Seasonal
songs
Spring J-O
Lark
in the morning
Let’s
tidy up!
Lion
Dance Song
Little
chickens on the ground
Little
Johnny-jump up
March
sings
March
wind
Mix a
little sunshine
Mix a
pancake
Morning
has broken
My
Easter bonnet
My
Lady Spring
My
garden
Off
to the wild woods
Once
I was a seed
One
cold and frosty morning
One
little daffodil
One
little pancake
Our
garden
Also find poems and songs at:
Last updated: 3/7/2022
10:23 AM
The songs below are part of ‘Away we
go’ compiled, adapted and
illustrated by Dany Rosevear
Return to the ‘Singing games for children’ home page
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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you may not use this work for commercial purposes
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any of these can be waived if you get permission from the copyright
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Your
fair use and other rights are no way affected by the above.
Lark in the morning 🔊 From ‘Ozark
folk songs Volume III’. Can’t find this dear little song anywhere else. A Mrs Rose
Wilder Lane noted in 1930 that this song was used at play parties in her
neighbourhood; there is sadly however no account of how the game was played. |
Lark in
the morning sailing from her nest, Lark in
the morning sailing from her nest, Lark in
the morning sailing from her nest, Dewdrops fallin’ from her snow
white breast. The higher she flies the sweeter
she’ll sing, The higher she flies the sweeter
she’ll sing, The higher she flies the sweeter
she’ll sing, And we’ll all turn back to the
green fields again. |
Let’s tidy up! 🔊 Ready for a
Spring clean. Singing while
we tidy helps us work more efficiently and cheerfully. Music by Dany
Rosevear. |
Let's
tidy up, let's tidy up, Let's
put all our work away, Let's
tidy up, so tomorrow We'll be
ready for work and play. We’ll
put all our things away, Everything
in it's place. We’ll
put all our work away, Yes,
snippetty snap, like that! Yes,
snippetty snap, like that! |
Lion Dance Song 🔊 A cheerful
song for Chinese New Year. Make a large Lion out of cardboard boxes and sheet
for children to dance under – it is so much fun! Alternatively dance in lines
of five or six following a leader. Jump up and down for the firecrackers.
Clap to the music. |
See the
lion dance and prance, Dance
and prance, dance and prance. See the
lion dance and prance, On
Chinese New Year’s Day. Hear the
firecrackers pop, Pop,
pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. Hear the
firecrackers pop, On
Chinese New Year’s Day. See the
children laugh and clap, Laugh
and clap, laugh and clap, See the
children laugh and clap, On
Chinese New Year’s Day! |
Little chickens on the ground 🔊 A Spring and
number hand play. Words adapted
and set to music by Dany Rosevear. Ball hands with thumb and finger out for beaks. Tap ‘beaks’ on table.
Flap elbows. Place hands downwards against chest with fingers curled in. Sit
one hand on the ‘nest’ of the other. Throw out hands. Count fingers on each
hand. |
Little
chickens on the ground, Pecking
at the corn they found; While
Mother Hen tucks up her legs And
gently sits upon her eggs. How
many eggs does Mother hide? One,
two, three, four, five! One,
two, three, four, five! |
Wise Johnny / Little
Johnny-jump-up 🔊 This is a
common name for a violet, heartsease or pansy. Find out more here: https://www.mamalisa.com/blog/are-you-familiar-with-little-johnny-jump-up/
Words by Edwina
Fallis, music by Arthur C. Edwards from ‘Music in our town’ Book 2 published
1956 by Silver Burdett Company. |
Little
Johnny-jump-up, Said,“It
must be Spring, I
just saw a lady-bug And
heard a robin sing!” |
March
sings 🔊 March, a month of seasonal change;
the herald of Spring and the summer to come. Words and music by Dany Rosevear. 1. Put up both hands with
fingers spread, put fingers to lips. Undulate hands across the front of the
body. . Undulate hands away from the body. Open fingers from fists upwards.
2. Put hand to ear. Rub upper arms. Put hand to side of mouth. Make fingers
dance’ |
Hear the bare trees whisper, Hear the wild winds blow, Hear the white water’s race and run, Where beds of snowdrops grow. Hear crisp March come whistling in, To sing out winter’s chill, To sing in sweet Springtime’s song And the dancing daffodils. |
March
wind 🔊 This origin of this poem is
unknown. Tune by Dany Rosevear; I have also tweaked the words to make it less
gender specific. |
March wind is a jolly fellow; It likes to joke and play. It turns umbrellas inside out And blows our hats away. It calls the pussy willows And whispers in each ear, "Wake up you lazy little seeds, Don't you know that spring is here?" |
Mix a
little sunshine 🔊 The ingredients are tiny and small
in number but the outcome is a wonder. Words by unknown. Music by Dany
Rosevear. Crouch down.Form the sun
high up. Wiggle fingers downwards. Pretend to drop mixture. Jump up and form
petals round face. |
Mix a little sunshine With an April shower. Drop it in a garden bed And up pops a flower! |
Mix a
pancake O A poem by Christina Rossetti
(1830-94) for Shrove Tuesday. |
Mix a pancake, Stir a pancake, Pop it in the pan. Fry the pancake, Toss the pancake… Catch it if you can! |
Morning
has broken 🔊 This poem titled ‘A morning song
(For the first day of Spring)’ is by Eleanor Farjeon who wrote it when she
was asked to make a poem to fit the traditional Scottish Gaelic tune
‘Bunessan’, the words were inspired by the village of Alfriston in East Sussex
and can be found in her collection ‘The children’s bells’ published in 1957. |
Morning has broken Like the first morning, Blackbird has spoken Like the first bird. Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning! Praise for them springing Fresh from the world. Sweet the rain's new fall, Sunlit from heaven, Like the first dewfall On the first grass. Praise for the sweetness Of the wet garden, Sprung in completeness Where those feet pass. Mine is the sunlight, Mine is the morning, Born of the one light Eden saw play. Praise with elation, Praise every morning, Spring's recreation Of the new day! Morning has broken Like the first morning, Blackbird has spoken Like the first bird. Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning! Praise for them springing Fresh from the world! |
My Easter bonnet 🔊 There is
nothing lovelier than a genuine smile! A song for the Easter parade. From the
classic classroom song book for young children ‘Singing fun’ published in
1962. Written by Helen Wasmandorff and Lucille F. Wood. Arranged by
Dany Rosevear. |
I think
I'll wear for Easter A bonnet
made of lace. But most
of all I think I'll wear A smile
upon my face. A smile
upon your face? A smile
upon your face? I think
I'll like that better Than
your bonnet made of lace. |
My Lady Spring 🔊 A poem from
‘The book of 1,000 poems’. Music by Dany Rosevear. |
My Lady
Spring is dressed in green, She wears
a primrose crown, And
little baby buds and twigs Come
clinging to her gown; The sun
shines if she laughs at all, But if
she weeps the raindrops fall. My Lady
Spring. My Lady Spring! |
My garden 🔊 A Spring hand
play. Something to look forward to in the Summer as there is nothing lovelier
than a well tended garden! Music by Dany
Rosevear. Verse 1. Pretend to dig. 2. Make a big circle with arms. Flutter fingers
downwards. 3. Let closed fist open slowly. Push fingers upward. 4. Hold up ten
fingers to show flowers. |
This is
the way I plant my garden, Digging,
digging in the ground. The sun shines
warm and bright above it, Gently
the rain comes falling down. This is
the way the small seeds open, Slowly
the shoots begin to grow. These
are my pretty garden flowers, Standing,
standing all in a row. |
Off to the wild woods 🔊 It’s Spring
and the farm animals are determined to make the most of it. Words and
music by Dany Rosevear. |
Gone, gone,
gone, the grey goose is gone, Where can
the grey goose be? She’s
waddling along and is singing this song, With
goslings one, two, three. Dance and
sing … Goose has
gone off to the wild woods, With
goslings one, two and three. Gone, gone,
gone, the old pig is gone, Where can
the old pig be? She rolls
in a puddle, a mucky mud muddle, With
piglets one, two, three. Dance and
sing … Pig has
gone off for a mud bath, With
piglets one, two and three. Gone, gone,
gone, the red hen is gone, Where can
the red hen be? She’s off
where it’s warm to peck at the corn With little
chicks one, two, three. Dance and
sing … Hen has
gone off to the farmyard, With little
chicks, one, two and three. Gone, gone,
gone, the brown cow is gone, Where can
the brown cow be? It frolics
in the grass making everyone laugh, With little
calves one, two, three. Dance and
sing … Cow has
gone off to the green, green grass, With little
calves, one, two and three. Gone, gone,
gone, the farmer is gone, Where can
the farmer be? Chasing the
goose and the rest on the loose, With
children one, two and three. Dance and
sing … Chasing the
goose and the rest on the loose With
children one, two and three. |
Once I was a seed 🔊 It’s Spring,
time to wake up, grow and reach for the light. A life cycle song. A dear little
movement song by written by Nancy Hershatter, J123Sing@aol.com Encourage your
children to consider what plant their seed might grow into. Accompany this
song with rain sticks and / or other percussion for effect. 1. Children curl up on floor. like sleeping seeds. 2. Stretch arms and
make a circle for the sun, fingers make the rain fall. 3. Then children
slowly stand up, sprouting leaves and reach for sky. 4. Slowly move down to
the ground and sleep. |
Once I was seed, Sleeping in the ground, Then the sun came out, And then the rain came down, My leaves sprouted out Reaching for the sky, I grew and grew and grew, Now I’m ten feet high! And a little seed falls… Down, down, down, down, down to the ground. Shhhh!
It’s sleeping. |
One cold and frosty morning 🔊 A traditional
American song from Alabama collected by Mary McDaniel Parker. This is a
Spring version of ‘Jesse was a gentleman’ or ‘Old Jesse’. |
One cold
and frosty morning, Just as the
sun did rise, A possum
roared, the raccoon howled, ‘Cause he
began to freeze. He drew
himself up in a knot, With his
knees up to his chin, And
everything had to clear the track When he
stretched out again. The Spring
has come, you lazy bones, Don’t go to
sleep again. The Spring
has come, you lazy bones, Don’t go to
sleep again. |
One little daffodil 🔊 A daffodil
fingerplay and number rhyme. Music arranged
by Dany Rosevear. Indicate numbers with fingers and make arm and hand
grow into a new daffodil. Use any other hand play oppotunities. |
One little
daffodil slowly grew and grew, Out popped
another, then there were two. Two little
daffodils smiling at a bee, Out popped
another, then there were three. Three
little daffodils growing by the door, Out popped
another, then there were four. Four little
daffodils, so glad to be alive, Out popped
another, then there were five. Five little
daffodils wearing golden crowns, Dancing in
the breeze in their lovely, green gowns. |
One little pancake 🔊 Written by Ann
Burnett to traditional music. From BBC Radio’s Northern Ireland learning
programme ‘Hurley burley’. |
One little pancake dropped in a pan, Shape it into a little man, Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle till it’s done, Turn it over and that makes one. Another little pancake dropped in a pan, Shape it into a little man, Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, it’s for you, Turn it over and that makes two. Another little pancake dropped in a pan, Shape it into a little man, Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, it’s for me, Turn it over and that makes three. Another little pancake dropped in a pan, Shape it into a little man, Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, lots make more, Turn it over and that makes four. Another little pancake dropped in a pan, Shape it into a little man, Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, it looks alive, Turn it over and that makes five. Five little pancakes, what a treat! Covered in jam and ready to eat. Gobble, gobble, munch, munch, yummy, yum, yum, Five little pancakes in my tum. |
Our garden 🔊 A flower life
cycle and hand play or movement song for Spring. Adapted from a
traditional English song which I have not yet found! My source is ‘The Music
Box Songbook’ where it was published by Barry Gibson in 1987. I have changed
it slightly once again. 1. Plant seeds in the hand. Mime digging and pulling up weeds. Make
finger rise from the fist of other hand. 2. Hands palm down move outwards.
Slowly open fists together and smell. 3. Move hands downwards. Make hand
first float down like snow and then wiggle fingers down for rain. Make flowers grow upwards and open. |
We sowed
our garden full of seeds, We dug the
soil, we pulled the weeds, And when
the seeds began to sprout, The tiny
leaves came peeping out. And then
those leaves began to spread, They
covered up our flower beds, The flowers
they opened, then they bloomed, Our garden
filled with sweet perfume. And then the
flowers fell to the ground The snow it
fell without a sound, Soon came
the frost and then the rain Hooray!
Then the flowers came back again. |
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