Små Grodorna

My daughter spent her senior year of high school in Sweden. This was the first song she learned upon her arrival. Apparently every Swede knows this song whether they admit it or not. It is traditionally performed around the maypole at Midsommer, which is an even bigger holiday than Christmas.

Here’s a story for you, and it’s true!!

Jump frog and jump!
Jump frog and leap!

Okay. It’s not much of a story. Here’s a thought. What if you switched the jumps for leaps and vice versa. What would THAT sound like?

Leap frog and leap!
Leap frog and jump!

Let’s put them together!

Jump frog and jump!
Jump frog and leap!

Leap frog and leap!
Leap frog and jump!

 New story:

Jump little frog! Jump little frog!
1-2-3-4 Jump little frog!!

What happens when we say these at the same time? You can say two of the shorter pattern in the time it takes to tell the original story.

Time for an old fashioned frog jumping contest!! Find a partner. You will have to act out the stories, jumping when it’s time to jump and leaping when it’s time to leap. Start together and see what happens. The original story ends up WAAAAAAY out in front. So to even things up, if you have the shorter pattern, you can take four steps on the “1-2-3-4”.  Now it’s a fair race! When you have had enough of this brand of fun, see if you and your partner can cross the finish line together.

Grab your partner and find some friends and sit in a circle pretzel legs. Make sure your knees are lightly touching your neighbor’s. Taking the original story, you will take your left hand and pat your left knee every time you say the word “Jump!”. For “Leap!” pat your NEIGHBOR’S right knee. Hilarity ensues! Now fill in the other words with your right hand on your right knee. Be careful that your hands don’t all get tangled up.

To transfer this to the barred instruments, your left hand will now play “Jump!” on the low F, “Leap!” on the low C, and everything else with your right hand on the high C.

But wait! What about the other story? That goes with alternating hands on the low C.

Put these two parts together. Here comes the song!

Oh, little frog, oh little frog, you look so strange to me!
Oh, little frog, oh little frog, you look so strange to me!

You have no ears, you have no ears, you also have no tail!

You have no ears, you have no ears, you also have no tail!

Kou-ack-ack-ack, Kou-ack-ack-ack, Kou-ack-ack-ack
Kou-ack-ack-ack (this is what a frog sounds like in Swedish!)

And now we dance:

Oh, little frog, oh little frog, you look so strange to me – Walk clockwise

Oh, little frog, oh little frog, you look so strange to me – Walk counter-clockwise

You have no ears, you have no ears, you also have no tail – Flap hands by ears and then on your posterior for the tail.

Kou-ack-ack-ack – Hop clockwise, second time, hop counter counter clockwise.

But wait!! There’s even more!! Break into small groups and make up your own song and motions about other animals.