Games galore in Gryphon’s Garden

Songs about colour

Buck-eye Jim

Colour song

Down came a lady

Down on grandpa’s farm

Here goes the red bird

Ida Red

If you are wearing red

Jenny Jenkins

Mary wore her red dress

Orange is a carrot

Over the rainbow bridge we go

Rainbow round me

Roll that brown jug down to town

Sing a rainbow

So many fishies in the deep blue sea

The rainbow paints the sky

What are you wearing?

Walk along John

You’re my rainbow, you’re my star

There are also several songs about colour in Seasonal songs

Leaves are falling

Mrs White had a fright

Yellow the bracken

Black snake, black snake

Cançó dels colors / Green, green, green

It’s snowing, it’s blowing

Red in Autumn

Last updated: 6/15/2020 1:26 PM

The songs below are part of ‘Away we go’ Round and about compiled, adapted and illustrated by Dany Rosevear

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To listen to music from these songs click on 🔊

To watch the author sing a song click on the title at:

You are free to copy, distribute, display and perform these works under the following conditions:

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Your fair use and other rights are no way affected by the above.

Buckeye Jim O

Make up your own colourful verses as there are already many versions of this song from the U.S.A., the most well known by Burl Ives. Lomax collected a version in the 1950s and you can find out more about its various forms at: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=53713

Roud number 10059.

Way up yonder above the moon,

A blue jay nests in a silver spoon.

Chorus

Buckeye Jim, you can't go.

Weave and spin, you can't go,

Buck-eyed Jim.

Way up yonder above the sky,

Blue jay rests in a green bird's eye.

Way up yonder in the quiet of night,

A black bird sang in the pink moonlight.

Way down yonder in a hollow log,

A redbird danced with a green bullfrog.

Way up yonder on a shooting star,

A bullfrog jumped, but he jumped too far.

If you don’t have wings, you can’t fly,

But you can dream if you darn well try.

Colour song 🔊

A circle game to encourage visual awareness and concentration. From ‘Up, up and away’ by Derek Pearson published 1987. You might recognise the traditional tune!

Game by Dany Rosevear.

Chidren walk or skip round in a cirle to the left. One child skips round the outside and when the first verse finishes taps the nearest child and sings, ‘Can you you think of something…(colour)?’ The tapped child answers pointing to something in the room and sings the next verse either with the help of the others or individually. That child then skips round the outside and the game continues.

Red and yellow, green and blue,

Listen to my song.

Can you think of something red?

Yes, I can think of something red,

Of something red, of something red,

Yes, I can think of something red,

Let’s sing this song again.

Down came a lady O

This song is adapted from a spiritual. You will need to change the words as below to accommodate the gender of the child.

Children join hands in a circle and move clockwise. One chid stands in the middle as the others circle round. At the end of the song this child points to another in the circle and substitutes the colour the that child’s clothing for the word ‘blue’. The first child moves out of the ring and circles anticlockwise while the chosen child stays in the centre as the song begins again. Eventually all the children will be outside holding hands and walking anticlockwise round the last child and shout out the colour of his clothing.

Down came a lady,

Down came two,

Down came old Daniel's wife

And she was dressed in blue.

Down came a young man,

Down came two,

Down came old Daniel's friend

And he was dressed in blue.

Down on grandpa’s farm O

This song has its roots in the Argentinian song: ‘Mi Chacra’

Pretend to drive during the chorus and make animal noises for each of the verses.

Chorus

We're on our way, we're on our way,

On our way to Grandpa's farm.

We're on our way, we're on our way,

On our way to Grandpa's farm.

Down on Grandpa's farm there is a black and white cow.

The cow, it makes a sound like this: Moo! Moo!

Down on Grandpa's farm there is a little red hen…

The hen, it makes a sound like this: Cluck! Cluck!...

Down on Grandpa's farm there is a fat pink pig…

The pig, it makes a sound like this: Oink! : Oink!..

Down on Grandpa's farm there is a little white sheep…

The sheep, it makes a sound like this: Baa! Baa!…

Down on Grandpa's farm there is a big brown horse…

The horse, it makes a sound like this: Neigh! Neigh!...

Down on Grandpa's farm there is a little yellow duck…

The duck, it makes a sound like this: Quack! Quack!…

Here goes the red bird O

A circle game from Illinois. It has been adapted from ‘Take a little girl’ to ‘Take a little friend’ and ‘hip-sip-si-da’ to ‘hip-si-dip-sa’ to make it easier to sing!

Make a circle, join raised hands to make ‘windows’; a ‘red bird’ stands in the centre. The ‘red bird’ weaves in and out of the circle’s windows as it moves round in the opposite direction.

On ‘Take a little friend…’ this The game continues with the new child as the ‘red bird’.

The colour of the bird could match the dominant colour of the child’s clothing.

Here goes the red bird thru the window,

Thru the window, thru the window.

Here goes the red bird thru the window,

Hilum, diddle-um dee.

Take a little friend go, hip-si-dip-sa,

Hip-si-dip-sa, hip-si-dip-sa,

Take a little friend go, hip-si-dip-sa,

Hilum, diddle-um dee.

Ida Red 🔊

A Kentucky folk song and often played as a fiddle tune.

A song you can easily adaptet to include other colours.

Chorus:

Down the road and across the creek,

Can't get a letter but once a week.

Ida Red, Ida Blue,

I got stuck on Ida too.

Ida Red, Ida Green,

Prettiest girl you've ever seen.

Ida Red, Ida Gold,

She is somethin' to behold.

Ida Red, Ida Red,

That girl's sweeter than gingerbread.

Bought me a horse and made me a sled,

Nobody can't ride but Ida Red,

Ida Red, Ida Blue,

I got stuck on Ida too.

If you are wearing red 🔊

Look carefully at and recognise the colours of items of clothing.

Remember to identify and help those that might be colour blind.

Actions should be obvious but younger children might need to be shown a picture of / or a cello and how it is played. Those not wearing white will be unable to resist joining in the last verse!

If you are wearing red, shake your head,

If you are wearing red,

Then please shake your head,

If you are wearing red, shake your head.

…..blue, touch your shoe...

…..black, pat your back...

…..brown, turn around...

…..yellow, play a cello…..

……pink, give me a wink….

……green, bow to the queen….

……white, give me a fright….

Jenny Jenkins O

A classic American child’s folk song and a lovely song to sing when learning colour names.

Find fascinating notes about the traditional significance of certain colours at: http://www.alabamafolklife.org/content/history-behind-songs white for death, green for grief, red for joy, black for mourning, blue for sailors and constancy.

Find info on this as a game at: http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=48821 and http://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/R453.html

Traditionally it is played as a line song with two lines facing each other. The lines take turns to move forward then back singing the first couplet. The other line thinks of a rhyme and moves forward and back with the reply. It also works well as a car game on a long journey – there are an infinite number of colours!

Oh, will you wear red, oh my dear, oh my dear?

Will you wear red Jenny Jenkins?

I won’t wear red, it’s the colour of my head,

I’ll buy me a twirly whirly, sooky looky, Sally Katy,

Double lolly, roll-the-find-me.

Roll, Jenny Jenkins roll.

Oh, will you wear blue...

I won’t wear blue, it’s the colour of my shoe...

Oh, will you wear yellow...

I won’t wear yellow, my fine young fellow...

Oh, will you wear green...

I won’t wear green, I’m ashamed to be seen...

Oh, will you wear orange...

Orange I won’t wear, and it rhymes so there! ...

Oh, what will you wear...

Now what do you care if I just go bare...

More ideas

Pink – I’d rather drink ink

Brown – it’s all around the town

Grey – on such a sunny day

White – for the colour is too bright

Mary wore her red dress O

Encourage each child to name a colour and item of clothing they are wearing. It is also a great way to learn the names of other children in the group.

Mary wore her red dress,

Red dress, red dress,

Mary wore her red dress,

All day long.

Ethan wore his blue jumper,

Blue jumper, blue jumper,

Ethan wore his blue jumper,

All day long.

Daisy wore her purple wellies,

Purple wellies, purple wellies,

Daisy wore her purple wellies,

All day long.

Orange is a carrot O

A song that is easy to adapt to your topic of the day. I have added a last verse to draw the ideas together.

There are lots of lovely ideas for bookmaking to be found online. I love this video of a master bookmaker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHiY0iwPJQE

Orange is a carrot,

Yellow is a pear,

Purple is a plum,

Brown is a bear,

Green is the grass,

Blue is the sky,

Black is a witch’s cat,

And red is cherry pie!

Grey is a rain cloud,

Pink is a rose,

White is a snowman

With a long carrot nose!

Open up your eyes,

Look around with me;

The world is rainbow coloured

For everyone to see!

Over the rainbow bridge we go 🔊

There are rainbows everywhere at present to cheer us up in difficult times.

Music by Dany Rosevear.

Here we go, to and fro,

over the rainbow bridge we go.

Treading softly, treading slow,

over the rainbow bridge we go.

Gathering light from sun and star,

gathering light from heaven afar,

Down to earth all things to greet,

sharing the light with all we meet.

Here we go, to and fro,

over the rainbow bridge we go.

Treading softly, treading slow,

over the rainbow bridge we go.

Rainbow ‘round me 🔊

A wonderful rainbow song to cheer everyone up in our difficult times.

Written by the magnificent Ruth Pelham.

1. Make squares with forefingers and thumbs. Throw out hands. 2. Make a sweeping movement with arm up and over the head each time rainbow is sung.

When I look outside my window,

There’s a world of colour I see.

Fiddle-dee-dee, outside my window

It’s a world of colour for me.CHORUS:

Rainbow, rainbow, rainbow ’round me.

And the sky outside my window,

Is as blue as blue as can be.

Fiddle-dee-dee, the sky outside my window

Is as blue as blue as can be. Chorus

And the sun outside my window,

Is as yellow as yellow can be.

Fiddle-dee-dee, the sun outside my window,

Is as yellow as yellow can be,

And the sky is as blue as blue as can be. Chorus

And the rose outside my window,

Is as red as red as can be.

Fiddle-dee-dee, the rose outside my window

Is as red as red as can be,

And the sun is as yellow as yellow can be,

And the sky is as blue as blue as can be. Chorus

And the grass outside my window,

Is as green as green as can be.

Fiddle-dee-dee, the grass outside my window

Is as green as green as can be,

And the rose is as red as red as can be,

And the sun is as yellow as yellow can be,

And the sky is as blue as blue as can be. Chorus

Roll that brown jug down to town O

A traditional North American song made popular by Mike Seeger.

It is a wonderful song for encouraging creative thinking. The nouns, adjectives, verbs and place names can all be changed. The stranger the better!

Roll that brown jug down to town.

So early in the morning.

Roll that blue ball down to town.

So early in the morning.

Ride that red bike up to school.

So early in the morning.

Walk that black dog home again.

So early in the morning.

Sing a rainbow 🔊

Sing to celebrate those cheerful rainbow windows.

Rainbows symbolize the sun emerging from a rainy backdrop with a message of hope and encouragement to stay positive. If people are isolating you know you can give them a wave if there is a rainbow in their window.

The rainbow pictures started in Italy, with the slogan "andra tutto benne" ("everything will be alright") spreading quickly across the country. It has since been adopted in the United States, Canada, Spain, and now the UK with people looking to inspire with their beautiful coloured pictures.

Written by Arthur Hamilton; find out more at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Can_Sing_a_Rainbow

Red and yellow and pink and green

Orange and purple and blue,

I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow,

Sing a rainbow too.

Listen with your ears, listen with your eyes,

And sing everything you see!

You can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow,

Sing along with me!

So many fishies in the deep blue sea 🔊

Learn to identify colour, count to five (or more) and recognise size.

Add five or more coloured fish of differeing sizes, to a blue felt background.

There are so many fishies in the deep blue sea.

What colour fishy do you see?

SPOKEN: Can you find the blue fish?

Blue, blue, this one's blue.

This little fishy is blue

(Repeat with other colours)

There are so many fishies in the deep blue sea.

Can you count those fishies with me...1,2,3,4,5.

There are so many fishies in the deep blue sea

What colour is the biggest fish you see?

There are so many fishies in the deep blue sea.

What colour is the smallest fish you see?

The rainbow paints the sky 🔊

Do you know the seven colours of the rainbow! This song will help you learn them in the right order and understand simply how a rainbow is made.

Adapted and arranged by Dany Rosevear to be sung as a hand play.

Paint a rainbow in a big sweep. Point to self. Put up one finger for each colour then emphasize seven fingers. Make a sun wiggling fingers and then wiggle fingers downwards. Draw a smile on face and point to a child.

The rainbow paints the sky,

With colours that we know:

Red, orange, yellow, green,

Blue and indigo,

And don’t forget the violet,

For seven colours true.

The sun shines through the falling rain,

To bring a smile for you!

What are you wearing? O

This is a modern song written by music educationist Hap Palmer http://www.happalmer.com/Files/About%20Hap.html .

You can also hear it sung on a CD by Mike Whitla..

This song can also be used for identifying articles of clothing e.g. If you're wearing a shirt, stand up.

Skip in a circle each time the chorus plays and finish sitting down ready to follow the instructions. The children will find all sorts of colours on themselves and may well be joining in for each verse – the more exercise the better!

What are you wearing, what are you wearing,

What are you wearing today, today?

What are you wearing, what are you wearing,

What are you wearing today?

If you are wearing red - stand up,

If you are wearing red - nod your head,

If you are wearing red - turn around,

If you are wearing red - sit right down.

blue – touch your shoe

green- jump like a jumping bean

yellow – play a cello

pink – give a wink

black – pat you back

white – fly like a bird in the night

clothes – touch your nose

Walk along John O

From “American Folk Songs for Children” by Ruth Crawford Seeger. Originally in “The American Play-Party Song” by B. A. Botkin.

One named child walks round the room as the others clap and sing. At the end of the second line that child calls out a colour and those wearing the colour join the line, hold hands and walk round with ‘John’. This continues with new colours called until every child has joined the line.

Come on guys, hush your talking,

All join hands and let’s go walking.

Walk along John with your red clothes follow on.

Come on guys, hush your squawking,

All join hands and let’s go walking.

Walk along John with your blue clothes follow on.

You’re my rainbow, you’re my star 🔊

A colourful song for St. Valentine’s Day. Can also be sung as a lullaby.

Music: ‘Love me tender’.

You're my rainbow, you're my star,

You're my bright red cookie jar,

You're my goldfish, you're my pie;

You're the apple of my eye.

You're my rainbow, you're my star,

You're my bright red cookie jar,

You're my daisy, you're my vine,

You're my own true Valentine!

Valentine! My Valentine!

You're my own true Valentine!

You're my rainbow, you're my star,

You're my bright red cookie jar,

You're my goldfish, you're my pie;

You're the apple of my eye.

You’re the song I love to sing,

I would give you anything.

Anything! Yes, anything!

I would give you anything.

Valentine! My Valentine!

You're my own true Valentine!

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