Tag Archives: kids songs

Here’s How To Stream The “I HAVE A DREAM” Kids Song For MLK Day

3 panel MLK Image

Start the new year off with some music that will inspire your whole family to remember and honor the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Here are the direct links to add the “I Have A Dream” song to any of your favorite playlists plus a list of MLK Day freebies for you.

Haven’t heard the song yet? You can click on the Youtube video below!

Listening Links

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/7GYI8toFRxTZmRl2dgIuoD

Apple Music: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-have-a-dream/49532398

Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/artist/daria-childrens/i-have-a-dream/i-have-a-dream/TRfl2t9kqjJf4dZ

Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/en/album/7609092

MLK Day Freebies

“MLK Rainbow” Coloring Page for Younger Children
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/MLK-Rainbow-Coloring-Page-for-Younger-Children-475121

MLK “Rainbow And Popular Quotes” Coloring Page for Older Children
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/MLK-Rainbow-And-Popular-Quotes-Coloring-Page-for-Older-Children-475123

MLK Day Mini-Poster – “Everyone Can Be Great Because Everyone Can Serve”
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/MLK-Day-Mini-Poster-Everyone-Can-Be-Great-Because-Everyone-Can-Serve-1616862

MLK Day Song – “I Have A Dream” Free Lyric Sheet  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/MLK-Day-Song-I-Have-A-Dream-Free-Lyric-Sheet-2292068

Follow daria on TeachersPayTeachers here for more like these at: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Sellers-Im-Following/Add/World-Music-With-Daria

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What Are You Singing For Groundhog’s Day?

Daria_GroundhogCover_Web

I just love groundhog’s day!  Maybe it’s because groundhogs are so cute and cuddley. Or I was born somewhat near the permanent residence of Punxatawney Phil, official groundhog predictor of Spring. Or because groundhogs  have adorable nicknames such as whistle pigs and woodchucks.

So, for so many reasons I couldn’t just crawl back into my hole for 6 more weeks of winter and I jumped at the chance to write and record a silly Groundhog’s Day song.

groundhog pop-up hereThe simple song is based around the tongue-twister “How much wood could a woodchuck chuck… if a woodchuck could chuck wood?” I also wondered how much ground a groundhog could grind and how much sap a sapsucker could suck. And, yes, even though the lyrics are in song form, the tongue twisters still are a challenge to sing or say.

You can find the song lyric freebie below, plus a link to a sweet Springtime activity that includes pop-up puppets. It’s a fun way of having your own groundhog’s day anytime and anywhere.

And the best thing? You can laugh yourself silly while you predict an early Spring!

Links and Resources

Groundhog’s Day Song – Free Lyric Sheet – https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Groundhogs-Day-Song-Lyric-Sheet-2357681

Groundhog’s Day Song From Itunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-groundhog-song-how-much/id385842751

Groundhog’s Day MYO Pop-Up Puppet Activity from TPT – https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Groundhogs-Day-Song-and-Pop-Up-Groundhog-Puppet-Activity-484374

little groundhogs

Grandparents Day Music Give-Away!

grandmother toya at the senior centerThis year National Grandparents Day is September 10th.  If you were wondering, in the USA it’s always celebrated the second Sunday in September.

And around the world, there are similar annual holidays and celebrations to honor grandparents   But; honestly, any time of year is a great time to appreciate the role of that special someone or group of grands in your child’s life.

One easy and fun way to bring generations together and make lasting memories is through sharing music, especially the simple or special songs that meant a lot to grandma or granddad. In our family, our Greek Xiaxia shared a version of patty-cake in Greek that the kids remember and sing to this day. Their other grandmother loved to tell them about the silly songs she sang at school like Grandchildrens Delight Cover“Three Little Fishies” and “Jadda, Jadda Jing Jing Jing!”. Because these songs mean so much to old and young alike, I created a CD of songs that were hand-picked by my fans and audiences in response to the question: “What songs would you most like your grandkids to hear”.

The result (and it’s a give-away below) was a CD called Grandchildren’s Delight and it includes songs like You Are My Sunshine, Grand Old Flag, This Little Light of Mine, Oh Susannah, Playmate and so many more. So please, enter to win below but also remember how music can bring old and young together.

I bet there’s a special song you recall from your childhood or memory that’s just waiting to be sung to your little one!

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Favorite Songs from Your Family Or Childhood

Yes, I am still asking folks about favorite songs from their childhood or their parent’s era. Either from the USA or anywhere around the world! Do you have a special song from jump rope, summer camp or a holiday you loved?   If so, let me know. I’d love to share it with my readers and my audiences.

Sing A Song For Earth Day – Free Music And Resources

whole world handsMany years ago I was lucky to write a song that has now become an anthem for Earth Day in over a dozen countries around the globe. A very simple song, it’s a musical parody of the beautiful African-American spiritual: He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands.  Borrowing that melody; as is often done in folk music, we changed the lyrics to reflect what children can do to show love and respect for the Earth in their daily lives.

Original ideas for the song came from school children during a workshop about Earth Day and I compiled them in a 23 verse song since there were lots of great suggestions.  Later, I edited the choices down to a smaller number so the song would a bit shorter and easier to remember. I’m really proud to think about how singing this song reminds kids of all ages that the small changes they make in their choices in life can make a big difference – on Earth Day and everyday.

Write Your Own Earth Day Song

Since the song has such a simple format, we’ve created an activity where you can write your own Earth Day song. Sing the same simple chorus, but add your suggestions to the verses.  And there’s free sheet music, too, just check the resource links below.

Spanish Translation

A lovely, easy-to-sing Spanish version was written by Cecilia Fencer, head and heart of Spanglish.house.com. Click on that link below to find the words to the Earth Day song in Spanish.

Video

Here’s the official video for “We’ve Got The Whole World In Our Hands”.   If you want to check it out on Vimeo, you can find it here: https://vimeo.com/18765345

We’ve Got The Whole World In Our Hands

Links and Resources

Listen Free on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6r6nx4qzUtWCZeXhejdxtP
Apple Music: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/daria-sings-for-earth-day-ep/428500463
Lyric Sheet Freebie From TPT: – We’ve Got The Whole World In Our Hands: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Earth-Day-Song-Lyric-Sheet-2451013
Tenemos Todo El Mundo En Nuestras Manos – An Earth Day Song In Spanish
http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/classroom-music/sing-an-earth-day-song-in-spanish/

Make An Earth Day Nature Walk Rattle: http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/early-learning-with-music/make-an-earth-day-nature-walk-rattle/

Earth Day CD and CD Plus 10 Recycled Activities: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/EARTH-DAY-CD-PLUS-E-BOOK-OF-10-RECYCLED-MUSICAL-ACTIVITIES-658096

Official Earth Day Site: http://www.earthday.org

Win The “Kids Around The World” Mama Lisa Songbook!

mama-lisa-songbookHave you read out enthusiastic review of our new favorite kid’s international songbook?

Well, we’re excited to say that – thanks to Mama Lisa’s World -  we are giving away 2 digital copies of this amazing encyclopedia of 100 songs from diverse world cultures.  That’s 352 awesome pages of songs, song descriptions, translations, sheet music and even details of how certain songs are used as games and activities.

Of course, we’d love for you to read the whole review here: http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/family-fun-2/a-trip-around-the-world-in-song/  but feel free to jump to the give-away and enter to win below.

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A Trip Around The World In Song!

mama-lisa-book-coverThis is my new favorite international kids song songbook!

To be honest, I’ve been a huge fan of the website – Mama Lisa’s World – for years, so I was thrilled to be able to review this new compilation songbook. It has 100 songs from global cultures – including indigenous cultures – along with descriptions, sheet music, translations and notes on where to find MIDI and recorded version for listening. This book simply could not be more complete – or more fun!

Many of the songs that Lisa has selected are not just great songs, they are also games and offer wonderful ways to combine music, language and movement. Because translations come with each song, you can also easily start learning  simple words and phrases in other languages as well.

Where does this songbook go? It opens in Africa with welcome songs, circle dances and call-and-response tunes. Next, the songbook goes to Asia, with songs of friendship, love and play. After that, you can find favorites from Australia and the islands of Oceania. In the songs selected from Europe, you’ll meet familiar characters like the Sandman and Little Red Riding Hood. Of course, there are mama-lisa-book-pagealso songs from North America, including an Iroquois lullaby as well as English and French Canadian songs. The book closes with songs from Central and South America, including music with roots in Hispanic, Afro-Hispanic and Indigenous cultures.

What more do you need to know? This is definitely a must-have songbook for anyone who loves children’s songs and world music! You can buy both digital copies or a full size physical copy at the links below.

Links And Resources

Digital Copy From Gumroad (352 Pages/5.64 MG/3.99) https://gumroad.com/l/GvQVT#

Kid Songs Around The World: A Mama Lisa Book (Physical Copy) From Amazon http://a.co/3mx1z0o

Sing a Song about Different Families

over-in-the-meadow-counting-image

Have you ever heard the song “Over In The Meadow”?

No one knows exactly where the song came from but the best guess is that this imaginative tale of different animal families came from the British Isles and has been teaching English-speaking children to count for at least several hundred years!

It’s a quiet, adorable song that counts from one to ten – originally with mommies and their babies. But while singing it at a local school, I found I needed to adapt it a bit.  One of the children was a friend of my son and was being raised only by her father.  She was saddened when people talked about their mommies and I wanted her to see a dad as a parent reflected in this song.  Similarly, other families had grandparents as caregivers and I added them to the other verses.  Since folksongs are adaptable, I wanted the song to reflect more of the different configurations of families so that no child would feel left out or that their home situation was any less of a family.

Here’s a list of the families in my version of the song, plus the last verse that I’ve added.  You can watch the Youtube video of the entire song below.

1       Froggy Mom and her one little frog

2       Mother Cat at her two little kittens

3       Father Bird and his three little birds

4       Mother Worm and her 4 baby worms

5       Queen Bee and her five little bees

6       Grandfather dog and his 6 grandpuppies

7       Grandmother owl and her 7 owlets

8       Mother duck and her 8 ducklings

9       Father Mouse and his 9 baby mice

10     Mother Spider and her 10 baby spiders

Last verse:

No matter where you go, everyone you see

We all fit together in one big family

Although we may look different, our love is still the key

It’s the way we live together in peace and harmony

A Song For Teaching

As a mom, I loved songs that taught empathy and encouraged my children to understand the value and consciousness in all living creatures. For me, songs like this helped teach that all creatures have a story and that their lives are connected with our own and that they matter!

If you check out this song in my TeachersPayTeachers store you’ll find a wonderful activity list for using the song in homeschool or an early education classroom.

Links and Resources

Song on Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/grandchildrens-delight-best/id292915765

Song on Amazon mp3 Over in the Meadow: 
https://amzn.com/B0024XB2FS

As a song for teaching on TPT: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Over-In-The-Meadow-An-Inclusive-Counting-Song-2823967

Free Lyric Sheet on TPT:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Over-In-The-Meadow-An-Inclusive-Counting-Song-Free-Lyric-Sheet-2824218

Follow Me on TPT – And Get One Item Free!

TPT 475

Do you TPT?  There’s a wonderful online site called TeacherPayTeachers and it’s a great resource for anything educational. And you don’t have to be a teacher to benefit from the boatload of freebies plus activities, crafts, clipart, coloring pages, mini-lessons and so much more that you can find on this site.

My DARIA MUSIC store at TPT is filled with musical activities, crafts, E-books plus you can find all my songs and CD’s (as digital downloads) as well as lots of ways to incorporate music into your daily life.

And, did I mention the freebies? Every store owner is required to have at least one freebie so you can sample the quality of their work. But most of us – me included – are regularly adding freebies such as songs, lyric sheets seasonal activities. So, won’t you please drop by my store and follow me on TPT?

Follow Me!

It’s easy to follow any merchant on TPT! Just click on the greenish button under my name here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Daria-Music and you’re in.  When a new item, a fresh freebie or a special sale is coming, you’ll get a little notice, but no annoying spam or repetitive e-mails.

4 TPT itemsFollow Me and Get One Item Free.

To sweeten the deal, I’d love to give you one (digital) item free from my store.  Just stop by, follow me, browse the wares and choose your item.  Copy the title of the product and e-mail it to me at dariamusic at yahoo dot com and I’ll send you a special link to a free copy of that resource.  It’s as easy as that.

What Can You Get?

Grandchildrens Delight CoverIn my store, you can get a digital copy of any of my Parent’s Choice, NAPPA, or Kids Music Network Award-winning cd’s!  There’s music for Earth Day, multicultural holiday music and a cd of special songs from the Andes.  Or maybe you’d like a craft pdf – to learn how to make a Monkey Drum from China, or a relaxing ocean drum or a set of completely child-safe, recycled maracas. Pick any digital item that strikes your fancy and I’d love to hear from you.

Along with my thanks for connecting with me, on TPT!

Links and Resources

DARIA MUSIC Store on TPT https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Daria-Music

HHM-coverDARIA’s music CD’s on TPT https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Daria-Music/Category/Digital-Music-CD-s-169735

Daria’s E-books on TPT https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Daria-Music/Category/E-Books-167392

DARIA’s Freebies on TPT https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Daria-Music/Price-Range/Free

 

Everybody Has A Farm, E-I-E-I-O!

Don’t you just love those easy folksongs that can be personalized to delight your family or your classroom?

Here are some simple instructions for turning “Old McDonald” into a song that everyone can participate in.

Good Old McDonald

In case you’re unfamiliar with this “oldie but goodie”, here are the standard set of lyrics:

daria and sheep PMOld McDonald Had A Farm, E-I-E-I-O
And on this farm he had a (name an animal) E-I-E-I-O
With a (animal sound x2) here                      and a (animal sound x2) there
Here a (animal sound), there an (animal sound)
Everywhere an (animal sound x2)
Old McDonald Had A Farm, E-I-E-I-O

 

For instance, if you chose a “sheep”, like the friendly sheep in the picture here, it would be:

Old McDonald Had A Farm, E-I-E-I-O
And on this farm he had a sheep – E-I-E-I-O
With a baah baah here, and a baah baah there
Here a baah, there a baah …
Everywhere a baah, baah!
Old McDonald Had A Farm, E-I-E-I-O

Repeat as much as you like with any animal you wish to add.

My Friend Sandy Has A Farm

pollitosIf you’re singing to a group or a class, sit everyone in a circle and go from child to child, letting each one pick an animal for his or her verse.  You can ask the whole group to come up with the animal sounds.

Two quick suggestions.  If you think you may have run out of animals for the song, remember that you can use the names for the full grown animal and baby animal or the names for the male and female animal as well. For instance, you sing about both horse and pony, sheep and lambs, cows and calves, etc.  And don’t forget hens, chicks and roosters or billy goats and nanny goats, too!

With names, the only tricky situations are using names with three syllables or more.  In that case, drop the “My Friend” and simply use their name to fit within the first line of the song.  In other words, instead of “My friend Isabella”, or “My friend Jeremiah” try… Isabella has a farm… or Jeremiah has a farm, E-I-E-I-O and it should fit perfectly!

Your Family Farm

Here’s a fun family version of Old McDonald.  It uses the same idea, but you ask the child which animals a family member might want to have on their own fantasy farm.  In that way, the child gets to imagine what other people would want as their favorite farm animal.

It might sound like this:

If my sister, had a farm, E-I-E-I-O
On her farm she’d have some kittens, E-I-E-I-O (etc.)

If my brother, had a farm, E-I-E-I-O
On his farm he’d have a dinosaur, E-I-E-I-O (etc.)

If my mommy had a farm,
On her farm she’d have a parrot, E-I-E-I-O (etc.)

If my daddy had a farm,
On her farm he’d have a puppy, E-I-E-I-O (etc.)

An Animal Rescue Farm

Which brings us to a good point.  Kids love to imagine and this song can be very imaginative.  Feel free to sing your own barnyard version, animal rescue version or even an imaginary animal version.  Unicorns and dragons, anyone?

Need Music?

Naturally if you play guitar, piano, ukulele or a similar instrument, it’s awesome to strum out the music.  Below is a link for free sheet music for guitar.  But if you don’t, no worries.  Everyone knows the melody and you can easily, clap, tap, tap on desks or play simple percussion (like shaker eggs) along with this song.

Need some simple instrument or percussion ideas?  Below are four suggestions all made from handy items found in your kitchen or recycling bin.  So tap and clap away as you create some memorable music and a fantastic farm or animal song for your lovely little ones!

Links and Resources

DIY Shaker Eggs
http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/early-learning-with-music/a-child-safe-version-of-easter-shaker-eggs-directions-in-english-and-spanish/

Milk Jug Shekere
http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/classroom-music/turn-a-milk-jug-into-a-recycled-shekere/

Nature Walk Rattle
http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/early-learning-with-music/make-an-earth-day-nature-walk-rattle/

Make Your Own Maracas
http://www.tinytappingtoes.com/uncategorized/an-easy-musical-craft-for-young-children-back-to-school-maracas/

Old McDonald – Free Sheet Music For Guitar
http://www.8notes.com/scores/15036.asp

A Family-Friendly Version of La Cucaracha!

La Cucaracha 2 screensnapCheck out  DARIA’s version of this adorable song in both Spanish and English at the Spotify, Apple Music and Pandora links below to listen free! 

I recently received an e-mail from Sweden asking about the Mexican folksong, “La Cucaracha”.  The writer wondered how this song could be so familiar so far away from it’s Latin American roots. The answer is simple, some songs are just that catchy, simple and have a certain magic about them.  “La Cucarcha” seems to be one of those songs.

So, what is this popular little globe-trotting song all about?

Let’s start with the basics.  The Spanish word “cucaracha” means cockroach and there are multiple verses to the song, many of which are silly or nonsensical.  Although most frequently associated with Mexican culture, the song actually dates back to a Spanish “corrido” song.  And, no one really knows how old “La Cucaracha” is but at least one version appears in a songbook that dates back to 1492!

Is there a standard set of lyrics?  No!  If you check out the wikipedia page below you’ll see lots of verses including many with historical or cultural references.  And, naturally,  there are the clever or silly ones, as well:

cucaracha poster(Spanish) Cuando uno quiere a una
y esta una no lo quiere,
es lo mismo que si un calvo
en la calle encuentra un peine

(English) When a man loves a woman
but she doesn’t love him back
it’s like a bald man
finding a comb in the street.

A Kid-Friendly Version

Although this is a great little song, I never sang it in public because one of the verses referred to marijuana.  It just didn’t fit my definition of a family-friendly tune.  However, while performing a concert for a group of nuns in South American, one Sister sang me her own version of the song.  It was cute and sweet and left out the “offending” verse.

Her version totally inspired me to not only sing the song, but to add some silly English lyrics, preserving the “everyone adds their own touch” approach to adapting folksongs.  In my bilingual version, the little cockroach likes to play traditional Mexican instruments.  And with 6 legs, wouldn’t any cockroach make a fine percussionist?

Below is a free lyric sheet to this bilingual version, plus the popular Youtube video.  And if a little cockroach who plays both guiros and maracas inspires you, you can make your own version of  these instruments to play in class or at home.  Just check out the links below for the DIY instructions.

Here’s hoping this song makes you laugh and smile, learn a bit of Spanish and share a song with someone you love!

Links and Resources

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/57s2qPe2YT69GoenDQD1Kf
Apple Music: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-have-a-dream/id49532398
Pandora: www.pandora.com/artist/daria-childrens/i-have-a-dream/la-cucaracha-spanish-english/TRlz4b72vkflZ4w

Free Lyric Sheet from TPT: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/La-Cucaracha-Lyric-Sheet-Bilingual-Version-2863996

Wikipedia’s Full History of La Cucaracha
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Cucaracha

MYO Guiro from TeachersPayTeachers
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-Your-Own-Latin-American-Guiro-1230266

MYO Maracas from TeachersPayTeachers
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Make-Your-Own-Maracas-1428029

La Cucaracha from Amazon mp3
http://amzn.com/B0013PIZ9O