]colors[/hide_on_uk][hide_on_us]colours[/hide_on_us] worksheet for homework.