The Craftiest Workshop

One of my favourite things to do is to go shopping at thrift stores. I always check out the children’s books to see what treasures I might find. Many of the books that I own I have found at such a store. Finding book versions of the songs that you sing with kids, or books that are similar, provide children with a connection to something they already know. This gets them instantly engaged.

One of my brothers brought up in an email not too long ago, his memory of the family sing alongs that we used to have driving on the highway in our old gold coloured station wagon. I immediately replied with a list of some of the tunes we used to sing: The Ants Go Marching, Found a Peanut, She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain, My Aunt Greet, Alice the Camel. Having sung a lot as a child gives me an advantage when I see a song that has been turned into a children’s book. I don’t hesitate and choose to sing the book instead of just reading it.

Musical Books That I Own

The Wheels on the bus

This one has some of the familiar verses but also switches it up. Having a slightly different version than the way it is always sung provides a way to keep the kids on their toes.

The Ants Go Marching

I actually own two versions of this book. I prefer this one as there is an instrument added with each ant in a different colour. This gives you the opportunity to teach instrument names and work on colour recognition.

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

This is the first book of many by Eileen Christelow. The monkeys can be found in other books taking a bath, going shopping, reading in bed, playing hide & seek and baking a birthday cake. Each one can be used with the same tune.

Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree

I didn’t include this one with those above because I use a different tune when I sing this one.

It is more of a chant than a song.

Old McDonald Had a Farm

This is a classic Little Golden Book version but there are lots of versions with friendlier illustrations out there. You could use the book and sing “Down at Grandpa’s Farm” as well. I discovered these adaptations at our library.

“Old McDonald….

…had a dragon” by Ken Baker (with animals and a dragon)

…had a boat” by Steve Goetz (with power tools and the noises they make)

…had a truck” by Steve Goetz (with different large machines)

…had a baby” by Emily Snape (about life with a baby)

…drives a tractor” by Don Carter (with different farm machinery)

…had a woodshop” by Lisa Shulman (with different hand tools)

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

This is the original story I remember from my childhood.

Lucille Colandro has written many versions of this nursery rhyme.

“There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed….

…Some Snow” (Jan/snowman)

…a Rose” (Valentine’s)

…a Clover”(St. Patrick’s)

…a Frog” (Spring)

…a Chick” (Easter)

…a Shell” (Summer/ocean)

…Some Books” (back to school)

…Some Leaves” (fall)

a Turkey” (Thanksgiving)

a Bat” (Halloween)

a Bell” (Christmas)

Row Row Row Your Boat

A fun version of the song where animals keep jumping aboard this row boat.

Peanut Butter and Jelly

This book includes the actions for the lyrics of the song at the back of the book.

The way I sing it is slightly different and noisier (we yell a lot) but I liked learning another version.

Ten in a Bed

A good counting backwards book as the bears roll out of bed one by one.

BINGO

The book shows on each page when to clap as you sing.

Six little Ducks

Another song I remember singing as a child and I always enjoyed all the quacking.

Down By the Station

In the story, the train picks up different animal babies to take to the children’s zoo.

The individual animal noises are added to each verse.

I didn’t notice until now that the author is one that I really enjoy.

He also wrote the Bear and Mole series.

Down By the Bay

This is another song I remember from my childhood and I learned it from my aunt who was a kindergarten teacher.

Silly rhymes in this one.

It reminds me of another song “The Quartermaster’s Store”.

The Hippo Hop

This story has an almost reggae feel to it.

Once again you are repeating animal sounds adding to the list as you go through the book.

It is definitely one of my favourites.

Other Musical Books I Enjoy

Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb

There is a neat rhythm to reading this book.

There is a repeated section that the children could tap out on a drum each time it appears

“dum ditty dum ditty dum dum dum”.

If You’re Happy and You Know it

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The Itsy Bitsy Spider

This popular nursery rhyme has been adapted into different stories as well.

Itsy Bitsy: the Smart Spider

The Roly Poly Spider

Eensy Weensy Spider

Eensy Weensy Spider Freaks out

The Itsy Bitsy Leprechaun (same tune)

Five Green and Speckled Frogs

This was one of those songs we would sing by the campfire.

Fiddle-i-Fee

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Each animal that comes along makes a different sound which gets added to each verse. This one moves along at a good pace.

Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush

This is a really cute book with each verse having a different critter trying to steal things from the garden and the gardener trying to keep them out by adding different things.

Five Little Ducks

I have sung this song so many times. I have used a felt board with five baby ducks and one momma duck. Another good prop is a piece of wood with five dowels then buy some rubber ducks and cut a hole in the bottom of them. In this book version the author has added the days of the week to the song “On Monday, five little ducks went out to play through the woods and far away…”. The ducks also get to visit different animal friends each day.

As you can see, there are are so many children’s books out there based on songs from my childhood. I find it so much more fun for me and engaging for children to sing the book instead of just reading it. What songs do you remember from your childhood?