Watermelon Garden Fingerplay Song

I’ve Been Growing Watermelon
By: CK Emanuel
Set loosely to the tune of: I’ve been working on the railroad

I’ve been growing watermelon
In my garden spot
I’ve been growing watermelon
Though it’s all been for naught.

Did you see the rabbit hopping
Way up so early in the morn?
Did you see the rabbit chewing
Dining on my plant!

Rabbit, why’d you eat,
Rabbit, why’d you eat,
Rabbit, why’d you eat my plant?

Rabbit, why’d you eat,
Rabbit, why’d you eat,
Rabbit, why’d you eat my plant?

Optional Actions:
Watermelon: ASL for melon
Garden: Put hands in front, palms down, and move them sideways as if on top of dirt OR ASL for garden
Naught: Cross arms and shake head
Rabbit: Make a fist with index and middle fingers extended as if ears of rabbit
Early: Make a hoop overhead
Dining/eat: Touch fingertips to mouth
Plant: ASL for plant

Camping Game

Little Bug
By: CK Emanuel
Inspired by: Little Mouse, Little Mouse

Little bug, little bug,
Are you in the [color] tent
All nice and snug?

Optional Actions:
Bug: Put thumb and index finger together and “fly” it about
Tent: ASL for tent
Snug: Wrap arms around self

See more for prop ideas, printable handout, and playing options

Watermelon Hand Clapping Game

Melon Shapes
By: CK Emanuel

Oh, melon, melon, melon ball.
Oh, melon, melon, melon wedge.
Oh, melon, melon, melon round.
Oh, melon, melon, melon mash!

Clapping Actions:

Word	Action
Oh,	Clap own hands together
mel-	Clap right hand to partner’s right hand
-on,	Clap own hands together
mel-	Clap left hand to partner’s left hand
-on,	Clap own hands together
mel-	Clap right hand to partner’s right hand
-on	Clap own hands together
ball	Make both hands into fists
wedge	Make a triangle by touching own index fingers together as well as thumbs
round	Make a circle by touching own fingertips and thumbs together
mash	Clap both hands to partner’s

Camp fire fingerplay

Campfire
By: CK Emanuel
Inspired by: The Tyger by William Blake

Fire, fire burning bright:
With a few twigs,
you gain height.
With some water,
Psss! You’re out of sight.

Optional Actions:
Fire: Put hands in front with palms up, wiggle fingers like flames
Height: Raise wiggling fingers up overhead
Psss: Lower wiggling fingers
Sight: Flip hands over and let them lay flat and spread them apart

Camping fingerplay

Going Camping
By: CK Emanuel
To the tune of: Frère Jacques / Brother John

Going camping. Going camping.
Pitch the tent. Pitch the tent.
Watch out for mosquitos!
Watch out for mosquitos!
Eat some s’mores.
Eat some s’mores.

Optional Actions:
Camping: ASL for camping
Tent: ASL for tent OR Put fingertips of both hands together forming the top of a triangle
Mosquitos: Put index finger and thumb together and “fly” it around you OR slap at legs/arms as if swatting mosquitos
Eat: ASL for food- touch fingertips of one hand to mouth

Melon Garden Fingerplay

Down in the Melon Garden
By: CK Emanuel
To the tune of: Down in the Valley

Down in the garden,
The garden so lush,
The vines grow twisty,
As bees buzz shush.

The bees buzz shush, dear,
The bees buzz shush,
As the vines grow twisty,
And melons flush.

Optional Actions:
Garden: Put hands in front, palms down, and move them sideways as if on top of dirt OR ASL for garden
Twisty: Move fists/arms around each other
Bees: Put index finger and thumb together and “fly” it around
Melons: Make oval with hands OR ASL for melon

Flip-flop Matching Activity

Flip-flop Match
By: CK Emanuel

Flip-flop, flip-flop
Sitting on the blacktop
Searching for a match
In this sandal batch.

Optional Actions:

Flip-flop: Sway side to side with action for “Sandal”
Blacktop: Separate hands in a horizontal line
Searching: Cup eyes
Sandal: ASL of sandal. (One hand flat horizontally with fingers separated between index and middle. Dominant hand makes a “hook” with index finger and taps the space between the index and middle finger of other hand. As if the toe strap of a flip-flop sandal)

Props: Multiple pairs of flip flops

Group Play:
Option 1:
Separate out left foot flip-flops from right foot flip-flops. Pass out the right foot sandals to each child.
Say the rhyme and hold up one of the light foot sandals. If child’s flip-flop matches, they bring it up to the front.

Option 2: Handout to go home.

Read more: Flip-flop Matching Activity

Participation Age Range: Ages 2 years to 7 years old

Skills Utilized/Reinforced: Fine motor development, Gross motor development, Knowledge of sandals, Visual discrimination skills: Matching by color/pattern

Themes: Summer, Shoes, Sandals, Feet

Camping Prop Story & Song

A Camping We Will Go
Original Author Unknown
Source: “Camping Songs, Poems, & Fingerplays.” Edited by Shelly Boone, Pre-K Fun, www.prekfun.com/themes/prekthemes/a-f/Camping/Camping__Songs.htm. Accessed 5 Aug. 2023.
Adapted slightly by: CK Emanuel
To the tune of: The Farmer in the Dell

Refrain (Depending on size of group, do between every object or every 2-3 objects)
All:
A camping we will go.
A camping we will go.
Hi-ho, we’re off to the woods.
A camping we will go.

Verse
Leader: Who will bring the [object]?
Child: [Name] will bring the [object]!
All: Hi-ho, we’re off to the woods.
[Name] will bring the [object].

Optional Actions:
Camping: ASL for camping
Hi-ho: Pump arms as if speed walking
Woods: ASL for forest/woods

See more for prop ideas and play instructions.

Frog Jumping Activity

Lily Pad Jump
By: CK Emanuel

Be glad, glad, glad
For a lily pad!
Jump! Jump! Jump!
To a new pad!

Optional Prop: Tiles/carpet squares/cut out lily pads to place on the floor

Group Play:
Jump between lily pads as rhyme is said. For an older crowd, a player can be a “fish” trying to tag the “frogs” when they are off the lily pads.

Pterodactyl fingerplay

Pterodactyl, Will You fly?
By: CK Emanuel
To the tune of: Are you sleeping, brother John?

Pterodactyl, pterodactyl
Will you fly? Will you fly?
Ride along the wind stream
Ride along the wind stream
Flap those wings! Flap those wings!

Optional Actions
Pterodactyl: Move arms across chest
Fly: Spread out arms
Ride along: Sway body side-to-side with arms outstretched
Flap: Move arms up and down like flapping wings

Read more: Pterodactyl fingerplay

Participation Age Range: Ages 3 years to 7 years old

Skills Utilized/Reinforced: Fine motor development, Gross motor development, STEM/STEAM: Knowledge of the differences between dinosaurs and ancient reptiles (note pterodactyl is an ancient reptile)

Themes: Prehistoric, Not Dinosaurs, Ancient reptiles, Flying