Every day with Frida, as part of our morning time rhythm, we sing some sweet seasonal verses. I love doing this early, after we’ve read our daily poem but before we dive into books and French and maths and stories. I simply sing some verses, and she can join in if she wishes too. We often sing these throughout the day too, on nature walks or between stories.
I thought I would share a few of my favourite Autumn ones here for you. Where possible, I’ve added a link to a YouTube video so that you can hear the tune. It’s certainly not an exhaustive list, but these are verses which we love to sing.
Some of these I sing or tell alone, some I use actions, and some we might act out with little figures. I’ll leave it up to you to decide how to use them!
Autumn garden
This is a lovely verse I first heard at the Waldorf parent and child group Frida and I used to attend. I still miss that lovely space sometimes!
In the Autumn garden
Scarlet evening glow
Apples ripening, brightening, ripening
Brown the hazels grow
Squirrel Nutkin
One of my favourite Autumn verses! This is a lovely one to act out for young children too, perhaps with a little squirrel figure.
Squirrel Nutkin has a coat of brown, quite the loveliest in Woodland Town. Two bright eyes look round to see, where the sweetest nuts may be.
Squirrel Nutkin in his coat of brown, scampers up the trees and down. Dashing here and swinging there, leaping lightly through the air.
All the live long day he plays, in the leafy woodland ways. But at night when squirrels rest, in their cosy treetop nest, bushy tail curled round his head, Squirrel Nutkin goes off to bed.
My nice red rosy apple
This is a really lovely one to sing whilst cutting an apple in half widthways, so that you can show the children the beautiful star shape hiding inside the apple. You could also tell this story, or this one.
My nice red rosy apple, has a secret all unseen. You’d see if you could slip inside, five rooms so neat and clean.
In each room there are hidden, two pips so shining bright; Asleep they are and dreaming, of lovely warm sunlight.
And sometimes they are dreaming, of things that are to be, how some day they’ll be hanging, upon a Christmas tree.
Listen to this here (though I learnt a slightly different tune).
Autumn’s on its way
I can’t share a tune for this one because one of my lovely Instagram community recorded herself singing this song for me, and I haven’t found it anywhere else. I hadn’t heard it before but it’s already a firm favourite with Frida and we’ve been really enjoying singing it every morning!
A squirrel scampered on a branch on a fine September day, she saw a golden leaf fall, so she scurried off to say: “Hurry hurry hurry hurry, Autumn’s on its way. Hurry hurry hurry hurry, Autumn’s on its way.“
A hedgehog sniffed with his little snout on a fine September day, he smelt the leaves so damp and brown so he snuffled off to say: “Hurry hurry hurry hurry, Autumn’s on its way. Hurry hurry hurry hurry, Autumn’s on its way.“
A rabbit pricked her long brown ears on a fine September day, she heard the north wind calling so she hopped off to say: “Hurry hurry hurry hurry, Autumn’s on its way. Hurry hurry hurry hurry, Autumn’s on its way.“
Blow, wind, blow
A lovely song for harvest time. You can do accompanying actions too.
Blow, wind, blow, and go, mill, go, so the miller may grind his corn, and the baker may take it and into bread make it and bring us a loaf in the morn.
When the wind drops, so the mill stops. When the wind blows, so the mill goes, going clickety clackety clickety clackety clickety clackety clickety clack!
Watch this here (though I learnt a slightly different tune) or here at 5min46 (again, I learnt a different tune).
A little seed
Autumn is a great time to read about seeds, as they are everywhere! This little spoken verse is really sweet to do with actions.
A little seed for me to sow, a little earth to make it grow,
A little dig, a little pat, a little wish and that is that.
A little sun, a little shower, a little wait and then… a flower!
Jack-O-Lantern
This is a fun song for halloween if you will be carving a pumpkin. We will start singing this in October.
Jack-O-Lantern, Jack-O-Lantern, you are such a funny sight, as you sit there in my window, looking out at the night
You were once a yellow pumpkin, growing on a sturdy vine, now you are my Jack-O-Lantern, let your golden light shine.
You can listen to this here at 1min55.
Glimmer, Lantern, Glimmer
Another Waldorf song, and one of my absolute favourites. Waldorf schools celebrate the November festival of Martinmas with a lantern walk, something I’m thinking of trying to celebrate with some homeschooling friends this year because it’s such a lovely celebration. We will start singing this in November.
Glimmer, lantern, glimmer, Little stars a-shimmer, Over meadow, moor and dale, Flitter, flutter elfin veil, Pee-witt, pee-witt, tick-a-tick-a-tick, Rou-cou, rou-cou.
Glimmer, lantern, glimmer, Little stars a-shimmer, Over rock and stock and stone, Wander tripping little gnome, Pee-witt, pee-witt, tick-a-tick-a-tick, Rou-cou, rou-cou.
Listen to this here, here, or here.
I go with my bright little lantern
Another lantern walk song. Again, we will start singing this in November.
I go with my bright little lantern,
my lantern is going with me.
In heaven the stars are shining,
on Earth shines my lantern with me.
The light grows dim as we go in
La bimba la bamba la bim.
The light grows dim as we go in
La bimba la bamba la bim.
Listen to this here at 3min34, here or here. You’ll notice that all of the words are a little different – I think this makes it even lovelier! Everyone develops the song that works for them.
Which are your favourite verses? What would you add to this list?
