Jingle Bells...lyrics, music, a game and some crafts

JINGLE BELLS

 The song that we now know as Jingle Bells was originally titled "One Horse Open Sleigh". It was written in 1857 by James Lord Pierpont. 
The chorus and the first verse are the most sung and best known part of the song.

Dashing through the snow
In a one horse open sleigh
O'er the fields we go
Laughing all the way
Bells on bob tails ring
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to laugh and sing
A sleighing song tonight

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh

The song has also inspired many illustrators. You can find an illustrated version of Jingle Bells that calls to you and your child. 

 Related Activites:

Make Jingle Bells.....

These simple bells made of egg cartons, pipe cleaners and jingle bells were found at Fantastic Fun and Learning.com check here for full directions












 For a fancy wearable Jingle Bell Bracelet, use almost the same materials minus the egg carton and add a few fancy pipe cleaners. Spoonful .com has directions for three versions including the one below:

Play Bell Horses a fun musical game (Click here to see earlier post)

 Here are a couple of versions of Jingle Bells. The first version is very simple for kids to learn.







The kids will enjoy color this music sheet:

found at thegraphicsfairy.com

Grandpa's Garden..... a Book Look

Summer is almost here! And many of us are thinking about things that grow and planning to start our own gardens. 
Grandpa's Garden written by Stella Fry and illustrated by Sheila Moxley is a great book to read to kids at this time of year.
It tells the story of a boy and his grandfather and their time spent together in Grandpa's garden. The pictures are vibrant and charming with just enough detail. The author does a wonderful job balancing facts about gardening with the telling of a lovely story.

The description from the Barefoot Book site says:

Grandpa's Garden

"This beautifully told story follows Billy from early spring to late summer as he helps his grandpa on his vegetable patch. They dig the hard ground, sow rows of seeds, and keep them watered and safe from slugs. When harvest time arrives they can pick all the vegetables and fruit they have grown.

 Children will be drawn in by the poetry of the language and the warm illustrations, while also catching the excitement of watching things grow!Ages 3 to 7 year"

The end of the book includes helpful information about Planning Your Vegetable Patch.
There are also pages about what grandpa does throughout the 4 seasons with tips for the reader.
For example:  Grandpa's Winter and Things to do in Winter.

For more story extension ideas, I've listed 2 finger play/movement activities and a number of links:

I Dig,  Dig, Dig

I dig, dig, dig  (pretend to dig)

And I plant some seeds. (stoop down and pretend to plant seeds)

I rake, rake, rake (make raking motions)

And I pull some weeds. (pretend to pull weeds)

I wait and watch (stoop down and look at ground)

And soon I know. ( still stooping, nod head)

My garden spouts (raise hands above head and stand up as if growing)

And starts to grow.

 

The Flower

If I were a flower (stoop down and cover head)

Sleeping underneath the ground, (stay stooping)

I'd raise my head and grow and grow, (slowly raise up from the floor)

And stretch my petals and grow and grow, (raise your arms to the sky)

And nod my head and say (nod and smile)

"I'm glad to see you all today!"

10 Unique Gardening Activities for kids from Codename: Mama

If you don't have a lot of space or time you might think about starting a Container Herb Garden

Study insects: Grandpa's Garden mentions several insects including Ladybugs and Hoverflies.

Growing a waterCRESS head is a fun and simple activity

For more gardening with kids or outdoor activity ideas checkout my Kids, Nature and Gardening Pinterest board

Who Stole the Bird's Nest?, a poem by Lydia Maria Child

Lydia Maria Child, who is best known for her poem, Over the River and Through the Woods, the famous Thanksgiving poem, also wrote many other poems and was an abolitionist, a women's right activist, and Indian rights activist as well as a novelist and journalist.

 

WHO STOLE THE BIRD'S NEST?

LYDIA MARIA CHILD

"To-whit! to-whit! to-whee!
Will you listen to me?
Who stole four eggs I laid,
And the nice nest I made?"

"Not I," said the cow, "Moo-oo!
Such a thing I'd never do.
I gave you a wisp of hay,
But didn't take your nest away.
Not I," said the cow, "Moo-oo!
[376]Such a thing I'd never do."

"To-whit! to-whit! to-whee!
Will you listen to me?
Who stole four eggs I laid,
And the nice nest I made?"

"Bob-o'-link! Bob-o'-link!
Now what do you think?
Who stole a nest away
From the plum-tree, to-day?"

"Not I," said the dog, "Bow-wow!
I wouldn't be so mean, anyhow!
I gave the hairs the nest to make,
But the nest I did not take.
Not I," said the dog, "Bow-wow!
I'm not so mean, anyhow."

"To-whit! to-whit! to-whee!
Will you listen to me?
Who stole four eggs I laid,
And the nice nest I made?"

"Bob-o'-link! Bob-o'-link!
Now what do you think?
Who stole a nest away
From the plum-tree, to-day?"

"Coo-coo! Coo-coo! Coo-coo!
Let me speak a word, too!
Who stole that pretty nest
From little yellow-breast?"

"Not I," said the sheep; "oh, no!
I wouldn't treat a poor bird so.
I gave wool the nest to line,
But the nest was none of mine.
Baa! Baa!" said the sheep; "oh, no,
I wouldn't treat a poor bird so."

"To-whit! to-whit! to-whee!
Will you listen to me?
Who stole four eggs I laid,
And the nice nest I made?"

"Bob-o'-link! Bob-o'-link!
Now what do you think?
Who stole a nest away
From the plum-tree, to-day?"

"Coo-coo! Coo-coo! Coo-coo!
Let me speak a word, too!
Who stole that pretty nest
From little yellow-breast?"

"Caw! Caw!" cried the crow;
"I should like to know
What thief took away
A bird's nest to-day?"

"Cluck! Cluck!" said the hen;
"Don't ask me again,
Why, I haven't a chick
Would do such a trick.
We all gave her a feather,
And she wove them together.
I'd scorn to intrude
On her and her brood.
Cluck! Cluck!" said the hen,
"Don't ask me again."

"Chirr-a-whirr! Chirr-a-whirr!
All the birds make a stir!
Let us find out his name,
And all cry 'For shame!'"

"I would not rob a bird,"
Said little Mary Green;
"I think I never heard
Of anything so mean."

"It is very cruel, too,"
Said little Alice Neal;
"I wonder if he knew
How sad the bird would feel?"

A little boy hung down his head,
And went and hid behind the bed,
For he stole that pretty nest
From poor little yellow-breast;
And he felt so full of shame,
He didn't like to tell his name.

Related  Activities:

 Look at a Birds Nest is a PDF with a whole slew of Bird's Nest activities

My Backyard has some great Bird Watching activities for kids
 
Education dot com has directions for going outside and making a "real" birds nest

Here's a recipe called Bird's Nest which is basically a fried egg in a toast "nest"


 Make a Spaghetti Birds Nest (Non-edible)
 found at http://www.busybeekidscrafts.com/Spaghetti-Nest.html

Here's what you'll need...
• Spaghetti, cooked and cool
• Paint
• Glue
• 2 Bowls
• Spoon
• Wax paper
• Paper plates (optional)


Here's how you make it...
1. Line your bowl with wax paper. Make sure your bowl will mold a big enough nest for what you want to put in it!


2. Mix 1 Tablespoon of Glue with 1 Tablespoon of paint in a bowl. Add 1 Cup of cooked, cooled spaghetti and stir until the spaghetti is covered (if you want to use more or less spaghetti just remember, one part glue, one part paint). If you are using more than one color just place one color on a paper plate or wax paper and clean out your bowl and mix another color.


3. Line your bowl with spaghetti, one or two pieces at a time. Try to arrange the spaghetti up the sides of the bowl, so that your eggs will sit in it.

4. Put your nest up on a shelf to dry. The amount of time your nest will take to dry and harden depends on the size of your nest. At the very least it will take a day, for larger nests it will take 2 or more. You can speed up the drying process by taking off the wax paper once the 'top' of the nest has dried, so that the bottom can get some air and harden.

Kamishibai Man

 Kamishibai Man written and illustrated by Caldacott Award winner Allen Say is a beautifully drawn and told tale of a time when these special men plied their trade on the streets of Japan.                                                    Kamishibai pronounced kah-MEE-shee-bye, means "paper drama" in Japanese. Kamishibai was a popular form of street storytelling in Japan during the late 1920's until the early 1950's. The Kamishibai man was primarily a candy seller. He used storytelling to entice the children to his "store". He then entertained them with his stories. Kamishibai uses illustrated story cards that are slid into a wooden frame which serves as the "stage".  The Kamishibai man frequently told the stories in serial form leaving his patrons with a cliffhanger ending which encouraged them to come see him the next time he came to their area.

Allen Say's Kamishibai Man is his way of remembering the kamishibai men of his childhood. A review of this book at Kamishibai.com says:

"The Kamishibai Man of this story is called simply Jiichan, meaning Grandpa: he belongs to all children who will listen to his stories. His wife is Baachan, Grandma; and she too has an important role, albeit behind the scenes: she makes the sweets that Jiichan hands out to his audience. As the book unfolds, the story shifts almost imperceptibly from the present to the past and his reminiscences of kamishibai themselves become the theater's storyboards. He takes us, his readers, with him as his audience and lulls us with these reminiscences - until we are jolted back into the present by the shouts from the audience in the story-an audience not of children but of adults reglimpsing their lost childhood."   Marjorie Coughlan, June 2006 PaperTigers Reader  www.papertigers.org

To learn more about Kamishibai, you can take a look at storyteller Diane De Las Casas' book Kamishibai Story Theater: The Art of Picture Telling

the following websites can also help you with the history and application of kamishibai:

www.kamishibai.com -  this site gives the history of kamishibai, sells story cards and the wooden stage/frame

www.kamishibai.org  - this is a fairly new site in the UK

www.thestorybike.com -  this site is about a Vermont Kamishibai project

http://www.primaryteachers.org/japan_books.htm - this teacher site features a number of Japanese tales in picture book form as well as information on kamishibai

 The following videos are very helpful in telling what Kamishibai is and in showing it used.

Story extension activity:

Have the children create their own Kamishibai story cards. They can draw pictures on regular paper and then glue them to the front of a piece of cardboard or card stock. You can then write the story action on the back of the cards. 

Only 3 Hours Left! Combining Storytelling and Crafts!

Hand Knit and Crocheted "anything" Finger Puppets

 I call these "Anything" puppets because they are not made to represent any specific animal or person. They are "anything" you imagine them to be.
These are available as a reward on my Kickstarter Project.
I will have directions on how to make them soon!

This Old Man aka Knick-Knack Paddy Whack

"This old man he played one. He played knick knack on my thumb. With a knick knack paddy whack, give a dog a bone, this old man came rolling home!"

This Old Man is a very popular nursery rhyme.
It's fun to sing or chant, focuses on rhyming and counting and has been used as the basis for many picture books.

Below is the video version of the book Knick Knack Paddy Whack by Christiane Engel.






Knick-Knack Paddy Whack aka This Old Man Activities:

Make a Song Rebus for This Old Man. Check this one at Enchanted Learning

 Rhyming Words: Point out the rhyming words in the song. Notice the difference in the rhymes used in the traditional version of the song and the rhymes used in the video version. Have the children make up their own number rhymes.

Expand the Rhyme: Make up rhymes up to the number 20 and beyond.

Make up a Story and Act it out: Why is the Old Man playing one...etc? What happens when he is finished?

Read a Different version of the song: Get a copy of  This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt. Ehrhardt's "old man" really swings the song. Here's an example:

"This jazz man, he plays one,
He plays rhythm with his thumb,
With a snap! snap! snazzy-snap!
Give the man a hand,
This jazz man scats with the band."

The lyrics below are just one version of This Old Man:

This old man, he played one
He played knick-knack on my thumb
With a knick-knack patty-whack, give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home

This old man, he played two
He played knick-knack on my shoe
With a knick-knack patty-whack, give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home

This old man, he played three
He played knick-knack on my knee
With a knick-knack patty-whack, give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home

This old man, he played four
He played knick-knack on my door
With a knick-knack patty-whack, give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home

This old man, he played five
He played knick-knack on my hive
With a knick-knack patty-whack, give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home

This old man, he played six
He played knick-knack on my sticks
With a knick-knack patty-whack, give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home

This old man, he played seven
He played knick-knack up in heaven
With a knick-knack patty-whack, give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home

This old man, he played eight
He played knick-knack on my gate
With a knick-knack patty-whack, give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home

This old man, he played nine
He played knick-knack on my spine
With a knick-knack patty-whack, give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home

This old man, he played ten
He played knick-knack once again
With a knick-knack patty-whack, give a dog a bone
This old man came rolling home

A Storytelling Chair

 Hmm... maybe that should be, a chair for storytelling?

I saw this chair while cruising the net (hit the wrong keys and there it was) and thought it was really cute. I just wish it looked a little more comfortable but I do love the idea.

Cute New Years Songs to Sing with Kids!

Happy 2012!! Here are a few simple songs to sing welcoming the new year....


New Year's Day


(Sung to the tune of "Jingle Bells")
New Year's Day, New Year's Day

Comes but once a year.

On New Year's Eve we celebrate

And ring it in with cheer!


New Year's Day, New Year's Day

Comes but once a year.

On New Year's Eve we celebrate

And ring it in with cheer!

Author Unknown


Happy New Year

(Sung to the tune of "Are You Sleeping?")
Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

2012!
2012!

Good-bye to the old year!

Hello to the new year!

2012!
2012!
Author Unknown

A New Year Has Begun

(Sung to the tune of "She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain")
There's a new year on our calendar today…

(Shout) 2012!

There's a new year on our calendar today…

(Shout) 2012!

There's a new year on our calendar,

A year to grow and learn much more.

There's a new year on our calendar today--

(Shout) 2012!

Author Unknown


Brand New Year

(Sung to the tune of "Do You Know the Muffin Man?")

Now we have a brand new year,

A brand new year, a brand new year.

Now we have a brand new year.

2012's begun.

Author Unknown

The Little Yellow Tulip.....story and activities

THE LITTLE YELLOW TULIP

Once there was a little yellow Tulip, and she lived down in a little dark house under the ground. One day she was sitting there, all by herself, and it was very still. Suddenly, she heard a little tap, tap, tap, at the door.

"Who is that?" she said.

"It's the Rain, and I want to come in," said a soft, sad, little voice.

"No, you can't come in," the little Tulip said.

By and by she heard another little tap, tap, tap on the window-pane.

"Who is there?" she said.

The same soft little voice answered, "It's the Rain, and I want to come in!"

"No, you can't come in," said the little Tulip.

Then it was very still for a long time. At last, there came a little rustling, whispering sound, all round the window: rustle, whisper, whisper.

"Who is there?" said the little Tulip.

"It's the Sunshine," said a little, soft, cheery voice, "and I want to come in!"

"N—no," said the little Tulip, "you can't come in." And she sat still again.

Pretty soon she heard the sweet little rustling noise at the keyhole.

"Who is there?" she said.

"It's the Sunshine," said the cheery little voice, "and I want to come in, I want to come in!"

"No, no," said the little Tulip, "you cannot come in."

By and by, as she sat so still, she heard tap, tap, tap, and rustle, whisper, rustle, up and down the window-pane, and on the door and at the keyhole.

"Who is there?" she said.

"It's the Rain and the Sun, the Rain and the Sun," said two little voices, together, "and we want to come in! We want to come in! We want to come in!"

"Dear, dear!" said the little Tulip, "if there are two of you, I s'pose I shall have to let you in."

So she opened the door a little wee crack, and in they came. And one took one of her little hands, and the other took her other little hand, and they ran, ran, ran with her right up to the top of the ground. Then they said,—

"Poke your head through!"

So she poked her head through; and she was in the midst of a beautiful garden. It was early springtime, and few other flowers were to be seen; but she had the birds to sing to her and the sun to shine upon her pretty yellow head. She was so pleased, too, when the children exclaimed with pleasure that now they knew that the beautiful spring had come!

from Stories to Tell Children,Fifty-Four Stories With Some Suggestions For Telling by Sara Cone Bryant


Make a simple Tulip life-cycle book

Make Tulip. Stick Puppets...all you need are sticks_you can gather some from outside or use craft sticks; paper to make the flowers and leaves; glue; markers or crayons and pictures of tulips that the kids can use for inspiration

Act out the story...
Have .children play the parts of the Yellow Tulip, the Rain and the Sun. You could also stretch the play to include children admiring the flower as it blooms.

World Read Aloud Day.....March 9, 2011

Wednesday, March 9, 2011 is World Read Aloud Day.
WRAD was started by LitWorld.
LitWorld is an international non-profit organization, whose goal is to

"...cultivate literacy leaders worldwide through transformational literacy experiences that build connection, understanding, resilience and strength. We work with teachers, parents, community members, and children to support the development of literacy and the redemptive power of story in the world's most vulnerable communities."

All over the U.S. there are groups and individuals planning reading activities.  LitWorld is even hosting a 24-Hour Read-Aloud Marathon all day on March 9 in Times Square. Check your area to see if there are any activities planned or plan youe own World Read Aloud Day celebration.

Check out some of my previous blogs for book ideas and activities.

LitWorld's Reading Decree (this statement is found on LitWorld's Blog to be used by anyone hosting a WRAD event)

Today is World Read Aloud Day.
We are uniting our voices in cities and communities across the globe.
We celebrate the power of stories and words to change worlds.
We join our voices for quality literacy education for every child worldwide.
Today 774 million people cannot read or write. They are denied the joy and light of reading every day.
Education is a human right and a means to attaining other human rights that we declare to be universal.
Literacy education improves the health of children and families, spurs economic growth and advances equality.
For many children worldwide, quality education is the difference between life and death, between hope and despair and being able to make the most of one’s potential. This is our opportunity to give voice to the future.
By coming together and raising our voices on this day, we show the world’s children that we support their lives: that they have the right to read, to write and to share their stories to change the world.
Today I pledge my passion for quality education and my support for the cause of literacy. I encourage everyone to take part in this day and this cause.        As a representative of my community, I will continue to advocate for the causes most important to us and I encourage all of you to join me in the fight for our children and all children’s futures.
In observance of World Read Aloud Day, I invite you to take a moment to think about what you would miss most if you could not read or write.
It’s time for all of us to join the global literacy movement. Through our voices we can be free and be part of words changing worlds.

Whoa Mule!!!

A fun and easy traditional call and response song..... done by Lomax the Hound of Music



Lyrics to Lomax's version of 
Whoa Mule! (Can’t Get the Saddle On!)


Whoa mule!

KIDS: Can’t get the saddle on!

Whoa mule!

KIDS: Can’t get the saddle on!

Catch that mule!

KIDS: Can’t get the saddle on!

Catch that mule!

KIDS: Can’t get the saddle on!

Ride that mule!

KIDS: Can’t get the saddle on!

Ride that mule!

KIDS: Can’t get the saddle on!

Run mule!

KIDS: Can’t get the saddle on!

Run mule!

KIDS: Can’t get the saddle on!

Musical Monday..... I'm Proud to be Me!

This is a song/poem that I learned while working at a summer camp in Alaska.
I researched it and as far as I can tell the song to be of unknown origins.
It's a great song for kids about diversity and tolerance.
I wish I could sing it for you but it would work as a sort of up tempo chant. Experiment with it.

 

I"m Proud to be Me

I'm proud to be me but I also see
You're just as proud to be you.
We might look at things a bit differently
But lots of good people do.

That's just human nature
So why should I hate you
For being as human as I?

We get what we give.
If we live and let live
We'll both get along if we try.

I'm proud to be me, and I also see
You're just as proud to be you.

It's true!

You're just as proud to be you!



Unknown author