ACollection!of!Stories,!Rhymes!,andSongs!sharedin! The ... ·...

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A Collection of Stories, Rhymes ,and Songs shared in The Songbird’s Classroom

2014-2015

SEPTEMBER CIRCLE TIME (Language, Music, and Movement Curriculum)

Song:

Build the house up, brick by brick, Build the house up, brick by brick, Brick by brick, brick by brick,

Higher and higher, tighter and tighter, Higher and higher, tighter and tighter.

Point the chimney to the sky. Here is the roof, here is the floor, Here is the pretty yellow door.

(Here is where the mother bakes the bread)(Here is where the mother makes the porridge)

Clapping Game: Pat-‐a-‐cake, pat-‐a-‐cake, baker’s man!

Bake me a cake as fast as you can: Pat it, and roll it, and mark it with a “B.” And put it in the oven for Baby and me. Clapping Game: Pease porridge cold,

Pease porridge hot, Pease porridge in the pot nine days old,

Some like it hot, some like it cold, Some like it in the pot nine days old.

Verse: While mother bakes,

the baby waits in her rocking bed, She rocks to the right, she rocks to the left, She rocks to the right, she rocks to the left.

Now hush-‐a-‐bye and don’t you cry. Here comes a puppy with shining eye.

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He runs and he rollicks and he wiggles his tail. He runs and he rollicks and he wiggles his tail.

Oh what does he see? A mouse that creeps through the house…

Verse: Five little mice on the pantry floor,

Searching for breadcrumbs or something more; Five little mice on the shelf up high, Feasting so daintily on a pie –

But the big round eyes of the wise old cat See what the five little mice are at.

Quickly she jumps! – but the mice run away, And hide in their snug little holes all day. “Feasting in pantries may be very nice;

But home is the best!” say the five little mice….

Game: (some children are cats, others are mice) Song: The old grey cats are sleeping, sleeping, sleeping.

The old grey cats are sleeping, in the house. The little mice are creeping, creeping, creeping,

The little mice are creeping in the house. The little mice are eating, eating, eating, The little mice are eating in the house.

The old grey cats are waking, waking, waking, The old grey cats are waking in the house.

The little mice are running, running, running, The little mice are running in the house.

Spoken: In their holes the mice now rest, safe inside their little nests.

TRANSITION SONGS/FINGERPLAYS

Verse: 1,2,3,4,5 Catching fishes all alive,

6,7,8,9,10 Then I let them go again.

But why did you let them go? Because they bit my finger so! Which finger did they bite? The little one on the right.

Verse: Little drops of water,

Little grains of sand, Make a mighty ocean, And a pleasant land.

Song: Yellow the bracken,

Golden the sheaves,

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Rosy the apples, Crimson the leaves. Mist on the hillside,

Clouds grey and white, Autumn good morning, Summer good night.

SEPTEMBER STORIES & PUPPET SHOWS

THE LITTLE RED HEN

Anonymous (Sept. 8th-‐19th)

A little red hen was looking for something to eat.

She found some grains of wheat. She said,

“Cluck, cluck! These seeds I’ll sow. The sun will shine The wind will blow; And many days Of sun and rain

Will make each one A head of grain.

“Who will help me sow the seeds?” asked Little Red Hen.

“Quack, Quack, not I,” said the duck “Squeak, Squeak, not I,” said the mouse. And “Oink, oink, not I” said the pig.

“Then I will sow it myself,” said the Little Red Hen.

And she did.

When the grain was ready to reap, Little Red Hen said, “Cluck, cluck!

These seeds I’ll sow. The sun will shine The wind will blow; And many days Of sun and rain

Will make each one A head of grain.

“Who will help me reap the wheat?” asked Little Red Hen.

“Quack, Quack, not I,” said the duck “Squeak, Squeak, not I,” said the mouse. And “Oink, oink, not I” said the pig.

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“Then I will reap it myself,” said the Little Red Hen.

And she did.

When the wheat was reaped, Little Red Hen said, “The windmill’s arms Go round and round, And so the grain To flour is ground; Now I must take

The wheat to the mill, Across the field And up the hill.

“Who will help me take the grain to the mill?” asked Little Red Hen.

“Quack, Quack, not I,” said the duck “Squeak, Squeak, not I,” said the mouse.

And “Oink, oink, not I” said the pig, “uh, uh.” “Then I will take it to the mill myself,” said the Little Red Hen.

And she did.

When the wheat was ground, Little Red Hen said, “Now I’m ready The bread to bake, Then I’ll make A nice, big cake. I sowed, I reaped, I ground the wheat;

Now I’ll have plenty of bread And cake to eat.

“Who will help me eat the cake?” asked Little Red Hen.

“Quack, quack, I will,” said the duck. “Squeak, squeak, I will,” said the mouse.

And “Oink, oink, me too,” said the pig, “yummy!” “Well, I sowed the wheat, I reaped the wheat, and ground the wheat myself, and so I think

I’ll eat the cake all by myself as well.” And that is just what she did.

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“Snip Snap Snout this tale is told out”

SWEET PORRIDGE German Folktale (Sept. 22-‐Oct. 3)

There was once a good, but poor little girl who lived alone with her mother at the edge of a forest. One day they ran out of food to eat and so the child went into the forest to see what she might find. There she met an old woman, who, knowing how poor she was, gave her a little pot and told her what to do with it: “If you say, ‘Cook, little pot, cook’ it will make good, hot, sweet millet porridge, and if you say ‘stop, little pot, stop’ it will stop cooking.” The child brought the pot home to her mother, and after that they had no further need to worry about poverty and hunger, for they could eat sweet, hot, millet porridge as often as they liked. One day when the little girl was out, the mother said, “Cook, little pot, cook.” The pot cooked and she ate her fill, but when she wanted the pot to stop cooking, the porridge overflowed and still it went on cooking. Soon the kitchen and the whole house were full, and then the house next door and the whole street, and the pot went right on cooking as if it wanted to feed the whole world. The distress was great and no one knew what to do. Finally, when there was only a single house left without any porridge in it, the child came home and said: “Stop, little pot, stop.” It stopped cooking, but anyone who wanted to go back to town had to eat his way in with a spoon.

The End

OCTOBER CIRCLE TIME

(Start with stretching game/yoga poses, children can share ideas: cobra, mountain, tree, bird, butterfly…)

Clapping Game: Down, down, yellow and brown The leaves are falling all over the town. (3x)

Song: Leaves are falling,

Leaves are falling, One fell on my nose. Leaves are falling, Leaves are falling, One fell on my toes.

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Leaves are falling, Leaves are falling, One fell on my head. Leaves are falling, Leaves are falling,

Yellow, brown, and red

Verse: The leaves are green, the apples red, They hang so high above our head.

Leave them along until frosty weather, And they’ll all come down all together.

Look at all the apples on the ground. Let’s pick them up they are so round!

Song: A tisket, a tasket, apples in my basket (4x)

Verse: Now let’s make an apple pie, get out your cutting boards and sharpen your knives.

We chop, we chop , we chop the apples so: chopchop, chopchop, chopchop We roll, we roll, we roll the pastry so: rollroll, rollroll, rollroll

We crimp, we crimp, we crimp the edges so: crimpcrimp, crimpcrimp, crimpcrimp, We bake, we bake, we bake the pie just so: bakebake, bakebake, bakebake,

We eat, we eat, we eat the pie just so: yumyum, yumyum, yumyum That pie was scrumdiddlyumptious!

1st and 2nd week Game: (pass pumpkin around circle) Song: Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater, Had a wife and couldn’t keep her, He put her in a pumpkin shell, And there he kept her very well. 2nd and 3rd week Song: (to the tune of Frere Jacques) Bats are sleeping, bats are sleeping, Upside down, upside down. When it is nighttime, when it is nighttime Then they fly around. (2x) Mr. Pumpkin, Mr. Pumpkin Eyes so round, eyes so round.

Halloween is coming, Halloween is coming, To our town, to our town! (2x)


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Song: Blow wind, blow And go mill go! That the miller may grind the corn, That the baker may take it, And into bread bake it, And bring us a loaf in the morning, And bring us a loaf in the morning Song: On the farmer’s apple tree, (Three) red apples I can see, Some for you and some for me, Pick one apple from the apple tree. On the farmer’s apple tree, (Two) red apples I can see, Some for you and some for me, Pick one apple from the apple tree. On the farmer’s apple tree, (One) red apple I can see, Some for you and some for me,

Pick on apple from the apple tree. On the farmer’s apple tree, No red apples I can see, None for you and none for me, No more apples of the apple tree. Verse: Fishes in the water, Birds in the air, Rocks on the land, I’m in good hands. Song: Jack-‐lantern, jack-‐o-‐lantern, You are such a funny sight, As you sit there in the window, Looking out at the night. You were once a yellow pumpkin, Growing on a study vine, Now you are a Jack-‐o-‐lantern, Let your candlelight shine

OCTOBER STORIES & PUPPET SHOWS

THE TEENY-TINY WOMAN

English Folktale (Oct. 6th-‐Oct. 15th)

ONCE upon a time there was a teeny-‐tiny woman who lived in a teeny-‐tiny house in a teeny-‐tiny village. Now, one day this teeny-‐tiny woman put on her teeny-‐tiny bonnet, and went out of her teeny-‐tiny house to take a teeny-‐tiny walk. And when this teeny-‐tiny woman had gone a teeny-‐tiny way, she came to a teeny-‐tiny gate; so the teeny-‐tiny woman opened the teeny-‐tiny gate, and went into a teeny-‐tiny churchyard. And when this teeny-‐tiny woman had got into the teeny-‐tiny churchyard, she saw a teeny-‐tiny bone on a teeny-‐tiny grave, and the teeny-‐tiny woman said to her teeny-‐tiny self, "This teeny-‐tiny bone will make me some teeny-‐tiny soup for my teeny-‐tiny supper." So the teeny-‐tiny woman put the teeny-‐tiny bone into her teeny-‐tiny pocket, and went home to her teeny-‐tiny house. Now when the teeny-‐tiny woman got home to her teeny-‐tiny house, she was a teeny-‐tiny tired; so she went up her teeny-‐tiny stairs to her teeny-‐tiny bed, and put the teeny-‐tiny bone into a teeny-‐tiny cupboard. And when this teeny-‐tiny woman had been to sleep a teeny-‐tiny time, she was awakened by a teeny-‐tiny voice from the teeny-‐tiny cupboard, which said, "Give me back my bone!" And this teeny-‐tiny woman was a teeny-‐tiny frightened, so she hid her teeny-‐tiny head under the teeny-‐tiny clothes, and went to sleep again. And when she had been to sleep again a teeny-‐tiny time, the teeny-‐tiny voice again cried out from the teeny-‐tiny cupboard a teeny-‐tiny louder, "Give me back my bone!" This made the teeny-‐tiny woman a teeny-‐tiny more frightened, so she hid her teeny-‐tiny head a teeny-‐tiny further under the teeny-‐tiny clothes. And when the teeny-‐tiny woman had been to sleep again a teeny-‐tiny time, the teeny-‐tiny voice from the teeny-‐tiny cupboard said

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again a teeny-‐tiny louder, "Give me back my bone!" And this teeny-‐tiny woman was a teeny-‐tiny bit more frightened, but she put her teeny-‐tiny head out of the teeny-‐tiny clothes, and said in her loudest teeny-‐tiny voice, "Take it!" The End.

THE LITTLE OLD LADY WHO WAS NOT AFRAID OF ANYTHING By Linda Williams

(Halloween Play, Children choose article of clothing) (Oct. 16th-‐Oct. 27th)

Once upon a time, there was a little old lady who was not afraid of anything! One windy afternoon the little old lady left her cottage and went for a walk in the forest to collect herbs and spices, nuts and seeds.

She walked so long and so far that it started to get dark. There was only a sliver of moon shining through the night. The little old lady started to walk home. When suddenly she stopped! Right in the middle of the path were two big shoes. And the shoes went CLOMP CLOMP. Get out of my way, you two big shoes! I'm not afraid of you. On she walked down the path. But behind her she could hear: two shoes go CLOMP, CLOMP.

A little farther on, the little old lady stumbled into a pair of pants. And the pants went WIGGLE, WIGGLE. Get out of my way, you pair of pants. I'm not afraid of you. On she walked, but behind her she could hear: two shoes go CLOMP, CLOMP, one pair of pants go WIGGLE, WIGGLE.

Farther still, the little old lady bumped into a shirt. And the shirt went SHAKE, SHAKE. Get out of my way, you silly shirt! I'm not afraid of you. On she walked, a little bit faster. But behind her she could hear: two pair of shoes go CLOMP, CLOMP, one pair of pants go WIGGLE, WIGGLE, and one shirt went SHAKE, SHAKE.

A little way on, the old lady came upon two white gloves and a tall black hat. And the gloves went CLAP, CLAP. And the hat went NOD, NOD. Get out of my way, you two white gloves and you tall black hat! I'm not afraid of you! On she walked, just a little bit faster. But behind her she could hear: two shoes go CLOMP, CLOMP, one pair of pants go WIGGLE, WIGGLE, one shirt went SHAKE, SHAKE, two gloves go CLAP, CLAP, and one hat went NOD, NOD.

By now the little old lady was walking at quite a fast pace. She was very near her cottage when she was startled by a very huge, very orange, very scary pumpkin head! And the head went: BOO, BOO! This time the little old lady did not stop to talk. She did not stop at all. She RAN! But behind her she could hear: two shoes go CLOMP, CLOMP, one pair of pants go WIGGLE, WIGGLE, one shirt went SHAKE, SHAKE, two gloves go CLAP, CLAP and one hat went NOD, NOD. Pumpkin: And one scary pumpkin head go BOO, BOO!

The little old lady did not look back. She ran as fast as she could and didn't catch her breath until she was safe inside her cottage with the door locked. She sat in her chair by the fire and she rocked and she rocked. It was so quiet in her cottage before the KNOCK, KNOCK on the door. Should she answer it? Well, she was not afraid of anything. So she went to the door and opened it. What do you think she saw?

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Two shoes go CLOMP, CLOMP, one pair of pants go WIGGLE, WIGGLE, one shirt went SHAKE, SHAKE, two gloves go CLAP, CLAP, one hat went NOD, NOD and one scary pumpkin head go BOO, BOO!

I'm not afraid of you. What do you want anyway? We've come to scare you. You can't scare me! Then what's to become of us? The pumpkin head suddenly looked unhappy. I have an idea. She whispered into the pumpkin's ear. The pumpkin nodded and its face seemed to brighten. The little old lady said good night, closed the door, and whistled on her way to bed.

The next morning she woke up early. She went to her window and looked out into

her garden. And what do you think she saw? Two shoes go CLOMP, CLOMP, one pair of pants go WIGGLE, WIGGLE, one shirt go SHAKE, SHAKE, two gloves go CLAP, CLAP, one hat go NOD, NOD, and one very scary pumpkin head go BOO, BOO. And scare all the crows away.

THE GREEN LIZARD By Harry Thurston Peck

(Oct. 28th-‐ Nov. 4th)

ONCE upon a time there was a little girl named Mabel, who lived in a cottage with her Grandma, and her baby brother Walter. The cottage was not very near any other houses, but was-‐ away out beyond the village and near a large wood. The wood was very big, and the trees in it were great tall trees all covered with leaves, and having thick vines around them, so that even in the middle of the day it was shady and cool; and when the sun began to go down it was so dark that you could hardly see. One day, late in the afternoon, a few days before Halloween, Mabel grew tired of playing with her dolls, so she got a little basket and said to Grandma: "Grandma, may I go down in the woods and see if I can find some herbs, nut, or berries for supper? " "It's pretty late," said Grandma; "but you can go if you won't wander too far away and be out after dark. You know, Mabel, there are animals in the woods that might hurt you; and they come out from their caves as soon as it begins to grow dark." "Oh, I'm not afraid of animals!” said Mabel; "and I won't be late. I'll pick you a basketful of berries and then I'll come straight home." So off she went, with her autumn jacket and a warm wool hat on her head and with basket on her arm, down into the big shady woods. When she reached them she strolled along under the trees over the beautiful soft moss, where the shadows made it nice and

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cool, and where the birds perched under the thick leaves and sang when they saw her coming; for they all remembered Mabel, and liked to see her playing around in the woods. Pretty soon she looked for the place where the berries were, and she picked and picked, and went farther and farther into the bushes, until she had gone a long way, and had filled her little basket nearly full of ripe red berries. And as she picked, the sun sank down behind the hills, and the evening began to come on, and the little frogs in the brook came out of their holes and peeped. "Gracious!” said Mabel, all of a sudden, "it's getting late. I must go home right straight off." But just as she had picked up her basket and was looking for her warm, wool hat on the ground, she heard a queer little sound like the squeak of a mouse. "What's that?" said Mabel; and she looked all around her to see where it was. But there was nothing that she could find; only the same queer little squeak kept on, as though some one was hurt and was crying with pain. Mabel looked up into the trees, and peered around in the grass, and looked among the bushes, but she couldn't find out where it was. "Well!" she said, "that's funny!" and she stooped down to pick up her hat: when all of a sudden right at her feet she saw what it was that was making the noise. There, down in the moss, was a little bit of a lizard about as long as Mabel's finger. It was bright green, and had a little yellow spot on its head like, a gold crown; and when it saw Mabel looking down, it squeaked again as loud as it could. "Dear me!" said Mabel. "What's the matter, little lizard? Don't you feel well?" And then she saw what the trouble was. A big stone had fallen on the end of the lizard's tail, and held it down so tight that the lizard couldn't get away. "Why, you poor little lizard!" cried Mabel. "Here, I’ll help you." So she took both her plump little hands and gave the stone a big push, and away it went off from the lizard's tail. The lizard jumped up and whisked his tail around and felt of it to see if it was broken. When he found that the tail was all right, he climbed up on the stone and looked up into Mabel's face. “You are a good girl," said the lizard. He had a pleasant voice and a very good-‐looking face, only his nose was rather long. “Why, I didn't know that lizards could talk!" said Mabel. “I can," said the lizard, "I am the King of all the Lizards. Don't you see my crown?" And he pointed with one foot to the little yellow spot on the top of his head. “I can talk and I can do other things, and I’m going to do something for you, because you were so good to me and because you rolled the stone off my tail." "Oh," said Mabel politely, “you're quite welcome. I hope your tail isn't hurt." “Not a bit," said the lizard; "and see here; I'm going to do something for you that I wouldn't do for any other little girl. I’m going to make you so that you can understand animal talk, and so that all the animals will understand you when you talk. And besides, I'm going to teach you how to make all animals good to you." "How's that?" asked Mabel. “This way; just listen." And the lizard puffed out his cheeks and began to whistle a little call. It was like this: “Now," said he, "you do it after me." So Mabel puckered up her lips and tried to whistle the call; but she had never learned how to whistle and so she only gave a funny little wheeze that made the lizard laugh so that he nearly fell off the stone. “Now," said the lizard, “if you want any animal to be your friend, just whistle that way to him. That 's the call of all the animals. Be careful and don't forget it. Good-‐evening." And before Mabel knew what he was

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doing, the lizard had jumped off the stone and darted down into a hole in the ground. "Well!" said Mabel, "that's the funniest thing I ever heard of. A lizard talking and teaching me to whistle! But dear me! How late it's getting! I must hurry home as fast as I can.” It really was growing very late. The sun had gone away from the sky and the woods were so dark that Mabel could hardlv see where she was going. All the little birds had gone into their nests and the butterflies were safe at home. Every little while Mabel could hear strange rustlings in the leaves. She tried to remember the way home, but the woods looked so different now that she couldn't think which way to go. She began to be frightened; and all of a sudden, way off in the distance, she heard a long howl. In a minute or two she heard the howl again-‐ -‐"O-‐o-‐o-‐w!" -‐a long, wild cry. She knew it must be some animal, and she remembered what her Grandma had said. Again and again she heard it, and she knew that it was coming nearer. She began to run, but the poor little thing had quite lost her way, and she was really getting farther and farther into the woods. It was so dark that she stumbled over the bushes and the roots of the trees, and twice she fell down. Nearer and nearer came the strange howl, and before long she could hear something moving through the bushes. She was now in an open place where it was a little lighter; and, as she looked back, all of a sudden she saw a great wolf pushing through the underbrush, and coming straight at her. He was twice as big as the biggest dog, and his long red tongue was hanging out of his mouth between his teeth. Mabel thought of Grandma and Walter and how they would never know what had become of her; and then she remembered what the lizard had told her. The wolf was almost touching her and she was frightened, but she made up her mind to try to whistle the call. Round she turned and looked right in the wolf's face. She could feel his breath, her lips trembled, but she gave the whistle.

"O-‐o-‐o-‐w!” said the great wolf, and he stopped as quick as a wink. Mabel whistled again. The wolf put his tongue in his mouth and hung his head down. Then Mabel saw that his face looked very pleasant, and she wasn't afraid any more. After all, he was just like a big dog. “Wolf," said Mabel, "I want you to be my friend!" "All right," said the wolf. He had a big growling voice, and he spoke in wolf-‐talk, but Mabel could understand what he said. “I've lost my way, Wolf," said she; "please show me the way home. I live at Grandma's." ”I know," said the wolf; “I've seen you playing around in the daytime. Put your hand on my neck and I'll show you the way." So Mabel put her hand on the wolf's neck and they went along together. His fur was very soft and long, and Mabel rested her hand on it as she walked, for she was very tired. On they went through the woods. The wolf was not much of a talker, and Mabel could not think of anything to say, so they kept very still. At last they got to the edge of the woods. "There!" said the wolf, pointing with his big paw; and Mabel could see through the

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dark her home with a bright light shining from the window. " Good-‐bye, Wolf," said Mabel. "Thank you very much. I knew you were a good wolf and wouldn't ever hurt little girls, would you?" “No," said the wolf in a rather queer voice, and Mabel thought he looked rather sheepish, and that he hung his head rather low. "Well, good-‐night," said she, and she put her arms round his big furry neck and gave him a hug. "Oh!" said the wolf; and he licked her hands with his rough tongue, and then trotted back into the dark woods. Mabel's Grandma was standing on the veranda. She was dreadfully worried because Mabel was so late. "Mabel! Mabel!" she called as she looked out into the dark. “Yes, Grandma," said Mabel. And Grandma just rushed down the steps when she heard the little voice, and gave Mabel a whole lot of kisses. After Mabel had had a fine supper her grandmother told her a Halloween Story and put her to bed.

The End.

NOVEMBER CIRCLE TIME

LANTERN WALK SONGS:

Glimmer lantern glimmer, little stars a shimmer,

Over meadow, moor and dale Flitter, flutter, elfin veil,

Pee-‐wit, pee-‐wit, tick-‐a, tick-‐a-‐tick Rou-‐cou, rou-‐cou.

Glimmer lantern glimmer, little stars a shimmer,

Over rock and stock and stone Wander tripping little gnomes,

Pee-‐wit, pee-‐wit, tick-‐a-‐,tick-‐a-‐tick, Rou-‐cou, rou-‐cou

I walk with my bright little lantern,

My lantern is going with me.

In heaven the stars are shining, on earth shines my lantern with me,

Oh, lantern light whose light shines bright,

la bimba, la bamba, la boo, Oh, lantern light whose light shines

bright, La bimba, la bamba, la boo

Arriba brilla mi farol, Abajo brilla mi farol, Arriba brilla mi farol, Abajo brilla mi farol.

Aquí y allá brillando está Aquí y allá brillando está

NOVEMBER CIRCLE TIME

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Finger play: Up the tall white candlestick Went Mister Mousie Brown, He climbed to the very tippy top, But he could not get down. So he called for his grandmother, grandmother, But she was out of town. So he rolled himself into a ball, And tumbled to the ground. Song: Three blind mice. Three blind mice. See how they run. See how they run. They all ran after the farmer’s wife. Who cut off their tails with a carving knife. Have you ever seen such a sight in your life, As three blind mice? (2x) Verse: There was a crooked man, Who walked a crooked mile. (2x) He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile (2x) He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse (2x)

And they all lived together in a crooked little house. (2x) Next to their crooked house lived Tweedledum and Tweedledee… Verse: Tweedledum and Tweedledee Resolved to have a battle, For Tweedledum said Tweedledee Had spoiled his nice new rattle! (Boo Hoo, Boo Hoo) Just then flew by a monstrous crow, As big as a tar barrel! Which frightened both the heroes so, They quite forgot their quarrel! And they were friends once more, hooray! Song: Make new friends, but keep the old, One is silver and the other is gold. A circle is round it has no end, That’s how long I want to be your friend. (Repeat)

NOVEMBER STORIES & PUPPET PLAYS

SUNDAY BREAD By A. Vinnal

(Nov. 10th – Nov. 21st)

Once upon a time there was a baker. On Saturday he always wanted to make the bread for Sunday. So he would get a large glass bowl and fill it with milk and flour. Then he would mix the flour and milk together to make bread dough. Then the baker would leave

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the dough on the table to rise. The baker would then put on his warm winter coat, his hat and his mittens and go outside to take a nap underneath his favorite fig tree and dream sweet baker dreams. Now while the baker dreamed the dough in the bowl began to rise and rise, and it started to sing a little song that went like this: “I rise and rise, higher and high, I rise and rise to see the sky.” And the dough rose up over the brim of the bowl and over to the fireplace and up the chimney all the while singing: “I rise and rise, higher and high, I rise and rise to see the sky.” And then the dough rose up over the chimney top: “I rise and rise, higher and high, I rise and rise to see the sky.” The dough sang so loudly that it woke the baker from his slumber. The baker looked up and saw the bread dough coming out of the top of the chimney. The baker, who was a clever man, asked the bread dough what it was doing up there. The bread dough said that it wanted to see the world. “Ah,” said the baker, “I can help you see the world, but first you have to come down from the chimney top and go back into the glass bowl.” The dough came down and went back into the glass bowl. The baker came inside and got out his knife. He then began to chop pecans. He added the chopped pecans and a cup of raisins to his bread dough. He kneaded the dough, the nuts, and the raisins together. Then he separated the dough into twelve pieces: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 – a dozen pieces! He put the dough into the oven at three hundred and fifty degrees to bake. When the dough became crispy and golden brown, he took it out of the oven, and put each piece into his basket. Then the baker went into the street and began to call: “Sunday bread, Sunday bread, Baked with nuts and raisins red.” (2x) Doors opened and children came running along to say: “A Sunday loaf, please.” –“Yes, here you are,” said the baker – “A Sunday loaf, please.” –“Yes,” said the baker. The children always said “Thank you,” and skipped away. Then the baker looked into his basket and said: “And now my dough HAS gone into the world.”

The End.

THE WISHING-BOOK Anonymous

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(Nov. 24th – Dec.3rd)

Long, long, long ago, in a land far, far, far away, lived a little girl named Holly. Holly had no father or mother. She had no home. She went from place to place asking for something to eat. Sometimes she went to homes where kind people lived. They always gave her something to eat. Sometimes she went to homes where people were unkind, and they would not give her anything; no, not so much as a little piece of bread. So sometimes Holly had to go without anything to eat for days. One night as it was growing dark Holly came to a little town. She went from home to home asking for something to eat or a place to sleep, but no one would give her a piece of bread or a place to sleep. Poor little Holly walked away into the woods. She sat down under a tree, and cried and cried and cried. “Why do you cry, my child?” asked a little wee voice. Holly looked down. There in the grass was the prettiest little fairy ever seen. “Who are you?” asked Holly. “I am the queen of fairies. Now tell me why you cry.” “Oh, fairy queen, I have no father, no mother, no home. Nobody wants me. Tonight no one gave me a piece of bread. One man set a big black dog on me.” “You poor child,” said the fairy. “Don’t cry. Look at this pretty picture-‐book.” She opened a big book and showed Holly many pretty pictures. There were pictures of good things to eat, pictures of good clothes to wear, and pictures of warm homes to live in. “What a pretty book,” said Holly “I am glad you like it,” said the queen, “for I am going to give it to you.” “Give it to me!” cried Holly. “Oh, thank you. If I have a pretty picture book to look at I shall forget about my misfortunes.” “This is a fairy wishing-‐book,” said the queen. “Whenever you want anything, just open the book to the picture of the thing you want and say: “Fairy queen, I call to you, Make my picture wish come true.” Before Holly could say “Thank you,” the fairy flew away. “Cam it be true?” said Holly. “I will try it right away.” She opened the book to a picture of a bowl of bread and milk and said: “Fairy queen, I call to you, Make my picture wish come true.” At once, she found in the grass beside here a big bowl of bread and milk. “This is the best bowl of bread and milk I have ever eaten,” she said. “Now I think I shall wish for some clothes.” Opening the book to the picture of the pretty clothes, she said: “Fairy queen, I call to you, Make my picture wish come true.” At once she had new clothes from her hat to her shoes. She began to be happy.

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Then she opened her book to the picture of a little home, with trees growing all around it. Again she said: “Fairy queen, I call to you, Make my picture wish come true.” At once, before her, was a cozy, warm home.

Holly walked inside. Here everything was just as nice as it could be. A bright fire danced in the kitchen fireplace and threw long shadows on the walls. There was a little chair just before it. She ran over the house, looking at everything. “How happy I am!” sighed Holly, as she went to bed. “No longer shall I have to go about asking for bread. Now I can help poor people. I will bring them here and be good to them.” And so Holly and the poor people she helped were happy ever after in their pretty little home. They had everything they wanted, and never had to spend any money. And I wish I had a fairy wishing-‐book too. Don’t you?

The End.

DECEMBER CIRCLE TIME Song: Wintertime is coming, wintertime is coming, wintertime is coming and I know it’s going to snow! Can you hear those bells a ringing? Songs of joy hear us singing! When it’s snowing will be going up to the mountain high! Clapping game: How many days has (Baby/puppy/etc) to play? Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Verse: Little Jack (Jackie) Horner, at in the corner eating his (her) Christmas pie, (oh my!) He (she) put in his (her) thumb and pulled out a plum and said ‘what a good boy (girl) am I!’ (2x) Song: The north wind doth blow, and we shall have snow, and what will the robin do then, poor thing? He’ll hide in the barn, and keep himself warm, and tuck his head under his wing, poor thing! The north wind doth blow, and we shall have snow, and what will the dormouse

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do then, poor thing? Rolled in a ball in his nest snug and small he’ll sleep ‘til the winter is past, poor thing! The north wind doth blow and we shall have snow and what will the children do then, poor things? When school is all done they’ll hop, skip, and run, and play ‘til they make themselves warm, lucky things! And then the children put there skates on and went skating…. When they were done skating their toes were numb with cold and so it was time to build a fire to warm their toes! Verse: First we put the twigs down, sticks down then logs down, first we put the twigs down, sticks down then logs down. Now the fire is flaming hot! Song: Cross patch, draw the latch, sit by the fire and spin. And pour a cup, and drink it up! Then call your neighbors in! (2X)

TRANSITION SONGS/FINGERPLAYS Song: Still, Still, Still, The Earth lies dark, And still. In the deep sky, One star glowing, Softly now the cattle Are lowing Still, Still, Still, The Earth lies dark, And still.

Song: Round and round The Earth is turning, Turning always round To morning and from Morning round to night. Verse: Here’s a cup, and there’s a cup, And here’s a pot of tea, Pour a cup and pour a cup, And have a drink with me

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Verse: Snow, snow faster: Ally-‐ally blaster; The old woman’s plucking her geese, Selling the feathers a penny a piece. (then count up to thirty)

Song: Snow is a falling up on Snoqualmie, Snow is a falling so deep, Snow is a falling up on Snoqualmie, Putting all the bears to bed. Putting all the bears to bed.

THE ELVES First Tale

German Folktale (Dec. 4th-‐12th)

There was once a shoemaker who, through no fault of his own, had become so poor that he had only enough leather left for a single pair of shoes. That evening he cut out the shoes, which he planned to work on the next morning, and since he had a clear conscience, he lay down quietly in his bed, commended himself to his fate, and fell asleep. In the morning as he was about to sit down to do his work he saw the two shoes standing all finished on his workbench. He was so astounded by this that he did not know what to say. He took the shoes in his hands to examine them more closely and saw that the shoes were perfect. Not a single bad stitch could be found, and it was as if the shoes were intended to be masterpieces. Shortly after, a customer entered the shop, and he liked the shoes so much he paid more than the usual price for them. The money enabled the shoemaker to purchase leather for two pairs of shoes. In the evening he cut them out and planned to begin work on them with renewed vigor the next morning. However, it was not necessary, for the shoes were already finished by the time he awoke. Once again he found customers for them, and they gave him enough money to purchase leather for four pairs of shoes. The following morning he found the four pairs of shoes already made, and so it went: whatever he cut out in the evening was finished by morning, and soon he had a decent income again and eventually became a well-‐to-‐do man. Now one evening, not long before Christmas, it happened that they man had been cutting leather, and just before he went to bed, he said to his wife, “What would you think about staying up tonight? If we do that, we might be able to see who’s been lending us such a helping hand.” His wife agreed and lit a candle. Then they hid themselves behind some clothes that were hanging in the corner of the room and watched closely. When it was midnight, two

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cute little naked elves scampered into the room, sat down at the shoemaker’s workbench, took all the work that had been cut out, and began to stitch, sew, and hammer so skillfully and nimbly with their little fingers that the amazed shoemaker could not take his eyes off them. Indeed, they did not stop until everything was done and the shoes were left standing on the workbench. Then they quickly ran away.

The next morning his wife said, “The little men have made us rich, well-‐to-‐do people. We ought to show them that we’re grateful for their help. Do you know what? Since they run around without any clothes on and must be freezing, I’m going to sew some shirts, coats, jackets, and trousers for them. I’ll also knit a pair of stockings for each, and you can make them both a pair of shoes.” “That’s fine with me,” the husband said. In the evening, after they had finished everything, they put the gifts on the workbench, instead of the cut-‐out leather, and hid themselves in order to see how the elves would react. At midnight the elves came scampering into the room and wanted to get right down to work, but they found the nice little clothes instead of the cut-‐out leather. At first they were puzzled, but then they were tremendously pleased. They put clothes on quickly, smoothed them down, and said: “Now we look so fine and dandy, No more need to work and be so handy!” Then they skipped, danced, and jumped over chairs and benches. Finally, they danced right out the door and were never seen again. But the shoemaker continued to be prosperous until the end of his life and succeeded in all his endeavors.

THE STAR MONEY German Folktale (Dec. 15th-‐19th)

There was once on a time a little girl whose father and mother were dead, and she was so poor that she no longer had any little room to live in, or bed to sleep in, and at last she had nothing else but the clothes she was wearing and a little bit of bread in her hand which some charitable soul had given her. She was, however, good and pious. And as she was thus forsaken by all the world, she went forth into the open country. Then a poor man met her, who said, “Ah, give me something to eat, I am so hungry!” She reached him the

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whole of her piece of bread, and said, “May you be blessed,” and went onwards. Then came a child who moaned and said, “My head is so cold, give me something to cover it with.” So she took off her hood and gave it to him; and when she had walked a little farther, she met another child who had no jacket and was frozen with cold. Then she gave it her own; and a little farther on one begged for a frock, and she gave away that also. At length she got into a forest and it had already become dark, and there came yet another child, and asked for a little shirt, and the good little girl thought to herself, “It is a dark night and no one sees thee, thou canst very well give thy little shirt away,” and took it off, and gave away that also. And as she so stood, and had not one single thing left, suddenly some stars from heaven fell down, and they were nothing else but hard smooth pieces of money, and although she had just given her little shirt away, she had a new one which was of the very finest linen. Then she gathered together the money into this, and was rich all the days of her life.

JANUARY CIRCLE TIME Verse: Little fishes in the brook, (Father) caught them on a hook, (Mother) fried them in a pan. Johnny ate them like a man. Clapping game: How many days has Johnny to play? Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Song: Johnny taps with one hammer, one hammer, One hammer, Johnny taps with one hammer Then he taps with two.

Johnny taps with two hammers, two hammers, Two hammers, Johnny taps with two hammers Then he taps with three. Johnny taps with three hammers, three hammers, Three hammers, Johnny taps with three hammers, Then he taps with four. Johnny taps with four hammers, four hammers, Four hammers, Johnny taps with four hammers, Then he taps with five.

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Johnny taps with five hammers, five hammers, Five hammers, Johnny taps with five hammers, Then he goes on strike! Fingerplay: Where is thumbkin Where is thumbkin Here I am, here I am! How are you today sir? Very well, I thank you. Run away, run away. (thumbkin, pointer, tall boy, shy boy, baby and everybody) Song: The ants go marching (one) by (one), Hooray, hooray! The ants go marching (one) by (one), Hooray, hooray! The ants go marching (one) by (one), The little one stops (to suck his thumb),

And they all go marching down To the ground to get out of the rain, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM Two: Tie his shoe Three: To climb a tree Four: To shut the door Five: to wave to the bee hive Six: To pick up sticks Seven: To jump to heaven Eight: To shut the gate Nine: To form a line Ten: To say, “the end!”


Song: Ten fat sausages sizzling in the pan, Ten fat sausages sizzling in the pan, One went pop, and the other went bang, Then there were…. Eight fat sausages sizzling in the pan, Eight fat sausages sizzling in the pan, One went pop, and the other went bang, Then there were…. Six fat sausages sizzling in the pan. (ten, eight, six, four, two, zero) Verse: Whether the weather be cold, Or whether the weather be hot, Whatever the weather, We’ll weather the weather,

Weather we like it or not. Verse: Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair, Fuzzy Wuzzy was not fuzzy, Was he? Verse: Wee Willie Winkie, Runs through the town, Upstairs and downstairs, In his nightgown. Rapping at the window, Crying through the lock, Are all the children in their bed For now tis eight o’clock?

JANUARY STORIES AND PUPPET SHOWS

THE PANCAKE

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Norwegian Folktale (Jan. 5th-‐16th)

Once upon a time there was a good woman who had seven hungry children, and she was frying a pancake for them. It was a sweet-‐milk pancake. There it lay in the pan, bubbling and frizzling, while the seven children stood around the stove and eyed it hungrily. “Oh, give me a bit of pancake, Mother dear,” said one of the children. “Oh, darling Mother,” said the second child. “Oh, darling, good Mother,” said the third. “Oh, darling, good, nice Mother,” said the fourth. “Oh, darling, pretty, good, nice Mother,” said the fifth. “Oh, darling, pretty, good, nice, clever Mother,” said the sixth. “Oh, darling, pretty, good, nice, clever, sweet Mother,” said the seventh. So they all begged for the pancake, the one more sweetly than the other, because they were all so hungry. “Yes, yes, children,” the good woman said. “Just wait a bit till it turns itself.” The pancake was quite surprised to hear her say this. “Why, I shall turn myself then,” it said. The pancake jumped up in the air and landed on its other side, where it sizzled a bit. Then up it jumped again, so high and so far that it landed on the floor. Then the pancake rolled out the door. “Whoa, pancake! Stop, pancake!” cried the woman, and she chased after it with the frying pan in one hand and the ladle in the other. She ran as fast as she could, and her seven children ran after her. “Stop that pancake! Stop that pancake!” they all shouted as they tried to grab ahold of it, but the pancake rolled on and on until they could no longer see it. When it had rolled a bit farther, the pancake met a man. “Good day, pancake,” said the man. “The same to you, manny-‐panny,” said the pancake. “Dear pancake, don’t roll so fast. Stop awhile and let me take a bite of you.” But the pancake did not stop, and as it rolled it called out, I rolled away from goody-‐poody, And her seven squalling children, And I shall roll away from you, too, manny-‐panny! Then the pancake rolled on and on until it met a hen. “Good day, pancake,” said the hen. “The same to you, henny-‐penny,” said the pancake. “Sweet pancake, don’t roll so fast. Please stop awhile and let me have a peck, peck, peck of you.” But the pancake did not stop, and as it rolled it called out, I rolled away from goody-‐poody, And her seven squalling children, And manny-‐panny, And I shall roll away from you, too, henny-‐penny! The pancake rolled on down the road like a wheel. Just then it met a duck. “Good day, pancake,” said the duck. “The same to you, ducky-‐lucky,” said the pancake. “Pancake, dear, don’t roll away so fast. Wait a bit so that I can eat you up.” But the pancake did not stop, and as it rolled it called out, I rolled away from goody-‐poody,

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And her seven squalling children, And manny-‐panny, And henny-‐penny, And I shall roll away from you, too, ducky-‐lucky! And the pancake rolled along faster than ever. Then it met a goose. “Good day, pancake,” said the goose. “The same to you, goosey-‐loosey,” said the pancake. “Pancake, dear, don’t roll so quickly wait a minute and I’ll eat you up.” But the pancake kept rolling, and as it rolled it called out, I rolled away from goody-‐poody, And her seven squalling children, And manny-‐panny, And henny-‐penny, And ducky-‐lucky, And I shall roll away from you, too, goosey-‐loosey! When it had rolled a long way farther, the pancake came to the edge of a wood, and there stood a pig. “Good day, pancake,” said the pig. “The same to you, piggy-‐wiggy,” said the pancake. “Don’t be in such a hurry,” said the pig. “The wood is dangerous, and we should walk together.” The pancake thought that might be true, and so it rolled along besides the pig for a bit. But when they had gone a ways, they came to a brook. The pig jumped right into the water and began to swim across. “What about me? What about me?” cried the pancake. “Oh, just sit on my snout,” said the pig, “and I’ll carry you across.” So the pancake sat on the pig’s snout. The pig tossed the pancake up into the air, and –ouf, ouf, ouf – the pig swallowed the pancake in three bites. And since the pancake went no further, this story can go no further, either.

The Flounder German Folktale (Jan. 20th-‐28th)

The fishes had been dissatisfied for a long time because there was a lack of order in their realm. Nobody heeded anybody else. The fishes swam to the left and the right as they pleased. Some darted through those who wanted to stay together or blocked their way, and the stronger fishes gave the weaker ones blows with their tails to drive them away, or they would simply swallow the weaker ones without much ado. “How nice it would be if we had a king who would rule over us with law and justice,” they said, and they agreed to elect as their ruler the one fish who could cut through the water the fastest and bring help to the weak. So they all lined up at the shore from longest to shortest, and the pike gave a signal with his tail, whereupon they all surged forward together. The herring, the salmon, the red perch, the striped perch and even the flounder raced ahead, hopping to win the race. All at once there was a cry, “The herring’s ahead! The herring’s ahead!” “Who’s ahead?” peevishly screamed the flat, jealous flounder, who had been left far behind. “The herring, the herring!” came the answer. “The naked herring?” the jealous flounder cried out. “The naked herring?” As punishment for teasing the white colored herring, the flounder has two eyes on onemside

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of his head, unlike most fishes who have one eye on each side of their head, and the flounder must speak from just one side of his mouth.

Manu and the Fish Indian Folktale (Jan. 29th-‐Feb. 6th)

Manu was a wise and holy man who devoted his life to the worship of the gods. One day he was praying by the banks of a river, when he heard a tiny voice calling. “O great and holy Manu,” the voice said, “I appeal to you for help. You are a kind and caring man, is it not your duty to help and protect the weak.” Manu looked up, and down, and all around to see who was speaking. But there was no one there. Then the voice came again, “I am down here,” it said. Astonished, Manu saw that the voice was coming from a tiny fish in the river in front of him. Carefully, Manu filled his cupped hands with water, bent and brought out the fish. “Tell me what I can do for you, little one,” he said. “Help me,” said the fish. “You see how small I am. In the river I’m the smallest living thing: my life is in danger from enemies of every size.” “What must I do to help?” asked Manu. “Put me in a jar, safe on land,” said the fish. “In return, I’ll save your life as well. A great flood is coming; all mankind will be swept away. If you help me, you alone will escape.” Manu did not take this promise very seriously: even if there was a flood, how could a tiny fish save him? Nevertheless, he fetched a large clay jar, filled it with water and placed the little fish in it. Now this was no ordinary fish. In no time it had grown too big for the jar, and Manu had to dig a pond for it outside. Before long, even the pond was too small, and Manu carried the fish, which was now huge, to the river Ganges. Before it flopped into the river and made off to the ocean, the fish spoke again to Manu. It told him when the flood would come, and gave him instructions. He was to build a large boat, in good time, so that he would be safe when all the land was flooded. In it, he was to put seeds of every kind of plant, and a length of strong rope. The fish promised that he himself would reappear, and save Manu when the floods came. Manu would recognize him by a large horn on his head. As the fish swam away, Manu realized that it was not really a fish at all, but the god Vishnu, the preserver of life, himself. No mortal could look at the god and live; so Vishnu had appeared to him as a fish, in a form he could recognize and understand.

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Respectfully, Manu bowed his head; when he looked up, the fish had gone. Manu hurried home and began to build a boat, as he had been instructed. He gathered seeds of every kind of plant, every tree, every flower, every fruit, vegetable, fern and grass. He plaited a length of strong rope. When all was done, he waited for the flood. When the storms began and the waters rose from one foot deep to two feet deep and up and up, Manu set out in his boat across the sea. Before long, the great fish reappeared and Manu made a noose in his rope and fastened it to the horn on the fish’s head. Towed by the fish, Manu’s boat was safe from all danger. At last the waters began to subside. The boat grounded on a mountain-‐peak high in the Himalayas, and the fish ordered Manu to moor it to the rock. Manu was the only survivor of the great Indian flood that destroyed much of mankind. He is said to be the father of all.

FEBRUARY CIRCLE TIME Verse: Hearts, like doors, will open with ease To very, very, little keys, And don’t forget that two of these Are “thank you” and “please” Verse: The king and queen went through the town Looking for big hearts, medium hearts and small hearts, Filled with love. (2x) Song: Here we go round the town, the town, The town, the town, the town, the town, Here we go round the town, the town, We all bow down, we all clap hands We all bow down, we all clap hands (2x) Song: Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye; Four and twenty blackbirds, baked in a pie. When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing; Wasn’t that a dainty dish to set before the king?

The king was in his counting house, counting out his money; The queen was in the parlor eating bread and honey. The maid was in the garden, hanging out the clothes, When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose. They sent for the doctor, who sewed it on again, He sewed it on so neatly the seam was never seen. Verse: The queen of hearts she made some tarts, All on a winter’s day; The knave of hearts he stole those tarts, And took them clean away. The king of hearts he called for those tarts And beat the knave full score. The knave of hearts brought back those tarts And vowed he’d steal no more. (2x)


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Verse: Ten little children Dancing on the shore. The queen waved a royal wand And out went four. Six little children Dancing merrily; The queen waved a royal wand And out went three. Three little children Danced as children do; The queen waved a royal wand And out went two. One little child Dancing just for fun; The queen waved a royal wand And out went one. Song: I can make some golden rings, Golden rings so fine and free. I can make a chain with them

So that my love will marry me. Song: I know a little pussy Her coat is silver gray. She lives down in the meadow Not very far away. She’ll always be a pussy. She’ll never be a cat. For she’s a pussy willow, Not what do you think of that? Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, Meow, meow, meow, scat cat!

FEBRUARY STORIES & PUPPET SHOWS

THE WINTER ROSE German Folktale

(Feb. 9-‐13th; Feb. 23rd-‐24th)

A merchant wanted to take a journey, and he asked his three daughters what he should bring back for them. The oldest wanted a beautiful dress; the second, a pair of shoes; the third a rose. Since it was winter, it was difficult to find a rose. When he began asking people, they would laugh at him and answer him by asking him whether he thought roses grew in snow. That made the merchant sad, because he loved his daughter very much and wanted to give her a rose. On his way home, he came across a castle that was surrounded by a garden that was half summer and half winter. On one side there was deep snow, and on the other side it was so warm that everything was blossoming as though it were spring, and there was a whole hedge of roses. The merchant went into the garden, picked a rose, and rode away. Soon thereafter he heard something snorting after him. He turned around and was horrified to see a large black beast that cried out to him, “Give me back my rose, give me back my rose!”

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“Oh please, let me keep the rose,” said the merchant, “I want to bring it to my lovely daughter.”

“Fair enough,” the beast said, “But then you must let me marry her.” “All right,” said the merchant to get rid of the beast, and he thought, he surely won’t come to fetch her. But the beast called after him, “I shall come in a week to fetch my bride.” The merchant arrived home and brought each of his daughters what they had desired, a dress for the oldest, a pair of shoes for the middle and a rose for the youngest. After some time had passed, the beast came and brought his bride back to the castle with the summer and winter gardens where everything was very beautiful and wonderful. The beast proved himself to be friendly and did everything he could to make his bride feel at home. They dined together every night, and the beast refused to eat unless she ate with him. Gradually, she began to like the beast. One day she wanted to know how her father and sisters were doing at home. The beast led her before a mirror, in which she could see her family. Her father was sick and was lying in bed. The maiden’ heart became heavy and she asked the beast if she could go home. “Yes” he said. “But promise me that you will return in a week.” She agreed and rushed home to her father. Once he had the pleasure of seeing his daughter one last time he passed away. The daughters wept and mourned for their father. When she finally began to think about the beast, a week had already passed. She rushed back to the castle, but when she arrived, everything had changed. The music was silent, the castle was hung with black crepe, and the summer garden was covered with snow. The beast himself was no where to be found. She searched all over the castle, but she could not find him. Full of regret, she went out into the garden and saw a pile of cabbage heads that were already old and rotten. She began taking them down and stacking them to one side, and after she had turned over several of them, she saw her dear beast lying beneath them as if he were dead. She ran and fetched some water. Then she poured it over him so that he recovered, jumped up, and lost his old shape. Suddenly, a handsome prince stood before her, and joy erupted all over. The black crepe was torn down. The musicians began to play. The summer garden blossomed again, and the couple celebrated their wedding.

The Lion and the Mouse Aesop’s Fable (Feb. 25th-‐27th)

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A Lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little Mouse came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across the Lion's nose. Roused from his nap, the Lion laid his huge paw angrily on the tiny creature to kill her. "Spare me!" begged the poor Mouse. "Please let me go and some day I will surely repay you." The Lion was much amused to think that a Mouse could ever help him. But he was generous and finally let the Mouse go.

Some days later, while stalking his prey in the forest, the Lion was caught in the toils of a hunter's net. Unable to free himself, he filled the forest with his angry roaring. The Mouse knew the voice and quickly found the Lion struggling in the net. Running to one of the great ropes that bound him, she gnawed it until it parted, and soon the Lion was free. "You laughed when I said I would repay you," said the Mouse. "Now you see that even a Mouse can help a Lion."

MARCH CIRLCE TIME Verse: Tie tittly, tie tittly, Little flitty, little flitty, Shin shanky, shin shanky, Knee knappy, knee knappy, Inchy pinchy, inchy pinchy, Wymie bulgy, wymie bulgy, Breast berry, breast berry, Chin cherry, chin cherry, Moo merry, moo merry, Nose nippy, nose nippy, Eye winky, eye winky,

Brow brinky, brow brinky, Over the croon, And away with it! Song: Oh, the big ships sail on the illy ally oh, The illy ally oh, the illy ally oh, Oh, the big ships sail on the illy ally oh, On the last day of September.

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Oh, the captain said, “That will never ever do, Never ever do, never ever do!” Oh, the captain said, “That will never ever do,” On the last day of September. Oh, the big ship sank to the bottom of the sea The bottom of the sea, the bottom of the sea, Oh, the big ship sank to the bottom of the sea, On the last day of September.

Song: Row, row, row your boat, Gently down the stream, Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, Life is but a dream. Verse: Now we need to hop out of our boats, And climb up the mountains. Song: Oh, we all sing glory to the mountain, The mountain is so high, it nearly touched the sky, And its 1, 2, 3 follow me (3x) Ends: And we all bow to the mountain.


Song: Here comes Peter Cottontail, Hopping down the bunny trail, Hippity hop, spring is on its way! (2x) Song: Robin redbreast, Crow flying round, Nuthatch hopping up the tree, Chickadee-‐dee-‐dee-‐dee-‐dee-‐e! (2x) Verse: This is my garden, I rake with care, These are the seeds I plant in there, The sun will shine, the rain will fall, And my garden will blossom and grow Straight and tall. Song: La arana pequeñita Subió, subió, subió. Vino la lluvia Y se la llevo. Salio el sol Y todo lo seco,

Y la arana pequeñita Subió, subió, subió. The itsy, bitsy spider, Went up the water spout, Down came the rain, And washed the spider out. Up came the sun, And dried up all the rain, And the itsy, bitsy spider Went up the spout again. Song: Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques, Dormez-‐vous? Dormez-‐vous? Sonnez les matines, sonnez les matines Ding ding dong, ding ding dong. Are you sleeping, are you sleeping? Brother John, Brother John? Morning bells are ringing, morning bells are ringing Ding ding dong, ding ding dong.

MARCH STORIES & PUPPET SHOWS

Rapunzel

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German Folktale (March 2nd-‐13th)

There were once a man and a woman who had long, in vain, wished for a child. These people had a little window at the back of their house from which a splendid garden could be seen, which was full of the most beautiful flowers and herbs. It was, however, surrounded by a high wall, and no one dared to go into it because it belonged to a sorceress, who had great power. One day the woman was standing by this window and looking down into the garden, when she saw a bed, which was planted with the most beautiful rapunzel, and it looked so fresh and green that she longed for it. She quite pined away, and began to look pale and miserable. Her husband was alarmed, and asked: “What ails you, dear wife?” “Ah,” she replied, “if I can't eat some of the rapunzel, which is in the garden behind our house, I shall die.” The man, who loved her, thought: “Sooner than let your wife die, bring her some of the rapunzel yourself, let it cost what it will.” At twilight, he clambered down over the wall into the garden of the sorceress, hastily clutched a handful of rapunzel, and took it to his wife. She at once made herself a salad of it, and ate it greedily. It tasted so good to her -‐ so very good, that the next day she longed for it three times as much as before. If he was to have any rest, her husband knew he must once more descend into the garden. Therefore, in the gloom of evening, he let himself down again; but when he had clambered down the wall he was terribly afraid, for he saw the sorceress standing before him. “How can you dare,” said she with angry look, “descend into my garden and steal my rapunzel like a thief?” “Ah,” answered he, “let mercy take the place of justice, I only made up my mind to do it out of necessity. My wife saw your rapunzel from the window, and felt such a longing for it that she would have died if she had not got some to eat.” The sorceress allowed her anger to be softened, and said to him: “If the case be as you say, I will allow you to take away with you as much rapunzel as you will, only I make one condition, you must give me the child which your wife will bring into the world; it shall be well treated, and I will care for it like a mother.' The man in his terror consented to everything. When the woman was brought to bed, the sorceress appeared at once, gave the child the name of Rapunzel, and took it away with her. Rapunzel grew into the most beautiful child under the sun. When she was twelve years old, the sorceress shut her into a tower in the middle of a forest. The tower had neither stairs nor door, but near the top was a little window. When the sorceress wanted to go in, she placed herself beneath it and cried: “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let down your hair.” Rapunzel had magnificent long hair, fine as spun gold, and when she heard the voice of the sorceress, she unfastened her braided tresses, wound them round one of the hooks of the window above, and then the hair fell twenty ells down, and the sorceress climbed up by

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it.

After a year or two, it came to pass that the king's son rode through the forest and passed by the tower. Then he heard a song, which was so charming that he stood still and listened. It was Rapunzel, who in her solitude passed her time in letting her sweet voice resound. The king's son wanted to climb up to her, and looked for the door of the tower, but none was to be found. He rode home, but the singing had so deeply touched his heart, that every day he went out into the forest and listened to it. Once when he was thus standing behind a tree, he saw that a sorceress came there, and he heard how she cried: “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let down your hair.” Then Rapunzel let down the braids of her hair, and the sorceress climbed up to her. 'If that is the ladder by which one mounts, I too will try my fortune,' said he, and the next day when it began to grow dark, he went to the tower and cried: “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let down your hair to me.” Immediately the hair fell down and the king's son climbed up. At first Rapunzel was terribly frightened when a man, such as her eyes had never yet beheld, came to her; but the king's son began to talk to her quite like a friend, and told her that his heart had been so stirred that it had let him have no rest, and he had been forced to see her. Then Rapunzel lost her fear, and when he asked her if she would take him for her husband, and she saw that he was young and handsome, she thought: “He will love me more than old Dame Gothel does'; and she said yes, and laid her hand in his.” She said: “I will willingly go away with you, but I do not know how to get down. Bring with you a skein of silk every time that you come, and I will weave a ladder with it, and

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when that is ready I will descend, and you will take me on your horse.” They agreed that until that time he should come to her every evening, for the old woman came by day. The sorceress remarked nothing of this, until once Rapunzel said to her: “Tell me, Dame Gothel, how it happens that you are so much heavier for me to draw up than the young king's son -‐ he is with me in a moment.” “Ah! child,” cried the sorceress. “What do I hear you say! I thought I had separated you from all the world, and yet you have deceived me!” In her anger she clutched Rapunzel's beautiful tresses, wrapped them twice round her left hand, seized a pair of scissors with the right, and snip, snap, they were cut off, and the lovely braids lay on the ground. And she was so pitiless that she took poor Rapunzel into a desert where she had to live in great grief and misery. On the same day that she cast out Rapunzel, however, the sorceress fastened the braids of hair, which she had cut off, to the hook of the window, and when the king's son came and cried: “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let down your hair.” She let the hair down. The king's son ascended, but instead of finding his dearest Rapunzel, he found the sorceress, who gazed at him with wicked and venomous looks. “Aha!” she cried mockingly, “you would fetch your dearest, but the beautiful bird sits no longer singing in the nest; the cat has got her, and the cat will soon scratch out your eyes.” The king's son was beside himself with pain, and in his despair he leapt down from the tower. He escaped with his life, but the thorns into which he fell pierced his eyes. He wandered quite blind about the forest, ate nothing but roots and berries, and did naught but lament and weep over the loss of his dearest wife. Thus he roamed about in misery for some years, and at length came to the desert where Rapunzel, with the twins to which she had given birth, a boy and a girl, lived in wretchedness. He heard a voice, and it seemed so familiar to him that he went towards it, and when he approached, Rapunzel knew him and fell on his neck and wept. Two of her tears wetted his eyes and they grew clear again, and he could see with them as before. He led her to his kingdom where he was joyfully received, and they lived for a long time afterwards, happy and contented. The End.

How Beetle Got Her Colors Brazilian Folktale

(March 16th-‐19th, 23rd-‐25th)

A long time ago, in a land far away, beetle was just plain brown. Beetle made her way slowly through the rainforest, minding her own business and not bothering anyone. In this same forest there lived a rat that used to tease other small animals and insects that lived there. Rat thought she was superior to all the animals because she could move so fast. Best of all she liked to laugh at and make fun of beetle. Rat had a gang of other small animals who followed her, and joined in with her mean jokes. Also in this forest, high up in the treetops, there lived a parrot. This parrot was colorful and beautiful and wise. And this parrot had magical powers! For a long time parrot had been watching rat being mean and rude to beetle. Parrot not thought it was time to teach her a lesson.

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Parrot went to rat and told her he had been watching her behavior from the treetops. “You’re always teasing and taunting beetle and the other animals, acting as if you are better than everyone else. We should have a contest and settle things once and for all!” said parrot. “I will organize a race between you and beetle. Whoever wins will get to choose a beautiful new coat, of any pattern and color.” Now rat was very happy about this. It would be a chance for everyone to see how fast she was. And what an easy race this would be. She had big strong legs, and could move quickly, while the beetle could only creep along on her skinny “stick” legs.

The next day the animals met at the big fig tree, and parrot pointed ahead to an old stump further down the path. “Whoever gets there first will win a new coat,” said parrot. Parrot called the signal and the race began. Off raced rat, streaking ahead. As she ran along she thought about how she was going to look in her new coat, and which colors and patterns she should choose. Whenever she looked back beetle was nowhere in sight, but this did not bother rat. She presumed that beetle was right back by the starting line. But when rat reached the old stump, there was beetle, sitting on the other side of the path. “What took you so long, rat? I’ve been waiting for you.” Rat was astounded. “How did you get here so fast?” she shouted. “Oh, didn’t you know that I can fly?” Beetle asked quietly. “You fly? I did not know you could fly,” said rat, feeling very confused. Parrot flew down and landed on the tree stump. “There’s a lot you don’t know, rat. If you would take time to get to know the other animals, you would learn a lot. You always judge others by their appearance so you never learn about who they really are. As they say, “never judge a book by its cover.” Rat went grumbling off into the forest. As for beetle, for her prize she chose a coat of blue and green – blue for the sky and green for the leaves. And she also chose to have wings that sparkled golden like the sun when it shines on the river. To this day, beetles have colorful coats, and rats are just plain brown, white or grey.

LITTLE BUNNY FOO FOO Nursery Rhyme (March26th-‐31st)

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Song: Little Bunny Foo Foo Hopping through the forest, Scooping up the field mice And bopping them on the head.

Down came the Good Fairy, the Good Fairy said:

Little Bunny FooFoo I don't want to see you Scooping up the field mice And bopping them on the head. I’ll give you three chances, And if you don not listen Then I’ll turn you into A great big goon! Little Bunny Foo Foo Hopping through the forest, Scooping up the field mice And bopping them on the head.


Little Bunny FooFoo I don't want to see you Scooping up the field mice And bopping them on the head. I’ll give you two more chances, And if you do not listen Then I’ll turn you into A great big goon!

Little Bunny Foo Foo Hopping through the forest, Scooping up the field mice And bopping them on the head.


Little Bunny FooFoo I don't want to see you Scooping up the field mice And bopping them on the head. I’ll give you one more chance, And if you do not listen Then I’ll turn you into A great big goon! Little Bunny Foo Foo Hopping through the forest, Scooping up the field mice And bopping them on the head.


Little Bunny FooFoo I don't want to see you Scooping up the field mice And bopping them on the head. I gave you three chances And you did not listen Now I’ll turn you into

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A great big goon! POOF!!! Spoken: Then Little Bunny FooFoo was changed into a little field mouse when, all

of a sudden, a little bunny came hopping along and bopped him on the head. What goes around, comes around. Snip, snap, snout this tale is told out.

APRIL CIRCLE TIME

Song: one little, two little Three little children. Four little, five little, Six little children. Seven little, eight little, Nine little children, Ten little children all in a row. (count entire class, then practice counting to hundred by tens) Song: I saw a little bird go Hop, hop, hop, So I said little bird will you Stop, stop, stop! I went to the window, Said, “How do you do?” And he shook his little tail and away he flew. I saw a little bunny go Hop, hop, hop, I saw his little ears go Flop, flop, flop, I saw his little nose go Blink, blink, blink, And I saw his little eyes go Wink, wink, wink, So I said, “Little bunny will you come and play?” And he looked at me and he hopped away, He hopped away. Song: Early one morning just as The sun was rising, I heard a bluebird in the meadow Sweetly singing. Green grass is growing,

Flowers are showing, We have come to celebrate The merry, merry spring! We have come to celebrate The merry, merry spring! Song: O Dandelion, yellow as gold, What do you do all day? "I wait and wait in the tall, green grass, 'Till the children come to play." O Dandelion, yellow as gold, What do you do all night? "I wait and wait ‘til the cool dew falls, And my hair grows long and white."

And what do you do when your hair grows white, And the children come to play? "They take me in their dimpled hands, And blow my hair away!" Song: Here’s a branch of snowy May A branch the fairies gave me.

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Who would like to dance today With a branch the fairies gave me? Dance away, dance away, holding high the branch of May. Dance away, dance away, holding high the branch of May.


Song: (Crocus, crocus/tulip/etc) waking up, Catch a sun beam in your cup, Hold it tight, let it go, Leela, leela, leelo Song: Spring has sprung Said the bumblebee “How do you know?” Sighed the old oak tree. “Because I saw the daffodils Dancing with the fairies on A windy hill.” Song: Rain on the green grass, Rain on the treetops, Rain on the rooftops, But not on me. Song: Have you seen the little ducks, Swimming in the water? Mother, father, baby ducks, grandma, And grandpa.

Have you seen them flap their wings, Swimming in the water? Mother, father, baby ducks, grandma, And grandpa. Have you seen them dip their bills, Swimming in the water? Mother, father, baby ducks, grandma, And grandpa. Song: Buenos dias, buenos dias ¿Como estas? ¿Como estas? Muy bien, gracias. Muy bien, gracias. ¿Y usted? ¿Y usted? Good morning, good morning, How are you, how are you? Very well, thank you, Very well, thank you. And you, and you? Buenos noches, buenos noches ¿Como estas? ¿Como estas? Estoy cansado, estoy cansado ¿Y usted, ¿Y usted? Good evening, good evening,

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How are you? How are you? I am tired, I am tired. And you? And you?

APRIL STORIES & PUPPET SHOWS

Nine Rabbits and Another One By Miriam Clark Potter

(April 1st-‐10th)

Now one night when the rabbit family were getting ready for bed they heard a knock-‐knock-‐knock on their little grass-‐green door, and Mr. Rabbit said, “Someone is there…” “Mother, Daddy, who do you think it is?” cried the seven little rabbits. “Is it company? Or a strange wild animal?” Their father told them, “I will go, myself, and see…” So he walked across the floor, thump-‐thump-‐thump in his garden shoes, and opened the door very quickly. There stood a tall, scraggly rabbit with bent-‐over whiskers and tired eyes. His ears looked wilted, as though he had forgotten to water them. His suit needed pressing, too; and he had no hat. “Good evening,” said Mr. Rabbit. “Good evening,” said the scraggly one. “You couldn’t take me in for the night, could you? I have come so far – and I still have miles to go.” “We haven’t a single extra bed, I am sorry to say,” Mr. Rabbit told him. “You can see for yourself how many there are of us. My wife and myself and seven children; that makes nine. Our house is full.” The tall scraggly rabbit scratched his head and looked up at the sky. “That’s bad news for me,” he sighed. “It looks like wet weather, and I am tired way down to my toes. Well, if you don’t mind, I’ll just lie down here in your little front yard. You have some nice dry grass to stretch out on.” “Are you sure you’ll be all right?” “Oh, yes, thank you. Good night…” “Good night,” said the rabbit family, all together, for the rest of them had been watching and listending. But when the door shut, Mrs. Rabbit said, “Poor thing.” “Yes, it’s too bad,” sighed Mr. Rabbit, “but what else could we do? We are quite crowed as it is, nine of us rabbits in this small house. Another one – that’s just too many.” The children ran to the window. “Now he’s lying down,” they said. “He has put his head on a stone.” Their mother thought a minute. Then she told them, “I do think he’d be more comfortable with a pillow. I can spare mine…” She took it right out to him. “Why thank you,” the scraggly rabbit said. “Now my head will be as cozy as a bird in a nest.” Mrs. Rabbit looked pleased. “That was very kind of you, my dear,” Mr. Rabbit said, when she came back into the house. The children were still watching from the window. “Now he’s scattering grass all over his legs,” they said. “Only not enough… and his long feet stick out.” The smallest

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rabbits giggled at this, but the older ones said, “Don’t laugh. He is a poor, scraggly rabbit without a bed.” “Grass really doesn’t make a very good cover,” said their father. “I have three blankets on my bed. I could spare one.” So he got a nice thick one with pink fuzz all over it and took it out the door. The scraggly rabbit sat up so suddenly that the grass scattered in all directions. “Why, thank you,” he said. “Now I shall be as snug as the root of a tree.” Mr. Rabbit smiled when he went back into the house. “That was very nice of you,” said his wife. Then the children called out, “Oh, it has begun to rain! Drops are coming down on his face, and he is winkling up his nose and opening and shutting his eyes. May we take him out the big, red umbrella?” “That is very thoughtful of you, my bunnies,” said their mother. “Hurry it right out to him,” said their father. So the seven little rabbits rushed out the door, carrying the big, red umbrella. He put it right up. “Thank you,” he said. “Now my face will be as dry as a pebble under a mushroom.” When the little rabbits came back into the house they looked delighted. “Now he is all fixed for the night,” said Mr. Rabbit. “With a pillow, and a blanket, and an umbrella,” added his wife. But while they watched, the scraggly rabbit dropped the umbrella! Rain dribbled down on his face and on his shut-‐up eyes. The family all hurried to the door, and called out, “The umbrella! The umbrella! You let go of it!” The scraggly rabbit opened his eyes quickly. “Why, so I did,” he said. “I wonder, how can I remember to keep on holding the handle when I drop off?” “Drop off what?” asked the littlest rabbit. “Why, to sleep, of course. If I stay awake, I hold up the umbrella; but the minute I start dreaming, I let go of it. What shall I do?” None of the family knew what to say to this. Then Mrs. Rabbit, “Why don’t you come in and sleep on our floor in front of the fire? There is a good thick rug, and you can still have the pillow and the blanket.” “And in the house you will not need the umbrella at all,” said Mr. Rabbit. So very soon their company was stretched out on the floor. He looked up at them happily and said, “Now I am as nicely fixed as a turtle in a shell. I know I shall have a good night’s rest. Thank you!” “You are very welcome,” said the family all in a row together, with a bow and a smile. Then all the rabbits went to sleep, and soon the little house was quiet, with just the sound of the fire dying down, and the rain on the roof. But when the family got up in the morning their company was gone! The pink fuzzy blanket was neatly folded up. The pillow was on a chair. “But why didn’t he say good-‐bye?” asked the little rabbits, looking disappointed. “He probably had to leave early, and did not want to disturb us,” their mother told them. “But he might have said ‘Thank you!’” “Oh, he did that,” said their father. “Why, for each thing that we did for him, he thanked us so nicely.” “Well, he might have left a note, or something,” said the next-‐to-‐the-‐littlest rabbit. But just then the very littlest one broke into a happy cry. “He did leave something! Look – on the mantelshelf!” And there was a row of nine perfectly lovely little baskets, all tied with gay bows; and each one was filled with candy eggs! “Why, he was the Easter Bunny!” said Mr. Rabbit, looking surprised. “And we did not even suspect,” said his wife. “We should have taken him in right away if he had known…” Mrs. Rabbit smiled. “It was better this way,” she said. “We thought he was just a strange, scraggly rabbit, and we made him comfortable, anyway. I am so glad we asked him to sleep by our fire!” “And it was fun,” said all seven of the little rabbits.

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Roly Poly Rice Ball Japanese Folktale (April 20th-‐24th)

In Japan there once lived a kind old man and his wife. Right next door lived a greedy old man and his wife. One day the kind old man went off to work in his fields. He was very poor. All his wife could give him for his lunch were three rice balls. She wrapped them in a furoshiki cloth and he went off to work. As the old man was walking along one of the rice balls suddenly rolled out of the cloth and began to roll along the ground! “Koro..koro…koro…” “Stop, little rice ball, come back!” called the kind old man. He ran after the rice ball but PLOP the rice ball rolled into a hold in the ground! “Koro…koro…koro…” The old man bent over he looked down into the hole… Tiny voices were calling: “Roly poly rice ball Roll right IN! Roly poly rice ball Roll right IN!” “How unusual!” thought the kind old man. He took out his second rice ball and rolled it down the hole. “Koro…koro…koro…” Then he listened… “Roly poly rice ball Roll right IN! Roly poly rice ball Roll right IN!” AMAZING!” said the kind old man. He took out his last rice ball and rolled it down the hole after the others. “Koro…koro…koro…” “Roly poly rice ball Roll right IN! Roly poly rice ball Roll right IN!” “This is indeed strange,” said the kind old man. He took his furoshiki and rolled it into a neat ball. Then the old man rolled the furoshiki down the hole. “Koro…koro…koro…” “Roly poly furoshiki Roll right IN! Roly poly furoshiki Roll right IN!” The old man leaned over the hole… He looked down into the dark hole… “Roly poly old man Roll right IN! Roly poly old man Roll right IN!” The old man felt him slipping and sliding, then head-‐over-‐heels. He somersaulted down into the hole! “Koro…koro…koro…koro…” The old man landed with a PLOP he sat up and looked around. The old man had landed in MOUSE COUNTRY, the tiny land under the earth where mice sing and play.

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Little lady mice, wearing beautiful kimonos were singing and dancing. Little men mice were pounding rice in a tiny rice mortar while they too sang. “When the cat is far away Flower will bloom Flowers will bloom In the mouse country The mouse country…” The little mice bowed to the kind old man. “Thank you old man, for the rice balls. We will dance for you.” The lady mice began to dance and then to sing in their high little mouse voices. “When the cat is far away Flowers will bloom Flowers will bloom In the mouse country The mouse country…” The men mice pounded their rice and sang in their lowest mouse voices. “When the cat is far away Flowers will bloom Flowers will bloom In the mouse country The mouse country…” “How lovely! How lovely!” cried the kind old man. “What a kind old man you are,” said the mice. “Come and eat with us.” They set before the old man all sorts of delicious foods to eat. There were rice cakes, chestnuts and persimmons, fresh fish, and round, ripe peaches. “Oh,” said the kind old man. “If only we had food like this at home. My wife and I are so poor we have only plain white rice to eat.” “Old man we will give you a gift,” said the mice. “Take this golden hammer. Whenever you feel hungry, just give the hammer a shake. You shall see!” And they gave the old man a tiny golden hammer. When the old man had thanked the mice he crawled back up the mouse hole and hurried home to his wife. “Look what the mice have given me!” The kind old woman took the little hammer, she shook it. The table filled with good things to eat! “We will never be hungry again,” said the kind old man. And they never were. But the greedy old man next door heard about the magic hammer. “I will go to the mice and get an even better hammer,” he said. The greedy old man took three rice balls and hurried off to find the hole to the mouse country. There is WAS! The greedy old man threw a rice ball down the hole. He did not hear singing. He threw another rice ball and another…. Still he heard no singing. So he impatiently sang out himself. “Old man, old man roll right in!” Then he rolled himself right down the hole into MOUSE COUNTRY. “Koro…koro…koro…koro…” Now the mice had not invited the greedy old man. They did not notice him rolling in. He hid behind a tree and watched the little mice with greedy eyes. They were singing and dancing delicately. “When the cat is far away Flowers will bloom Flowers will bloom In the mouse country,

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The mouse country…” Suddenly the old man had an idea. From behind his tree he called loudly “MEOW!!!! MEOW!!!” The tiny mice scampered away in terror. “Help…help… the cat is here!”” When the mice had all fled the greedy old man looked around until he found a tiny golden hammer. “Here is my treasure,” he said to himself. Taking the hammer, he crawled back up the mouse hole and went home to his greedy wife. “Shake the HAMMER!.... Shake it!” said the greedy old man. His wife shook the tiny hammer over the table. At once the table filled with mud…slime…spiders…slugs…every imaginable sort of horrid thing. That was the greedy old man’s reward. From far away it seemed that tiny voices could be heard singing. “When the cat is far away Flowers will bloom Flowers will bloom In the mouse country The mouse country…”

Mary Had a Little Lamb Nursery Rhyme (April 27th-‐ 30h)

Song: Mary had a little lamb, His fleece was white as snow, And everywhere that Mary went, The lamb was sure to go. He followed her to school one day, Which was against the rule, It made the children laugh and play To see a lamb at school.

And so the teacher turned it out, But still it lingered near, And waited patiently about, Till Mary did appear.

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“Why does the lamb love Mary so?” The eager children cry. “Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know.” The teacher did reply. Verse: Jack and Jill went up the hill To fetch a pail of water.

Jack fell down and broke his crown, And Jill came tumbling after. Up Jack got, and home did trot, As fast as he could caper; To old Dame Dob, who patched his nob With vinegar and brown paper.

MAY CIRCLE TIME

Song: Go round and round the village, Go round and round the village, Go round and round the village, As we have done before. Go in and out the windows, Go in and out the windows, Go in and out the windows As we have done before. Go up and down the staircase, Go up and down the staircase, Go up and down the staircase, As we have done before. (etc) Verse: Once upon a time there was A princess named Thorn Rosa. Song: Thorn Rosa was a princess dear, A princess dear, a princess dear, Thorn Rosa was a princess dear Long, long ago. She lived up in a castle high, A castle high, a castle high, She lived up in a castle high,

Long, long ago. One day a witch came flying by, Flying by, flying by, One day a witch came flying by, Long, long ago. She wove a magic sleeping spell, A sleeping spell, a sleeping spell, She wove a magic sleeping spell Long, long ago. Thorn Rosa pricked her finger dear, ouch! Her finger dear, ouch, her finger dear, ouch! Thorn Rosa pricked her finger dear, ouch! Long, long ago. And all the kingdom fell asleep, Fell asleep, fell asleep, And all the kingdom fell asleep, Long, long ago. Thorn Rosa slept one hundred years, One hundred years, one hundred years, Thorn Rosa slept one hundred years,

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Long, long ago. For years the brambles grew up high, Grew up high, grew up high, For years the brambles grew up high, Long, long ago. One day a prince came riding by, Riding by, riding by, One day a prince came riding by, Long, long ago. With his sword he cut the brambles down, The brambles down, the brambles down, With his sword he cut the brambles down, Long, long ago. He saw Thorn Rosa sleeping there, Sleeping there, sleeping there, He saw Thorn Rosa sleeping there, Long, long ago. He kissed Thorn Rosa tenderly, Tenderly, tenderly, He kissed Thorn Rosa tenderly, Long, long ago. And all the kingdom did awake, Did awake, did awake, And all the kingdom did awake, Long, long ago. And they all lived happily ever after, Ever after, ever after, And they all lived happily ever after, Long, long ago.

Song: When Goldilocks went to the house of the bears, Oh, what did her blue eyes see? A bowl the huge, a bowl that was small, And a bowl that was tiny, and that was all, She counted them, 1, 2, 3. When Goldilocks went to the house of the bears, Oh, what did her blue eyes see? A chair that was huge, a chair that was small, And a chair that was tiny, and that was all, She counted them, 1, 2, 3. When Goldilocks went to the house of the bears, Oh, what did her blue eyes see? A bed that was huge, a bed that was small, And a bed that was tiny, and that was all, She counted them, 1, 2, 3. When Goldilocks ran from the house of the bears, Oh, what did her blue eyes see? A bear that was huge, a bear that was small, And a bear that was tiny, and that was all, They growled at her, growl, growl, growl.


Verse: This little piggy went to Tara’s Tots, And this little piggy stayed home,

And this little piggy had (pancakes & butter) And this little piggy had none,

And this little piggy went wee, wee, wee,

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All the way home.

Clapping Game: Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack, All dressed in black, black, black,

With silver buttons, buttons, buttons, All down her back, back, back,

She asked her mother, mother, mother, For fifty cents, cents, cents,

The see the elephants, elephants, elephants, Jump the fence, fence, fence,

They jumped so high, high, high, They touched the sky, sky, sky,

And they never came back, back, back, Till the fourth of july, ly, ly.

Song: May there always be sunshine,

May there always be sky, May there always be mother,

May there always be I. May there always be sunshine, May there always be sky, May there always be father, May there always be I. (etc)

MAY STORIES AND PUPPET PLAYS

Hansel and Gretel German Folktale (May 4th-‐7th)

By a great forest dwelt a poor woodcutter with his wife and his two children. The boy was called Hansel and the girl Gretel. A great famine fell on the land, and the poor woodcutter could no longer procure daily bread. Now when he thought over this by night in his bed, and tossed about in his anxiety. He groaned and said to his wife, "What is to become of us? How are we to feed our poor children, when we no longer have anything even for ourselves?" "I'll tell you what, husband," answered the woman, "early tomorrow morning we will take the children out into the forest to where it is the thickest. There we will light a fire for them, and give each of them one more piece of bread, and then we will go to our work and leave them alone. They will not find the way home again, and we shall be rid of them." "No, wife," said the man, "I will not do that. How can I bear to leave my children alone in the forest? The wild animals would soon come and tear them to pieces." "Oh! you fool," said she, "then we must all four die of hunger, you may as well plane the planks for our coffins," and she left him no peace until he consented.

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"But I feel very sorry for the poor children, all the same," said the man. The two children had also not been able to sleep for hunger, and had heard what their stepmother had said to their father. Gretel wept bitter tears, and said to Hansel, "Now all is over with us." "Shhh, Gretel," said Hansel, "do not distress yourself, I will soon find a way to help us." And when the old folks had fallen asleep, he got up, put on his little coat, opened the door below, and crept outside. The moon shone brightly, and the white pebbles which lay in front of the house glittered like real silver pennies. Hansel stooped and stuffed the little pocket of his coat with as many as he could get in. Then he went back and said to Gretel, "Be comforted, dear little sister, and sleep in peace, God will not forsake us," and he lay down again in his bed. When day dawned, but before the sun had risen, the woman came and awoke the two children, saying, "Get up, you sluggards. We are going into the forest to fetch wood." She gave each a little piece of bread, and said, "There is something for your dinner, but do not eat it up before then, for you will get nothing else." Gretel took the bread under her apron, as Hansel had the pebbles in his pocket. Then they all set out together on the way to the forest. When they had walked a short time, Hansel stood still and peeped back at the house, and did so again and again. His father said, "Hansel, what are you looking at there and staying behind for? Pay attention, and do not forget how to use your legs." "Ah, father," said Hansel, "I am waving goodbye to my little white cat, which is sitting up on the roof.” The wife said, "Ah, that is not your little cat, that is the morning sun which shines on the roof." Hansel, however, had not been looking back at the cat, but had been constantly throwing one of the white pebble-‐stones out of his pocket on the road. When they had reached the middle of the forest, the father said, "Now, children, pile up some wood, and I will light a fire that you may not be cold." Hansel and Gretel gathered brushwood together, as high as a little hill. The brushwood was lighted, and when the flames were burning very high, the woman said, "Now, children, lay yourselves down by the fire and rest, we will go into the forest and cut some wood. When we have done, we will come back and fetch you away." Hansel and Gretel sat by the fire, and when noon came, each ate a little piece of bread, and as they heard the strokes of the wood-‐axe they believed that their father was near. It was not the axe, however, but a branch which he had fastened to a withered tree which the wind was blowing backwards and forwards. And as they had been sitting such a long time, their eyes closed with fatigue, and they fell fast asleep. When at last they awoke, it was already dark night. Gretel began to cry and said, "How are we to get out of the forest now?" But Hansel comforted her and said, "Just wait a little, until the moon has risen, and then we will soon find the way." And when the full moon had risen, Hansel took his little sister by the hand, and followed the pebbles, which shone like newly-‐coined silver pieces, and showed them the way. They walked the whole night long, and by break of day came once more to their father's house. They knocked at the door, and when the woman opened it and saw that it was Hansel and Gretel, she said, "You naughty children, why have you slept so long in the

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forest? We thought you were never coming back at all." The father, however, rejoiced, for it had cut him to the heart to leave them behind alone. Not long afterwards, there was once more great famine throughout the land, and the children heard their mother saying at night to their father: "Everything is eaten again, we have one half loaf left, and that is the end. The children must go, we will take them farther into the wood, so that they will not find their way out again. There is no other means of saving ourselves." The man's heart was heavy, and he thought, "It would be better for you to share the last mouthful with your children." The woman, however, would listen to nothing that he had to say, but scolded and reproached him. He had yielded the first time, he had to do so a second time also. The children, however, were still awake and had heard the conversation. When the old folks were asleep, Hansel again got up, and wanted to go out and pick up pebbles as he had done before, but the woman had locked the door, and Hansel could not get out. Nevertheless he comforted his little sister, and said, "Do not cry, Gretel, go to sleep." Early in the morning came the woman, and took the children out of their beds. Their piece of bread was given to them, but it was still smaller than the time before. On the way into the forest Hansel crumbled his in his pocket, and often stood still and threw a morsel on the ground. "Hansel, why do you stop and look round?" Said the father. "Go on." "I am waving goodbye to my little pigeon, which is sitting on the roof,” answered Hansel. "Fool." Said the woman, "That is not your little pigeon, that is the morning sun shining on the roof."

Hansel, however, little by little, threw all the crumbs on the path. The woman led the children still deeper into the forest, where they had never in their lives been before. Then a great fire was again made, and the mother said, "Just sit there, you children, and when you are tired you may sleep a little. We are going into the forest to cut wood, and in the evening when we are done, we will come and fetch you away."

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When it was noon, Gretel shared her piece of bread with Hansel, who had scattered his by the way. Then they fell asleep and evening passed, but no one came to the poor children. They did not awake until it was dark night, and Hansel comforted his little sister and said, "Just wait, Gretel, until the moon rises, and then we shall see the crumbs of bread which I have strewn about, they will show us our way home again." When the moon came they set out, but they found no crumbs, for the many thousands of birds and squirrels, which fly about in the woods and fields had picked them all up. Hansel said to Gretel, "We shall soon find the way." But they did not find it. They walked the whole night and all the next day too from morning till evening, but they did not get out of the forest, and were very hungry, for they had nothing to eat but two or three berries, which grew on the ground. And as they were so weary that their legs would carry them no longer, they lay down beneath a tree and fell asleep. It was now three mornings since they had left their father's house. They began to walk again, but they always came deeper into the forest, and if help did not come soon, they must die of hunger and weariness. When it was mid-‐day, they saw a beautiful snow-‐white bird sitting on a bough, which sang so delightfully that they stood still and listened to it. And when its song was over, it spread its wings and flew away before them, and they followed it until they reached a little house, on the roof of which it alighted. And when they approached the little house they saw that it was built of bread and covered with cakes, but that the windows were of clear sugar. "We will set to work on that," said Hansel, "and have a good meal. I will eat a bit of the roof, and you Gretel, can eat some of the window, it will taste sweet." Hansel reached up above, and broke off a little of the roof to try how it tasted, and Gretel leant against the window and nibbled at the panes. Then a soft voice cried from the parlor -‐ "Nibble, nibble, I hear a mouse Who’s that nibbling on my house?" The children answered -‐ "The wind, the wind; it’s very mild, blowing like the heavenly child." And they went on eating. Hansel, who liked the taste of the roof, tore down a great piece of it, and Gretel pushed out the whole of one round windowpane, sat down, and enjoyed herself with it. Suddenly the door opened, and a woman as old as the hills, who supported herself on crutches, came creeping out. Hansel and Gretel were so terribly frightened that they let fall what they had in their hands. The old woman, however, nodded her head, and said, "Oh, you dear children, who has brought you here? Do come in, and stay with me. No harm shall happen to you." She took them both by the hand, and led them into her little house. Then good food was set before them, milk and pancakes, with sugar, apples, and nuts. Afterwards two pretty little beds were covered with clean white linen, and Hansel and Gretel lay down in them, and thought they were in heaven. The old woman had only pretended to be so kind. She was in reality a wicked witch, who lay in wait for children, and had only built the little house of bread in order to entice them there. When a child fell into her power she cooked and ate them, and that was a feast day with her. Witches have red eyes, and cannot see far, but they have a keen scent like the

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beasts, and are aware when human beings draw near. When Hansel and Gretel came into her neighborhood, she laughed with malice, and said mockingly, "I have them, they shall not escape me again." Early in the morning before the children were awake, she was already up, and when she saw both of them sleeping and looking so pretty, with their plump and rosy cheeks, she muttered to herself, that will be a dainty mouthful. Then she seized Hansel with her shrivelled hand, carried him into a little stable, and locked him in behind a grated door. Then she went to Gretel, shook her till she awoke, and cried, "Get up, lazy thing, fetch some water, and cook something good for your brother, he is in the stable outside, and is to be made fat. When he is fat, I will eat him." Gretel began to weep bitterly, but it was all in vain, for she was forced to do what the wicked witch commanded. And now the best food was cooked for poor Hansel, but Gretel got nothing but crab-‐shells. Every morning the woman crept to the little stable, and cried, "Hansel, stretch out your finger that I may feel if you will soon be fat." Hansel, however, stretched out a little bone to her, and the old woman, who had dim eyes, could not see it, and thought it was Hansel's finger, and was astonished that there was no way of fattening him. When four weeks had gone by, and Hansel still remained thin, she was seized with impatience and would not wait any longer. "Now, then, Gretel," she cried to the girl, "stir yourself, and bring some water. Let Hansel be fat or lean, to-‐morrow I will cook him." Ah, how the poor little sister did lament when she had to fetch the water, and how her tears did flow down her cheeks. "If the wild beasts in the forest had but devoured us, we should at any rate have died together." "Just keep your noise to yourself," said the old woman, "it won't help you at all." Early in the morning, Gretel had to go out and hang up the cauldron with the water, and light the fire. "We will bake first," said the old woman, "I have already heated the oven, and kneaded the dough." She pushed poor Gretel out to the oven, from which flames of fire were already darting. "Creep in," said the witch, "and see if it properly heated, so that we can put the bread in." And once Gretel was inside, she intended to shut the oven and let her bake in it, and then she would eat her, too. But Gretel saw what she had in mind, and said, "I do not know how I am to do it. How do I get in?" "Silly goose," said the old woman, "the door is big enough. Just look, I can get in myself." And she crept up and thrust her head into the oven. Then Gretel gave her a push that drove her far into it, and shut the iron door, and fastened the bolt. Oh. Then she began to howl quite horribly, but Gretel ran away, and the witch was miserably burnt. Gretel, however, ran like lightning to Hansel, opened his little stable, and cried, "Hansel, we are saved. The old witch is dead." Then Hansel sprang like a bird from its cage when the door is opened. How they did rejoice and embrace each other, and dance about and kiss each other. And as they had no longer any need to fear her, they went into the witch's house, and in every corner there stood chests full of pearls and jewels. "These are far better than pebbles." Said Hansel, and thrust into his pockets whatever could be got in.

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And Gretel said, "I, too, will take something home with me," and filled her pinafore full. "But now we must be off," said Hansel, "that we may get out of the witch's forest." When they had walked for two hours, they came to a great stretch of water. "We cannot cross," said Hansel, "I see no foot-‐plank, and no bridge. "And there is also no ferry," answered Gretel, "but a white duck is swimming there. If I ask her, she will help us over." Then she cried -‐ "Little duck, little duck, dost thou see, Hansel and Gretel are waiting for thee. There's never a plank, or bridge in sight, take us across on thy back so white." The duck came to them, and Hansel seated himself on its back, and told his sister to sit by him. "No," replied Gretel, "that will be too heavy for the little duck. She shall take us across, one after the other." The good little duck did so, and when they were once safely across and had walked for a short time, the forest seemed to be more and more familiar to them, and at length they saw from afar their father's house. Then they began to run, rushed into the parlor, and threw themselves round their father's neck. The man had not known one happy hour since he had left the children in the forest. The woman, however, had died. Gretel emptied her pinafore until pearls and precious stones ran about the room, and Hansel threw one handful after another out of his pocket to add to them. Then all anxiety was at an end, and they lived together in perfect happiness. The End.

BRIER ROSE German Folktale

(May 8th)

In the times of old there lived a king and queen, and every day they said, “Oh, if only we had a child!” Yet, they never had one.

Then one day, as the queen went out bathing, a frog happened to crawl ashore and say to her, “Your wish shall be fulfilled. Before the year is out, you shall give birth to a daughter.”

The frog’s prediction came true, and the queen gave birth to a girl who was so beautiful that the king was overjoyed and decided to hold a great feast. Not only did he invite his relatives, friends, and acquaintances, but also the wise women, in the hope that they would be generous and kind to his daughter. There were thirteen wise women in his kingdom, but he had only twelve golden plates from which they could eat. Therefore, one of them had to remain home.

The feast was celebrated with tremendous splendor, and when it drew to a close, the wise women bestowed their miraculous gifts upon the child. One gave her virtue, another beauty, the third wealth, and so on, until they had given her nearly everything one could possibly wish for in the world. When eleven of them had offered their gifts, the thirteenth suddenly entered the hall. She wanted to get revenge for not having been invited, and without greeting anyone or looking around, she cried out in a loud voice, “In her fifteenth year the princess shall prick herself with a spindle and fall down dead!”

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That was all she said. Then she turned around and left the hall. Everyone was horrified, but the twelfth wise woman stepped forward. She still had her wish to make, and although she could not undo the evil spell, she could nonetheless soften it.

“The princess shall not die,” she said. “Instead, she shall fall into a deep sleep for one hundred years.”

Since the king wanted to guard his dear child against such a catastrophe, he issued an order that all spindles in his kingdom were to be burned. Meanwhile, the gifts of the wise women fulfilled their promise in every way: the girl was so beautiful, polite and kind, and sensible that whoever encountered her could not help but adore her.

Now, on the day she turned fifteen, it happened that the king and queen were not a home, and she was left completely alone in the palace. So she wandered all over the place and explored as many rooms and chambers as she pleased. She eventually came to an old tower, climbed its narrow winding staircase, and came to a small door. A rusty key was stuck in the lock, and when she turned it, the door sprang open, and she saw an old woman in a little room sitting with a spindle and busily spinning flax.

“Good day, old granny,” said the old woman, and she nodded her head. “What’s that thing that’s bobbing about in such a funny way?” asked the maiden,

who took the spindle and wanted to spin too, but just as she touched the spindle, the magic spell began working, and she pricked her finger with it.

The very moment she felt a prick, she fell down on the bed that was standing there, and she was overcome by a deep sleep. This sleep soon spread throughout the entire palace. The king and queen had just returned home, and when they entered the hall, they fell asleep as did all the people in the court. They were followed by the horses in the stable, the dogs in the courtyard, the pigeons on the roof, and the flies on the wall. Even the fire flickering in the hearth became quiet and fell asleep. The roast stopped sizzling, and the cook, who was just about to pull the kitchen’s boy’s hair because he had done something wrong, let him go and fell asleep. Finally, the wind died down so that not a single leaf stirred on the trees outside the castle.

Soon a brier hedge began to grow all around the castle, and it grew higher each year. Eventually, it surrounded and covered the entire castle, so that it was no longer visible. Not even the flag on the roof could be seen. The princess became known by the name Beautiful

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Sleeping Brier Rose, and a tale about her began circulating throughout the country. From time to time princes came and tried to break through the hedge and get to the castle. However, this was impossible because the thorns clung together tightly as though they had hands, and the young man got stuck there.

After many, many years had gone by, a prince came to this country once more and heard an old man talking about the brier hedge. Supposedly there was a castle standing behind the hedge, and in the castle was a remarkably beautiful princess named Brier Rose, who had been sleeping for a hundred years, along with the king and queen and their entire court. The old man also knew from his grandfather that many princes had come and had tried to break through the brier hedge, but they had got stuck.

“I’m not afraid,” said the young prince. “I intend to go and see the beautiful Brier Rose.”

The good old man tired as best he could to dissuade him, but the prince would not heed his words.

Now the hundred years had just ended, and the day on which Brier Rose was to wake up again had arrived. When the prince approached the brier hedge, he found nothing but beautiful flowers that opened of their own accord, let him through, and then closed again like a hedge. In the castle courtyard he saw the horses and the spotted hunting dogs lying asleep. The pigeons were perched on the roof and had tucked their heads beneath their wings. When he entered the palace, the flies were sleeping on the wall, the cook in the kitchen was still holding his hand as if he wanted to grab the kitchen boy, and the maid was sitting in front of the black chicken that she was about to pluck. As the prince continued walking, he saw the entire court lying asleep in the hall with the king and queen by the throne. Then he moved on, and everything was so quiet that he could hear himself breathe.

Finally, he came to the tower and opened the door to the small room in which Brier Rose was asleep. There she lay, and her beauty was so marvelous that he could not take his eyes off her. Then he leaned over and gave her a kiss, and when his lips touched hers, Brier Rose opened her eyes, woke up, and looked at him fondly. After that they went downstairs together, and the king and queen woke up along with the entire court, and they all looked at each other in amazement. Soon the horses in the courtyard stood up and shook themselves. The hunting dogs jumped around and wagged their tails. The pigeons on the roof lifted their heads from under their wings, looked around, and flew off into the fields. The flies on the wall continued crawling. The fire in the kitchen flared up, flickered and cooked the meat. The roast began to sizzle again, and the cook gave the kitchen boy a box on the ear, while the maid finished plucking the chicken.

The wedding of the prince with Brier Rose was celebrated in great splendor, and they lived happily to the end of their days.

Ten Little Birds Nursery Rhyme (May 11th-‐15th)

One little bird sat upon my shoe,

Along came another and that made two.

Chorus: Fly to the treetops, fly to the ground.

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Fly little bird round and round.

Two little birds sitting on a tree,

Along came another and that made three. (chorus)

Three little birds came to my door, Along came another and that made four.

(chorus) Four little birds sitting on a beehive,

Along came another and that made five. (chorus)

Five little birds sitting on the ricks, Along came another and that made six.

(chorus) Six little birds flying up to heaven,

Along came another and that made seven. (chorus)

Seven little birds sitting on a gate, Along came another and that made eight.

(chorus) Eight little birds sitting in a line,

Along came another and that made nine. (chorus)

Nine little birds looking at a hen, Along came another and that made ten.

Who said they end.

The Little Crab and the Magic Eyes A Folktale

(May 18th-‐21st)

Once upon a time there was a little crab who had magic eyes. He could make his eyes pop out of his head and go flying out over the ocean… and then fly back and pop into his head again. He would sit along the seashore and play his eye sailing game. He would call:

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“Little eyes, little eyes, Sail out over the deep blue sea” And little crab’s eyes would POP out of his head and sail out over the deep blue sea. Then he would call: “Little eyes, little eyes, Sail back over the deep blue sea.” And his eyes would sail back and POP into his head again. It was a good game. Little crab’s eyes could look down into the blue sea. They could see the seaweed… the coral reef, sharks, octopuses… and the little fish swimming about… It was fun!

One day little crab was playing his eye sailing game when along came jaguar. Jaguar said: “Little crab what are you doing?” “I am playing my eye sailing game. I can make my eyes sail out over the deep blue sea and come back again!” “Little crab, let me see you do it. Do it for me little crab.” “All right!” said little crab. And little crab began to play his favorite game. He called: “Little eyes, little eyes, Sail out over the deep blue sea” And little crab’s eyes POPPED out of his head and sailed out over the deep blue sea. Then he called: “Little eyes, little eyes, Sail back over the deep blue sea.” And his eyes sailed back and POPPED into his eye sockets again. “Oooooohhhhhh that looks like fun,” said Jaguar. “Little crab, could you make my eyes go sailing?” “I could,” said little crab “but I’m not going to. It’s too dangerous.” Out in the deep blue sea there lives a big Ooonkaloonka fish. And the Ooonkaloonka fish might swallow your eyes. “I’m not afraid of any old fish,” said jaguar. “You make my eyes go sailing. You make my eyes go sailing or you’ll be sorry.” So little crab said, “all right.” He began to call: “Jaguar’s eyes, Jaguar’s eyes, Sail out over the deep blue sea.” And jaguar’s eyes POPPED out of his head and sailed out over the deep blue sea. Then little crab called: “Jaguar’s eyes, jaguar’s eyes, Sail back over the deep blue sea.” And jaguar’s e1yes sailed back and POPPED into his eye sockets again. “Oooohhhhhh! That was wonderful!” said jaguar. “I could see the fish, the coral reef, a shark, an octopus, and all the little fishes swimming about!” “Do it again! Do it again! Little crab!” “No. It’s much too dangerous. The Ooonkaloonka fish might swallow up your eyes.”

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“I am not afraid of any old fish! You make my eyes go sailing, you make my eyes go sailing or you’ll be sorry!” So little crab said: “All right. All right.” “Jaguar’s eyes, Jaguar’s eyes, Sail out over the deep blue sea.” Jaguar’s eyes POPPED out of his head and sailed out over the deep blue sea. Then little crab called: “Jaguar’s eyes, Jaguar’s eyes, Sail back over the deep blue sea.” But just then from the depths of the deep blue sea swam the great big Ooonkaloonka fish who jumped out of the water and swallowed up Jaguar’s eyes. “Oh little crab! It all went black! I can’t see!” “Bring back my eyes, bring back my eyes!” “Oh, it is too late,” said little crab. “The Ooonkaloonka fish has swallowed your eyes. “Little crab you make my eyes come back or you’ll be sorry!” But little crab had backed under a rock and jaguar could not find him. Jaguar began to moan and groan. Just then down flew vulture. “Jaguar, why are you crying?” asked vulture. “I am crying because little crab took away my eyes and now I am blind and he will not bring them back. I can see nothing at all.” “What would you do if I brought you some new eyes?” asked vulture. “I would do anything. From now on whenever I kill an animal I will leave the carcass, the bones, and some meat for the vulture family to eat. “Very well,” said vulture. And vulture flew away. Soon he flew back with two bright blue berries. Jaguar popped them into his eye sockets and he could see as well as ever!” Everything was bright, blue and shiny. “I can see, I can see!” said jaguar. “Thank you, vulture. From now on whenever I or any member of the jaguar family kills an animal to eat, we will leave the carcass, the bones, and some meat for the vulture family to eat. And so it is to this day. And if you happen to be on the beach you will still find little crab hiding under his rock for jaguar never did catch him. The end.

The Story of the Three Bears

English Folktale (May 22nd)

ONCE upon a time there were Three Bears, who lived together in a house of their own, in a wood. One of them was a Little, Small, Wee Bear; and one was a Middle-‐sized Bear, and the other was a Great, Huge Bear. They each had a pot for their porridge, a little pot for the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and a middle-‐sized pot for the Middle Bear, and a great pot for the Great, Huge Bear. And they each had a chair to sit in; a little chair for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-‐sized chair for the Middle Bear; and a great chair for the Great, Huge Bear. And they each had a bed to sleep in; a little bed for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-‐sized bed for the Middle Bear; and a great bed for the Great, Huge Bear. One day, after they had made the porridge for their breakfast, and poured it into their porridge-‐pots, they walked out into the wood while the porridge was cooling, that they might not burn their mouths, by beginning too soon to eat it. And while they were walking, a little old Woman came to the house. She could not have been a good, honest old Woman; for first she looked in at the window, and then she peeped in at the keyhole; and seeing nobody in the house, she lifted the latch. The door was not fastened, because the

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Bears were good Bears, who did nobody any harm, and never suspected that anybody would harm them. So the little old Woman opened the door, and went in; and well pleased she was when she saw the porridge on the table. If she had been a good little old Woman, she would have waited till the Bears came home, and then, perhaps, they would have asked her to breakfast; for they were good Bears-‐-‐a little rough or so, as the manner of Bears is, but for all that very good-‐natured and hospitable. But she was an impudent, bad old Woman, and set about helping herself. So first she tasted the porridge of the Great, Huge Bear, and that was too hot for her; and she said a bad word about that. And then she tasted the porridge of the Middle Bear, and that was too cold for her; and she said a bad word about that, too. And then she went to the porridge of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and tasted that; and that was neither too hot nor too cold, but just right; and she liked it so well that she ate it all up: but the naughty old Woman said a bad word about the little porridge-‐pot, because it did not hold enough for her. Then the little old Woman sate down in the chair of the Great, Huge Bear, and that was too hard for her. And then she sat down in the chair of the Middle Bear, and that was too soft for her. And then she sat down in the chair of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and that was neither too hard, nor too soft, but just right. So she seated herself in it, and there she sate till the bottom of the chair came out, and down she came, plump upon the ground. And the naughty old Woman said a wicked word about that, too. Then the little old Woman went upstairs into the bed-‐chamber in which the three Bears slept. And first she lay down upon the bed of the Great, Huge Bear; but that was too high at the head for her. And next she lay down upon the bed of the Middle Bear, and that was too high at the foot for her. And then she lay down upon the bed of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and that was neither too high at the head nor at the foot, but just right. So she covered herself up comfortably, and lay there till she fell fast asleep. By this time the Three Bears thought their porridge would be cool enough, so they came home to breakfast. Now the little old Woman had left the spoon of the Great, Huge Bear, standing in his porridge. “Somebody has been at my porridge!” said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice. And when the Middle Bear looked at his, he saw that the spoon was standing in it, too. They were wooden spoons; if they had been silver ones, the naughty old Woman would have put them in her pocket. “Somebody has been at my porridge!” said the Middle Bear in his middle voice. Then the Little, Small, Wee Bear looked at his, and there was the spoon in the porridge-‐pot, but the porridge was all gone. “Somebody has been at my porridge, and has eaten it all up!” said the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice. Upon this the Three Bears, seeing that someone had entered their house, and eaten up the Little, Small, Wee Bear's breakfast, began to look about them. Now the little old Woman had not put the hard cushion straight when she rose from the chair of the Great, Huge Bear. “Somebody has been sitting in my chair!” said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice. And the little old Woman had squatted down the soft cushion of the Middle Bear. “Somebody has been sitting in my chair!”

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said the Middle Bear, in his middle voice. And you know what the little old Woman had done to the third chair. “Somebody has been sitting in my chair and has sat the bottom out of it!” said the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice. Then the three Bears thought it necessary that they should make further search; so they went upstairs into their bed-‐chamber. Now the little old Woman had pulled the pillow of the Great, Huge Bear out of its place. “Somebody has been lying in my bed!” said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice. And the little old Woman had pulled the bolster of the Middle Bear out of its place. “Somebody has been lying in my bed!” said the Middle Bear, in his middle voice. And when the Little, Small, Wee Bear came to look at his bed, there was the bolster in its right place, and the pillow in its place upon the bolster; and upon the pillow was the little old Woman's head-‐-‐which was not in its place, for she had no business there. “Somebody has been lying in my bed-‐-‐and here she is!”

said the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice. The little old Woman had heard in her sleep the great, rough, gruff voice of the Great, Huge Bear; but she was so fast asleep that it was no more to her than the roaring of wind or the rumbling of thunder. And she had heard the middle voice of the Middle Bear, but it was only as if she had heard someone speaking in a dream. But when she heard the little, small, wee voice of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, it was so sharp, and so shrill, that it awakened her at once. Up she started; and when she saw the Three Bears on one side of the bed, she tumbled herself out at the other, and ran to the window. Now the window was open, because the Bears, like good, tidy Bears as they were, always opened their bed-‐chamber window when they got up in the morning. Out the little old Woman jumped; and whether she broke her neck in the fall; or ran into the wood and was lost there; or found her way out of the wood, and was taken up by the constable and sent to the House of Correction for a vagrant as she was, I cannot tell. But the Three Bears never saw anything more of her. The End.

The Owl and the Pussycat

By Edward Lear (May 26th-‐28th)

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The Owl and the Pussy-‐cat went to sea

In a beautiful pea-‐green boat, They took some honey, and plenty of money,

Wrapped up in a five-‐pound note. The Owl looked up to the stars above,

And sang to a small guitar, "O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are,

You are, You are!

What a beautiful Pussy you are!

Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl! How charmingly sweet you sing!

O let us be married! too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?"

They sailed away, for a year and a day, To the land where the Bong-‐Tree grows And there in a wood a Piggy-‐wig stood With a ring at the end of his nose,

His nose, His nose,

With a ring at the end of his nose.

"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."

So they took it away, and were married next day By the Turkey who lives on the hill.

They dined on mince, and slices of quince, Which they ate with a runcible spoon;

And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, They danced by the light of the moon,

The moon, The moon,

They danced by the light of the moon.

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