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Dementia Cafe Quiz ☕️ Animal Songs

  • Writer: Simon O'Donovan
    Simon O'Donovan
  • Apr 15
  • 5 min read

Updated: 7 days ago




Here is another Dementia Cafe Quiz for your CST group's enjoyment. This time it's 40 clips of 'Animal Songs' for members to match with images of animals. It relies on musical memory and photo recognition.


You could print off screenshots of the animal grid or if you click on the first picture a slide show will open. On the other hand, if you think 40 songs and images are too much, just click on the images and songs you want to use and print them off for the tables.



⛔️ PS There is a Rolf Harris song included. You might want to exclude this if you feel playing it would be triggering for your group. Instead you could play the TV theme from 'Skippy The Bush Kangaroo' - I have added it at the end of the playlist.







So, here are the songs in the correct order ...

Followed by a Spotify playlist, the idea being facilitators mix it up and members shout out the animal and tick it off.











"Talk To The Animals"




Here's another animals in music activity. Play the song 'Talk To The Animals' from 'Dr. Dolittle' and ask members to listen carefully and note down any animals they here in the song. Afterwards, you can list them all.


Here is the song video (best I could find) ...





Here are the animals in order ... Use these images as prompts for recall.




Just to note, Dr Dolittle's parrot's name was Polynesia
Just to note, Dr Dolittle's parrot's name was Polynesia


"Talk to the Animals" is a song written by British composer Leslie Bricusse.

Written for the 1967 film 'Doctor Dolittle', it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 40th Academy Awards. It was performed in the film by Rex Harrison.



Here are the lyrics ...



Talk to the animals?

just imagine it!

Chattin' to a chimp in chimpanzee,

Imagine talking to a tiger,

chatting with a cheetah,

Oh, what a neat achievement

that would be!


If we could talk to the animals,

learn their languages,

maybe take an Animal Degree?

I'd study elephant and eagle,

buffalo and beagle,

Alligator, guinea pig, and flea!


I would converse

in polar bear and python,

And I would curse in fluent kangaroo

If people ask me,

"can you speak rhinocerous?"

I'd say "of courserous!

Can't you? (haha)!"


If I conferred with our furry friends,

man to animal-

think of the amazing repartee!

If I could walk with the animals,

talk with the animals,

grunt and squeak

and squawk with the animals!

And-

...they could talk to me!


If I consulted with quadrupeds

Think what fun we'd have,

asking over crocodiles for tea!

Or maybe lunch

with two or three lions,

walruses and sea lions

What a lovely place

the world would be!


If I spoke slang to orangutan-

the advantages,

any fool on earth could plainly see!

Discussing Eastern art and dramas

with intellectual llamas

That's a big step forward,

you'll agree!


I'd learn to speak

in antelope and turtle.

My Pekinese

would be extremely good!

If I were asked to sing,

in hippopotamus?

I'd say "whynotamous?"

and would!


If I could parlay with pachyderms

It's a fairy tale

worthy of

Hans Anderson and Grimm

A man who walks with the animals,

talks with the animals,

grunts and squeaks

and squawks with the animals!

and they could talk to me!


A man can talk to the animals. It's a miracle!

In a year from now, I guarantee

I'll be the marvel of the mammals, playing chess with camels

No more just a boring old M.D


I'd study

every living creature's language

So I can speak

to all of them, on sight

If friends say,

"can he talk in crab or pelican?"

You'd say "like Hell, he can!"

-and you'll be right!


And if you just stop to think of it

there's no doubt of it,

I shall win a place in history!

FOR I CAN

WALK WITH THE ANIMALS!

TALK WITH THE ANIMALS!

grunt and squeak

and squawk with the animals!

and they can squeak

and squalk

and speak

and talk,

to me!




And finally, here is a singalong plus lyrics video ...







Title: I know an old lady


----------------------------------------


I know an old lady who swallowed a fly,


I don't know why she swallowed the fly,


I guess she'll die.



I know an old lady who swallowed a spider,


That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her.


She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,


I don't know why she swallowed the fly,


I guess she'll die.



I know an old lady who swallowed a bird,


How absurd to swallow a bird!


She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,


That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,


She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,


I don't know why she swallowed the fly,


I guess she'll die.



I know an old lady who swallowed a cat,


Imagine that, to swallow a cat!


She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,


She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,


That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,


She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,


I don't know why she swallowed the fly,


I guess she'll die.



I know an old lady who swallowed a dog,


My, what a hog, to swallow a dog!


She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,


She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,

She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,


That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,


She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,


I don't know why she swallowed the fly,


I guess she'll die.



I know an old lady who swallowed a goat,


Just opened her throat and swallowed a goat!


She swallowed the goat to catch the dog,


She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,


She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,


She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,


That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,


She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,


I don't know why she swallowed the fly,


I guess she'll die.



I know an old lady who swallowed a cow,


I wonder how she swallowed a cow?!


She swallowed the cow to catch the goat,


She swallowed the goat to catch the dog,


She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,


She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,


She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,


That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,


She swallowed the spider to catch the fly,


I don't know why she swallowed the fly,


I guess she'll die.



I know an old lady who swallowed a horse,


She's dead, of course!



 
 
 

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About Me

 

Simon O’Donovan MBE is a retired Consultant Nurse who worked in NHS Wales for most of his adult life, supporting people with dementia, their care partners and support staff through managing, developing and improving services to benefit this group. 

 

The main aim of this website is to share experience and resources freely, so others can dip in and out and use some or all of the free and open access materials provided in their own CST practice. Thus facilitating and supporting the provision of uplifting and enjoyable sessions that optimise people with dementia's quality of life.

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Please note that some images are copied from the public domain under the 'fair use copyright' principle, in that they will only be used for educational purposes with disability groups and not be used for profit.

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