Lyrics
(Folk song)
1. Hop old squirrel, eidledum, eidledum…
2. Jump old squirrel…
3. Run old squirrel…
4. Hide old squirrel…
Game
Formation: Students sit on the floor in a circle.
- Verse 1 – One student is the “squirrel” (“It”) who hops around the outside of the circle as students pat the steady beat while singing. Everyone freezes on the last word “dee.” “It” stops behind one person, who becomes the new “It.”
- Verse 2 – “It” jumps (on two feet) around the outside of the circle and stops on “dee.” “It” stops behind one person, who becomes the new “It.”
- Verse 3 – “It” runs around the outside of the circle and stops on “dee.” “It” stops behind one person, who becomes the new “It.”
- Verse 4 – Students sitting in the circle close their eyes while “It” hides behind a piece of furniture in the room. At the end of the song, students in circle ask, “Where are you, old squirrel?” The hiding squirrel makes a squeak, and students in circle point to where they think the sound came from. “It” comes out of hiding and shows if they are correct.
See also
- Subject: squirrels
- Activity: circle game
- Form: call & response
- Harmony: I, V
- Melody: G,A,B
- Meter: 4
- Rhythm:
/ 
- Scale: trichord
- Tones: drm
- Kodaly-based interactive curriculum with this song
YouTube
or purchase here (printables only)
- Printable & Digital Visuals
- PDF of song with chords + Lesson ideas + Orff arrangement (PDF)
- MIDI file
- Listen to the song
Amazon links are affiliate links. I earn a small commission, but there is no extra cost to you.
This looks so fun! In the game, do you have students hop/jump/run for the whole verse, or only on the action word “hop”, “jump”, etc.?
Yes, the kids love it! For the first verse, the child who is “it” hops around the circle the whole verse – not on the beat or anything. For preschool & Kindergarten kids, I let them jump (with 2 feet), but with 1st graders, I have them hop with one foot the whole verse. 🙂