Listening to three men sing "Wee Go Potty" or "Nappin' Time," could make even the most cynical souls smile — or smirk. But for parents searching for G-rated entertainment this Memorial Day weekend, the children's band Rocknoceros promises to please Montgomery's munchkins with their show on Saturday at Rockville's 21st annual Hometown Holidays. The three-day event is a kiddie paradise, offering up multiple music acts, puppet shows, rides and loads of sticky sweets.

But back to Rocknoceros — pronounced like rhinoceros. The trio has no interest in reprising "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" and the like. Instead, it's all original songs, all the time.

They've even squeezed in some SAT words into their lyrics at the insistence of the band's vocalist and former English teacher David Cotton (Coach Cotton). And if that isn't enough education, their song "Pink," from their latest CD of the same name, incorporates lessons in both art and vocabulary.

"You get a little red and a little white and when it's used judiciously it looks out of sight."

They figure kids will hear the words, ask their parents the meaning and voila, no need for SAT prep classes in their future.

"They take their silliness very seriously and that's what makes them authentic in a very playful way," notes Mindy Thomas, program director of "Kids Place Live" on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio.

While the Fairfax, Va., ensemble might be compared to the down under band The Wiggles, minus the multitude of furry sidekicks, its members derive inspiration from the songs on the Beatles' classic album "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."

"Like the Beatles, Rocknoceros mixes a variety of songs and genres into their sets," explains Patrick Williams (WillieBob), who plays guitar, mandolin and banjo, kazoo and harmonica.

The 4-year old band will soon perform its 1,000th show. And in this short time, the musicians have been awarded two Wammies (Washington Area Music Awards) and burned a third CD, which can be heard on Sirius/XM.

"Rocknoceros is definitely a staple of ‘Kids Place Live.' I think they've cemented this status with the release of ‘Pink!'" says Thomas, "In fact, the title track hit's no. 1 on ‘The Kids Place Live 13 Under 13' countdown show this weekend."

The trio even hired an animator to create a Rocknoceros cartoon series and can be seen on Virginia's Cox Cable cartoon channel, reaching some 200,000 homes.

With so much happening, the guys are relaxed about Rockville's Hometown event — so relaxed they need to be ask, "Which show are we talking about?" But they have a valid excuse. Typically, Rocknoceros performs three to four times a week and on Saturday, they have an earlier gig in Annapolis. With this heavy workload, they rarely create a play list in advance.

"We wait and get a feel for our audience," Williams confesses.

No matter the songs, Cotton promises "high energy," figuring "in a festival setting, when you have people coming and going and maybe staying for one or two songs, we stay away from hushed songs."

But not always. Fan requests frequently surprise them. Often the wiggliest tots request the group to sing "Pluto," a quiet, sorrowful ode to the ninth rock from the sun losing its planet status, Written by band member Mark Cappani, the musician studied chemistry in college and worked in the computer business before giving it up for Rocknoceros.

With fame comes some pain. As the front man, Cotton takes on the dangerous task of plowing right into the masses of kids and their keepers, happily serenading and sitting cross-legged among his fans. It's usually fun, except for the time, when, amid the mÍlée, a youngster, while attempting to grab at Cotton's leg, aimed a little too far north caused the performer excruciating pain.

"I couldn't yell or run away quickly because I didn't want to stomp on the children. I just walked away slowly and continued to sing," Cotton recalls.

Two are fathers of young children and are sensitive to the needs of their audience members and their parents.

"None of us seeks out a hug. We do lots of high-fives, even to the babies. We always exercise caution."

Exactly why these musicians ever decided to become kiddie rock stars with groupies galore demands explanation. Once upon a time, six and a half years ago to be exact, Cotton, left his teaching and coaching jobs to become a stay-at-home papa; his wife is a government attorney. One Wednesday afternoon, he took his son to Jammin' Java in Vienna to watch an acoustic guitarist perform for a crowd of preschoolers. Cotton doesn't like to disparage other performers, insisting the local kiddie music biz is insular and feelings can get hurt. When pressed, the singer admits he knew he could do a better job.

Meanwhile, Williams was working the Adams Morgan music scene and making his "bread and butter" with "tuxedo bands" performing at high-end corporate events and fundraisers. When Cotton asked his high school buddy to join his band, Williams replied, "You're nuts." After some thought, he figured the day-time kid-oriented jobs might supplement his evening assignments nicely. Within months, elementary school chum Capponi was part of the mix either playing keyboard or the accordion, all the while thumping a kick and snare drum set at his feet.

With the members of this trio approaching age 40, some might be surprised that these suburban Fairfax, Va., homeboys have reinvented themselves into rock stars for the way underage crowd.

And they have big plans. The guys are using Facebook, Myspace, Reverbnation, their own Web site (www.rocknoceros.com) and e-letters to get the word out. Next, they hope to pitch their cartoon to networks.

For now, they are entertaining the tot to almost 'tween set, and even better, Williams proudly proclaims that now college kids are now requesting their CDs too.

Rocknoceros will perform from 4 to 5 p.m. on Saturday at Rockville Town Center, bounded by Monroe Street, Middle Lane, Maryland Avenue and West Montgomery Avenue in downtown Rockville. Admission is free. Call 240-314-5000.