Music to enjoy with young children- some suggestions.
‘Merrily Merrily’: Excellent CD and book of verses, rhymes and songs for parents and little children to sing and say together- one of the best! Australian Breastfeeding Association: https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/products
The Magic Garden, Diane Tatum and Kidz 4 Kidz available from itunes. Excellent.
The ABC Shop has 50 Great Nursery Rhymes for Children, volumes 1-3: this is a wonderful resource to expand your repertoire of rhymes for children.
Verses with gestures to do together
Speak this with an increasingly quiet and low voice, until the very end…!
A mouse lived in a little hole
Lived softly in a little hole
And when all was quiet
As quiet as can be
When all was quiet
As quiet can be
When all was quiet
As quiet as can be….
OUT POPPED HE!
Arms above your head pointing out diagonally like branches. Curl your hands over and turn wrists downward to look like apples hanging from a branch. All fall down to the ground.
The leaves are green
The apples red
They hand so far above my head,
Leave them alone till frosty weather
Then they will all fall down together.
Hold your hands around an imaginary axe, perhaps with a child on your lap together or do it side by side.
We are working working hard
Chopping firewood in the yard
Hold the chopper hold it tight
High we lift it
That is right
Chopping chopping chop chop chop
Merrily the pieces drop!
Hold your hands around an imaginary hammer and rhythmically ‘hammer,’ then quickly at the end.
I am a black smith good and true
Best of work I always do
Day after day
My hammer goes
Clanging clanging clanging so….
With a rickety tickety tick
With a rickety tickety tick.
Bubble says the kettle
Bubble says the pot
Bubble bubble bubble
We are very very hot!
Shall I lift you off the fire?
No you needn’t trouble.
That is just the way we talk:
Bubble bubble bubble!
Crouch down to the ground. Slowly come up until upright with arms up above your head. Rock to the right. Rock to the left. Then quickly crouch down again.
Golden corn is growing so high
The wind blows east
And the wind blows west
And the little brown mouse runs down to her nest
For bedtime:
All tucked in
And roasty toasty
Blow me a kiss and then goodnight
Close your eyes
Till morning comes
Happy dreams
And sleep tight.
Guardian Angels whom we love
Shine on us from up above.
Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the lord my soul to keep
In the morning when I wake
Show me the path of love to take
As I go to sleep each night, an Angel watches over me
And fills my soul with shining light
And blesses me each morning.
Peeping out of Heaven’s height
Like glowing candles burning bright
The stars look down from heaven
And guarding angels there I see
Making music joyously
Always watching over me
And sending me their blessing.
Or you may like to learn some new songs to sing with or to your young child.
Within the shady thicket.
Within the shady thicket,
The cuckoo singeth clear
Awaken little shepherd
The cuckoo singeth clear.
Cuckoo, cuckoo, the cuckoo singeth clear
Cuckoo, cuckoo, the cuckoo singeth clear.
Where do you sleep?
The green worm sleeps in silk,
The turtle sleeps in sand
And the blue bird sleeps ina feather bed
The yak prefers to stand.
The white lamb sleeps in wool
The ermine sleeps in fur,
But the monkey sleeps in his mummy’s arms
All warm and close to her.
Sometimes I’m very small.
Sometimes I’m very very small
Sometimes I’m very very tall.
Shut your eyes and turn around
And guess which I am now.
My pigeon house.
My pigeon house I open wide
And I set all the pigeons free.
They fly all around and up and down
And the perch on the highest tree.
And when they fly home from their merry merry flight
They close their eyes and say goodnight.
Coo roo, coo roo, coo roo, coo roo, coo roo, coo roo, coo roo.
Like a leaf or feather.
Like a leaf of feather
In the windy windy weather
We will twirl about and whirl about
And all fall down together.
Hush now my darling.
Hush now my darling, hush little child
Bears are a-roaming out there in the wild.
But you are safe here, Mother is very near.
Here is the Sea
Here is the sea
The wavy sea
Here is the boat
And here is me.
And little fishes
Way down below
Wiggle their tails
And away they go.
Golden Slumbers.
Golden slumbers kiss your eyes
Smiles awake you when you rise.
Sleep pretty darling
Do not cry
And I will sing you a lullaby.
Early in the Morning
Merrily merrily greet the morn
Cheerily cheerily sound the horn
Hark! The echo, hear it play.
O’er hill and dale and far away!
Cradle Song (Schubert)
Slumber, slumber, O my darlng baby.
Gently rocked by mother’s loving arm.
Safely rest and softly slumber,
And her love shall shelter you from harm.
Brahm’s lullaby.
Go to sleep
Now in peace
My own little baby
You’re a tired little thing
So sleep while I sing.
When the bird leaves its nest
You will wake from your rest
When the bird leaves its nest
You will wake from your rest.
Steiner Based Playgroups
Independent Playgroup:
The Melbourne Rudolf Steiner Playgroup
At The Michael Centre
37A Wellington Park Drive, Warranwood, 3134.
Contact person: Meron 0400196 012
Melbourne Rudolf Steiner School Playgroup
Wonga Road, Warranwood 3134
School office: 9876 2633
Tarraleigh Steiner Playgroup (next door to the Tarraleigh Steiner PreSchool
Bignell Road East Bentleigh.
Enquiries via the Pre-School at
90 Bignell Road, Bentleigh East VIC 3165
(03) 9570 2246
taraleigh.steiner.kin@kindergarten.vic.gov.au
Sophia Mundi Steiner Playgroup
St Mary’s Abbotsford Convent
1 St Heliers Street, Abbotsford VIC 3067
reception@sophiamundi.vic.edu.au or tel. 9419 9229
St Kilda Steiner Preschool Playgroup
Contact: 9527 5168
sksplaygroup@gmail.com
Merri Steiner Playgroup (Thornbury)
Penders Grove School
merristeinerplaygroup@hotmail.com
Collingwood College Playgroup
collingwoodplaygroup@gmail.com or telephone Collingwood College on 03 9417 6681
Little Lorikeet Playgroup (Yarraville)
77 Bayview Street, Yarraville
wrwef9@gmail.com
Dandenong Ranges Steiner Playgroup
11C Duffys Road Emerald VIC 3782
(03) 8790 4797
Banumbi Steiner Playgroup (contact via Briar Hill Primary School)
9435 1633