Teachers, Parents, After-School Programmers, Camp Counselors, Librarians, Music & Theater Directors, welcome to THE PLANET EARTH SONGBOOK CD-ROM:  A new repertoire of 67 songs & skits for children, K-5, to play, sing & act-out from the perspective of all forms of life… not just human… animals, insects, flowers, trees, birds… even a rock!

MOTHER EARTH spins into center stage as a singing, dancing character…a ‘POLLUTION-PERSON’ becomes a ‘SOLUTION-PERSON’… human beings choose to be ‘HUMAN-BEANS’ & regrow their EARTHLY ROOTS… an unlikely troupe of DOLPHINS & DAFFODILS & HUMAN-BEANS finds the spotlight to say, in a playful way, “We are all connected.”

Within the CD-ROM you will find printed lyrics, notated music & line drawings to color that suggest costumes & props.  For each song there are comments & ideas for  performance.  2 audio CDs, for listening, learning & copying, are included.

Keep THE PLANET EARTH SONGBOOK CD-ROM close-at-hand as a resource for supplementary environmental, music & art enrichment material.  You can print out what you want, when you want it.  FUN is the operative word.

We know that everyone of you cares deeply about the children in your charge.  We all want the very best for their future, but…unless we maintain the vitality & integrity of the air, ground & water & preserve biodiversity, there will be no positive future for our children.  It’s the one concern that touches us all.  Indeed, it’s the only one that can unite us all.  Here is the opportunity to rediscover our 'interconnectedness.'

 Every human is born a child of the natural world, just as much as a tiger cub or a wolf pup or a baby dolphin.  A human child arrives here with primordial memory… a subconscious sense of the ‘oneness of life.’ We also arrive with unbridled, playful curiosity.

 Our children know & feel what’s happening to the planet, its species & habitats.  They deserve to have a voice in this environmental crisis.  We believe that the songs & skits in THE PLANET EARTH SONGBOOK give them this voice…Not one of gloom & doom but a voice of hopeful, whimsical, dreaming-into-doing…pretending the way to a closer, healing relationship with Mother Earth.

 We’ve seen kids in our live performances jump into these songs with enthusiasm, learning by osmosis a philosophy for the future… their future.  The character songs let young children embrace other forms of life, growing those neurons & synapses with musical hoots, roars, honks, peeps & howls!  By becoming the character, something magical happens.  One sees from another perspective…as a Maine puffin or California redwood…Australian platypus, rainforest tree frog, African elephant,  Siberian tiger, Asian panda or the world-wide wolf & whale.  As we improve our inter-species relationships, we will be surprised to find we are improving our inter-human relationships, as well, anywhere & everywhere on the planet.

 The musical style is worldly, implying everything from baroque to klezmer, salsa & jazz.  There are simple songs for very young (rounds, pentatonic) to more involved ones for older students…character songs, chorus songs, overview songs…holiday & seasonal songs that embrace Mother Earth.

 Curriculum ties are built-in…reading (whole language lyrics), geography, science & biology & every aspect of theater.  We’re always thinking ‘performance’ because that’s what kids love to do!  Every song can be mimed, sung, spoken-in-verse, danced-to or acted-out… as simply or elaborately as time & money allow…in a classroom or on a stage. 

From our experience, it’s clear to us that children want to be part of something that matters.  Even if they can’t put it into words, kids want to do something that counts…& don’t we all?  What could possibly count more than saving our natural world with the richness of its biodiversity?  But, on this environmental mission, our children need to know that we adults are walking with them…helping them to hold up the banner that says:  ONENESS OF LIFE…THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF US ALL & THE EQUAL IMPORTANCE OF EACH!

This has always been the ‘song & dance’ of the planet.   It is now the focus & philosophy of  THE PLANET EARTH SONGBOOK.

As of April 2007, all Hedgerow Studios stories & songs are available as CDs or DVD ROM at amazon.com. Also as digital downloads and/or CD rental from audible.com, simplyaudiobooks.com, audiobookstanddl.com and overdrive.com for libraries. For other purchasing information on Hedgerow stories & songs visit www.thorntonburgess.org. To see Winnie Fitch poster art visit imagekind.com.