Whatcha Doin?
I wasn’t born just yesterday
But I was born the month before
‘n there’s so much in this world to see
So much to explore...
These great big folks, they seem real nice
And this one’s kinda goofy,
But I think her show’s worth twice the price
And her hair is kinda poofy
She says...
Whatcha doin?
I’m playin with my toes
Watcha doin?
I’m crinkling my nose
Watcha doin?
I’m snorting like a pig
Watcha doin?
I’m growin’ up big.
Yeah, I’m growin’ up big
They feed me juice and smashed-up peas
And I smash ‘em even more
Last week I sent spaghetti-Os
Across the kitchen floor
They mostly laugh and say I’m cute
And then they change my diaper
This one here, she smiles and smiles
Though she’s my big-mess wiper
She says...
Whatcha doin?
I’m suckin on my thumb
Watcha doin?
I’m beatin’ on a drum
Watcha doin?
I’m trying to eat a twig
Watcha doin?
I’m growin’ up big.
Yeah, I’m growin’ up big
And everybody thinks they know
exactly what I’ll be
Of course That’s everybody
Except for little me
I’ve got to do some things, you see
That might not all make sense
But since you asked, I’m doin’
What I do...
Whatcha doin?
I’ll keep you all in suspense.
Well there’s lots of time for dos and don’ts
I’ll probably find ‘em all
Good thing I’ve got these big folks here
Cause at the moment, I’m not so tall
I trust ‘em, even when they say,
“No, no— that stove is hot”
But that one, makes me giggle
‘n these days that’s quite a lot!
She says...
Whatcha doin?
I’m throwing a ball
Watcha doin?
I’m trying not to fall
Whatcha doin?
I’m rolling on the floor
Watcha doin?
Next week I’m gonna be four
Whatcha doin?
I’m jumpin’ in the pool
Watcha doin?
Getting ready for school
Watcha doin?
I’m dancin ’ a jig
Watcha doin?
I’m growin’ up big.
Yeah, I’m growin’ up big
I’m growin’ up big.
Hey, you still gonna ask me that when I’m 18?
What are you doing??
We wrote this song to celebrate the thing Nana says over and over that makes our grandson Fox just laugh and laugh-- "Whatcha doin?" We thought it might be funny to imagine what Fox might say in response to Nana's question... but channeling a bit of Johnny Cash while doing it.
It's a silly song with an important idea: kids need to be allowed to explore, play, experiment, fail, succeed, be silly... and whatever else comes naturally to their curious minds (safety being considered, of course). It may not make perfect sense to us adults, but the truth is, we human beings learn more in our first five years of life WITHOUT formal teaching than we do the rest of life WITH formal teaching. That's not to say teaching, education and schooling isn't important, it's simply to acknowledge that learning comes naturally to us-- and sometimes adults just need to stand back and marvel at the organic way their children, with encouragement and support, find ways to learn exactly what they need when they need it.
It's not a bad thing to remember that adult learning can happen that way too, sometimes. Adults need to be led by their curiosity into play and experimentation and need to allow themselves to find their "beginner's mind" all over again as often as possible.
That's what keeps us learning and keeps us young.