Circle Songs: The Mulberry Bush, Ring Around the Rosy, Hokey Pokey
Open Shut Them
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
Bingo
The Elephant
I'm Glad I'm Me
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
The Wheels on the Bus
Good-bye Song
Here is a joyful collection of all time favorite activity songs for young children. Hap Palmer's unique renditions preserve the charm and simplicity of traditional songs while adding new, original lyrics and melodies to e... more »xtend and enrich the familiar classics. The simplicity and repetition of these songs guarantee active participation by encouraging children to sing and move with the music. While having fun and participating actively, children develop motor and musical skills and learn about animals, counting, identification of body parts, and phonics. As children sing along, responding to the imagery and humor of the lyrics, reading readiness is also enhanced. Alliteration and rhyme develop a child's ear for the sounds of language - an important pre-reading skill. These songs are developmentally appropriate for the very young child - infant to 5 years. However, the familiar melodies and contemporary arrangements also elicit surprisingly gusty participation from first and second grade students. A variety of musical styles adds new life to well known songs with swing, blue grass, country, classical, rock, pop, and blues arrangements. Fifteen songs are presented with vocal interpretation. The sequence is then repeated instrumentally providing opportunities for singing along and creating new lyrics using children's ideas. The instrumental selections also familiarize children with the sounds of a variety of musical instruments including piano, bass, drums, guitar, violin, viola, cello, trumpet, trombone, tuba, French horn, saxophone, flute, English horn, accordion, and a variety of percussion instruments such as conga drums, bougaraboo drum, ouiro, shaker, wood block and tambourine. The instrumental versions of each song can be used in the following ways: 1. After children have learned words with the vocal version, they can sing along hearing only the music. 2. Children can create their own lyrics and sing the song using their ideas. 3. The music can accompany sessions in movement exploration and creative movement. Suggestions for activities and variations are not limited to those presented in this guide book. There are endless possibilities awaiting your creative impulse.« less
Here is a joyful collection of all time favorite activity songs for young children. Hap Palmer's unique renditions preserve the charm and simplicity of traditional songs while adding new, original lyrics and melodies to extend and enrich the familiar classics. The simplicity and repetition of these songs guarantee active participation by encouraging children to sing and move with the music. While having fun and participating actively, children develop motor and musical skills and learn about animals, counting, identification of body parts, and phonics. As children sing along, responding to the imagery and humor of the lyrics, reading readiness is also enhanced. Alliteration and rhyme develop a child's ear for the sounds of language - an important pre-reading skill. These songs are developmentally appropriate for the very young child - infant to 5 years. However, the familiar melodies and contemporary arrangements also elicit surprisingly gusty participation from first and second grade students. A variety of musical styles adds new life to well known songs with swing, blue grass, country, classical, rock, pop, and blues arrangements. Fifteen songs are presented with vocal interpretation. The sequence is then repeated instrumentally providing opportunities for singing along and creating new lyrics using children's ideas. The instrumental selections also familiarize children with the sounds of a variety of musical instruments including piano, bass, drums, guitar, violin, viola, cello, trumpet, trombone, tuba, French horn, saxophone, flute, English horn, accordion, and a variety of percussion instruments such as conga drums, bougaraboo drum, ouiro, shaker, wood block and tambourine. The instrumental versions of each song can be used in the following ways: 1. After children have learned words with the vocal version, they can sing along hearing only the music. 2. Children can create their own lyrics and sing the song using their ideas. 3. The music can accompany sessions in movement exploration and creative movement. Suggestions for activities and variations are not limited to those presented in this guide book. There are endless possibilities awaiting your creative impulse.
"My sister recently bought this for her son, who's nearly three years old and he absolutely loves it. She just puts it on, and he dances around and jumps up and down. He loves it and that's hard to come by as he's pretty picky about everything. It has great lyrics and I found myself chuckling over some of the new twists it takes on the nursey rhymes I heard as a kid."
A child's music library must-have!!
MommyWest | Centerville, UT | 09/01/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"We LOVE this recording from Hap Palmer!! It is upbeat and perfect for ANY child, not just tiny ones. It is especially appropriate for toddlers and preschoolers, and the accompanying booklet outlines many activities that can be done along with each song. This is perfect for a do-together activity, or to use as part of a home/neighborhood preschool curriculum. Creative arranging, writing, and excellent musical talent make this a pleasure for all of us to listen to. My kids (4 and 1)love to run around and dance to this, as well as do the actions. You'll love it, too!!"
Great music, great twist
Spiro Apostolopoulos | Raleigh, NC USA | 10/28/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If standard kid's tunes play in your house or car all day long, you will love this refreshing cd and your kid's won't miss a beat. I don't understand the 2 star review. If you don't like something, that's fine. But the reviewer's logic is very skewed in that they said it didn't meet their expectations, even though 1) The cd was a gift, and 2) The title of the cd tells you that it's not an album of "to-the-letter" standards. So if you don't like the music or your child doesn't like it, fine. But don't rate it down because you had ridiculous expectations from something you didn't even want or buy. If you are open-minded and enjoy good, fun, music you will love this. There is varied musical accompaniment and Hap sings great and truly seems to feel the music (unlike most performers of children's standards). Of course, the ultimate critic is the child. My daughter LOVES this cd (she's 21 months old now and has been listening to it since 12 months). Again, if you want standard kid songs, you may be disappointed with this because the music and words are different (usually, each song starts in a traditional manner but then non-standard lyrics and music follow). But if you want a twist without leaving the traditional songs altogether, buy this. I don't think you will be disappointed."
Fun Songs for the Whole Family
H. Wall | Georgia | 03/29/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Early Childhood Classics is another great music CD from Hap Palmer. It has been a wonderful addition to our children's music collection. We bought this CD for our 2 year old but the whole family enjoys listening to it just as much as she does. The music is catchy and upbeat with easy to sing lyrics. Our 5 year old quickly memorized all the songs and sings them constantly. She knows the lyrics well enough that she can sing through the instrumental versions without a pause. We all have our favorites: our two year old loves "I'm a Little Teapot;" our five year old loves, "Old Mac Donald;" my husband and I like, "I'm Glad I'm Me;" and we all have had many laughs with "One Two, Buckle My Shoe." It is just a really fun CD and definitely one of our favorites!"