Summer
songs T-Z
The
bees in the flowers
The
bees’ party
The
cuckoo is a pretty bird
The
dandelion and the child
The
minibeast parade
The
sun has got his hat on
The
teddy bears’ picnic
The
water fairies
There
I was just a-swimming in the sea
There’s
a tiny caterpillar
There
was a bee-i-ee-i-ee
There
was a little turtle
Tommy
and the apples
We
have planted in our garden
We sail and we sail and we stop!
Winding
the Maypole
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah
Also
see:
Down in the grass, curled up in
a heap
She sailed away on a lovely summer’s day
Last updated: 3/1/2021
11:18 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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for any re-use or distribution, you must make clear to others the
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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.
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The
bees in the flowers 🔊
The garden is buzzing with
activity. 1. Cross fingers and fly. 2.
First two fingers walk. 3. Open and close thumb and forefingers. 4. Walk
forfinger. 5. Roll forefingers round each other. 6. Cross hands at wrist and
flap. 7. Dot back of hand. 8. Wiggle fingers. 9. Smack back of hand. |
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The bees in the flowers go buzz, buzz, buzz, Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, The bees in the flowers go buzz, buzz, buzz, Out in the garden. The ants in the grass go march, march,
march... The crickets in the fields go chirp, chirp,
chirp… The caterpillar on the leaves go munch,
munch, munch… The spiders in the bushes spin their webs… The butterflies in the sky they flit about… The ladybird on the wall has lots of spots… The worms in the ground they wiggle and
squirm… The mosquitos nipping me well they get
smacked…. |
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The
bees’ party 🔊
An American folk song? Insects
galore – all out there on a hot summer’s day wonderful to watch and listen to
but just what you don’t want for a picnic! |
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The bees gave a party and invited all they knew: The wasps and the hornets and a few mosquitoes, too. Yo-ho, and hey, every orchard tree was humming with a Buzz, buzz, buzz on that sunny summer day. The bees said, “Good day, and won’t you make yourself at home?” The band played sweet music, which they made upon a comb A lovely scene was that happy party, gaily singing Buzz, buzz, buzz as they danced upon the green. Miss Wasp asked the bumblebee if he would sing a song. She said they would listen if it wasn’t very long. The bee said, “Oh, very gladly I will sing for you, but Hum-sweet-hum is the only song I know.” The hours passed too quickly and the sun was too soon fled The wasps and the hornets said “good-night” and went to bed But ho! and hey! the mosquitoes never stopped their singing Buzz-buzz-buzz ’til the dawning of the day. |
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The
cuckoo is a pretty bird 🔊
A song from The Baring-Gould and
Cecil Sharp collection ‘English folk songs for schools’ |
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The cuckoo is a pretty bird, she singeth as she flies, She bringeth us good tidings, she telleth us no lies, She sips the sweet flowers to keep her voice so clear, And every time she singeth, “Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo!” The summer draweth near. The cuckoo is a giddy bird, no other is as she, That flits across the meadow, and sings from every tree. A nest she never buildeth, a vagrant she doth roam; Her music it is tearful, “Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo! I nowhere have a home.” The cuckoo is a witty bird, arriving with the spring. When summer suns are waning, she spreadeth wide her wings. She flees approaching winter, she shuns the rain and snow. Like her I would be singing, “Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo!” And off with her I'd go! |
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The
dandelion and the child 🔊
A question and answer rhyme from
‘Little primary pieces for wee folk to speak’ Compiled and arranged by C.S.
Griffin in 1902. One child takes the part of the child the other the
dandelion. Dany Rosevear has set it to music as it also makes a delightful
song. |
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Oh, dandelion as yellow as gold, What do you do all day? I just wait here in the long green grass Till the children come to play. Oh, dandelion as yellow as gold, What do you do all night? I wait and wait till the cool dew falls And my hair grows long and white. And what will you do when your hair grows white And the children come to play? They’ll take me up in their dimpled hands And blow my hair away. |
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The
minibeast parade 🔊
Move like the minibeasts. An echo
song with actions and instrumental accompaniment. From BBC Radio for schools ‘Music
Box’ by Veronica Clark published 1995. All trace of this dear little song seems
to have disappeared from the internet. Tap thighs in time to the ‘poms’ of the chorus. Make up hand / arm
actions for movements of each minibeast and add these to the echo lines. Choose percussion instruments to match each minibeast. |
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Pom, pom, pom, pom, Pom, pom, pom, pom, Pom, pom, pom, pom, POM! Wiggle like a worm, Wiggle like a
worm, Wiggle like a worm, Wiggle like a
worm, Wiggle like a worm, Wiggle like a
worm, In the minibeast parade. In the
minibeast parade. Slide like a slug… Flutter like a moth… Scurry like an ant… Crawl like a beetle… Spin like a spider… |
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The
sun has got his hat on 🔊
A song Noel Gay and Ralph Butler
originally recorded in 1932. |
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The sun has got his hat on, Hip, hip, hip, hooray! The sun has got his hat on And he's coming out today. Now we'll all be happy, Hip-hip-hip-hooray! The sun has got his hat on and he's coming out today. He's been shining all day long, Out in Timbuktu. Now he's coming back To do the same for you So jump into your sunbath, Hip-hip-hip-hooray! The sun has got his hat on and he's coming out today. All the little birds are singing, All the little gnats are stinging, All the little bees in twos and threes Buzzing in the sun all day. The sun has got his hat
on, Hip-hip-hip-hooray!... All the little boys excited, All the little girls delighted; What a lot of fun for everyone Sitting in the sun all day. So jump into your sunbath, Hip-hip-hip-hooray! The sun has got his hat on and he's coming out today. |
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The
teddy bears’ picnic O
Summer is a time for eating out of
doors and taking your teddies on a picnic is an occasion for fun. Words by Jimmy Kennedy 1932, music
by John W. Bratton 1907. Find out more about this song at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teddy_Bears%27_Picnic
and http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=14553
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If you go down to the woods today, You're sure of a big surprise. If you go down to the woods today, You'd better go in disguise; For every bear that ever there was Will gather there for certain, because Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic. Chorus Picnic
time for teddy bears; The little teddy bears are having a lovely time today. Watch them, catch them unawares, And see them picnic on their holiday. See them gaily gad about; They love to play and shout, They never have any cares. At six o'clock their mummies and daddies, Will take them home to bed, Because they're tired little teddy bears. Every teddy bear who's been good Is sure of a treat today. There's lots of marvellous things to eat And wonderful games to play. Beneath the trees where nobody sees, They'll hide and seek as long as they please, ‘Cause that's the way the teddy bears have their picnic. If you go down to the woods today, You'd better not go alone. It's lovely down in the woods today, But safer to stay at home. For every bear that ever there was Will gather there for certain, because Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic. Chorus |
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The
water fairies O
This song was written by Frances B.
Wood and put to a Gaelic tune (Highland fairy lullaby http://www.singinggamesforchildren.com/A%20Cluster%202.2%20Awaywego/18%20Lullabies%20A-Iw.htm ) for the ‘Second sixty songs for little
children’ It can also be found in BBC radio
for schools Time and Tune Summer 1954. |
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As I lay on the golden sands, The golden sands, the golden sands, As I lay on the golden sands, I saw the water fairies O! The fleecy clouds sailed overhead… So snowy white and airy O! I watched the bonny seagulls fly… A-wheeling o’er the water O! The sparkling waves came splashing in… Each ridden by a fairy O! They danced across the shining sands… In fairy rings so lightly O! They sang the sweetest fairy tune… As hushed I lay a-listening O! And singing still they flew away… Like thistle-down a-floating O! |
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There I
was just a-swimming in the sea O
A seaside song. |
d
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There I was just a-swimming in the sea, Singing, do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee. All of the sudden there’s a dolphin next to me, Singing, do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee. She swam fast, (She
swam fast,) She dove deep, (She
dove deep,) She swam fast, dove deep, Hey this dolphin’s pretty neat! Singing, do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee, Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee. There I was just a-swimming in the sea, Singing, do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee. All of the sudden there’s a crab next to me, Singing, do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee. He nipped hard, (He
nipped hard,) He dug deep, (He
dug deep,) He nipped hard, dug deep, Hey this crab is pretty neat! Singing, do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee, Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee. There I was just a-swimming in the sea, Singing, do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee. All of the sudden there’s a whale next to me Singing, do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee. She breached hard, (She breached hard,) She dove deep, (She
dove deep,) She breached hard, she dove deep, Hey this whale is pretty neat! Singing, do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee, Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee. There I was just a-swimming in the sea, Singing, do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee. All of the sudden there’s a shark next to me, Singing, do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee. He swam fast, (He
swam fast,) He dove deep, (He
dove deep,) He swam fast, he dove deep, Hey this shark is pretty neat! Singing, do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee, Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee. There I was just a-swimming in the sea, Singing, do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee. All of the sudden there’s a seahorse next to me, Singing, do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee. He swam left, (He
swam left,) He swam right, (He
swam right,) He swam left, swam right, Hey this seahorse is outta sight! Singing, do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee, Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee. There I was just a-swimming in the sea, Singing, do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee. All of the sudden there’s a mermaid next to me, Singing, do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee. She had a tail, (She
had a tail,) And curly hair, (And
curly hair,) She had a tail, and curly hair, It was hard not to stare, Singing, do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee, Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy dee. X3 |
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Learn about the life cycle of the
butterfly. This song is by Sue Nicolls from the book ‘Bobby Shaftoe clap you
hands’ to the tune of ‘She’ll be coming round the mountain’. 1. Move forefinger like a caterpillar 2. Make hands open and close. 3.
Roll hands round each other, 4. Cross thumbs and make hands flap. 5. Do all
above. |
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There’s a tiny caterpillar on a leaf, wiggle wiggle , There’s a tiny caterpillar on a leaf, wiggle wiggle, There’s a tiny caterpillar, tiny caterpillar, There’s a tiny caterpillar on a leaf, wiggle wiggle. He will eat the leaves around him ‘til he’s full, munch munch, He will eat the leaves around him ‘‘til he’s full, munch munch, He will eat the leaves around, eat the leaves around He will eat the leaves around him ‘til he’s full, munch munch. A cocoon is what he’s spinning for his home, spin spin , A cocoon is what he’s spinning for his home, spin spin, A cocoon is what he’s spinning, cocoon is what he’s
spinning, A cocoon is what he’s spinning for his home, spin spin. Then he’ll be a butterfly and fly away, flap flap Then he’ll be a butterfly and fly away, flap flap Then he’ll be a butterfly, be a butterfly, Then he’ll be a butterfly and fly away, flap flap. So that tiny caterpillar went like this Wiggle
wiggle, munch munch, spin spin, flap flap, So that tiny caterpillar went like this Wiggle
wiggle, munch munch, spin spin, flap flap, So that tiny caterpillar, that tiny caterpillar So that tiny caterpillar went like this Wiggle wiggle,
munch munch, spin spin, flap flap. munch
munch. |
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There
was a bee-i-ee-i-ee 🔊
A campfire song and community
sing-a-long. A good opportunity to learn how not
to get stung; A good opportunity to learn how not to get
stung; pretend to be a flower, the bee will approach, look you over and think ‘That's not a flower!’ and will buzz
off. Being aggressive and waving your
arms around just makes the bee think you want to hurt it. |
There was a bee-i-ee-i-ee,
Sat on a wall-i-all-i-all,
And he could buzz-i-uzz-i-uzz,
And that was all-i-all-i-all.
There came a boy-i-oy-i-oy,
Who had a stick-i-ick-i-ick,
He hit that bee-i-ee-i-ee,
An awful lick-i-ick-i-ick.
So then that bee-i-ee-i-ee,
Began to sting-i-ing-i-ing,
And stung that boy-i-oy-i-oy,
Like anything i-ing-i-ing,
And then that boy-i-oy-i-oy,
Began yell-i-ell-i-ell,
And told that bee-i-e-i-e,
To go to buzz-i-uzz-i-ell.
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This is a cumulative action song
and great fun as the movements get progressively harder to perform. Each time
the song is sung. |
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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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Tommy
and the apples O
Children ‘scrumping’ for apples
used to be a common sight in the countryside in days gone by. This cheerful song was collected in
both Yorkshire and Gloucestershire in the UK but also Quebec in Canada: http://www.vwml.org/roudnumber/8723# It was recorded by Cyril Tawney on his CD ‘Children’s songs from Devon
and Cornwall. The first verse of this song could be used for different movements:
skipping, jumping, hopping etc. Children could use their own names, change
the season or what was seen on the journey. |
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As Tommy went walking one fine summer’s day. Some rosy cheeked apples he saw on his way, Saw on his way, saw on his way, Some rosy cheeked apples he saw on his way. Those apples were ripe and so pleasant to see, They seemed to say, "Tommy, come climb up the tree, "Climb up the tree, climb up the tree." They seemed to say, "Tommy, come climb up the tree." So Tommy climbed up; from the bough he did fall, And down came the apples, poor Tommy and all, Tommy and all, Tommy and all, And down came poor Tommy, the apples and all. His face was all scratched and he felt very sore. He promised he'd never steal apples no more, Apples no more, apples no more, He promised he'd never steal apples no more. |
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There are all sorts of pests ready to
consume our carefully tended garden produce. This is a Czech folk song from Children’s
Songs from Other Lands by C.
K. Offer, W. Paxton & Co Ltd. This version came from BBC radio’s
Music Time Summer 1973. The first verse also appeared in Time and Tune Autumn
1965. |
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We have planted in our
garden beans and peas and pickling cabbage; Came our neighbour's
greedy chickens and scratched them all up. Get you home you greedy
chicks, or we’ll chase you off with sticks! Shoo! Shoo! Shoo! We have planted in our
garden lots of maize and mangel wurzels; From the churchyard
rats of all kinds came and ate them all up. Get you home you
thieving rats, or we’ll buy a dozen cats. Shoo! Shoo! Shoo! |
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A nursery action song for the
summer – best played outside. Place hands on hips with elbows pointing out like sails, then move
with feet apart from side to side. The other actions: jump, twirl, wiggle, hide (peek-a-boo!) should be self
evident! |
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We sail and we sail and we stop! We sail and we sail and we stop! We sail and we sail and we sail and we sail And we sail and we sail and we stop! We jump and we jump and we stop! We jump and we jump and we stop! We jump and we jump and we jump and we jump And we jump and we jump and we stop! We twirl… We wiggle… We hide and we hide and we (peek-a-boo!)... |
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Winding
the Maypole 🔊
One for early Summer. I remember
well my younger sister being crowned as the May Queen at her infant school. |
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Here we gaily sing As we blossom bring, Merry voices ring As we dance along the way; ’Tis a time of joy For each girl and boy, As we wind the Maypole today. In and out we go, Keeping step just so, And all honour show To our chosen one today. On the village green We will crown our queen As we wind the Maypole today. |
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The ultimate ‘feel good’ summer
song. Words and music by Ray Gilbert and Allie Wrubel with lyrics from the
Walt Disney 1946 animated film ‘Song of the South’. Find out more at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah . |
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Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay, My, oh my, what a wonderful day! Plenty of sunshine headin' my way, Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay. Mister Bluebird's on my shoulder. It's the truth, it's actual, Ev'rything is satisfactual. Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay, Wonderful feeling, wonderful day! Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay, My, oh my, what a wonderful day! Plenty of sunshine headin' my way, Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay. |
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