PLAYING FOR LAUGHS\Imaginative tunes keeps children enthralled in Simi.

Byline: Alicia Doyle Daily News Staff Writer

Songwriter Dan Crow is no ordinary grown-up, which might explain why the 47-year-old can make a living writing songs about kissing a cow and spilling pumpkin pie.

"I feel like I'm 11," said Crow, a children's performer who sang for nearly 300 students and their parents Friday at Santa Susana Elementary School. "I've been doing this for over 20 years, and I still feel like a kid every time."

A composer who performs 250 shows a year nationwide, Crow thrives on love from his fans, as do most entertainers.

Except that his followers are happier clapping to tunes about the three R's than jumping in a mosh pit.

"It's the kids' laughter that keeps me going," said Crow, whose light-hearted songs emphasize language usage. "I'm a silly person at heart. I love seeing them enjoy that."

Hundreds of children, stomping their feet and singing along to Crow's antics, quickly grew attached Friday to the man who makes silly faces and is often seen in Wrangler jeans and worn cowboy boots.

Even the handful of special education preschoolers - some with severe physical and mental disabilities - spent the morning laughing at Crow's melodies.

"He can reach any child. He knows how kids talk and what's funny to them," said Principal Shari Wohlstattar. "They just love him."

Crow, a Hermosa Beach resident, has written and recorded eight albums of original songs for children. His classic "sound songs" - which teach children homonyms, collective nouns and vowels - have sold more than 100,000 copies.

Crow has received two Parents Choice Gold Awards for his work in the children's entertainment industry. He has also written numerous songs for Disney films and the Disney Channel, including songs for "Dumbo's Circus" and "Welcome to Pooh Corner" and the theme songs for "The Adventures of Milo and Otis" and "Bambi."

His songs have been widely recorded by other children's performers and have been translated into five languages.

A former elementary school teacher, Crow writes songs to make learning a language easier - and sometimes to make life easier for parents and their children.

For instance, in his song "Oops," Crow sings about spilling things, "which children often do."

In another song, the artist sings about a child in a wheelchair. In "Yambo," Crow sings about world peace.

"What I'm trying to do is let them have fun with language," said Crow. "I try to do this by singing songs that stimulate their imagination."

Crow and his wife, married for 23 years, decided long ago not to have children of their own.

"I travel a lot, and we didn't think it was a good idea," Crow said.

But with thousands of children on his coattails, Crow never has an empty space to fill in his heart.

"These are my kids," he said.

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Photo (1--SIMI and CONEJO--color in SIMI) Dan Crow entertains children at Santa Susana Elementary School. (2--SIMI and CONEJO--color in SIMI) Tyler Pace, left, and Rosendo Venegas are hooked on Crow's humor. Dusty Locke/Special to the Daily News