More
action songs Ta-Th
Tall as a tree
Teddy has the measles
The black cat yawns
The elephant wobbles from side to side
The golden boat song
The
lighthouse song
The
other day I met a bear
The
prehistoric animal parade
The
silver thread
The
snail
The wise
man and the foolish man
There
was a crocodile
There’s
a spider on the floor
Last updated: 4/25/2022
11:15 AM
The songs below are part of ‘Away we
go’ Round and about
compiled,
adapted and illustrated by Dany Rosevear
Return to the ‘Singing games for
children’ home
To
listen to music from these songs click on 🔊
To watch the author sing a song click on
the title at:
© Dany Rosevear 2008 All rights reserved
You
are free to copy, distribute, display and perform these works under the
following conditions:
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you must give the original author credit
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fair use and other rights are no way affected by the above.
Tall as a tree Tackle concepts of size and
comparison in a fun way. Be quiet or noisy at the end as the mood takes you! |
Tall as a tree. (Stand up and reach up high.) Wide as a house. (Stretch out arms and legs.) Thin as a pin. (Stand tall, as thin as you can.) Small as a mouse. (Curl into a ball.) Tall as a tree, how tall can you be? Wide as a house, how wide can you be? Thin as a pin, how thin can you be? Small as a mouse, how small can you be? And how very, very, quiet can you be? As quiet as a mouse - Shhh! BOO! How very LOUD can you be?! (Jump up high!) Leave last line out if
you wish to finish on a quiet note!!! |
Teddy has the measles 🔊 Originally ‘Dolly
has the measles’, I’ve only found this rhyme in one place on the internet to
encourage young children to engage in hospital play. My three year old
granddaughter enthusiastically enjoys doctor play at present so this is for
her. Music and
extra verses by Dany Rosevear with help from Ethan. 1. Rock teddy then dolly in arms, point to
spots. 2. Mime phoning, nod with thumb up. 3. Hands to cheek. 4. Mime tucking
in. 5. Tip water. 6. Tap teddy gently. |
Teddy has the measles, dolly has them too, Send for the doctor, she’ll know just what to do; Send the patients straight to bed, Keep them tucked up tight, Give them lots of water, They’ll soon be quite all right. Bunny has the chickenpox, puppy has them too, Send for the vet today, he’ll know just what to do; Send the patients straight to bed, Keep them tucked up tight, Give them lots of water, They’ll soon be quite all right. Piglet has the sneezes, duckling has them too, Quackchoo! Send for the farmer, he’ll know just what to do; Send the patients straight to bed, Keep them tucked up tight, Give them lots of water, They’ll soon be quite all right. Grandma has the hiccups, grandad has them too, Send for the grandchildren, they’ll know just what to do; BOO! |
The black cat yawns 🔊 Nonchalantly
dramatize the movement of a cat. This Playschool version is based
on a poem by Mary Britton Miller; the poem is well worth reading. I was
inspired to record this after watching a YouTube buddy of mine play his banjo
while his black cat moved in a very similar fashion. 1. On knees and hands open mouth wide. 2. Sit back
and stretch arms and fingers. 3. On hands and knees arch back then lower it
slowly. 4. Move away with arm and hand waving for tail. |
Oh, the black cat yawns, Opens up her jaws, Stretches her legs, And shows her claws. Then she gets up On her delicate toes, Arches her back As high as it goes. She lets herself down With particular care, And pads away With her tail in the air. The
black cat yawns, Opens
her jaws, Stretches
her legs, And shows
her claws. Then
she gets up And
stands on four Long
stiff legs And
yawns some more. She
shows her sharp teeth, She
stretches her lip, Her
slice of a tongue Turns
up at the tip. Lifting
herself On
her delicate toes, She
arches her back As
high as it goes. She
lets herself down With
particular care, And
pads away With
her tail in the air. |
The earth needs the
raindrops 🔊 Words by J. Kartsch and music by A.
Wagner. Verse 1. Draw a large circle with hands, make rain fall with fingers.
Shade eyes. Hands open and close. Put hands to cheek. Verse 2. Arm and hand
make a tree. Cup hand on branch. Put crossed hands to heart. |
What shall we do in our garden this fine day?The earth needs the
raindrops, The day needs a light, And heaven needs little stars When the day turns to night. The tree needs a little branch Where the bird builds her nest, And we need a little heart To love and to trust |
The
elephant wobbles from side to side O Make different movements for each
animal. This song is an adaptation, by
Peter Charlton, for the Australian ABC Play School programme, of the classic
nursery game ‘The elephant goes like this and that’. 1. Move from one leg to the other waving an arm for a trunk. Hold
hands up high and the wide. Put hands to mouth to shout last line. 2. Move
slowly with head outstretched and then as before. 3. Jump in a bouncy manner
and then as before. |
The elephant wobbles from side to side, He's terribly big and he's terribly wide, And people shout wherever he goes, "Goodness, gracious, what a nose!" The tortoise goes with a slurpety slop, If he went much slower he would stop, And people shout when they see him go, "Goodness, gracious aren’t you slow!" The kangaroo goes with a bumpety bump, He’ll never walk when he can jump, And people shout to him in the street, "Goodness, gracious, what big feet!" |
The golden boat song 🔊 A rowing action song. From ‘The child’s own music book’ published in 1922. Arranged by Dany Rosevear Children sit one behind the
other with legs out in a v shape. This could be in a circle or in lines of
six or so. Make a rowing action by bending forward with arms straight out,
and thumbs touching; backs of hands uppermost on a level with shoulders.
Sweep arms to bring hands to the floor in time to the music. On ‘see how we splash'
children pat the ground with open palms as though splashing water.
|
Chorus: Here we float in our
golden boat, Far away, far away, Here we float in our
golden boat Far away. See how we splash and
water dash, While on the air the sun
shines fair, Singing of birds and
lowing herds, Far, far, far away. x2 Chorus See how we splash and
water dash, While in the trees the
summer breeze, Sings of the wind and
hills behind, Far, far, far away. x2 Chorus See how we splash and
water dash, While all the stars
through cloudy bars, Beckon us home, no more to
roam, Far, far, far away. x2 |
The lighthouse song O A lighthouse song by Jennie
Brockhurst based on Twinkle, twinkle little star. |
Twinkle, twinkle little light, Flashing brightly through the night, When it's stormy you must show, All the sailors where to go, Twinkle, twinkle little light, Flashing brightly through the night. |
The other day I met a
bear 🔊 This very popular humorous community song was written in 1919 by Carey
Morgan and David Lee. The gun verse has been ommited as the song hangs easily
together without it. This is a natural song for
inventive actions. |
The other day, The other day, I met a bear, I met a bear, A great big bear, A great big bear, Away out there! A way out there! The other day I met a
bear, A great big bear away out
there. He looked at me… I looked
at him… He sized up me… I sized up
him... And so I ran… Away from
there… But right behind… Me was
that bear... Ahead of me… There was a
tree… A great big tree… O glory
be!... The nearest branch… Was
ten feet up… I had to jump…. And trust
my luck... And so I jumped… Into the
air… And missed that branch…
Away up there... Now don’t you fret… And
don’t you frown… I caught that branch… On
the way back down... That is the end… There
ain’t no more… Unless I meet… A
dinosaur... |
The prehistoric animal parade 🔊 Words and music
by M.L.Reeve. A song in four different keys. Some might
point to the historical inaccuracies; brontosaurus is now apatosaurus, a
woolly mammoth is not a dinosaur but this song was written in the 1970s when
such niceties were uncommon or unknown. It is a great
song for using percussion. Move as the words suggest to a slow beat. |
Listen to the chorus, Of the brontosaurus And the stegosaurus Down by the swamp. Along comes a dinosaur, Making such a loud roar, Thumping with his feet And going stomp, stomp,
stomp. Pterodactyl flapping, Long beak clacking, Big teeth snapping, Down from a tree. Here's a woolly mammoth, Tusks all curly, Joins the hurly burly. Oh dear me! What a noise! It's the boys and the girls Of the prehistoric animal
brigade! |
The silver thread 🔊 Time for tea? A movement song, Dance with waving coloured scarves
floating / swinging and flying with gentle then more vigorous movements. Word, music and movement by Dany Rosevear. 1. Move individually slowly
floating up, down and around in a space. 2. In pairs, holding hands, gently
swing hands from side to side Finish with a ‘turn the blanket over’. 3. In
threes, following each other in a line, leap, swoop and whirl. 4. Move individually as the
words suggest, finish on the floor. |
A silver thread from a
spider’s web, Floats, floats, floats on
the breeze, The little thread whispers
to a tiny flea, “Come, come, come, come
floating with me.” A silver thread from a
spider’s web, Swings, swings, swings in
the wind, The little thread calls to
a bumble bee, “Come, come, come, come
swinging with me.” A silver thread from a
spider’s web, Leaps and swoops and
whirls in the storm, The little thread shouts
to a chickadee, “Come, come, come, come
flying with me.” The thunder rumbles, the
lightening strikes, Rain beats down from
clouds black as night. Little thread yells to
each one of the three, “I wonder if spider is
ready for tea.” |
The
snail O A children’s song from Devon which
can be found in the songbook ‘Sing a song One’ published in 1978.
Subsequently I have heard it sung by both Cyril Tawney and Bill Murray, who
noted on his CD info that it was collected from Fanny Maunder who was born in
Buckfastleigh, Devon, in 1849. It needs to be sung at a steady
pace as it alternates between 6/8 and 9/8 time. It can be played as below or as a
finger rhyme with the fist slowly moving up the arm with two fingers out like
horns. Children curl up like a snail and slide along the floor with arms up
like the snail’s horns. One or more children pretend to be blackbirds and
creep among the snails flapping their elbows like wings. On the last line
they choose a child to tap gently; these children then become the new
blackbirds. |
The snail creeps out with his house on his
back. You can tell where he's been by his slimy
track. Chorus: Creep, creep, creep, oh how slowly he goes. And you'd be the same if you carried your
house. You can't see him but you know where he's
been He feeds on the leaves of the plants so
green. Still, still, still, in the darkness of
night. He steels away ere the morning light. With horny eye he peers about. But the blackbird at last has found him out. Tap, tap, tap on the roof of his house. He gobbles him up as a cat would a mouse. |
The wise man and the foolish man O A simple retelling of the parable
from the New Testament; it also teaches a universal message about building
our lives on firm foundations. 1. Place fists alternately on top of the other. Make a house shape and
then place fist firmly on the palm of the hand. Fingers wiggle downwards for
the rain and hands move upwards for the floods. On the last l line place one
fist firmly on top of the other hand. 2, Move palms facing down over each other then as before. Clap loudly
on the last line. |
The wise man built his house upon the rock, The wise man built his house upon the rock, The wise man built his house upon the rock, And the rain came tumbling down. The rain came down, and the floods came up, The rain came down, and the floods came up, The rain came down, and the floods came up, And the house on the rock stood firm. The foolish man built his house upon the
sand, The foolish man built his house upon the
sand, The foolish man built his house upon the
sand, And the rain came tumbling down. The rain came down, and the floods came up, The rain came down, and the floods came up, The rain came down, and the floods came up, And the house on the sand fell flat! |
There was a crocodile 🔊 A camp fire sustitution song. Sing through with actions in time to the
music as below. Crocodile: Arms open and close. Orangutan: Scratch under arms. Eagle: Cross arms at wrists and flap. Fish:
One hand on top of the other with thumbs out
‘swim’. Bunny: Two fingers to each
side of head flop. Beaver: Two
forefingers dangle from mouth.
Elephant: Sway arm like a trunk. |
There was a crocodile, an
orangutan, a flying eagle and a slippery fish. A bunny, a beaver, a crazy
elephant. Na na na na na na, na na
na na na na! There was snippety snap,
an orangutan, a flying eagle and a slippery fish. A bunny, a beaver, a crazy
elephant. Na na na na na na, na na
na na na na! There was a snippety snap,
scritchety scratch, a flying eagle and a slippery fish. A bunny, a beaver, a crazy
elephant. Na na na na na na, na na
na na na na! There was a snippety snap,
and a scritchety scratch, a flippety flap and a slippery fish. A bunny, a beaver, a crazy
elephant. Na na na na na na, na na
na na na na! There was a snippety snap,
and a scritchety scratch, a flippety flap and a swish swash. A bunny, a beaver, a crazy
elephant. Na na na na na na, na na
na na na na! There was a snippety snap,
and a scritchety scratch, and a flippety flap and a swish swash. A boing boing, a beaver, a
crazy elephant. Na na na na na na, na na
na na na na! There was a snippety snap,
and a scritchety scratch, and a flippety flap, and a swish swash. A boing boing, a munch
munch, a crazy elephant. Na na na na na na, na na na na na na! There was a snippety snap,
and a scritchety scratch, and a flippety flap, and a swish swash. A boing boing, a munch
munch, a trumpetty trump. Na na na na na na, na na na na na na! There was a crocodile, an
orangutan, a flying eagle and a slippery fish. A bunny, a beaver, a crazy
elephant. Na na na na na na, na na
na na na na! |
There’s a spider on the floor O The original Raffi version of this
song was written by Bill Russell from Canada. I heard the song at a Mother and
Toddler session recently with my grandchild; this seems to be the version
sung in nurseries in England nowadays. It has the same tune as ‘Put your
finger in the air’. |
There's a spider on the floor, on the floor, There's a spider on the floor, on the floor, There’s a spider on the floor And he’s coming through the door, There's a spider on the floor, on the floor. Now that spider’s on my knee, on my knee, Now that spider’s on my knee, on my knee, Now that spider’s on my knee, And he’s looking right at me, Now that spider’s on my knee, on my knee. Now that spider’s on my tummy, on my tummy, Now that spider’s on my tummy, on my tummy, Now that spider’s on my tummy, And I think I want my mummy, Now that spider’s on my tummy, on my tummy. Now that spider’s on my arm, on my arm, Now that spider’s on my arm, on my arm, Now that spider’s on my arm, But he won’t do me any harm, Now that spider’s on my arm, on my arm. Now that spider's on my head, on my head, Now that spider's on my head, on my head, Now that spider’s on my head, Can he come to you instead? Hooray! That spider on my head has just jumped off. There's a spider on the floor, on the floor,(fast) There's a spider on the floor, on the floor, There’s a spider on the floor… Phew! Now, he’s crawling out the door. Goodbye dear old spider on the floor. |
There was a little turtle O Watch out for the little turtle –
he’s got a mean bite! |
There was a little turtle. He lived in a box. He swam in the puddles. He climbed on the rocks. He snapped at the mosquito. He snapped at the flea. He snapped at the minnow. And he snapped at me! He caught the mosquito. He caught the flea. He caught the minnow. But he didn't catch me! |
Make hand
into a fist with thumb out. Cover turtle with the other hand. Place one
hand on top of the other and make thumbs ‘swim’. Hands make
a climbing motion Snap thumb and finger x3s. Snap at self. Grab three times. Shake finger from side to
side and point to self. |
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