SCIENCE
SONGS
Dear Planet Earth
Living Things
It’s a Cycle
Many Colors
Natural
Plants and Animals
Spider Freeze (A Short Choral Play)
The Rock Song
Parts Working Together
When the Sun Hits a Spot
Color My Plate
Alligator Tourists (A Play)
Ciclo de Vida del Marcador (song by Kuheli)
Today's Date
Dear Planet Earth,
Thanks for the air. Thanks for the shelter. I must take care to respect your treasures, the stones and the dirt, the cotton that grew and became my shirt. Planet Earth, dear planet Earth.
I feel the wind. I feel the sand. I feel a raindrop on my hand.
Dear Planet Earth, this is the song we sing for you as we roll along.
Planet Earth, dear Planet Earth. We breathe your air into our lungs. We taste your food upon our tongues.
Dear Planet Earth, this is the way we honor you everyday.
Yours Truly,
Us
Living Things
Living things need a place to live.
Living things need food to grow.
Living things need to reproduce.
Living things need each other.
Now, wherever you go on the planet earth,
You will find living things.
Little ones, big ones, tall ones, short ones,
Smart ones, strong ones, fast ones, slow ones.
Different lands for different trees.
Different homes for different animals,
Still they all are living things, and…
Repeat until end
It’s a Cycle
Oceans are bigger than seas.
Seas are different from lakes.
Lakes are different from rivers,
And rivers are bigger than streams.
Water falls down from the clouds.
Then the water evaporates.
It’s a cycle.
It’s a cycle.
Water goes up and then water comes down.
It’s a cycle.
It’s a cycle,
A cycle we need to survive.
Okay, I have a question. How many oceans are there on the earth?
Five!
There are five oceans on earth,
The Atlantic, the Atlantic,
The Pacific, the Pacific,
The Indian, the Indian,
The Southern. the Southern,
The A-a-a-a-a-a-a-rcti-i-i-i-i-c
Water falls down from the clouds.
Then the water evaporates.
It’s a cycle.
It’s a cycle.
Water goes up and then water comes down.
It’s a cycle.
It’s a cycle,
A cycle we need to survive.
Many Colors
Many colors we can see: red, blue, yellow.
Many color we can see with our eyes,
Red as tomatoes,
Blue as the sky,
Yellow as a lemon.
Can you think of other things red, blue, yellow?
Mixing colors we can see: purple, green, and orange.
Mixing colors we can see with our eyes.
Red and blue make ______________.
Yellow and blue make _____________.
Yellow and red make _____________.
Can you think of things that are purple green and orange?
Mixing colors we can see: purple, green, and orange.
Mixing colors we can see with our eyes:
Purple as a plum,
Green as the growing grass,
Orange as an orange.
Can you think of other things purple, green, and orange?
Many colors we can see: red, blue, yellow.
Mixing colors we can see: purple, orange, green,
brown, magenta, tan and burgundy, gold, peach and indigo.
Look around and there will be so many colors to see.
Natural
We are the animals.
We live in different lands.
Some of us have paws.
Some of us have hands.
Some of us have fins.
Some of us have claws.
We eat to survive in the natural world.
We are the carnivores.
Animals we eat.
We are the carnivores,
Poultry, fish, and meat.
We catch and find prey.
We live from day to day.
We are the carnivores of the world.
We are the animals.
We live in different lands.
Some of us have paws.
Some of us have hands.
Some of us have fins.
Some of us have claws.
We eat to survive in the natural world.
We are the herbivores.
Plants we eat.
We are the herbivores.
We don’t eat meat.
Vegetables, stalks, and seeds,
Fruits and roots and leaves.
We are the herbivores of the world.
We are the animals.
We live in different lands.
Some of us have paws.
Some of us have hands.
Some of us have fins.
Some of us have claws.
We eat to survive in the natural world.
We are the omnivores.
We eat animals and plants.
We are the omnivores.
We sing and dance
To celebrate our food,
‘cause we are in the mood.
We’re omnivores.
We’re carnivores.
We’re herbivores.
We’re animals, we’re animals, we’re animals, we’re animals
We are the animals.
We live in different lands.
Some of us have paws.
Some of us have hands.
Some of us have fins.
Some of us have claws.
We eat to survive in the natural world.
Oh Yeah!
The Habitat Song
Plants and animals live on the earth.
Some parts of the earth are dry.
Some parts are windy.
Some parts are rainy.
Some are flat.
The forest is a home for living things.
The forest has many trees.
The trees need lots of rain.
The trees grow close together.
The trees give shade.
The forest feels cool.
Plants and animals live on the earth.
Some parts of the earth are dry.
Some parts are windy.
Some parts are rainy.
Some are flat.
The plains are a home for living things.
The plains don’t have many trees,
so the wind is free to blow.
The crops have room to grow.
The plains are flat
under an open sky.
Plants and animals live on the earth.
Some parts of the earth are dry.
Some parts are windy.
Some parts are rainy.
Some are flat.
The desert is a home for living things.
The desert is covered with rocks and sand.
The sand is burning hot.
The air is super dry.
The cacti plants can grow there,
Because they need so little water.
Plants and animals live on the earth.
Different organisms, different places.
Some live in forests.
Some live on plains.
Some live in deserts.
Some live on mountains.
Some live in oceans.
Some live in rivers.
Different organisms evolve
and adapt to their habitat.
Spider Freeze (A Play with Choral Speaking)
Narrator: Spider Freeze
Setting – A Web At Night and the Next Morning
Characters – Three Spider Families
It is the night before the frost.
It is windy.
Three spider families hold tightly to their webs.
They talk about the coming rain.
Percussion instruments can make the sound of the storm.
Crawlthings: We are the Crawlthing family.
We are spiders.
The night is dark.
It is windy.
Hold onto the web!
The wind is very strong.
Hold on for dear life.
Littlecreeps: We are the Littlecreep family.
We are spiders too.
Sound of a raindrop, followed by more, then getting stronger with the wind.
The raindrops have begun.
The wind is so strong.
We are getting wet.
Our web is getting wet.
Hold on for dear life.
We hear the storm get big, then gradually goes away.
Arañas: We are the other spider family that lives on this branch.
We are the Araña family.
The storm is going away.
Now all is calm, but it is still cold.
After a moment of silence, they speak together.
All Spiders: We now can sleep.
Narrator: They go to sleep.
In the night, the spider families are surprised
as their webs freeze after the winter rain.
One of the Araña Family wakes up and realizes that their web is frozen.
Araña 1: OUR WEB IS FROZEN!
Arañas: Our webs is frozen! Our web is frozen.
Wake up everybody!
Our webs is frozen!
Crawlthings: Why are those Arañas yelling so early in the morning?
Littlecreeps: Their web is frozen.
They cry because their web is frozen.
Arañas: Your webs are frozen too.
Crawlthings: Just wait.
Soon the sun will be here,
then the ice will melt.
Then we can get back to work
on our beautiful web.
All Spiders: Soon the sun will come.
Soon the sun will come.
The Rock Song
The earth is made of rocks.
Most rocks are underground.
You can find rocks near water.
Water changes rocks.
Water breaks rocks.
Sand is made of very small rocks.
Rocks look different, they are different colors.
Some are shiny.
Some are dull.
Rocks feel different.
Rocks feel different.
Some are sharp.
Some are smooth.
The earth is made of rocks.
Most rocks are underground.
You can find rocks near water.
Water changes rocks.
Water breaks rocks.
Sand is made of very small rocks.
You can rub rocks, rocks together.
Hard rocks are strong.
Soft rocks fall apart.
People use rocks.
They cut them from the earth.
They are carried away.
People build with rocks.
The earth is made of rocks.
Most rocks are underground.
You can find rocks near water.
Parts Together
Sounds waves come to drum our ears,
Our brain computes what it hears,
Hair cells spiral through a cone,
The Corti sends our brain the tone.
That is what is happening inside an ear,
Listen in for sounds around to hear,
Tiny parts together, like little gears,
That is what is happening in our ears.
Vibrations flow from a string,
If a finger makes it ring,
Frequencies whip through the air,
Finding ears with whom to share.
That is what is happening outside an ear,
Other noises sometimes interfere,
Tiny parts together, like little gears,
That is what is happening in our ears.
Beep, beep, beep, is that the sound of a car horn?
Tweet, tweet, tweet, is that the sound of a bird?
Squeak, squeak, squeak, is that the sound of the kitchen door?
What produced the last sound that you just heard?
Light reflects into our eyes,
Our brain comes to visualize,
Images pass through the lens,
The retina receives, then sends.
That is what is happening inside our eyes,
Parts working together, no surprise,
Are there other parts at work, do you surmise?
What exactly is happening,
What is happening,
Hey, what's going on behind those ears and eyes?
“When Our Sun Hits Our Spot”
In a way,
it’s like magic, but not,
in the day,
when our sun hits a spot.
It may feel warm.
It may feel hot.
When the star of our earth hits a spot.
The night falls,
And dark comes to our eye,
The sleep calls,
Stars appear in the sky.
The moon lights up,
Do you know why,
As the sun falls away from our sky?
When we flip a switch,
we can’t even tell,
it takes time for light particles to travel.
Pitcher throws a pitch,
Sound vibrates from a bell.
Light and heat radiate from a candle.
In a way,
it’s like magic, but not,
So, they say
the sun’s gases burn hot.
From 92 million
miles away,
Its rays travel to light and heat our day,
How long does it take to make its way?
Shadows are cast,
Magic spell? Maybe not,
when our sun hits our spot.
"Color My Plate"
Note - A visual artist uses a palette (thin board) to lay and mix paints.
Color my plate, I like to color my plate,
How many colors are on my plate?
Color my plate, color my plate,
Pretty the palette upon my plate.
Purple are the grapes in my fruit group,
Golden brown, the rice, my grain,
Yellow are the eggs, my protein,
A varity of nutrients is good for the brain,
Green is the broccoli, my vegetable,
Red pepper, my vegetable too,
Blue cheese, my dairy on the side,
Who will be brave and try something new?
Color my plate, I like to color my plate,
How many colors are on my plate?
Color my plate, color my plate,
Pretty the palette that's on my plate.
Orange, the orange, my fruit group,
Yellow, the noodles, my grain,
Pink, the fish, my protein,
A variety of nutrients is fuel for the train,
Green is the celery, my vegetable,
Red radish, my vegetable too,
Plain white yogurt, my dairy side,
Who will be brave and try a new hue? ("hue" means "color")
Color my plate, I like to color my plate,
How many colors are on my plate?
Color my plate, color my plate,
Pretty the palette that's on my plate,
Pretty the palette that's on my plate,
Pretty the palette that's on my plate.
Alligator Tourists
A play by Peter Sroka
September 15, 2010 SAN FRANCISCO ― An icon of the California Academy of Sciences, Claude the albino alligator, turned 15 with the museum hosting a party free for those available to join him.
Claude, who weighs 181 pounds and is 8 feet 5 inches long, is completely white due to albinism, the lack of the pigment melanin in the body.
An albino alligator is extremely rare and can only be found in captivity because it would get killed too easily in the wild, academy spokesman Andrew Ng said.
For his birthday, Claude received 15 cupcakes made by a museum biologist with the help of two high school students who shared his birthday.
Setting Academy of Sciences, San Francisco
The Swamp, During Business Hours
Characters
Kid 1, Kid 2, Kid 3, Kid 4
Andrew, the Alligator
Ali, the Alligator
Allison, the Alligator
Alex, the Alligator
Claude, the Albino Alligator
Bonnie, the Alligator
Other Alligators
Other Kids
We are at the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Visitors are looking down into the swamp exhibit at Claude, the Albino Alligator. Some of the visitors are secretly part of the show. At show time, a congregation of alligators comes through the doors dressed like tourists with suitcases in their claws. They are exhausted from the journey, but also excited because they have arrived at their destination.
Andrew: This is it I think.
Andrew approaches one of the kids.
Andrew: Uh, pardon me. Is this the swamp?
Kid 1: Yes. See? It says “The Swamp.”
Alligators: Yay!
Kid 1: Is this your habitat?
Ali: We live in a swamp, but not this one.
Alex: Yeah, our swamp is back in Florida.
Allison: We’re looking for Claude. Does he live here?
Kid 4: No way, you know Claude?
Claude appears from the swamp.
Claude: Is that you, my brothers and sisters?
Alligators: Hi Claude!
Claude: The Academy People said you were coming to visit.
I didn’t even know I had family in Florida.
Allison: We came over 3,000 miles to see our famous bro.
Alex: Check out that skin!
I mean, I’ve seen it in photographs, but it’s so unreal in real life.
Ali: How can I get my skin to turn that color?
Claude: I used to say the same thing to Bonnie.
Alex: Who’s Bonnie?
Bonnie enters from the swamp.
Bonnie: I’m Bonnie.
Alligators: Hi Bonnie.
Bonnie: Hello fellow reptilians! Welcome to our little swamp here.
To answer your question, you can’t turn Albino like Claude here.
Claude:(singing) Baby, I was born this way!
Bonnie: That’s right, he is missing a gene.
It happens sometimes with some animals.
Allison: We don’t have any jeans either, so how come we’re not white?
Bonnie: Not jeans, j-e-a-n-s like blue jeans.
Allison: Yeah, if we had those, we’d be blue.
Andrew: No, we wouldn’t.
Bonnie: Claude is missing a gene, G-E-N-E, the things that come from
our parents and their parents like a family code born inside us.
Genes make us who we are when we’re starting out through the
gate of life. He has the rest of his genes, just not the green gene.
Claude: Which means, I’m rare. I’m so rare! I’m super special. I’m a star.
Bonnie: This is what I live with on a daily basis.
And you wonder why I bit his foot.
Alex: You bit him?
Claude: Finally, she admits it! That was horrible.
They took me to the emergency room and had to amputate my toe.
Bonnie: Anyhow, we’re over it now.
Claude: First day back in the swamp, she was trying to snuggle up on the rock.
Bonnie: Please, I was enjoying the warmth.
Did you all know that they heat this rock?
Alligators call out responses such as “Really? No way. Wow.”
Bonnie: Yeah, they keep it between 78 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ali: Nice. Hey Claude. What’s it like being Albino?
Claude: Well, if I were born in the wild it wouldn’t be fun.
You guys are green so you can blend in.
Bonnie: They call it “camouflage.”
Alligators: “Camouflage.” (Impressed with the word)
Claude: If I were in the wild, I’d never be able to catch food, otherwise known as
prey, because animals would see me coming. I would starve. Also, my
skin is very sensitive to the sun.
Bonnie: Oh poor you. You’re such a crybaby! Wawawa.
Humans come from all over the planet to see your sorry self.
Claude: Fine. Call me names. You’re still my friend.
I just wish you wouldn’t be such a sour puss all the time.
Bonnie: Oh Claude. Maybe the reason I’m “sour” is because you get all the attention.
Claude: That’s not my fault. Hey, I shared my cupcakes with you!
Bonnie: Still going on about those cupcakes.
Alligators: Cupcakes?
Claude: Oh, they were so yummy.
Ali: They have cupcakes here?
Claude: It was a special occasion.
Ali: What special occasion?
Claude: My Birthday.
Ali: I just have to ask. How does one make an Alligator Cupcake?
Claude: Well, of course, I didn’t make my own birthday cupcakes.
But kids, how many of you were here at my party?
Kids come forward, calling out, overlapping conversation.
Kids: We were there.
That was so much fun.
What a party! That was awesome.
Claude: Hey, do you guys remember the recipe?
Kid 2: Of course, anything for our favorite exhibit at the Academy.
Bonnie: Can you believe these groupies?
Kid 3: Aw, Bonnie. We love you too.
Bonnie: Just sing the recipe kids. These gators have come a long way.
They can take a little city culture back to the real swamp.
Kid 2: Sure thing, Ms. Bonnie. The following recipe was provided by the
biologists here at the Academy.
All Party Kids: Alligator Cupcakes!
A-one, a-two, a-three, a-four…
Alligator cupcakes for special occasions,
Alligator cupcakes for our gator relations,
Alligator cupcakes, fishy and sweet,
Alligator cupcakes, a reptilian treat.
Grind the gator chow up.
Put it into a pot.
Stir gelatin in water,
When the water’s hot.
Blend Capelin, spinach, parsley, prawns, and flakes of fish
Phytoplankton, carrots, omega acids in a dish,
Alligator cupcakes for special occasions,
Alligator cupcakes for our gator relations,
Alligator cupcakes, fishy and sweet,
Alligator cupcakes, a reptilian treat.
Mix it all up,
Into a spackle-like texture,
Add water if you need,
To moisten the mixture,
Spoon the mixture into the cupcake mold.
Put it in the fridge until it’s good and cold.
Alligator cupcakes for special occasions,
Alligator cupcakes for our gator relations,
Alligator cupcakes, fishy and sweet,
Alligator cupcakes, a reptilian treat.
Take the mold from
The refrigerator.
Place the cakes on a tray
Like a caterer,
Colorize the hummus any hues you choose.
Spread the frosting, careful not to drip on your shoes.
Alligator cupcakes for special occasions,
Alligator cupcakes for our gator relations,
Alligator cupcakes, fishy and sweet,
Alligator cupcakes, a reptilian treat.
Garnish the top
For the celebration
With a berry, flower, tiny fish,
or shrimp decoration.
Alligator cupcakes are ready to serve,
Humans come taste if you have the nerve.
Alligator cupcakes for special occasions,
Alligator cupcakes for our gator relations,
Alligator cupcakes, fishy and sweet,
Alligator cupcakes, a reptilian treat.
All clap and the kids take a bow.
Andrew: Well, we’d better say our “good-byes.”
Kid 1: Aren’t you going to stay for cupcakes?
Andrew: They won’t be ready until September 15th.
Allison: Yeah, we’d better get going. We want to stop by the St. Louis Zoo on
our way back to Florida to visit our Chinese cousins.
Kid 2: Does every country have it’s own kind of Alligator?
Alex: No, there are just two species of Alligators, American and Chinese.
The Chinese gators are smaller than us.
Ali: Aw, do we have to go back to Florida?
Alex: I like it here in Frisco. That Bay water is so refreshing.
Allison: You couldn’t survive in that water 24/7. Of course, we have to go home.
There isn’t enough room in this swamp for all of us.
Ali: Hey Claude, why don’t you come back with us?
Claude: That sounds nice, but San Francisco is my home now and I really
wouldn’t be safe out there.
Alex: Can we come back to visit you?
Claude: We love visitors! Come anytime. According to the average lifespan of
the American Alligator, if I stay healthy, I should be around for the next
fifteen years or so.
Ali: Hey Claude, before we go, can we take a picture with you?
The folks at home just won’t believe we actually met you.
Claude: Why not?
Ali: Fantastic!
Ali looks around before picking a stranger in the audience to take the picture.
Ali: Excuse me, would you mind taking our picture?
Andrew: Hey groupies, Can you get in the picture too? The gators in
(To the humans/actors) Florida are going to be so surprised to see us gators and you humans
hanging out together. They’re not going to believe that we were so
close and didn’t even eat you.
There is a long hungry pause as the alligators stare at the children like prey.
They close in until the kids break free, screaming and running for the door.
The alligators chase them out.
The End
FACTS SHEET
General Scientific
Habitat – Swamp
Alligators are from Florida (about 3,000 miles away)
Genes – Albinos are missing one
Alligators are Reptiles
Camouflage
Two Species of Alligator – Chinese and American
Lifespan
Temperature
24/7
Museum Specific
Claude was bit by Bonnie and his toe was amputated.
People made Alligator Cupcakes for Claude’s 15th birthday 9/15/10
Heated Rock
Ciclo de Vida del Marcador song by Kuheli
Chords—A, E7, D, A7, G
A
Cuando quieres dibujar
E7 A
Tus alegrías y tus dolores
Y cuando los quieres llenar
E7 A
de geometrías y de colores
D A
¡cómo te parecen llamar los marcadores!
E7 (tripletas) E7
Pero antes tienes que pensar...
A E7
Cuando ya no hay colores,
A
¿Adónde van los marcadores?
E7
O se van en el basurero
O si quieres gastar cero,
A
Los mandas pa’ reciclar
E7 (tripletas)
Pero antes tienes que pensar...
A
Cuando llegan pa’ reciclar
E7 A
Después de años de mucho desgaste
Quizás los vayan a quemar
E7 A
Despedazar o fundirlos, ¿pensaste?
D A
Y se hizo una cosa nueva que tú quisiste
E7 (tripletas) E7
Pero antes tienes que pensar...
A E7
Cuando el humo llena el cielo
A
El gran calor derrite el hielo
E7
No funcionan los pulmones
Ya no pueden cantar sones
A
Y tú quieres actuar
E7 (tripletas) E7
Y ahora tienes que pensar...
Key Change: A, A7, E7, D
D
Si empiezas a mirar
A7 D
Verás las hojas y bellas flores
Y empezarás a notar
A7 D
Belleza en los alrededores
G D
La tierra no tiene que comprar colores
A7 (tripletas) A7
Y ahora tienes que pintar...
Key Change: D, A7, E7, A
A
Cuando quieres dibujar
E7 A
Tus alegrías y tus dolores
Y cuando los quieres llenar
E7 A
de geometrías y de colores
D A
¡cómo te parecen llamar los marcadores!
E7 (tripletas) E7
Pero antes tienes que pensar...
[let chord ring out on E7]
