Old McDonald had a......

We all know the song. In fact I'll bet you are singing it right now. Yes, that wonderful song about a farmer and his very noisy animals is a classic that is taught and sung to millions of children all over the world. My own kids love it and I've sung it more times than I really care to admit.

It is because I am always singing this song I decided to have some fun with it and thus the alternate versions of Old McDonald were born. Just this morning Carolyn and Andrew were laughing at me while I was doing my best "American Idol" version of Old McDonald. Of course he was not on his farm. I haven't decided if Mr. McDonald is a very busy businessman who likes to acquire new real estate or if he has a lot of cousins he likes to visit. Anyway, I thought I'd share with you a few versions I and the kids have come up with. At the very least it will save you from always having to bark and moo.

Version #1 Classic setting of the farm...use animals like geese, mice, goats, and llamas. Really, what does a llama sound like?

Version #2 My personal favorite, the convenience store. Items I have used include gum (chew chew here), soda pop (burp burp there), potato chips (crunch crunch here), soap (slip slidey there), toilet paper or Kleenex (wipe wipe here)...you get the idea. The kids love coming up with things to try and then having to make up a sound or action to go with it.

Version #3 The zoo. I have to give Carolyn credit for coming up with this setting but it really works. This is also a great version for incorporating both sounds and actions. The monkeys jump around and make sounds, the gorillas beat their chests, the lions roar, and the elephants move their trunks.

Version #4 The ocean. This one can get pretty difficult but it does work. Whales go squirt, fish go swish, sharks go chomp, and mermaids sing la la la. I challenge you to make seal sounds and not laugh.

Version #5 Geographical settings. This is very similar to the zoo except you pick one area like jungle or swamp and only use those animals.

Ok, there you have it. New twists on an old favorite. The fun part about this is once you start with a verse, the kids will either laugh at you or follow along and try to make up the next line. By the end of the song everyone will be laughing and singing.

Now if you'll excuse me. I've got to go listen to the radio. I've got that Old McDonald song stuck in my head.