Yahoo!!!
Gather up your muckin' boots and roll up those overalls! It's time to giddy-up my Kiddie-roos, we're gonna have a gallopin' great day at the farm today!
There are so many horse, pig, cow, duck, chicken, cat, dog and mouse fingerplays and songs! I really suggest having a 'pick from the bucket' activity where you have toy animals that the kids reach in the bucket (or apron) to pick from - then do the fingerplay that matches
Down on Grandpa's Farm
We're on our way, We're on our way, on our way to Grandpa's Farm
We're on our way, We're on our way, on our way to Grandpa's Farm
Down on Grandpa's farm there is a big brown cow
Down on Grandpa's farm there is a big brown cow
That cow, she makes a sound like this - Mooooo
That cow, she makes a sound like this - Mooooo
Repeat - with more animals (take suggestions)...little white kitten
...little yellow duck
...big blue dog
...big red rooster
...little black sheep
Old McDonald's Farm
Old McDonald had a farm
EiEi O
And on that farm he had a cow
EiEi O
With a moo moo here
A moo moo there
Here a moo, there a moo
Everywhere a moo moo
Old McDonald had a farm
EiEi O
Repeat with more farm animals...
Horse, Pig, Chicken, Mouse, Cat, Dog, Sheep - RABBIT (no sound! - follow with the next book)
(play off the Old MacDonald Song - Rabbits have no sound!)
I Went Walking by Sue Williams
~ This makes a great Felt story too!
OPL Link
Five Friendly Farmers
Five friendly farmers
Wake up the sun
For it is early morning
And the chores must be done
The first friendly farmer
Goes to milk the cow
The second friendly farmer
Thought he'd better plow
The third friendly farmer
Feeds the hungry hens
The fourth friendly farmer
Puts the piggies in their pen
The fifth friendly farmer
Picks the nice ripe corn
And waves to the neighbor
As he blows his horn
When the work is finished
And the evening sky is red
Five tired farmers
Tumble into bed!
Barnyard Boogie from Let's Play Music
(slow down for laptime and omit the clapping parts)
OPL Link
Whoa Nelly! Oh, I mean Bob.
or a FABULOUS Laptime option from Sandra Boynton is also:
Moo Baa La La La by Sandra Boynton
OPL Link
What animals do you find in a barn or on a farm?
(now is the time to take suggestion or pick toy animals from the milk pail)
Where can I find a horse? I want to ride!
This is the Way the Farmer Rides
This is the way the farmer rides, the farmer rides, the farmer rides
-bounce baby on your knee
This is the way the farmer rides
So early in the morning.
This is the way the gentleman rides...
-bounce baby in an English trot
This is the way the Lady rides...
-soft side saddle trot
This is the way the Baby rides...
-silly giggly, tickly rolllicking bounce
And Old Dobbin, well he just goes gallopy trot, gallopy trot
insert slow and goofy voice here ;)
-work both knees opposite, one up, the other down, baby straddling both and rocking all over.
Horsey Horsey
This works well as a round or with rthym sticks
- although... only if you are telling to the older children.
p.s. I would NOT combine a round with the rhythm sticks
- that would be asking just a bit much of adults, let alone little kids! ;)
Horsey horsey on your way
We've been together for many a day,
So let your tail go swish,
And your wheels go 'round.
Giddy'up we're homeward bound.
I like to take the horse and the buggy
As we go traveling through the town
I like to hear old Dobbin's Clip Clop
As I watch the wheels go 'round.
Creeping Cat
Creeping, creeping, creeping
-creep fingers up other arm
Comes the little cat
But the bunny with his long ears-hop fingers of one hand up other arm
Hops like that!
There was a Little Bunny
sing to the 'Sing a Song of Sixpence'
There was a little bunny,-make rabbit ears with hands
He lived in a stump-draw a three-sided box for a stump
He was so small and furry
- crouch down
He couldn't even jump
-make a feeble effort to jump
Carrot after carrot
-pretend to chomp on carrots
Made him grow so big
-slowly rise to standing
He hopped around in circles
And did the bunny jig
-dance/hop around in a circle
I've got Piggies!
Have you got piggies?
Where are your piggies?
See my piggies?
Have you got your piggies ready...
I like to tell this as a fingerplay, but it's great to have the book ready to check out and take home
OPL Link
Ten Fluffy Chickens
Five Eggs-hold up 5 fingers
and five eggs-hold up second hand
That makes ten
Sitting on top is mother hen-lock fingers together , knuckles up
Crackle, crackle, crackle, what do I see-clap hands
Ten fluffy chicks as yellow as can be-hold up all ten wriggling fingers
Chicken by Meish Goldish
Known for it's feathers and wings and legs,
The chicken lays eggs and eggs and eggs!
Known for the comb atop it's crown,
The chicken lays eggs of white and brown.
Known for it's strut when taking a walk,
The chicken lays eggs! Ba-a-awk! Ba-a-awk!
Little Baby Mousey
check out the music in What Will we do with the Baby-O by Theo Heras
Little baby mousey,-walk your fingers up baby's arm
Runs from the barn-ey to the house-y,
In the pantry,
-peek under baby's shirt (or tickle belly)
Under the shelf-lift baby's chin and tickle
Found some cheese
-point to a big grin on your face
And helped him self!
-tickle all over
Soft Kitty
Soft Kitty, warm kitty
Little ball of fur
-make a fist of left hand
Lazy kitty, pretty kitty
Purr, purr, purr.
-pet 'kitty' with right hand
Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker
OPL Link
Hickety Pickety
Hickety Pickety my black hen
She lays eggs for gentlemen
Sometimes 9, sometimes 10
Hickety pickety, my black hen!
I Had a Little Piggie
I had a little piggie-hands apart to show a little piggieAnd I fed him from a trough
He grew so big and fat-move hand apart a bit moreThat his tail popped off
-pop finger in cheek
So I got me a hammer-hold one hand up with 'hammer' in it
And I got me a nail
-other hand up with a pretend nail
And I made that piggie a wooden tail!-'hammer' the 'nail'
Get those toes, oh, I mean get your PIGGIES out
Wait! Do your piggies have tails? No? Did they pop off too?
No worries kids, I'm just foolin' with ya ;)
- biggest to smallest and here we go...
This Little Piggie
This little piggie went to market
This little piggie stayed home
This little piggie had roast beef
This little piggie had none
And this little piggie cried
'wee wee wee' all the way home
Little Puppies and Kittens
One little, two little, three little kittens-hold up three fingers
Were napping in the sun
-bend fingers down
One little, two little, three little puppies said-three fingers up on other hand, it helps if you have a mischievous look on your face
Come let us all have fun
-shhhhhh
Up to the kittens the puppies went creeping-move puppies slowly closer to the kittensAs quiet as quiet can be
One little, two little, three little kittens
Scampered up the nearest tree!-move kittens quickly into the air
Naughty, naughty, naughty!
-shake a no-no finger / tsk, tsk, tsk
Two Little Blackbirds
Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill-place hands on shoulders
One named Jack and one named Jill
-look to one, then the other
Fly away Jack, fly away Jill
-hands fly away in turn
Come back Jack, come back Jill
-hands come back one by one
Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill
One named Jack and one named Jill
-nod to one, then the other.
________________________________
Ideas for converting to a Storytime....
Cows, we're remarkable cows...from Philadelphia Chickens by Sandra Boynton
OPL Link
Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini
OPL Link
Big Sneeze by Ruth Brown
don't give ME that cold!
OPL Link
Cover your Mouth if you Sneeze
~ thanks Brenda for teaching this one to me
Cover your mouth when you cough
~cough into elbow
Cover your mouth when you sneeze
~sneeze (achew) into elbow
If you cough, or if you sneeze
Cover your mouth if you please
~'thank you' in sign language
OPL Link
Goodnight Lulu by Paulette Bogan
OPL Link (no longer available at the library)
Every farm has to have a good cat. Do you have a cat? Is it an inside cat or an outside cat? Well, this particular cat was supposed to be an INSIDE cat, but he got out!
Feathers for Lunch by Lois Ehlert
OPL Link
Goodbye Old Paint
Goodbye Old Paint, I'm leavin' CheyenneGoodbye Old Paint, I'm leavin' Cheyenne
I'm a-leavin' Cheyenne, I'm off to Montan'
Goodbye, old Paint, I'm a-leavin' Cheyenne
Around the House the Fox Chased the Mouse: A Prepositional Tale by Rick Walton
Over, Under, Through!
OPL Link
Cow Who Clucked by Denise Fleming
OPL Link
Betty Botter Bought Some Better Butter
(this tongue twister is probably better in a storytime instead of a laptime)
Betty Botter bought some butter,
But she said, this butter's bitter.
If I put it in my batter
It will make my batter bitter
But a bit of better butter
Will make my batter better.
So she bought some better butter
Better than the bitter butter
And she put it in her batter
Now her batter was not bitter
So 'twas better Betty Botter
Bought a bit of better butter.
Piggie Wig and Piggie Wee
Piggie Wig and Piggie Wee
-hold up two thumbs
Hungry pigs as pigs could be,
For their dinner had to wait
Down behind the barnyard gate
-make a gate with your hands/fingers
Piggie Wig and Piggie Wee
-wiggle thumbs again
Climbed the barnyard gate to see
-poke thumbs through fingers
Peeping thorugh the gate so high,
But no dinner could they spy
-wiggle thumbs
Piggie Wig an Piggie Wee got down
-back thumbs out of 'gate'
Sad as pigs could be
But the gate soon opened wide
-hands swing apart
Now they scampered forth outside
-thumbs run out
Piggie Wi and Piggie Wee
Greedy as pigs could be
For their dinner ran pell mell
And into the trough both piggies fell
-make a trough with hands, thumbs fall in
