Go You Chicken Fat Go!

When I taught preschool between 1978 and 1984, one of my teacher aides brought in a 78 rpm record that she had received from an adult ed exercise program called Chicken Fat. Needless to say, it appealed to my sense of the absurd, and I try to keep my teaching absurd, if nothing else to keep myself amused. We had no gym facilities (Catholic School), so if it wasn't a good day outside, we stayed in the classroom for our physical activities. I can't tell you how many times 3 and 4 year-olds exercised with me to this tune! Check out the links to the left to hear the tune and learn a little more about it. 6 minutes of this would certainly raise the pulse rate and it can be done in a small setting. The following is information from the JFK Library:

"Possibly the oddest contribution to the effort (The President's Council on Physical Fitness) was the Chicken Fat Song. Written by Meredith Willson, creator of the Music Man, and sung with enthusiasm by Robert Preston, the actor most responsible for that musical's success, the Chicken Fat Song was produced in a three-minute, radio-friendly version and a six-minute version to accompany schoolchildren during Council-approved workout routines. The song didn't get much airplay, but for tens of thousands of children doint sit-ups in school gyms around the country, the cajoling chorus of "go, you chicken fat, go!" became ingrained in their memory. "