That's Not Fair Song Lyrics and Audio
“Playing Winnie the Pooh”, “Ring Around the Tree” and “Food Bank Rap”
are based on incidents in real preschools. These stories and all the
songs appear in a June, 2000 book from Red Leaf Press by Ann Pelo and
Fran Davidson called That's Not Fair: A Teacher's Guide to Activism
with
Young Children. The book offers teachers strategies to encourage
children to act for fairness and to become change-makers. The
strategies
draw on concepts from emergent curriculum practices as well as
anti-bias
teaching. Woven throughout the book are real-life stories from teachers
who work with preschool-aged children, describing how they have coached
and supported children to be change-makers, helping them learn to
listen
to others' needs and to speak up for their own.
Also see KID HEROES AND HOW TO BE
ONE
REDLEAF PRESS
450 N. Syndicate Ave., Suite 5,
St. Paul Minnesota 55104
PLAYING WINNIE-THE-POOH
Listen
A girl went by some boys she knew
Saw they were playing Winnie-the-Pooh
She stopped and asked if she could play
But the boys said, “Sorry, not today,
'Cause there are no girls in Pooh.”
Christopher Robin! Piglet! Roo!
Does anyone here know what to do?
It isn't fair, but you know it's true,
There are no girls in Pooh.
The boys said, “You could play a boy,
You could use this Tigger toy.”
But she said, “No, it's not the same,
I could be a girl and play your game
If there were girls in Pooh.”
Christopher Robin! Piglet! Roo!
Does anyone here know what to do?
It isn't fair, but you know it's true,
There are no girls in Pooh.
Then the Pooh toy said, in a growly way,
“If I had a sister, you could play!”
And the other boys said, “Helpful bear!
You found a way to make it fair!”
And now there's girls in Pooh.
Christopher Robin! Piglet! Roo!
Come meet the sister of Winnie-the-Pooh
She made us think about what to do
To get some girls in Pooh.
Vocals: Nancy Schimmel, Guitar: Bonnie Lockhart
© 1999 by Nancy Schimmel
SPEAKING UP
Listen
Nancy Schimmel
When I think I'm gonna get left out
I say “I need a turn!”
Speaking up for my own self
Is something that I learn
Cause we're all part of the party
We're all part of the school,
We all get a slice of the apple,
That's the rule.
When I think you're gonna be left out
I say “Come take a turn.”
Speaking up for other kids
Is something that I learn
(Bridge)
Speaking up for my own self.
Speaking up for you.
Speaking up takes courage,
But you can do it,
I can do it.
I feel proud when I do!
When the kid who's standing all alone
Is someone I don't know
I can say “Would you like to play?”
And they can say “yes” or “no”
Vocals and Guitar: Bonnie Lockhart
© 1999 by Nancy Schimmel
RING AROUND THE TREE (singing game)
Listen
There's a cedar in the park where we go to play,
We thought our tree would never go away.
Chorus:
Ring around the tree,
Ring around the tree,
All together for the cedar tree.
We always ate our lunch in the shade of the tree,
Underneath the branches was our place to be.
Our teacher named his/her dog for our friend in the park,
Cedar the dog has a different kind of bark.
A mom/dad told the teacher oh! oh! oh!
The city says our cedar has to go.
A mom/dad told the teacher, the teacher told us,
We started in to yell and we started in to fuss:
The teacher told us and we asked why?
Why does our cedar tree have to die?
The roots break the pavement and people might trip.
We started thinking, zip, zip, zip.
We thought and we thought and finally
We said “Move the pavement farther from the tree!”
Who shall we write to? Who shall we call?
Who can say our tree doesn't have to fall?
Where is the mayor? Here is she/he.
Come to the park and save our tree!
So the kids and moms and dads and the teachers in a ring,
We all saved the tree and now we sing:
Vocals: Nancy Schimmel, Guitar: Bonnie Lockhart
©1999 Nancy Schimmel
Game:
Verse 1
Kids in a ring, “tree” in the center
Chorus
Circle hold hands and move to right
Verse 2
Circle move in to tree
move out again
Verse 3
tree choose teacher, bring into ring
teacher choose dog, bring into ring
Verse 4
dog choose parent
Verse 5 and 6
teacher mime telling circle
circle sing chorus loud
Verse 7
circle trip and fall
get up
Verse 8
mime thinking
mime moving pavement
Verse 9
kids in circle turn to each other, mime asking
Verse 10
parent choose mayor
Verse 11
all go back to the ring except tree and dog, dog will become tree for
next round
This rap is based on an incident in a real preschool. The story and the
rap both appear in a forthcoming book from Red Leaf Press by Ann Pelo
and Fran Davidson called It's Not Fair: A Teacher's Guide to Activism
with Young Children.
FOOD BANK RAP
Robbers:
We were playing with food, I don't mean for real
But they had some play food that we had to steal
'Cause we were playing robber and they were playing store
So we swooped up their boxes with a thunder and a roar:
Food! Food! We want food!
Palace people:
(This verse optional)
We were princes and queens, cooking up a feast.
We needed all the food in the store, at least;
But the store was empty, the robbers took it all,
We couldn't have our banquet, and we began to squall:
Food! Food! We want food!
Storekeepers:
We were playing store but they took our stuff
We were playing store, and they were playing tough,
If they'd asked nicely we'd have given them a cake.
They said, “Robbers don't ask, we just take!”
Food! Food! We want food!
Solo or everybody:
Then somebody said, “Up where I live
If you have extra food that you want to give
To people who don't have anything
There's a box at the store called the Food Bank Bin.”
Food! Food! We want food!
Everybody:
So we made a box and put up a sign
That said “Food Bank Bin,” and it looked so fine.
We made extra food from magazines,
We cut out pictures of pizza and beans.
Food! Food! We want food!
So we all could play, no need to fight
But somehow things still didn't seem right.
We thought about families out on the street,
Who really didn't have enough food to eat.
Food! Food! We want food!
So everybody asked their mom and dad
To give any extra food they had
Neighbors and friends, they all chipped in,
For real food for the real Food Bank Bin.
Food! Food! We want food!
Rap lyrics © 1999 by Nancy Schimmel
“When I Feel Mad ” Lyrics and MP3
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