Songs that work magic with little ones

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 18 Aug 00 - 08:35 PM

My 5-year old niece's favourite band is Tool. Dunno what song's her fave...

"Moonshadow" was my favourite when I was her age.

---Lepus Rex

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: Mbo
Date: 18 Aug 00 - 09:09 PM

Geez, Lepus! Tool. Man...that's some pretty hard stuff. Her fav song is probably "Prison Sex".

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 18 Aug 00 - 09:34 PM

God, I hope not, Mbo... Could be worse: She could be a rabid Cannibal Corpse fan.

At least it's not Barney...

---Lepus Rex

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: Mbo
Date: 18 Aug 00 - 09:38 PM

Or Insane Clown Posse!

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: CamiSu
Date: 19 Aug 00 - 01:16 AM

My youngest always insists on "The Cat Came Back". Also almost anything by Jon Gailmor. KT thanks for that extra verse. You know that funny feeling in your nose when tears are close behind? About the only Captain Kangaroo I ever saw was an illustrated version of Puff, that also had another child toddling in when Puff was about to give up!

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: Pixie
Date: 19 Aug 00 - 10:19 AM

After 20 years of working with young children, I can attest to the fact that they like almost anything. In the child care facility I work in, we play everything (I play a lot of celtic/traditional songs, rap, hip hop, hip hop religious (we're non-denominational, cross cultural, etc.) and drumming music is a hit....classical, you name it. However, to rock the babies, I hum or sing "Old Texas" or "One Johnnie Cuckoo" because it is repetitive, which is the key to getting them settled to sleep. The older children love anything that's silly such as:

Bear Hunt
Down by the Bay
Goldilocks
Boy and girl...canoe
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Sleeping Bunnies
Singing in the Rain
Skinamarinkydinkydink
Working on the Railroad
New River Train

and on and on and on......especially if there is participation!

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: gaelicconquest
Date: 05 Aug 01 - 06:35 PM

this brings back memories-Anyone hear of Little Sir Echo?

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: DancingMom
Date: 05 Aug 01 - 09:05 PM

Steeleye's "One Misty Moisty Morning" is from Parcel of Rogues.

I used to play "Here Comes the Sun" by George Harrison/Beatles for one of the children when it was time to get up for school.

They've also enjoyed "Rise and Shine": Rise and shine, and give God the glory, glory (repeat x2), children of the Lord. Then it goes on about God telling Noah to build an arky, arky, there's gonna be a floody, floody, and on and on. It's such a sweet, joyous thing when the kids sing it.

Then, of course, there's "Abiyoyo".

Sharon

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 06 Aug 01 - 12:22 PM

When my brother's kids were small, whenever I'd show up that's insist that I get my banjo out, and I'd sing to them for a couple hours, quitting only when _I_ was worn out; _they_ never had enough.

The two favorites, as I remember, which called for so many repetitions that I got heartily sick of them, were Froggie Went A-Courting and Rye Whiskey.

"Rye Whiskey"? you say? Yeah. My version has some drunken whoops and hollers in it, and they could never get enough of it. Played hell with my voice, so I had to ration the Rye Whiskey.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 06 Aug 01 - 01:03 PM

Oh, and when my youngest son was a baby I had an almost sure-fire way to stop his crying. I'd softly, right into his ear, sing The Next Big River, a cowboy song, especially:

Oh, we're goin' to the party, don't ya wanta come along?
Goin' to the party, don't ya wanta come along?
Goin' to the party, don't ya wanta come along?
We'll dance till the break of day!

He'd almost always shut up, quick. And no other song would do.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 06 Aug 01 - 01:07 PM

In my first message above, I done goofed: They'd insist that I get my guitar out. That was the only instrument I played then; the banjo came only about three years ago. I KNOW you all were just waiting with bated breath to hear that piece of news.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: Don Firth
Date: 06 Aug 01 - 02:31 PM

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Raffi yet. I've never seen him in person, but I have seen him on TV a couple of times. Thoroughly charming, batches of songs, and little kids seem to love him. Records and songbooks available, maybe in your local library. Browse his site. He seems like quite a guy.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: GUEST,Denise:^)
Date: 06 Aug 01 - 11:25 PM

Twelve years teaching kindergarten and three teaching first grade...

Some of my kids' favorites: Morningtown Ride (Malvina Reynolds) ~ Where Have All the Flowers Gone? ~ Blowin' In the Wind ~ Aiken Drum ~ Puff ~ Wait for the Wagon (we read the "Little House" books...) ~ Inch by Inch (Garden Song) ~ Lovely Agnes (Sally Rogers)

We sing a lot in my class!

Denise:^)

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: jaze
Date: 07 Aug 01 - 06:28 AM

"Cobblestone Mountain" by the Ozark Mtn Daredevils. But the one I got my son to sleep with everytime was Mary Hamilton. Worked so well he got to the point of saying NO! Not that one!

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: bobby's girl
Date: 07 Aug 01 - 06:27 PM

No-one's mentioned Roy Bailey's "You need skin", which my kids absolutely loved when he taught it to them years ago, and they still sing it with great relish in their late teenage years - so it must have something going for it!

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: hesperis
Date: 07 Aug 01 - 07:05 PM

Raffi RULEZ!

"Mama's Kitchen got no dress code..."

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: gaelicconquest
Date: 18 Oct 01 - 07:55 PM

Hi there-any more verses to this?

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: Andrew S
Date: 18 Oct 01 - 08:16 PM

If you have never heard of them, there is an awesome duo calles "Trout Fishing in America". The do folk music for both adults and kids. I think they have 4 kids cd's now. They were also featured on a PBS special a few years back which you can buy. These guys are great. They are one of the main reasons I love folk and started to play guitar. Check them out at troutmusic.com

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: GUEST,BOAB
Date: 19 Oct 01 - 02:41 AM

Ally Bally Bee--Morning Town Ride----The Old Woman who swallowed a Fly----What'll we dae wi' the herrin's heid----"---All God's children got a place in the choir"----"I'll Tell me Ma"----Gipsy Rover---Castles in the Air' And a special lullaby "Dream Angus". I used to be pestered by the kids at family parties "Hey Pappy---sing "nyaaa-nyaaa"!! What they were after was the "diddling" part of the "Little Beggarman " vocals with a bodhran accompaniment!Fun and games----

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: GUEST,D McG
Date: 19 Oct 01 - 09:34 AM

Boab - I used to use "Dream Angus" as a lullaby for my children. When I recently reminded the youngest - now 15 - she had a severe outbreak of sentimentality! Herring's head was also a favourite, along with "Bonnie Lass of Fyvie"

For 3-5 year olds, I have found "The Mouse's Song" goes down well, as do most accumulative songs

Away she lep' and away she ran/ Unto the cow and there she come/Cow give me milk, I'll give cat milk/Cat'll give me my old tail again!

(spoken) Indeed I will not said the cow, unless you go to the stack and get me some hay

(sung) Away she lep ...

stack says go to the barn and get me some sticks and so on

ends with:

Away she lep' and away she ran/ Unto the crow and there she come,

Crow give me a feather, I'll give sea a feather

Sea'll give me coals I'll give smith coals

Smith'll give me a lock I'll give barn a lock,

Barn'll give me sticks, I'll give stack sticks,

Stack'll give me hay I'll give cow hay

Cow'll give me milk I'll give cat milk

Cat'll give me my old tail again

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Oct 01 - 09:36 AM

sorry, it should be ... unto the GOOD crow and there she come (etc)

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: Chip2447
Date: 19 Oct 01 - 06:14 PM

My 2 1/2 yr old niece Ciara (Sierra) loves to sing along with her Unca Chip to the Bear necessities (Disney's Jungle book), The chorus to "You are my Sunshine", (we try to stay away from the less than happy verses of that one). And of course, the beer song...
Dough I use to by my beer,
Ray, the guy who pours my beer...Etc ad infinitum ad nauseum.
I think I need to take this girl to a ren fest....

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: Robin2
Date: 19 Oct 01 - 09:10 PM

How about "Rattling Bog"?

We always ask the kids to shout "valley-O", when it comes around. Kids love it, but it does wind them up!

Robin

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: gaelicconquest
Date: 05 Nov 01 - 05:37 PM

Hi there-Does anyone know where I can gat the music to the Mouse's song?-Thanks

Subject: RE: Songs that work magic with little ones
From: GUEST,JackSterling
Date: 05 Nov 01 - 05:56 PM

Mama would you buy me a banana (from Tommy Sands - Down by Bendys Lane - lots of other good ones in there.

My 9yo *loves* Arthur McBride - his favorite party "Our whackin' shileliaghs came over their heads... and paid them right smart in the mornin!"

I did a couple years in church nursery school, and the favorites were things they knew (all the wrong words from Barney) like Twinkle Twinkle, etc.

Lots of great sea shanties - easy for kids because they have simple choruses.

And here's a trailing question...I heard a song on Radio Disney by a group, and they would take the first part of the nursery rhyme and then give it a twist "And threw it out the window, the window, they threw it out the window"...anyone know what group or song that is?

(e.g.) Mary had a little lamb Its fleece was white as snow And everywhere that mary went... She threw it out the window the window She threw it out the window ...etc.

Only heard it once about a year ago - but it was such a catchy tune and easy nursery rhyme twist that I sing it with my son to this day.