There are two things Charlie and I have enjoyed doing together since he was little that David doesn’t participate in so this is just something Charlie and I do together and we have so much fun. We end up laughing until we are crying. Even if I am upset with Charlie if he does one of these he can make me laugh and forget why I was mad at him in the first place. Can you guess what these two things are?
Singing and Dancing and making up both a song and dance helps us relieve stress and create new memories. So this morning I can’t wait to check out a new Homeschool Resource I found called The Fabulous Songbook and I can’t wait to share this site with Charlie so we can learn new songs to sing with Charlie because he can’ t stand the way we sing.
If your teaching your children music then you will want to check out this new website just as much as I want to. The first two sets of songs I want to check out is Campfire Songs as Charlie and I will be camping in the yard this Summer and we need some songs to sing. As well as Silly Songs because we can make our own up once we take a look at the songs they have on the website.
Age Range: All (All grades; children with parental supervision)
This website offers a terrific, free songbook with printable pages to use at home, on-the-go, or ’round the campfire.
Don’t let the lackluster look of the website deceive you – because as free online songbooks go, this one is very useful for parents, teachers, youth group leaders, and singers everywhere.
When you get to the site you’ll see a lot of introductory text. Scroll below it to the songbook menu where you’ll find an amazing variety of choices that include:
- Ballads
- Blues & Standards
- Call & Response
- Campfire Songs
- Circle Games
- Classic Kids Songs
- Foreign Songs
- Gospel Tunes
- Hand Games
- Holiday Songs
- On And On Songs
- Part Songs & Rounds
- Patriotic Songs
- Protest, Political, & Social Commentary Songs
- Sea Shanties & Pub Songs
- Silly Songs
- Singalongs
- U.S. Folk Songs
- There are even songs By Indie Artists and Metal, Hard, Grunge & Progressive Rock groups. (Again, parental discretion advised.)
The songs, many of which were collected by the author for use with her Girl Scout group, are categorized by type as well as by first line. For example, some are “Make ’em Up” – which would be the ones that you make up as you go along, such as “Down By the Bay.” Others are activity games, such as “London Bridge is Falling Down,” which are fun to play with a group of children. Then you have “Call and Response,” wherein a person or group repeats after a caller, such as “Are You Sleeping” or “Bear in the Woods.”
Some (but not all) songs include activities, mp3’s, sheet music, and chords. The songbook hasn’t been updated since 2011, but don’t let that stop you from visiting as many of the songs are timeless favorites.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
