University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Children's Center > For Our Families > Songs

Songs

Here are some lyrics to some of the songs you might hear your child singing from school! Perhaps you can sing together!

Kāhuli Aku (Hawaiian Tree Snail)Little Sally WalkerHao Peng You (A Good Friend) Mandarin-Chinese
Little Friends (Mandarin-Chinese)
This World Is BeautifulDown At The BeachTops And BottomsE Hō MaiHe Nani Ke Ao Nei

Kāhuli Aku (Hawaiian Tree Snail)

A Traditional Hawaiian Song.
Original content from: Unwritten Literature of Hawai‘i by Nathaniel Emerson

Kāhuli aku, kāhuli mai
(Little tree shell, little tree snail)

Kāhuli lei ‘ula, lei ‘ākōlea
(The shell of a red ornament)

Kōlea, kōlea, ki‘i ka wai
(Kōlea bird, Kōlea bird, fetching the water)

Wai ‘ākōlea, wai ākōlea
(Water from the ‘ākōlea fern)

Oo, o, o, o, o, o....o, o, o, o, o
(sound of the Kōlea bird singing)

Excerpt from "The Promise of the Tree Shells" by Nona Beamer:
Kāhuli Aku- In the beautiful forests of Hawai‘i, there live tiny shells called "Kāhuli." They were named the Kāhuli because of the curious way they turn from side to side when they walk. They live on the cool branches of the hau trees and on the leaves of the ti plant. They are beautiful little shells of delicate pink, yellow, and green.

Little Sally Walker

Little Sally Walker,
Walking down the street,
She didn't know what to do, so she stopped in front of [Child's name]
*take turn naming other children

(singing)
Hey __________,
Do your thing, do your thing.
Hey __________,
Do your thing, do your thing.

Repeat (with child dancing, etc.)

Hao Peng You (A Good Friend) Mandarin-Chinese

Zhao ya, zhao ya, zhao ya, zhao
Searching, searching, searching
Zhao dao yi ge hao peng you
I found a good friend
Jing ge li ya
I salute you
Wo wo shou ya
Shake your hand
Shiao shi shi ya
Make a smile
Ni shi wo de hao peng you
You are my good friend
Zai jian
Good-bye!

Little Friends (Mandarin-Chinese)

Yi ge, liang ge, san ge, xiao peng you,
One, two, three little friends
Si ge, wu ge, liu ge xiao peng you,
Four, five, six little friends
Qi ge, ba ge, jiu ge, xiao peng you,
Seven, eight, nine little friends
di shi ge, xiao peng you, zhan qi lai.
The tenth little friend stands up.
 

This World is Beautiful

I luna la, i luna,
Na manu o ka lewa		Above, above,
The birds of the sky
I lalo la, i lalo
Na pua o ka honua		Below, below
The flowers of the earth
I uka la, i uka
Na ulu ka lāʻau		Toward the mountain, to mountain
The trees and plants grow
I kai la, i kai
Na iʻa o ka moana		Seaward, seaward
The fish of the sea
Haʻina mai ka puana
He nani ke ao nei		So tell the refrain
This world is beautiful
The Tuahine class has really taken to this song and they asked to sing it everyday this week. This is a song composed for children by Hawaiian culture resource, Mary Kawena Pukuʻi. The concepts presented are simple and they speak to the nature we see all around us here in Hawaii. As we have been exploring trees, seeds, and different parts of plants, the children have shown the most interest in the verse that refers to the the mountains and the trees that grow there. We continue to build on this place and nature based unit of study with learning trips and discussions.
 

Down At The Beach

Song book by Jamie Meckel
Sung to the tune “Wheels on the Bus”
The wheels on the bike go round and round, round and round, round and round.

The wheels on the bike go round and round, down at the beach.

The slippers in the sand go flop, flop, flop, flop, flop, flop, flop, flop, flop.

The slippers in the sand go flop, flop, flop, down at the beach.

The towels in the air go flap, flap, flap, flap, flap, flap, flap, flap, flap.

The towels in the air go flap, flap, flap, down at the beach.

The wax on the surfboard goes swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.

The wax on the surfboard goes swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, down at the beach.

The girl on the water paddles her canoe, paddles her canoe, paddles her canoe.

The girl on the water paddles her canoe, down at the beach.

The kids in the water just splash, splash, splash, splash, splash, splash, splash, splash, splash.

The kids in the water just splash, splash, splash, down at the beach.

The dog smells a sand crab and digs, digs, digs, digs, digs, digs, digs, digs, digs.

The dog smells a sand crab and digs, digs, digs, down at the beach.

The boy in the sand castle pats, pats, pats, pats, pats, pats, pats, pats, pats.

The boy in the sand castle pats, pats, pats, down at the beach.

The sun starts to set and glow, glow, glow, glow, glow, glow, glow, glow, glow.

The sun starts to set and it’s time to go, down at the beach.
 

Tops and Bottoms, Tops and Bottoms

*A Hand Washing Song*

Tops and Bottoms, tops and bottoms

(Rub tops and bottoms of hands)

In between, in between

(Rub fingers inside on both hands)

All around your hands now, all around your wrists now

Wash them clean, rinse them clean
E Hō Mai
(Grant Us)

E hō mai (i) ka ʻike mai luna mai ē
(Give forth knowledge from above)


ʻO nā mea huna noʻeau o nā mele ē
(Every little bit of wisdom contained in song)


E hō mai, e hō mai, e hō mai ē (a)
(Give forth, give forth, oh give forth)

Edith Kanakaole
He Nani Ke Ao Nei (This Beautiful World)

A chant composed by Mary Kawena Puku'i
for children about the world around us.
Here are the lyrics and English translation.

I Luna la I luna
Na manu o ka lewa
I Lalo la I Lalo
Na pua o ka honua
I uka la I uka
Na ulu ka la'au
I kai la I kai
Na I'a o ka moana
Ha'ina mai ka puana
He nani ke ao nei







Above, Above
The birds of the sky
Below, Below
The flowers of the earth
Towards the mountain
The trees grow
Towards the sea
The fish of the ocean
The refrain is said
This Beautiful World