Seasonal songs

Spring J-O

Lark in the morning

Let’s tidy up!

Lion Dance Song

Little Johnny-jump up

March wind

Mix a pancake

Morning has broken

My Easter bonnet

My Lady Spring

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:

Little Tommy Tadpole

Pussy willow

If you see a daffodil

Last updated: 2/22/2021 11:02 AM

The songs below are part of ‘Away we go’ 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:

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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,

Dewdrops fallin’ from her snow white breast.

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!

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!”

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!

March wind 🔊

This origin of this poem is unkown. 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 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?

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!

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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