Whatever
the weather M-W
Michael
Finnegan
Mr.
Frog
Noah
Oh,
oh, the sunshine
One
misty moisty morning
Paddling
in the puddles
Rain
come wet me
Rain
is falling all around
Rain
poem / Spring rain
The
cold old house
The little
winds they whisper
The
mitten song
The
rainbow fairies
The
water cycle
The
weather witch
Walking
weather
What
the birds say
When
the rain is falling down
Wind,
wind, blowing
Windy
weather
Who
has seen the wind?
Last updated: 3/1/2021
11:32 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:
© 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
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|
A song I learnt at college. The
verses are many and various. |
|
There was an old man named Michael Finnegan, He grew whiskers on his chin-i-gan, The wind came out and blew them in again, Poor old Michael Finnegan. Begin again! There was an old man named Michael Finnegan, He went fishing with a pin-a-gan, Caught a fish and dropped it in again, Poor old Michael Finnegan. Begin again! There was an old man named Michael Finnegan, He fell down and broke his shin-i-gan, Folks said ‘Mike, you’ll never swim again’, Poor old Michael Finnegan. Begin again! There was an old man named Michael Finnegan, He grew fat and then grew thin again, Then he died, and had to begin again, Poor old Michael Finnegan. Begin again! |
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Poor old frog –it can be so very
wet if you venture away from the pond. Get jumping – in and out of the
pond. |
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Jump, jump jumpetty jump, Jump, jump jumpetty jump. Mr. Frog jumped out of the pond one day, And found himself in the rain. “Oh dear, I’ll get wet And might catch a cold, A-a-a-tchooooo! So he jumped in the pond once again! |
|
My favourite interpretation of the
Noah story. This is one I learnt from the BBCs Music Box programme. It was
written by Veronica Clark. Mime movement of the water and the
animals. Enjoy making the animal noises. |
|
Well the rain came down and the waters rose, It swished and it swirled round the animals’
toes. Noah said as he opened the doors, ‘Stand in pairs and wipe your paws.’ First came the
ducks, Quack, quack! Followed by the
cats, Miaow, miaow! Then came the
owls, Twit-twoo! Followed by the
rats, Eek, eek! Then came the
sheep Baa, baa! Followed by the
dogs Woof, woof! Then came the
snakes Hiss, hiss! Followed by the
frogs Ribbet, ribbet! Then came the
pigs Oink, oink! Followed by the
larks Chirrup, chirrup! Then came the
ants… Silence Followed by the
sharks Swish, swish! Then came the
tigers Growl, growl! Cow and bull Moo,
moo! ‘STOP!’ said
Noah, Clap, clap, clap! ‘The ark is
full.’ Hip hip hooray! Well the rain came down and the waters rose, It swished and it swirled round the animals’
toes. Noah said as he closed the doors, I’m glad they came in twos and
not in fours! |
|
One misty moisty morning O
A song for
Autumn or Spring mornings. The verse is
the first of fifteen stanzas of the ‘Wiltshire wedding’ a broadside balled
printed about 1680s. There are many tunes to be found. I would have liked to
have sung the one from BBCs Time and Tune, Spring 1961 and originally from 60
songs for little children; but this tune, adapted from the 70s Steeleye Span
version, sat too firmly in my head! |
|
One misty, moisty, morning, When cloudy was the weather, T’was there I met an old man Clothed all in leather; Clothed all in leather, With a cap beneath his chin. With a how d’you do, and how d’you do, And how d’you do again? One misty, moisty, morning, When cloudy was the weather, T’was there I met an old man Clothed all in leather; He began to compliment, And I began to grin, With a how d’you do, and how d’you do, And how d’you do again? |
|
Oh,
oh, the sunshine O
A song from Texas from ‘American
songs for children’ 1948 by Ruth Crawford Seeger. This song covers clothing weather
and colour topics! |
|
Oh, oh, the sunshine, Oh, oh, the sunshine, Oh, oh, the sunshine, Sally's got a red dress, buttoned behind, Sally's got a red dress, buttoned behind. Oh, oh, you can’t shine, Oh, oh, you can’t shine, Oh, oh, you can’t shine, Ethan has green wellies on, ready for rain, Ethan has green wellies on, ready for rain. Nancy has blue jeans, buttoned in front… Isaac has black shoes with Velcro on top… |
|
Paddling in the puddles 🔊
Make the most
of the wet weather with this lively action game outside. Also learn simple
prepositions. This could also be played indoors with hoops or skipping ropes. Words and
music by Dany Rosevear. The actions are self explanatory! |
|
Paddling in the puddles, Paddling in the puddles Paddling in the the
puddles When the rain comes down. Jumping over puddles… Running round the puddles… Splashing through the
puddles… Hop in and out the
puddles… Time to go inside, Time to go inside, Goodbye to the puddles, It is time to go inside! |
|
Rain come wet me O
Another song from Texas from ‘American songs for children’ 1948 by
Ruth Crawford Seeger. This one I have changed slightly to make more of the
weather theme. |
|
Rain come wet me, Sun come dry me. Keep away, thunderstorms, Don’t come a-nigh me. Rain come wet me, Sun come dry me. Fly my way, snowy days, Down, down, right by me. |
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Rain is falling all around 🔊
Words and
music: Moiselle Renstrom, 1889–1956 from ‘Merrily we sing’ published in 1948.
Sing the
verses that work best with your seasonal topic. This would
also work well as a hand play; wiggle fingers downwards, make a roof shape
and make rain fall on the specified body parts. |
|
Rain is falling all
around, On the housetops on the
ground, Rain is falling on my
nose, On my head and hands and
toes. Sun is shining all around, On the housetops on the
ground, Sun is shining on my nose, On my head and hands and
toes. Wind is blowing all
around, On the housetops on the
ground, Wind is blowing on my
nose, On my head and hands and
toes. Leaves are falling all
around, On the housetops on the
ground, Leaves are falling on my
nose, On my head and hands and
toes. Snow is falling all
around, On the housetops on the
ground, Snow is falling on my
nose, On my head and hands and
toes. |
|
Rain poem / Spring rain 🔊
A delightful
wet weather poem by Elizabeth Coatsworth, 1893-1986. Music by Dany Rosevear.
Learn about similes. |
|
The rain was like a little
mouse, Quiet, small, and gray, It pattered all around the
house And then it went away. It did not come, I
understand, Indoors at all, until, It found an open window,
then Left tracks across the
sill. |
|
The cold old house O
This anonymous
rhyme came from BBC Radio’s wonderful Poetry Corner, Spring 1973; Tune by
Dany Rosevear. |
|
I know a house, and a cold
old house, A cold old house by the
sea. If I were a mouse in that
cold old house, What a cold, cold mouse
I’d be! |
|
The little winds they whisper 🔊
Every one loves
a secret – just ask the flowers and the grass. Music by Dany
Rosevear. 1.& 2. Show small with finger and thumb, put finger to lips Move
forefinger. 3. & 4. Put hand to side of mouth, Make flower round face,
wiggle fingers for grass. 5. & 6. Make big up and down movements with
hand. 7. & 8. Hand to mouth, throw hand up and shout! |
|
The little winds they
whisper, They whisper as they pass; They tell their tiny
secrets To the flowers and the
grass. The big winds go
a-buffeting And a-blustering about, The little winds whisper, The big winds SHOUT! |
|
The
mitten song O
This rhyme for winter was written
by Marie Allen Howarth circa 1957 and published in a ‘Pocketful of poems’. 1. Both thumbs up 2. Fingers together as in mittens with thumbs up
3.Wave mittens back and forth 4. Hold arms and shiver 5. Shrug shoulders 6.
Stroke hands 7. Show proudly 8. Continue as before |
|
“Thumbs in the thumb place, Both thumbs up Fingers all together!” Fingers together as in
mittens with thumbs up This is the song, We sing in mitten weather. Wave mittens back and
forth When it's cold, hold arms and
shiver It doesn't matter whether, shrug
shoulders Mittens are wool, stroke hands Or made of finest leather. show
proudly This is the song, We sing in mitten weather: “Thumbs in the thumb place, Fingers all together!” |
|
Winter is a on its way and the cold
winds begin to blow. |
|
The north wind doth blow, And we shall have snow, And what will the robin do then, poor thing? He’ll sit in the barn and keep himself warm, And hide his head under his wing, poor thing! The north wind doth blow, And we shall have snow, And what will the dormouse do then, poor thing? Rolled up like a ball, In a nest snug and small, He’ll sleep till warm weather comes in, poor thing! The north wind doth blow, And we shall have snow, And what will the children do then, poor things? When lessons are done, They must skip, jump and run, Until they have made themselves warm, poor things! |
|
The rainbow fairies 🔊
Based on the
poem The Rainbow Fairies by L M Hadley. Music by Dany Rosevear. |
|
Two little clouds, one
summer's day, Went flying through the
sky; They went so fast they
bumped their heads, And both began to cry. Old Father Sun looked out
and said: "Oh, never mind, my
dears, I'll send my little fairy
folk To dry your falling
tears." One fairy came in violet, And one wore indigo; In blue, green, yellow,
orange and red, They made a pretty row. They wiped the cloud-tears
all away, And then from out the sky, Upon a line of sunbeams
made, They hung their gowns to
dry. |
|
The water cycle 🔊
Words and
music by Dany Rosevear. An action song
for the very young (leave the second verse for the older ones). Playing and
singing will help the children understand how rain is formed and changes. 1. Fingers move downwards, all around, on head and the ground. 2.
Place seed on palm of hand, open and close forefingers for beak. Cup hands to
catch water. 3. Fingers run forward, hands move like river and then more
vigorously like little waves. 4. Rub upper arms, make sun shape. Fingers
wiggle and rise. 5. Rise higher, form clouds above head. 6. Reach hands up,
make mountain. Look upwards. 7. As before. |
|
It’s raining, raining, raining, It’s falling all around, It’s raining on my head, And it’s raining on the ground. Seedlings, saplings, little birds, Each living thing nearby, Will catch the cool, clean water Falling freely from the sky. Running, running, running, It runs off merrily, Down the streams and rivers, Then rushing out to sea. Warming, warming, warming. The sun shines on the sea, Evaporates the water, To rise up silently. Rising, rising, rising, Up, up in the air, Those tiny drops of water, Form the clouds we see up there. Floating, floating, floating, Way over mountains high, Over towns and cities, The clouds go passing by! It’s raining, raining, raining, It’s falling all around, It’s raining on my head, And it’s raining on the ground. |
|
A song for sailors. I found this song in BBC Radio for
schools Time and Tune: Spring term 1966. Cannot find out much more about it
though it can supposedly be sung as a round. |
|
‘Blow wind, blow wind!’ cried three men together; ‘Nay, nay, nay wind,’ sang the Witch of Weather. In their cobble sat those sailors three-o; Till the wind blows, they’ll not go to sea-oh. |
|
Walking weather 🔊
Put one leg in
front of the other whatever the weather. Move in
different ways. A rhyme from 'Materials for Nursery School Teachers' Michigan
Council of Cooperative Nurseries. Music by Dany Rosevear. |
|
When it rains, I walk
along, I splash through puddles
and whistle a song. When the snow falls on the
ground, I like the way my snow
boots sound. On summer days in the
noonday heat, I walk along with lazy
feet. On windy days I think it's
fun To take a deep breath and
run, run, run, run, run, run, run, Run, run, run, run, run,
run, run. |
|
What the birds say O
Another song from
‘Infant Joy’; a popular collection of songs when I first began teaching in
the 1960s. There are no acknowledgements in the book to recognise the
provenance of this song and at present (2015) it is nowhere to be found on
the internet, hence the need to get it out there! Do let me know
if you have more information. |
|
The ducks swim around when
it’s raining all the day. They swim and they swim
but all that they say Is, “Quack, quack, quack, quack,
oh, isn’t it fun, Quack, quack, quack,
quack, rain is better than sun. The blackbird he sits on
the top of the tree, He says all you people
just listen to me: “Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!
Tweet! This is a fine song: Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!
Tweet! Not a moment too long.” The cuckoo is heard when
the year is at Spring, But only two notes is he
able to sing, “Cuckoo! Cuckoo! I’m here
till July, Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Then away
I fly.” The cock in the farmyard
cries, “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” I wish you good morning,
good morning to you, Doodle-doo, doodle-doo,
I’ll wake you at dawn Doodle-doo, doodle-doo,
I’m the head of the farm. |
|
When the rain is falling down 🔊
Get out and
about whatever the weather. A song from
ABC’s Playschool. Last two verses written by Dany Rosevear. |
|
When the rain is falling
down, Falling down, falling
down, Up will go my big
umbrella, When the rain is falling
down. When the snow comes
floating down, Floating down, floating
down, Up will go a big fat
snowman, When the snow comes
floating down. When the sun comes out to
play, Out to play, out to play, Coats and scarves and
gloves go flying, When the sun comes out to
play. |
|
|
Windy weather O
The outside
play area this would be a great place to play this game if the leaves have
fallen. Verse 1: Swirl up and down individually in and out of
each other. Verse 2: Find a partner, hold hands facing and bob up and down.
Verse 3: Come together in a ring and move to the centre with hands raised. |
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Windy weather, windy
weather, When the wind blows, The leaves swirl round
together. Windy weather, windy
weather, When the wind blows, The boats all bob
together. Windy weather, windy
weather, When the wind blows, We’ll all come together. |
|
A poem by Christina Rossetti. Move fingers like the leaves moving
on the trees. |
|
Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I nor you; But when the leaves hang trembling, The wind is passing through, The wind is passing through. Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I; But when the trees bow down their heads, The wind is passing by, The wind is passing by. |
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