Rhymes for kids by Tony Funderburk

Laughter And Love

Posted on July 28, 2013 by TonyFebruary 27, 2025

Laughter and love stimulate hope.

Sometimes you just need a good laugh. And love can shine a spotlight in the darkness and find you a good reason to laugh. Personally, I find reasons to laugh and smile…they appear all around me, above me, and inside my silly brain.

For example…a few nights ago my two dogs were watching me make a snack of almond butter and honey. They love nut butters and they love our seven grain bread. So…I smeared a little almond butter on a half slice of bread, split it in two pieces, and gave them each a morsel. I nearly broke a rib laughing at how they tried to deal with the sticky almond butter in their mouths. One dog was chewing with his cheeks all scrunched up. And the other kept licking the roof of his mouth to try and get all the almond butter that seemed to be stuck there.

It was hilarious. And the second they finished their ordeal, they wanted more. That’s a dog for you.

The amount of laughter I got from that one moment was enough to last me for days. What about you? Has there been anything this week that made you laugh so hard your eyes watered? Let me know.

Laughter And Love

And so, for the moment…dream
Of the days to come
When you’ll learn to run in fields of green.
You’ll laugh when you’re feeling right.
When you’re feeling wrong,
You will cry for things you’ve not yet seen.
Oh, but your laughter means so much more, you see.

So, think of the life you’ll live,
Of the smiles you’ll give,
And remember love to all you know.
For years come and go so fast,
And the blades of grass
Will begin to lose their green and die.

Living a life that is empty of joy
Can be no more than living in pain,
But a life that is lived much in laughter and love
Can be relived again and again.

Stay tuned,

P.S. I really appreciate your support here on my website. Here are some other awesome ways you can show your support, keep my words and music flowing, and keep me off the streets.
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Just Imagine

Posted on July 27, 2013 by TonyApril 11, 2025

Just imagine a tiny house. Now, imagine it even smaller. And now, smaller…and smaller. Imagine a house so small it sits in the shade of ferns and flowers. Can you see it?

OK, good. Now, just imagine you’re sitting on the front porch of this tiny, tiny house. And you’re eating some fruit and taking in the cool, moist air of the garden. Use that wonderful, creative imagination of yours and you’ll see the pictures in your head. You can almost smell the flowers and ferns. You can almost feel how soft they are. And the colors make you feel safe and secure and happy.

Your brain is a wonderful, beautiful muscle. It’s specially designed so you don’t just think thoughts…you can also see them in your mind. That’s how you can experience the beauty of the world even if you’re inside a dreary room all day. So, the next time you want to go enjoy the great outdoors but can’t…

Just Imagine And You’re There

There’s a house in the ferns and the petals of the dahlias.
All you have to do is imagine and you’re there…
Breathing in the dew-fresh air.
Life is a breeze, mellow in the trees,
And Joy is there…you need only say please.
You can eat some watermelon
And drink dewdrop tea.
You can sleep until ten thirty…
Oh, it’s heavenly.
There’s a beach by a puddle
Where you’ll lie in the sun.
The fun will never end,
And the days will pass with care.
All you have to do is
Just imagine and you’re there.

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Stay tuned,

The Sloppy Pelican

Posted on July 26, 2013 by TonyJanuary 16, 2026

I remember my first ferry ride across Galveston Bay in Texas. Yes, it was a long time ago. My grandparents had come down from Oklahoma, and my dad was showing them the sights along the coast. He drove the car up on the ferry. And once it took off, we were all able to get out and walk around for the whole trip. I noticed lots of seagulls, jumping fish, and one particular sloppy pelican.

The pelican was just bobbing up and down in the gulf. And every once in a while it would plunge its head underwater and come back up with a mouth full of small fish. The milk chocolate colored gulf water would gush out the sides of its mouth, too.

It must have been a memory that I logged in my brain without thinking about it. Because I haven’t really given it much thought since. Until today. I happened to find a picture of a pelican as I was plotting out some of my writing. And it just so happened to have a sloppy mouthful of fish.

So, that’s how I came up with this Rhyme…

The Sloppy Pelican

There was a sloppy pelican who lived on a dock
That stood by the bay that lead to the deep, blue sea.
He would float in the water and eat lots of fish
But wouldn’t clean up no matter how others would plea.

And when a sloppy pelican who lives on a dock
Won’t leave it the way it was when he first got there,
Well, he shouldn’t be surprised if friends disappear…
‘Cause wouldn’t you, too, if you saw some junk everywhere?

So if a sloppy pelican was found on your block
In a house like yours, in fact in your very own room,
And you saw him in the mirror, and he looked like you…
Would you just take a nap…or go get a mop and broom?

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Giggle Rocket

Posted on July 25, 2013 by TonyFebruary 27, 2025

Have you ever started thinking of something funny and a giggle or a big belly laugh just burst right out of your mouth? It just happened so fast you couldn’t help yourself. And it felt so good that you hoped it would happen again right away. Know what I mean? Well, today I’m calling that a Giggle Rocket.

I won’t take up any more of your time describing the rocket. I just want to share a Rhyme Time with you about how to get onboard. See if you have what it takes…

The giggle rocket’s leaving in a minute, maybe two.
If you wanna catch a ride, here’s the thing you cannot do…
You’re not allowed to giggle and don’t even laugh or grin,
Or the rocket will blast off without you even getting in.

You might think it’s simple not to giggle, but it’s not.
A lot of kids have tried and wound up giggling quite a lot.
Some have held their breath and then a giggle made ’em pop.
Some have tried to run, but then a giggle made ’em stop.

But you don’t have to worry ’bout a giggle or a smile
‘Cause you can keep a straight face for a minute or a mile.
So you’ll be on the giggle rocket when it starts to fly.
Oh wait, I think I see a bug about to eat your eye.

No, I can see you’re much too smart. You didn’t fall for that.
I guess I’m just a stinky, low-down, dirty, rotten rat.
Well, just for saying that I’m gonna tickle all your toes
Until a bunch of giggles end up spewing from your nose.

And then the giggle rocket will fly off and leave you here
And you’ll just have to watch it zoom away and disappear.
No, I’m just kidding with you. I’ll make sure you get onboard.
Because you were a good sport, you deserve a good reward.

Stay tuned,

P.S. I really appreciate your support here on my website. Here are some other awesome ways you can show your support, keep my words and music flowing, and keep me off the streets.
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Chocolate For Health

Posted on July 24, 2013 by TonyFebruary 27, 2025

Things sure have changed since I was a kid…way back in the last century. I remember being told not to use my allowance to buy “junk”. And I knew what that meant…no candy bars, no pop, no sugary substances that were sure to fill me with disease and terror. Now…lots of “experts” say we can (and maybe even should) eat chocolate for health.

What?!

Where were these voices of truth when I was turning in pop bottles for money to buy stuff? What’s so different now that makes chocolate good for health? Have scientists figured out a way to refine it so it doesn’t rot your teeth? Did lawyers pass laws that made it illegal to make unhealthy chocolate? What did I miss? And excuse me while I go get a dark chocolate, almond, and sea salt bar.

Did you know that chocolate is high in antioxidants? And did you know that antioxidants help strengthen your body’s ability to fight infection and disease?

But let me be very clear. We’re not talking about chocolate donuts…or those candy bars from Pennsylvania. And we’re not talking about a cup of hot chocolate from a certain young maiden in Switzerland. And we’re not talking about those round, wavy cups with peanut butter in the middle. What we ARE talking about is rich, dark cacao full of flavanols. Those are the found in phytonutrient rich food like chocolate, and they help reduce inflammation, slow down free radicals, and protect the heart and blood vessels…and a lot more.

Wow…I bet my parents would’ve let me spend my allowance on this kind of chocolate.

I like chocolate a lot
And I have since I was little.
People love it or they hate it.
There is no one in the middle.
When there’s chocolate a lot,
You can make it into candy
Or a drink that’s cold and fizzy
Or a shake would be so dandy.
Get some chocolate a lot
For your brain and for your liver.
Get the best that you can find,
And then don’t eat just a sliver…
‘Cause with chocolate a lot
You might make an extra jump shot.
So, don’t stand there like a robot…
Eat some chocolate a lot.

Stay tuned,

P.S. I really appreciate your support here on my website. Here are some other awesome ways you can show your support, keep my words and music flowing, and keep me off the streets.
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Words For Happy

Posted on July 23, 2013 by TonyFebruary 27, 2025

Have you ever noticed when someone’s really happy…how often they use other words for happy instead of happy?

I realize the word, happy, is a bit old-fashioned. But I think it still works very well. And it’s being used by millions of people every day. Happy birthday to you…happy birthday to you. See what I mean?

Many people like to build up the happy emotion though. They want to put their own feel into it. Their own spin on it. Their own joie de vivre. That’s just a fancy French expression for happy. Some other words for happy…or expressions…you might hear are…

Jolly
Cheerful
Delighted
I’m so excited
I’m really stoked
Walking on air
On a high
On top of the world

I could go on, but maybe you know some I’ve never heard of. If so, please share ’em with me. I’ll be sure to pass them along. And it would make me so happy to hear from you. 🙂

What kind of words for happy do you know?
And when you’re happy, do you let it show?
No need for contemplating…
It’s so exhilarating…
And when you’re feeling happy, you might glow.

Now, glow is just another way to say…
You choose to smile and have a happy day.
So glow from deep within…
I’ll wait as you begin…
Your glow could delight others on your way.

Delighted people laugh and seem to beam
Like banana splits with cherries and whipped cream.
They can’t keep it inside…
It’s just too fun to hide…
It’s like a cheery, merry, happy dream.

Stay tuned,

P.S. I really appreciate your support here on my website. Here are some other awesome ways you can show your support, keep my words and music flowing, and keep me off the streets.
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Open Your Head

Posted on July 22, 2013 by TonyFebruary 27, 2025

Open your head…I’d like to share a quick story about love and rhythm.

My lifelong love affair with words and music is no secret. I traveled America for quite a few years as a professional musician. Despite any hardships, pitfalls, and challenges…I loved the privilege of playing music for a living. And I love still writing and singing after all this time. It’s such an honor when someone tells me how much they enjoyed a song I wrote…or my ebooks for kids…or even this Rhyme Time blog.

There’s something very special between me and words. They form a rhythm in my head. I’ve always been a finger tapper. It has annoyed more than one person, but they just have no idea how much rhythm is pulsing through my thoughts at any given moment.

Words form their own rhythm. And I dig for ways to take that rhythm and make it rhyme. I try to get that feeling across to you with every poem I write…every song I compose…every story I tell. Sometimes I finish one of my writing projects, and I can’t wait for someone to read it…to see if they’ll get what I meant. Other times, I’m not quite so sure it was what I meant to say at all. Then there are times I write something, come back to it later, and think…”Why did I ever let that one out?” 🙂

I know I’ll never get tired of weaving words and music (and even my silly drawings) into little works of art. I’m confident that not all of them will be awesome. But I’m also confident this privilege from God always will be.

Open your head
Pour words right in.
Then shake your head
And let ’em spin.
They’ll bubble up
Like polka dots
Into some bright
And bouncing thoughts.
Just let them float,
And let them grow.
When they’re just right,
You’ll let them go
Live on a page
Where they’ll be read…
And poured into
Another head.

Stay tuned,

P.S. I really appreciate your support here on my website. Here are some other awesome ways you can show your support, keep my words and music flowing, and keep me off the streets.
Get my ebooks for kids on Amazon.com
Get my Podcast
Circle me on Google +
Like my fan page on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Watch my videos on YouTube
Get this blog

Tony Funderburk

Your Life Has Rhyme And Reason Because God Made You

Category Archives: Rhymes For Kids

Laughter And Love

Just Imagine

Just Imagine And You’re There

The Sloppy Pelican

The Sloppy Pelican

Giggle Rocket

Chocolate For Health

Words For Happy

Open Your Head