Stolen Cookies!: Prop Story and Song

Story: Who Stole the Cookies from the Cookie Jar?

Need:
– Felt: various shades of brown, white, pink, blue, green, orange, red, black
– A felt board
– Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
– Permanent black marker

Participation Age Range: 2 to 8 years old

Method: Put empty cookie jar felt and the animal faces on the felt board. Hide the felt cookie until the end of the song.
As song progresses, each animal face is turned around depicting the food that they ate. Only at the very end, does the felt cookie appear, and the storyleader put it into the cookie jar.

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Rainbow Fish: Puppets & Props

Story: Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

Need:
– felt: various shades of blues, greens, purples, pinks
– craft sticks
– craft foam: plain for backing on stick puppets and the glitter foam to create the shiny scales
– Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks

Participation Age Range: 2 to 8 years old

Method: Some of the fish are on craft sticks while others make use of the felt board.

As story goes on and rainbow fish shares the shiny scales, the storyteller pulls a shiny scale out of one of the rainbow fish pockets and slides it into the pocket of one of the other fish.

Read on more for images from the story.

Walking in Someone Else’s Shoes: Fingerplay

Sharing World Views
Words and Actions by CK Emanuel

Put your hand in mine and walk with me,
CLAPS HANDS TOGETHER
MAKE AN UPSIDE DOWN “V” WITH BOTH HANDS AND WALK THEM AS IF LEGS
Walk with me, walk with me.
SAME ACTION AS ABOVE
Put your hand in mine and walk with me
AS ABOVE.
To see the world like me.
PUT TO EYES
MAKE HOOP OVERHEAD LIKE EARTH
PUT HANDS ON CHEST

Take my hand for I will walk with you,
CLAPS HANDS TOGETHER
MAKE AN UPSIDE DOWN “V” WITH BOTH HANDS AND WALK THEM AS IF LEGS
Walk with you, walk with you.
SAME ACTION AS ABOVE
Take my hand for I will walk with you
AS ABOVE.
To see the world like you.
PUT TO EYES
MAKE HOOP OVERHEAD LIKE EARTH
HANDS OUT TO SIDES WITH PALMS UP

Monsters: Action Song

Monsters knocked the city down
Sung to: Michael Rowed the Boat Ashore
Written by: CK Emanuel

Chorus:
Monsters roamed throughout the town
MAKE CLAWS WITH HANDS AND A SCARY FACE
POINT AND MOVE HAND AS IF FOLLOWING IMAGINARY MONSTERS
On Halloween night
HANDS OVERHEAD MOVING FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER
MAKE A CIRCLE OVERHEAD FOR THE MOON
Monsters roamed throughout the town
On Halloween night

Verses:
Frankie stomped an entire block, On Halloween Night
STOMP IN PLACE
Frankie stomped an entire block, On Halloween Night

Werewolves dug up every yard, On Halloween Night
MOVE HANDS AS IF DIGGING
Werewolves dug up every yard, On Halloween Night

Mummies wrapped up all the trees, On Halloween Night
MOVE FIST IN CIRCLE AS IF WRAPPING
Mummies wrapped up all the trees, On Halloween Night

Ghosts slimed through every doorway, On Halloween Night
SLIDE HANDS DOWNWARDS WIGGLING FINGERS
Ghosts slimed through every doorway, On Halloween Night

Witches stole all the broomsticks, On Halloween Night
MOVE HAND QUICKLY IN UPWARD ARC
Witches stole all the broomsticks, On Halloween Night

Vampires took the city bus, On Halloween Night
MOVE HANDS AS IF GRASPING A Steering WHEEL
Vampires took the city bus, On Halloween Night

Pumpkins glowed a toothy grin, On Halloween Night
USE HANDS TO TRACE A SMILE
Pumpkins glowed a toothy grin, On Halloween Night

Fairy Tale Elves and the Shoemaker: Fingerplay

Elves and the Shoemaker
Text and Actions by CK Emanuel

A poor shoemaker with a single leather scrap,
HANDS OUT TO SIDES TO SHOW “EMPTY”
Too tired to work, took a long night’s nap.
YAWN AND STRETCH;
THEN PUT HANDS TOGETHER AND REST THEM ON THE SIDE OF ONE CHECK
Then in from the dark crept two little chaps,
MAKE AN UPSIDE-DOWN “V” WITH BOTH HANDS AND “WALK” THEM LIKE LEGS
Whose hammers worked with a tap, tap, tap!
USE A FIST TO HAMMER THE OTHER HAND
The elves filled the shoe shelves in a snap,
MOVE HANDS AS IF PLACING ITEMS ON SHELVES
Before sneaking out through the window gap.
MAKE A FLATTEN “C” WITH ONE HAND. USING THE OTHER HAND, MAKE LEGS LIKE BEFORE AND WALK IT THROUGH THE OPENING IN THE FLATTEN “C” HAND.
How happy the cobbler, a truly thankful chap!
USE INDEX FINGERS TO DRAW A SMILE ON FACE
PUT BOTH HANDS OVER HEART
For the elves he left shoes, clothes, and each a cap!
TOUCH SHOES, SHIRT, THEN THE TOP OF HEAD

Wearing Shoes: A Fingerplay

5 Little Monkeys’ Shoes
Words and Actions by CK Emanuel
To the tune of: 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Five little monkeys refused to wear their shoes
HOLD UP FIVE FINGERS
CROSS ARMS & SHAKE HEAD THEN TOUCH YOUR SHOE
A slid, a skid, and whoops! A bruise!
MOVE ONE HAND, PALM DOWN IS A SLIDING MOTION, THEN DO THE SAME WITH THE OTHER HAND
THROW ARMS UP IN THE AIR
RUB ARM AS IF HURT
The Doctor was called, who said this isn’t news,
HAND MAKES A “Y” BY HAVING THUMB AND PINKY FINGER STICK OUT OF FIST; BRING TO EAR LIKE A PHONE
“All little monkeys need to wear their shoes!”
SHAKE POINTER FINGER AT IMAGINARY MONKEYS
TOUCH SHOE

CONTINUE RHYME COUNTING DOWN FROM 4 TO 1 .

Wind Blows Leaf fingerplay

Blow the Leaf Down
Text and Actions adapted by CK Emanuel
Adaptation of the folk song: Blow the Man Down

I’ll sing you a song of the wind and a tree
THUMBS POINT TO CHEST
MOVE HANDS SIDE TO SIDE IN SWEEPING MOTION
ARMS STRAIGHT UP OVERHEAD
with a way, hey, blow the leaf down;
MOVE ARMS OVERHEAD AND SWAY THEM FROM SIDE TO SIDE
LOWER HAND AS IF IT WAS A LEAF FALLING
And hope that you’ll be the breeze with me.
HANDS OVER HEART
MOVE HANDS SIDE TO SIDE IN SWEEPING MOTION
Give it a try and blow the leaf down.
EXTEND ARM PALM UP AND THEN BEND AT ELBOW TO MAKE A “COME” GESTURE
MOVE HAND AS IF IT WAS A LEAF FALLING

Original Song Source: “Blow the Man Down Lyrics.” Grandparents.com, American Grandparents Association, www.grandparents.com/grandkids/activities-games-and-crafts/blow-the-man-down.