Ian Rae a.k.a. "Badly Drawing Grandpa", is a Scottish musician/writer/teacher living in London. His music has been used on TV, radio, adverts and theatre and he is now producing silly songs and (badly drawn) videos to amuse & teach little children, & creating songs to help introduce KS1 topics. His songs and videos are also available free on his Thoughtz4Totz website and Thoughtz4Totz and Thoughtz4kidz Youtube channels for preschool & primary children (& parents & grandparents)
Ian Rae a.k.a. "Badly Drawing Grandpa", is a Scottish musician/writer/teacher living in London. His music has been used on TV, radio, adverts and theatre and he is now producing silly songs and (badly drawn) videos to amuse & teach little children, & creating songs to help introduce KS1 topics. His songs and videos are also available free on his Thoughtz4Totz website and Thoughtz4Totz and Thoughtz4kidz Youtube channels for preschool & primary children (& parents & grandparents)
As you would expect from the title this is a silly song that little children find hilarious - Benny the Bear hates the cold winter so he gets a pair of tartan trousers to keep him warm. The video link let’s you get the idea
A bouncy little song for children about keeping everything simple. The pack contains everything you need - video to assess the song, mp3s of the song and the backing plus the sheet music and the lyrics - suitable for all ages
A children’s song about transport - motor car, big red bus, railway train and rocket ship. Children can act out driving on each of the modes of transport, waving to the people they are passing, stopping at the red light and going ahead on green
This is the all singing (but not all dancing) song pack. Please watch the video to see if the song is for your pupils. Then you have multiple choice. The song can be performed as a solo, duet or choir piece using one or two verses. The backing tracks come in 1 verse or 2 verses - the sheet music is 2 verses. Hopefully you have everything you need in this pack. You could even produce your own video using the original or your own backing track and photos, drawings or video clips based on the lyrics. Suits just about all ages through adults
Charming little song for children which can be formed as a solo, or as a choir piece - all about using your imagination when you’re on your own or with friends. The video (complete with mini conductor) gives you an idea of the song and lyrics, and you can download vocal version, backing track, lyrics and sheet music
A really silly song about the benefits of really silly songs. The chorus (which is very easy to learn) works as a counterpoint with the verse so two groups of children (or 2 soloists) can produce a really silly song in almost perfect harmony. Please watch the video to get the idea. The pack comes with vocal and backing track mp3s plus lyrics and full sheet music score for 2 parts plus piano
A short song for children about the KS1 Topic The Gunpowder Plot, with some of the basic facts about the plot and Gut Fawkes. The lyrics are as follows
Long long ago in 1605
Some men had an evil thought
To kill King James the First they did contrive
A gunpowder treason plot
We still remember the fifth of November
And we think of the gun powder plot
To Parliament a secret letter sent
Meant Guy Fawkes and the plotters were caught
Guy Fawkes and the plotters were caught
The song could be used as an introduction to the topic of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot, as a means of memorizing the basic facts of the event, or even as the soundtrack to a little video using drawings by the children
The resource pack contains an mp3 of the song, an mp3 backing track, sheet music and lyrics
A short video/song to help children identify where"C" and “F” are on a piano keyboard. The resource is the sheet music of the song but the video is also a useful.
A short video/song describing the format of the treble clef in music, and a useful way for children to remember the barlines and spaces. The Youtube video is also a useful resource
A short video/song to assist children with the learning of music note values - whole note, half note, quarter note and eighth note in U.S.A. and semibreve, minim, crotchet and quaver in the U.K. The sheet music provides the main theme and the 4 parts which can be mixed and matched as much as you want. Children also fine the video to be extremely useful as a learning aid
A little video/song to help children to understand the difference between sharps and flats. The sheet music for ths song may be downloaded - however the video is also a useful resource for the children to watch
Rather silly little animation and song about washing your hands. The pack contains and mp3 of the song, an mp3 of the backing track, lyrics of the song and sheet music of the song with piano accompaniment
A very silly (slightly satyrical) video, song and sheet music about some of the principal landmarks around London. More little characters from Ian Rae (a.k.a Badly Drawing Grandpa) at The Tower of London, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace (for orange squash and biscuits with the queen), the London Eye and The Houses of Parliament
A short song for young children with some basic information about KS1 Topic Florence Nightingale, her work in Crimea and outlining her contribution to nursing. The lyrics are as follows
Florence Nightingale We must never fail
To know the things you taught the world to do
You set out to bring help to soldiers suffering
Nursing changed so much because of you
In the dead of night Your lamp brought new light
And in Crimea you showed what to do
Florence Nightingale We will never fail
To recognise the debt we owe to you
The song could be used as an introduction to the topic of Florence Nightingale, as a means of memorizing the basic facts or even as the soundtrack to a little video using drawings by the children
The resource pack contains an mp3 of the song, an mp3 backing track, sheet music and lyrics
Quite a dramatic song about the Vikings and the less publicized aspect of their lives. You can watch the video to see if it suits your requirements, and download the voice mp3, the backing track mp3, the lyrics and the sheet music for the song.
The lyrics are as follows
They sailed in their long boats from far across the seas
What were they called? The Vikings
From A D seven hundred for four centuries
What were they called? The Vikings
They robbed all the villages took all that they could take
They burned and they pillaged and they caused so much heartache
But if you think that’s all they did you’re making a mistake
What were they called? The Vikings
For fishing exploring and farming they were known
What were they called? The Vikings
In England King Canute and Harold reached the throne
What were they called? The Vikings
We see them as fighting men but they were so much more
Their Viking Gods like Thor and Odin gods we can’t ignore
And when they reached the end in burning ships they left the shore
What were the called? The Vikings
A bouncy little children’s song suitable for most ages but designed for the KS1 topic “Let’s Go On Holiday” and offering suggestions of holidays and what to pack. You can watch the video to see if it suits your requirements, and download the voice mp3, the backing track mp3, the lyrics and the sheet music for the song.
The lyrics are as follows
Let’s go on holiday Where shall we go?
The seaside or country side or somewhere with snow?
Shall we go by aeroplane bus motor or boat?
Shall I pack my swimming costume or take a big coat?
Let’s go on holiday To France or Spain
If we take some sun tan cream it’s likely to rain
Shall we try a city break to Paris or Rome?
We’ll all have a holiday then we’ll all come home
A very short Remembrance Day song and video which could also be read as a poem. It was written by me in memory of my grandfather Private John Rae, a Scotsman killed in action in Belgium in 1916, serving in the Canadian Army. The video was shot on a visit I made to Ypres and the Menin Gate in 2016, and is mostly filmed around Sanctuary Wood Cemetery on the outskirts of Ypres.
I have also included jpgs of my Grandfather’s name in the Canadian Book of remembrance, and both sides of an embroidered photograph he sent to his wife and baby, only four days before his death. Also included is a PDF of background information about my grandfather and information about the shooting of the video.
The lyrics of the song / video are as follows
Shed No Tears For Me
If some day passing by you should chance on where I lie in silence
Shed no tears for me
Soldier’s grave, marked in stone
In a world where all that’s known is silence
Shed no tears for me
Only imagine me in the sunlight warm and free
Singing in the summer breeze
Floating on the restless seas till time stops
Shed no tears for me
Soaring with the skylark’s song
Dancing to the rhythm of the rain drops
Shed no tears for me
Shed no tears for me
This is a really great walking about and action song, where the children can roar like a lion, crawl and hiss like a snake, beat their chests like a gorilla and clap their hands / snap like a crocodile
This is a really interesting five minute experiment which demonstrates the power that music has on our lives. It can be done with children of most ages and adults. Here are the instructions
Select a male and female pupil / adult to read the the dialogue below
Get them to read the dialogue with no underscoring
Get them to read the dialogue again with the 4 pieces of music as underscoring.a) Brass band at the seaside b) Love theme c) Night Club d) Suspense /Horror
The mood will change with each piece of music and in most cases the people reading will react to the music in their delivery of the dialogue
Just download the Instructions/script and the background music. The Youtube video gives you some idea of how it goes. All the music in the underscoring was composed by me so there is no problem with copyright
There is also a Karaoke version of the video now on the Thoughtz4Kidz Yutube channel which allow you to just read the dialogue with the underscoring but no voices