There was an Old Gator
By: CK Emanuel
To the tune of: There was an old woman who swallowed a fly
There was an old gator
who lived in the swamp.
How do I know
it lived in the swamp?
I heard it go
CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP!
Optional Actions
Gator: ASL for Crocodile
Swamp: Hand flat horizontally, move it up and down as if following waves of water
I: Touch chest
Heard: Touch ear
Chomp: Move hands as if large mouth opening and closing (ASL for crocodile)
The Croc Swam Up the River
By: CK Emanuel
To the tune of: The Bear Went Over the Mountain
The croc swam up the river.
The croc swam up the river.
The croc swam up the river,
To see what it could eat.
And what did it eat?
And what did it eat?
Fish and birds and mammals, too.
Fish and birds and mammals, too.
Fish and birds and mammals, too.
As it swam along.
Optional Actions
Croc: ASL for Crocodile
River: Hand flat horizontally, move it up and down as if following waves of water
Eat: Touch fingertips to mouth
Fish: Move hands as of swimming
Birds: Move arms as if flapping wings
Mammals: Move arms as if running
Swam: Breast stroke
Give it to the Gator
By: CK Emanuel
Chompity-chomp!
Waggity-whomp
If you have a [color] ball
Give it to the gator.
Easy does it- let it roll
Straight down to the waterhole!
Play Directions:
Pass out balls of various colors. Solid colors preferably. Either plastic ball pit balls or plush balls works well. (We used plush. Their rolling trajectory is a little wonky sometimes, but don’t hurt of a young child throws it. We wash them in the washing machine between uses.) When the child hears the color of the ball they hold, they attempt to roll it into the gator’s mouth. Can use tape to mark off a standing point if desired.
Optional Actions:
Chompity-chomp: Hands together horizontally, open and close hands like a mouth.
Waggity-whomp: Shake bottom as if shaking a tail
Waterhole: Move hand horizontally as if following the waves of water
*See prop images when click on “More”
Continue reading
Shine on Raccoon
By: CK Emanuel
To the tune of: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Twinkle, twinkle little star
Shine on raccoon from afar.
As quiet paws tread the ground
Looking for food all around.
Twinkle, twinkle little star
Shine on raccoon from afar.
Optional actions
Star: ASL for star
Raccoon: ASL for raccoon
Paws: Move hands as if paws walking
Looking: Cup eyes
Food: ASL for food/eat
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
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.
Posted in Action Rhyme/Activity
Tagged Amphibians, Animals, Lifecycle, Movement, Pond, Swamp
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
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
Posted in Action Rhyme/Activity, Fingerplay
Tagged Animals, Flying, Prehistoric, Song
Megalodon
Adapted by: CK Emanuel
An adaption of: Baby Shark
Megalodon, doo-doo, doo-doo
Megalodon, doo-doo, doo-doo
Megalodon, doo-doo, doo-doo
Megalodon!
Swim real fast, doo-doo, doo-doo
Swim real fast, doo-doo, doo-doo
Swim real fast, doo-doo, doo-doo
Swim real fast!
It’s extinct, doo-doo, doo-doo
It’s extinct, doo-doo, doo-doo
It’s extinct, doo-doo, doo-doo
It’s extinct!
That’s good news, doo-doo, doo-doo
That’s good news, doo-doo, doo-doo
That’s good news, doo-doo, doo-doo
That’s good news!
Optional actions
Megalodon: Move arms as if large jaws
Swim: Move arms as if doing the breast stroke
Extinct: Put hand on forehead, drop to the ground
Good: Do a double “thumbs up”
Doo-doo, doo-doo: Stand and wiggle hips
Participation Age Range: Ages 3 years to 7 years old
Skills Utilized/Reinforced: Fine motor development, Gross motor development, STEM/STEAM: Knoweldge of extinction and carnivores
Themes: Prehistoric, Ocean, Sharks, Extinct Animals, Carnivores, Megalodon
Posted in Action Rhyme/Activity
Tagged Animals, Carnivores, Extinct Creatures, Fish, Ocean, Prehistoric, Song
1 Mastodon Went Out to Play
By: CK Emanuel
To the tune of: One Elephant Went Out to Play [A featured song on Sharon, Lois and Bram’s Elephant Show]
1 mastodon went out to play
On the snowy ice one day
It had such enormous fun
That it called for another mastodon to come!
*Repeat adding 1 mastodon each time
5 mastodons went out to play
On the snowy ice one day
The ice went creak and the ice went crack
And the mastodons came running back.
Optional Fingerplay Actions:
1-5: Hold up appropriate number of fingers
Mastodon: Move arm as if a trunk
Snowy: Move hands as if snow falling
Ice: Have hands flat in front
Called: Beckon in a “come on” gesture
Creak/Crack: Make flat hands wave then falling
Optional Action Activity:
Have lava tiles or bubble wrap spread on floor. Have each child be a “mastodon” and join in one by one (or two by two if class is large).
Participation Age Range: Ages 2 years to 7 years old
Skills Utilized/Reinforced: Fine motor development, Gross motor development
Themes: Prehistoric, Ice Age, Woolly Mammoths and Mastodons, Ice
Posted in Action Rhyme/Activity, Fingerplay
Tagged Animals, Counting/Numbers, Ice Age, Mammals, Prehistoric, Song
Over the Glaciers
By: CK Emanuel
To the tune of: All Around the Mulberry Bush / Pop! Goes the Weasel
All around the snowy ice,
Dire wolf chased the bison
Just when its about to pounce
Ba-rum! Mammoth herd!
Play Directions:
Have the children sit in a circle. Select one to be the “dire wolf” and one to be the “bison.” Once the song is song the “dire wolf” chases the “bison” around the circle trying to catch them. At “Ba-rum,” all the children stand up and run in a circle, and the “dire wolf” is out of time, if the “bison” has not been tagged yet.
Participation Age Range: Ages 3 years to 7 years old
Skills Utilized/Reinforced: Fine motor development, Gross motor development, STEAM/STEM: Knowledge of life cycle, Turn taking
Themes: Prehistoric, Ice Age, Snow, Ice, Dire Wolf, Carnivores, Woolly Mammoth, Bison
Posted in Action Rhyme/Activity
Tagged Animals, Carnivores, Game, Ice Age, Mammals, Prehistoric, Song
Storytime: For The Next Generation 