31 Days of Great Children's Music: Lisa Loeb's Silly Sing-Along

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Welcome back to 31 Days of Great Children's Music!  This is the big posting challenge I'm participating in that involves blogging every day in October covering just one topic.  It's also where you'll find some super suggestions for children's songs the whole family can enjoy.  

Find the Other 30 Days Here

 

Do you remember Lisa Loeb's hit "Stay" back in the 90's?  She applies that same indie-folk style to this clever album.  Not only does it include a good mix of traditional and original songs (all silly!), but it also comes in a great book that's full of activities, recipes, accompanying motions, fun illustrations and all the song lyrics.

We've just listened to the whole thing two times in a row while looking at the corresponding pages in the book.  Gv especially liked the pictures on the "Chewing Gum" page - she kept making an odd noise that I soon realized was her "blowing" to match the drawings of kids blowing bubbles.

We also started round three of listening to the music with the book, but somebody became fascinated with the plastic CD holder in the front and proceeded to rip it out...here comes the book ambulance...

I think "Fried Ham" is my favorite song because the silly voices are just so much fun to sing.  Plus, it reminds me of one of my favorite annoying songs from my own childhood - "The Nothing Song."  My friends and I used to sing it at camp, on long car trips, or just any occasion when we were bored or wanting to drive the adults around us bonkers.

It's one I made sure to teach my second-graders every year in school.  I'm sure their parents are still thanking me for that one today.  {grin}

Here are the lyrics to that little never ending gem:

Nothing nothing nothing nothing

I sing nothing all day long

Nothing nothing nothing nothing

How'd you like my nothing song?

Same song, second verse, could get better, but it's gonna get worse

Nothing nothing nothing nothing

I sing nothing all day long

Nothing nothing nothing nothing

How'd you like my nothing song?

Same song, third verse, could get better, but it's gonna get worse

Nothing nothing nothing...

You're welcome.

Activities

• Have your own opposite day to go along with the song.  For some reason, when I was in school, Wednesdays were always known as "Opposite Day."  It never seemed to mean much more than saying the opposite of whatever you meant (My classic line was "I love eggs!" - I really can't stand them.  Not all that funny, but I thought it was hilarious to say at the time.)  It would be fun to celebrate your own opposite day by doing things like serving dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner or wearing pajamas during the day and regular clothes to sleep in, along with whatever other silly twists you can think of for your family.
• Have a pancake feast to go along with the song "The Disappointing Pancake."  Make them with chocolate chips, bananas, pumpkin, berries, or cinnamon.  Create versions like gingerbread, red velvet, cake batter, or s'mores.  Use food coloring to create rainbow pancakes, or drizzle them out in different shapes to make letters, lace, or pancake people.
• Add your own extra accents to "Fried Ham" besides her suggestions of French, English, and baby voice.  Try regional accents like New York or southern, other country accents like Russian or Australian, other silly voices like robot or helicopter (beat your chest to make that one), or "sing" the tune of the song in different animal voices ("Quack Quack Quack Quack...")
• Keep a dream log to go along with "Everybody Dreams."  Share them with the family or write a story about a particularly crazy one.
• Have a bubble blowing contest to go along with "Chewing Gum."  Give prizes of, what else?  Chewing gum!  
• Or, use the song to introduce a homeschooling unit on coins.  There's a fun graphic illustration of a gumball machine toward the end of this Starfall lesson.
• Or, get a gumball machine piggy bank for the house.  This one takes all coins and you can even fill it with healthier snacks like nuts or seeds.

Looking for More Music?

Lisa has other great albums, too:

Lisa Loeb's Silly Sing-Along

Lisa Loeb's Songs for Movin' and Shakin'

Camp Lisa

Catch the Moon  

Do you like silly children's songs as much as I do?  Which ones are your favorites?  And Melissa, did I get "The Nothing Song" song stuck in your head for the day?  I'd love to hear - leave a comment or email me at lisahealy (at) outlook (dot) com. 

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