Ready to cool off and laugh along? Join Ms. Elizabeth, Forte the Lion, and special guest Ruby for a refreshing summer-themed episode! We’ll share a playful summer poem, explore the exciting music of Vivaldi’s Summer, and dive into some sunny jokes that are sure to make your little ones giggle. Plus, we’ll give you tips for writing your own jokes and invite you to download a fun printable that brings all the joy of this episode to life!

What We’ll Do in This Episode:
– Hear Ruby recite the poem Open Hydrant by Marci Ridlon
– Listen to music from Vivaldi’s Summer and imagine a city waterfall in the heat
– Explore how music and poetry can paint pictures in our minds

Grab the Free Printable from This Episode
Includes the full poem, coloring page, tons of listening ideas for Vivaldi's Four Seasons Summer 2nd movement, bonus page of summer jokes and joke- writing guide!
👉 www.clapforclassics.com/episode71

Try All Our Music Courses for Just $1!
Start a 7-day trial and get instant access to 19 engaging music courses designed for kids ages 0–8.
👉 https://www.clapforclassics.com/offers/RfL93GQ9

Explore More from Clap for Classics! All Access Membership – Try it for just $1
Get unlimited access to 19+ courses, printables, and parent resources designed for kids ages 0–8.
👉 www.clapforclassics.com/join

The Four Seasons Music & More Curriculum
Explore Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with themed lessons, movement, art, and nature connections.
👉 www.clapforclassics.com/fourseasons

Submit a Joke for the Show!
Does your child have a great joke to share? We’d love to feature it!
👉 www.speakpipe.com/ClapforClassics

Take Our 1-Minute Podcast Survey
We’d love your feedback! If you’re a listener, help us shape future episodes by taking our super quick survey:
👉 www.clapforclassics.com/survey

The classical music in this episode is licensed for use through Classical.com—a fantastic resource for high-quality recordings.

Thanks for listening and making music with us! If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review in your favorite podcast app to help more families find us.

Ready to make a splash? Join Ms. Elizabeth, Forte the Lion, and special guest Charlotte for a fun-filled ocean-themed music adventure! This episode is packed with interactive songs, musical movement, and a listening adventure to Vivaldi’s Summer. We’ll explore echo singing, legato and staccato movement, and the energetic rhythms of a summer thunderstorm.

🎵 What We’ll Do in This Episode:
– Sing along with the echo song “Charlie Over the Ocean”
– Learn a legato and staccato ball song with fun movement prompts
– Experience Vivaldi’s Summer concerto like never before—through rain, thunder, and dancing wind!
– Learn musical terms like echo, legato, staccato, tempo, and presto in an age-appropriate way

✨ Try All Our Music Courses for Just $1!
Start a 7-day trial and get instant access to 19 engaging music courses designed for kids ages 0–8.
👉 https://www.clapforclassics.com/offers/RfL93GQ9

🎙️ Want to be featured on the show?
Leave us a message! Your child might get a shoutout in a future episode.
👉 speakpipe.com/ClapforClassics

📚 Explore More from Clap for Classics!

😄 Submit a Joke for the Show! Does your child have a great joke to share? We’d love to feature it! www.speakpipe.com/ClapforClassics

💌 Take Our 1-Minute Podcast Survey We’d love your feedback! If you’re a listener, help us shape future episodes by taking our super quick survey:

👉www.clapforclassics.com/survey

The classical music in this episode is licensed for use through Classical.com a fantastic resource for high-quality recordings.

Thanks for listening and making music with us! If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review in your favorite podcast app to help more families find us.

In this fun-filled episode, Forte the Lion takes us on a musical journey to the Philippines, where we learn a silly and catchy folk song called “Tong Tong Tong Pakitong-Kitong”—all about a giant crab! 🦀

Then we dive deep into the sea with the magical classical piece “Aquarium” by Camille Saint-Saëns. 🎶

Sing along in both English and Tagalog, snap your crab claws to the rhythm and enjoy an imaginative listening activity that brings classical music to life for your little one!

✨ Free Printable! Pair this episode with a delightful printable that includes:

🎁 Grab your free download at: 👉 www.clapforclassics.com/episode69

💌 Take Our 1-Minute Podcast Survey We’d love your feedback! If you’re a listener, help us shape future episodes by taking our super quick survey:

👉www.clapforclassics.com/survey

📚 Explore More from Clap for Classics!

😄 Submit a Joke for the Show! Does your child have a great joke to share? We’d love to feature it! www.speakpipe.com/ClapforClassics

The classical music in this episode is licensed for use through Classical.com a fantastic resource for high-quality recordings.

Thanks for listening and making music with us! If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review in your favorite podcast app to help more families find us.

Grab a FREE month of music in exchange for filling out a short survey about the podcast! www.clapforclassics.com/survey 

Welcome to Clap for Classics!, where music and learning go hand in hand! In today’s sweet and playful episode, we’re sharing three favorite activities from our Nursery Rhyme Baby Time course—perfect for babies and toddlers, but fun for the whole family. Whether you’re gently guiding your baby’s hands or marching with a preschooler, this episode is full of joyful, musical bonding moments.

🎁 Download our free 2-page printable with 8 Tips for Sharing Music with Your Baby and a curated list of our favorite nursery rhymes to sing together. Grab it here: www.clapforclassics.com/episode68

🎵 Songs and Activities Featured:

Wind the Bobbin Up – A classic with fun actions that babies and big kids can enjoy together. Lyrics:

Wind the bobbin up, wind the bobbin up

Pull, pull, clap clap clap

Wind it back again, wind it back again

Pull, pull, clap clap clap

Point to the ceiling, point to the floor

Point to the window, point to the door

Clap your hands together, 1, 2, 3

Put your hands upon your knees

Peek-a-Boo Scarf Game – Featuring the song: "Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?"

A playful way to engage babies with surprise, repetition, and song.

Move to the Music – The March from Children’s Games by Georges Bizet

Help your baby feel the steady beat with gentle movement while listening to this delightful classical piece (also known as “Trumpet and Drum”).

🎼 Classical music used in this episode is licensed to us from Classical.com

👶 Explore More with Nursery Rhyme Baby Time!

Our Nursery Rhyme Baby Time course is full of musical fun for ages 0–2 and is available to purchase individually, or you can access it—along with all of our other courses—by joining our All Access Membership. ✨ Learn more and join today at: www.clapforclassics.com 💌

Questions? Feedback? Want to say hi? I’d love to hear from you! You can reach me at [email protected]

😄 Got a joke you want to share on the podcast? Leave us one here: www.speakpipe.com/ClapforClassics

Thanks for listening and making music with us! Don’t forget to follow the show and leave a review to help other families find us. 🎧🦁

🎁 Enjoying the podcast? Take our quick 2-minute survey and get a free month of All Access as a thank-you gift! Click here to share your thoughts. www.clapforclassics.com/survey

Don't Miss This Freebie! Head over to www.clapforclassics.com/episode67 to download a FREE printable that brings today’s episode to life! 

What’s Inside?

✨ 🎶 We’re back! 🎶 And we’re kicking off this episode with a roaring good time! 🦖🦴 Today, we’re exploring fossils and dinosaurs through music, movement, and fun!

First, we’ll sing a silly, interactive song about a fossil who really wants to roar like a dinosaur.

Then, we’ll listen to the "Fossils" movement from Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saëns and discover how the xylophone sounds like bones!

What You’ll Do in This Episode:

✅ Pretend to be a fossil (stay super still!) and a dinosaur (strike a fierce pose and roar!)

✅ Sing along with our original fossil song and practice silent roaring 🤫🦕

✅ Move like a musician! Stand and play an imaginary xylophone when you hear it, then sit and pretend to play the piano 🎹

✅ Listen for a special Twinkle Twinkle surprise hidden in the music ✨

✅ Laugh at a silly knock-knock joke from one of our listeners!

Music Featured in This Episode:

🎵 Fossils from Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns. 

🎶 Our original "I Am a Fossil" song written by Kathryn Lieppman

Join Our All Access Membership!

Want unlimited access to 250+ engaging music lessons for young kids? Join Clap for Classics! All Access, where your little one will:

🎻 Learn through classical music, folk songs, and creative play

📖 Get printable activities, parent guides, and lesson plans

🎧 Enjoy downloadable audio tracks for off-screen learning

Special Offer! Use the code “LION” for 50% off your first month!

🔗 Sign up at: www.clapforclassics.com/join

Help More Families Find Us!

Leave us a review wherever you listen – it helps so much!

Send us a joke or message – We love featuring our listeners! Leave us a voice message here.

🎶 Thanks for tuning in! See you next time for more musical magic! ✨

Classical music has been licensed to us by Classical.com

🎁 Enjoying the podcast? Take our quick 2-minute survey and get a free month of All Access as a thank-you gift! Click here to share your thoughts. www.clapforclassics.com/survey

It is February, and it is Black History Month! Today we’re sharing music we love by black artists of the 20th century.

Hello, by Ella Jenkins

Hello hello hello and how are you

I’m fine I’m fine and I hope that you are too

Sing this song with any variation you can think of, soft, loud, humming, whistling, la la la-ing!

Ella Jenkins has been dubbed the “The First Lady of the Children's Folk Song.” Here is a playlist of some of our favorites, but be sure to check her out with your kids, we think you’ll love her music as much as we do.

To watch a mini class where Ms. Elizabeth and her 5 kids share 3 Ella Jenkins songs click here: https://www.clapforclassics.com/blog/ellajenkins

This Little Light of Mine

This little light of mine (tap knees),

I’m gonna let it shine, (arms: up down up down)

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine

Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. (dance in a circle)

This iconic American gospel song has been energizing and uniting diverse groups of people for nearly a century. It’s impossible to sing this song without moving your body and feeling a spark of excitement and purpose. It is a great song to sing with kids because the words are so repetitive, and the message is so positive! We’ve added some simple actions to each verse, and suggested a flashlight activity for the second time through -- kids and flashlights always seem to be drawn to each other, right?

Don’t miss these incredible renditions of this song by these famous black artists.

Aretha Franklin

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Fannie Lou Hamer

Maple Leaf Rag Scott Joplin Performed by Stefano Ligoratti. Recording used with permission. https://musopen.org/music/43164-maple-leaf-rag/#recordings

You don’t want to miss this recording of Scott Joplin performing this piece himself!

Join our All Access Membership for access to activities like the ones found on this podcast.

The membership includes:

Get signed up at: www.clapforclassics.com/join

Use the code “LION” for 50% off your first month!

Help more families find out about this podcast by leaving us a review wherever you listen.

To leave Forte and I a message or a joke please record it here: http://www.speakpipe.com/clapforclassics.  We love to feature our listeners on the podcast! 

Classical music tracks are licensed for our use by Classical.com

🎁 Enjoying the podcast? Take our quick 2-minute survey and get a free month of All Access as a thank-you gift! Click here to share your thoughts. www.clapforclassics.com/survey

This is an episode with love songs for our little ones. We include one folk song, one Clap for Classics! original song, and the beautiful Waltz from Tchaikovsky's ballet, Sleeping Beauty.

Love Somebody

This is an Appalachian folk song, originally a fiddle tune.

Love somebody yes I do,

Love somebody yes I do,

Love somebody yes I do,

Love somebody but I won’t say who.

Love my mommy yes I do,

Love my mommy yes I do,

Love my mommy yes I do,

Love my mommy and she loves me too!

This song is a fun and easy one to adapt for multiple ages.

What your child is learning:

The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66- Valse Allegro, Tchaikovsky.

Watch a video of Elizabeth and Charlotte teaching and dancing to the sleeping beauty waltz: https://www.clapforclassics.com/blog/sleeping-beauty-waltz

If you’d like to purchase our Fairy Tale Course where we tell even more of the story of Sleeping Beauty as well as incorporate other fairy tales and wonderful music, you can find it in our Fairy Tales and Nursery Rhymes bundle, or inside our All Access Membership.

Will you waltz with me,

Will you be my partner please?

If you will, I’ll spin you around

And round, then give you a squeeze

Pretty please will you waltz with me

Will you be my partner please?

Waltzing is my favorite thing in the world!

Many thanks to Classical.com for licensing the classical music for us to use in the podcast and in our courses.

Let’s Sing a Song About Hugs. Written by Kathryn Lieppman, it is a Clap for Classics! original and features Kathryn Lieppman and Elizabeth Nixon on ukulele and vocals, and Imogene Lieppman (age 4) on vocals and desk bells.

You can watch this video on our youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmKolRJchIg

Let’s sing a song about hugs!

Chorus: Some are tight

And some are gentle

Some are short

And some are long and sentimental

A hug can help you feel okay

If you get a little boo boo

Or you’re having a rough tough day

Try and hug it all away

Chorus

A hug can help you share some love

With a very special grownup

Taking care of you

So hug ‘em all day through

Chorus

A hug can help you cheer a friend

When she seems a little sad

You can bend her frown back to a smile

Just hug her for a while

Chorus

A hug can help you feel so great

But sometimes we just need some personal space (And that’s ok, too!)

To join the membership for all the musical content we’ve ever created, and start making music with us today, go to www.clapforclassics.com/join.

Use the code “LION” for 50% off your first month!

Help more families find out about this podcast by leaving us a review wherever you listen.

To leave Forte and I a message or a joke please record it here: http://www.speakpipe.com/clapforclassics. We love to feature our listeners on the podcast!

Classical music tracks are licensed for our use by Classical.com

Grab our free printable arctic animal cards to extend the learning and fun of this episode at www.clapforclassics.com/episode64

For more winter content from our Four Seasons Course check out episode 38 and episode 39.

Clear some space to move for the first activity!

This is a song/activity that just needs to be experienced again and again. Your child will love pretending to hibernate, and waking you up when spring returns. Learn the song so that you can sing it away from the screen.

Feel free to expand the story as you repeat the song for the 5th, 10th or 20th time. (What is the bear eating? Where is the bear running? What is the den like? What does the bear say when s/he wakes up for spring time?)

In Spring and Summer I’m a bundle of fun!

I play and growl and run run run! (run run run! Run run run!)

In fall I’m busy eating food.

I eat and eat and eat and eat (and eat and eat and eat and eat)

‘Til winter chills my mood

Now it’s time to hibernate

I slow down and take a break

I curl up in my cozy den

And rest ‘til spring returns again…

The second activity is a song and a game!

Play hide and seek! The polar bear is ‘it’ and the seal/s hide while the polar bear sings the song. When the polar bear gets to the word LUNCH, s/he goes to find the seals. The seal/s can give clues to their location by playing a rhythm instrument like a shaker.

You can optionally use our printable arctic animals, and hide the seal card instead of having someone “be” the seal.

Learn more about polar bears and seals. Start with our printable Arctic Animal Cards (pictures on the front, and facts on the back) - then dive deeper by checking out books from the library or doing your own online research.

My blubber keeps me nice and warm

My fur’s as white as snow

I smell a seal from miles away,

And then I’ve got to go

I’ve got to go find that seal, cuz I’m hungry!

I’ve got to go find that seal for my lunch!

To get ALL of our Four Seasons Content that includes art, poetry and STEM units for each season in addition to the music content that you know and love- go to www.clapforclassics.com/fourseasons.

To join the membership for all the musical content we’ve ever created, and start making music with us today, go to www.clapforclassics.com/join. Use the code “LION” for 50% off your first month!

Help more families find out about this podcast by leaving us a review wherever you listen.

To leave Forte and I a message or a joke please record it here: http://www.speakpipe.com/clapforclassics. We love to feature our listeners on the podcast!

Classical music tracks are licensed for our use by Classical.com

Music credit: Kathryn Lieppman wrote both of the songs that we share in the episode today.

Today we’re sharing a sneak-peek inside our Four Seasons Curriculum. Check out all the details and snag the year-long course at www.clapforclassics.com/fourseasons

Music

We start with one of our favorite songs from the winter course: Down with Darkness.

We have fun using flashlights and a drum while we learn this song.

Down with darkness, up with light

Up with sunshine, down with night

Each of us is one small light

But together we shine bright

Go away darkest blackest night

Go away -- give way to light

Art

For the winter course, Ms. Krisanne, our wonderful art teacher, introduces us to the artist Peter Bruegel and his wintry paintings.

STEM

The winter course is all about color! Dr. Rojas put together 4 stem labs that encourage curiosity, observation, and teach lots of scientific concepts in age-appropriate ways.

Poetry

Ms. Leslie and Ruby bring seasonal poetry to life. We share Charlotte’s favorite on the episode:

DECEMBER LEAVES by Kaye Starbird

The fallen leaves are cornflakes

That fill the lawn’s wide dish,

And night and noon

The wind’s a spoon

That stirs them with a swish.

The sky’s a silver sifter,

A-sifting white and slow,

That gently shakes

On crisp brown flakes

The sugar known as snow.

Tune in to the other Four Seasons Curriculum sneak peek episodes:

Spring 

Summer

Autumn

To join the membership and start making music with us today, go to www.clapforclassics.com/join.

Use the code “LION” for 50% off your first month!

Help more families find out about this podcast by leaving us a review wherever you listen.

To leave Forte and I a message or a joke please record it here: http://www.speakpipe.com/clapforclassics.

We love to feature our listeners on the podcast!

Classical music tracks are licensed for our use by Classical.com

Inside our All Access membership we have a Nutcracker music course for young kids! It is an immersive experience with Tchaikovsky’s iconic ballet. You and your kids will be experiencing the story and music of the Nutcracker through songs, games, active listening, instrument playing, and using your imagination right alongside Ms. Elizabeth and her daughter Charlotte.

To join the membership and start making music with us today, go to www.clapforclassics.com/join. Use the code “LION” for 50% off your first month!

Alternatively, you can purchase just the Nutcracker course on it’s own or as part of our Holiday Bundle at www.clapforclassics.com/store

Grab a free printable of hand-drawn images of the characters from the Nutcracker. www.clapforclassics.com/episode61. We like to make simple popsicle stick puppets out of ours to play with while we listen to the music. Kids can also use them to retell and act out the story on their own!

For more ideas on how to supplement your Nutcracker study at home with young kids, including ideas on how to watch the ballet at home, check out this article: https://www.clapforclassics.com/blog/nutcrackerresources

Please help more families find out about this podcast by leaving us a review, telling your friends, or sharing our social media content! To leave Forte and I a message or a joke please record it here: http://www.speakpipe.com/clapforclassics.

We love to feature our listeners on the podcast! Special thanks to Classical.com for licensing the classical music that we used in this episode and that we use in all of our music courses!