Whenever I Think about Pioneers

Regardless of where you live, July 24 is an important date to all of us.  It is important enough to sing about!  "Whenever I Think about Pioneers"  p. 222, is a great song to sing this month.  I teach all 4 verses to the children and then we work on the duet - verses 3 and 4 (which are almost the same but different melody). 
1st verse: use a picture of pioneers and talk about the children that came, too.  Sing the verse then have the children sing it a few times.
2nd verse: I use 1 or 2 words from each line - play games, fun, slept and measured.  I tell them about what "measured journey" means.  the pioneers measured the circumference of a wagon wheel and a counter was placed on the wheel to count the rotations and that's how they measured their journey.  Sing the verse. be sure to tell the children that it is a different melody.  Have the pianist play it through while you sing it.
3rd and 4th verses: you could write the two verses side by side on a poster or chalk board and then look at the differences.  Sing them both to see how they fit with the music.  Then try singing them as a duet. 

This may take two weeks to complete.