Boogaloo

You can make up loads of verses for this one. I think it's probably a good idea to have three or four that you always use and drop a new one on the end when you run it, just to keep people on their toes.

The first part needs the campfire to call back to you, shown in (brackets). After that, everyone sings and does the actions in [square brackets] together. You need them all on their feet and warmed up before you go for this one...

Let me see your Boogaloo
                       (What's that you say?)
Let me see your Boogaloo
                       (What's that you say?)

Boo-ga-loo, Boo-boo-ga-loo, Wooh! 
Boo-ga-loo, Boo-boo-ga-loo, Wooh! 
                       [Thumbs up actions, silly dance]


Let me see your Frankenstein
                       (What's that you say?)
Let me see your Frankenstein
                       (What's that you say?)

Frank-en-stein, Frank-frank-en-stein, Raargh! 
Frank-en-stein, Frank-frank-en-stein, Raargh! 
                       [Arms out in front like a comedy zombie,stretch out for the roar ]
Boo-ga-loo, Boo-boo-ga-loo, Wooh! 
Boo-ga-loo, Boo-boo-ga-loo, Wooh!
                       [Thumbs up actions, silly dance]

Let me see your Dracula
                       (What's that you say?)
Let me see your Dracula
                       (What's that you say?)

Dracula, Drac-drac-u-la, Hisss! 
Dracula, Drac-drac-u-la, Hisss! 
                       [Fingers as teeth]
Frank-en-stein, Frank-frank-en-stein, Raargh! 
Frank-en-stein, Frank-frank-en-stein, Raargh! 
                       [Arms out in front like a comedy zombie,stretch out for the roar ]
Boo-ga-loo, Boo-boo-ga-loo, Wooh! 
Boo-ga-loo, Boo-boo-ga-loo, Wooh!
                       [Thumbs up actions, silly dance]

And so on. Other verses I have done have been 'Funky Chicken' and 'Ballerina'; I've seen 'Kung Fu Man', 'Elephant' and 'Crocodile', but let your imagination run wild.

What's that I hear?

I have called this a 'replacement' song; I don't know what the proper term would be, but in this case an extra line is replaced by the action each time you sing it through. It can be quite hilarious, especially if you can perfect a manic grin for the fourth line. We had to ban it from our camp fires for a while because one of our leaders collapsed into paroxysms of laughter as soon as it was mentioned.

As you go through the first time, do the action at the same time as the line. Second time through, the first line isn't sung, but the action is still done. Exentually, there are no words, just a campfire full of people acting it out...

What's that I hear  [Cup a hand to your ear]
Up in the Attic?  [Point into the sky]
It's an elephant  [One arm in front of your face as a trunk]
Riding a bike!  [Hands on the handlebars and pedal furiously]
It's an elephant  [One arm in front of your face as a trunk]
So suave and elegant  [Sweep a cape across your shoulders]
With one tail here  [One arm in front of your face as a trunk]
And one tail here.  [And the other arm behind you as a tail]

..... .... . ....  [Cup a hand to your ear]
Up in the Attic?  [Point into the sky]
It's an elephant  [One arm in front of your face as a trunk]
Riding a bike!  [Hands on the handlebars and pedal furiously]
It's an elephant  [One arm in front of your face as a trunk]
So suave and elegant  [Sweep a cape across your shoulders]
With one tail here  [One arm in front of your face as a trunk]
And one tail here.  [And the other arm behind you as a tail]

..... .... . ....  [Cup a hand to your ear]
.. .. ... .....?  [Point into the sky]
It's an elephant  [One arm in front of your face as a trunk]
Riding a bike!  [Hands on the handlebars and pedal furiously]
It's an elephant  [One arm in front of your face as a trunk]
So suave and elegant  [Sweep a cape across your shoulders]
With one tail here  [One arm in front of your face as a trunk]
And one tail here.  [And the other arm behind you as a tail]

And so on until there are no words, just actions.

My Bonnie lies over the ocean

This is a traditional Scottish folk song – there are several verses, but the first verse works well around a camp-fire to get people moving. It also has the advantage of being a well known tune.

This song is brought to you, in ‘Sesame Street’ fashion, by the letter B. Whenever you get to a word that starts with the letter B, if you’re standing up, you sit down, and if you’re already sitting down, you stand up again.

Once you’ve run through it once, you can split the circle into two or four parts and start alternate sections off seated and standing. I did manage eight parts at a large fire once, though it does make you feel quite seasick to watch!



My Bonnie lies over the ocean,
My Bonnie lies over the sea,
My Bonnie lies over the ocean,
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me.

Bring back, bring back,
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me, to me,
Bring back, bring back,
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me.

Old Macdonald

Based on a traditional nursery rhyme with actions, you need to practice this one if you’re going to complete it without running out of breath. Get everyone on their feet to start this off, first verse slowly, and speed it up as you go along. By the end they will be laughing.

When you are going through the ‘tall cow, short cow’ bit, you show the shape of the cow with your hands – so for ‘tall’ you have your arms out, one high and one low; ‘short’ you bring them close together above each other, for ‘fat’ you stretch them wide, ‘thin’ brings them back close together in front of you... it’s far easier to do than to describe, just try it and see. The whole of the ‘Tall cow, short cow’ bit needs to be done straight through in a single breath...


Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O
And on that farm he had a cow, E-I-E-I-O.

With a tall cow, short cow, 
Short cow, tall cow,
Fat cow, thin cow,
Thin cow, fat cow,
Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O

Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O
And on that farm he had a sheep, E-I-E-I-O.

With a tall sheep, short sheep, 
Short sheep, tall sheep,
Fat sheep, thin sheep,
Thin sheep, fat sheep,
Tall cow, short cow, 
Short cow, tall cow,
Fat cow, thin cow,
Thin cow, fat cow,
Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O

Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O
And on that farm he had a pig, E-I-E-I-O.

With a tall pig, short pig, 
Short pig, tall pig,
Fat pig, thin pig,
Thin pig, fat pig,
Tall sheep, short sheep, 
Short sheep, tall sheep,
Fat sheep, thin sheep,
Thin sheep, fat sheep,
Tall cow, short cow, 
Short cow, tall cow,
Fat cow, thin cow,
Thin cow, fat cow,
Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O