Cloud Fingerplay

5 Little Clouds
By: CK Emanuel

One little cloud
floats high on the breeze.
A second little cloud
hides the sun with ease.
A third little cloud
brings down rain fast then slow
A fourth little cloud
dusts the ground with snow
A fifth little cloud falls to the earth in a heavy fog.
Watch as clouds move across the sky in a slow, slow jog.

Optional Actions
One, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth: hold up appropriate number of fingers
Cloud: ASL for cloud
Sun: ASL for sun OR make hoop with arms
Rain: ASL for rain OR pat lap as if raindrops falling
Falls: Let hands fall to lap
Slow: Move hands slowly

Mastodon Fingerplay & Action Activity

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).

Read more: Mastodon Fingerplay & Action Activity

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

Popping Balloons Fingerplay

10 Bobbing Balloons in the Air
Written by C.K. Emanuel
Set loosely to the tune of: 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

10 bobbing balloons in the air
10 bobbing balloons.
Take a pin, poke it right in [CLAP HANDS]
9 bobbing balloons in the air!

Repeat verse as you continue counting down to…
1 bobbing balloon in the air
1 bobbing balloon.
Take a pin, poke it right in [CLAP HANDS]
No bobbing balloons in the air!

Actions:
1 thru 10- hold up appropriate number of fingers
Pin- Hold out index finger horizontally
Poke- Jab index finger forward

Teddy Bear Juggles: Prop Story

Juggling Teddy
Written by CK Emanuel
To the tune of the folk-song: Where Have You Been, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?

Clear the felt board. Add the teddy bear piece. Give him three balls to start juggle at first.

Oh, what can you do
Teddy bear, teddy bear?
Oh, what can you do,
clever Teddy?

I juggle balls through the air
with a certain kind of flair,
Will you count the
spheres for me, mes amis?

Count the three balls.

How many can you toss
Teddy bear, Teddy Bear?
How many can you toss,
clever Teddy?

Let us add them one by one
til’ they fall, we’ll have some fun!
Will you count the
spheres for me, mes amis?

Add the rest of the balls until the total is 10.

There were ten balls in the air,
Teddy bear, teddy bear.
There were ten balls in the air,
clever Teddy.

I had ten balls in the air
that is as much as I will dare.
Thanks for counting
spheres for me, mes amis!

Source:
“Billy Boy – USA.” Mama Lisa’s World of Children and International Culture, Lisa Yannucci, http://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=2277.

Old Queen Cole: Fingerplay

Old Queen Cole
Words & Actions by CK Emanuel
Based upon: the traditional Mother Goose rhyme, “Old King Cole”
Old Queen Cole was a merry old soul
PLACE HANDS ON HEAD LIKE CROWN
REST HANDS ON BELLY
And a merry old soul was she.
REST HANDS ON BELLY
She called for her brush,
BRUSH HAIR
and she called for her stole,
PRETEND TO WRAP SHAWL AROUND SHOULDERS
And she called for her horses three.
HOLD UP 3 FINGERS
Every horsey, had a great saddle,
MOVE HAND AS IF RUNNING ALONG THE CURVE OF A SADDLE
Each a very fine saddle, you see;
REPEAT ACTION ABOVE
Oh there’s none so rare, as can compare
HANDS OUT TO EITHER SIDE
With Queen Cole and her horses three.
REPEAT EARLIER ACTIONS

Bug Song: Prop Story & Fingerplay

The Bugs Go Out
Words and Actions by CK Emanuel
Based on the Tune of: The Ants Go Marching

The bugs go creeping one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The bugs go creeping one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The bugs go creeping one by one
the caterpillar is having fun
And they all go creeping down to the ground
To get out of the sun, Hot! Hot! Hot!

The bugs go crawling two by two, hurrah, hurrah
The bugs go crawling two by two, hurrah, hurrah
The bugs go crawling two by two
the beetles stopped to have a chew
And they all go crawling down to the ground
To get out of the sun, Hot! Hot! Hot!

The bugs go marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah
The bugs go marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah
The bugs go marching three by three
the ants went around a tree
And they all go marching down to the ground
To get out of the sun, Hot! Hot! Hot!

The bugs go hopping four by four, hurrah, hurrah
The bugs go hopping four by four, hurrah, hurrah
The bugs go hopping four by four
the crickets chirped a note and more
And they all go hopping down to the ground
To get out of the sun, Hot! Hot! Hot!

The bugs go swooping five by five, hurrah, hurrah
The bugs go swooping five by five, hurrah, hurrah
The bugs go swooping five by five
the flyers did a downward dive
And they all go swooping down to the ground
To get out of the sun, Hot! Hot! Hot!

Read on to see the fingerplay or movement suggestions

Counting Bananas: Prop Story

Story: Day-o (The Banana Boat Song)
Jamaican work-song made popular by a version sung by Harry Belafonte in the 1950s.
The adaptation used here is from Kidsongs– which has the noted change of being able to count the bananas upwards to 10 rather than repeating the same numbers.

Need:
-felt in yellow as well as various colors for the numbers
-fabric paint in various colors: brown, green, light green
-hot glue and glue sticks
-a felt board

Participation Age Range: 18 months to 8 years old

Method: Place the bananas on the felt board, leaving room between them. When get to the point in the song where counting occurs, add the appropriate number next to a banana.

Options: May wish to entice participation using the fingerplay actions below
Day-o: Sway hands side to side
Daylight: Make hoop with arms overhead
Home: Bring fingertips together
Tally: draw lines in the air
Various Numbers: Hold up appropriate number of fingers
Work: Wipe sweat from brow
Stack: Move hands one on top of the other mimicking a pile

Muddy Pigs: Action Song

5 Little Pigs
Text and Actions by CK Emanuel
To the tune of: 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Five little pigs rolling in mud
HOLD UP APPROPRIATE NUMBER OF FINGERS
ROLL ON THE GROUND
One climbs out and stinks– P.U.!
JUMP UP
GRAB NOSE WITH ONE HAND WITH WAVING AT NOSE WITH OTHER
Mama called the farmer and the farmer said,
EXTEND PINKY AND THUMB FROM FIST MAKING A “Y” SHAPE AND HOLD TO EAR LIKE A PHONE
“No more pigs rolling in mud.”
SHAKE FINGER

REPEAT AND PROCEED TO COUNTDOWN FROM 5 to 1

OPTIONAL FOR ZERO PIGS
No little pigs rolling in mud,
MAKE A ZERO BY TOUCHING FINGERTIPS TO THUMB
all are clean, but getting hot!
WAVE HAND IN FRONT OF FACE
Mama called the farmer and the farmer said,
AS BEFORE
“Have all the pigs roll in mud!”
ROLL ON THE GROUND

*Read More for fingerplay variation

Stars: Fingerplay

10 Little Stars
Text and Actions by CK Emanuel
To the tune of: 10 Little Indians

HOLD UP APPROPRIATE NUMBER OF FINGERS
One little, two little, three little twinkling stars
Four little, five little, six little twinkling stars
Seven little, eight little, nine little twinkling stars
Ten little twinkling stars in the sky.
RAISE ARMS OVERHEAD

Pet Fish: Fingerplay

My Five Fish
Words and Actions by CK Emanuel

I have five fish, count them with me:
HOLD UP 5 FINGERS, THEN USE BOTH HANDS TO POINT TO CHEST.
Fred, Ted, Ned, and Ed, you see?
HOLD UP 1 FINGER AS SAY EACH NAME
One, two, three, four–
USE OPPOSITE HAND TO POINT AND COUNT OFF EACH RAISED FINGER
But wait there is one more.
HOLD UP POINTER FINGER OF COUNTING HAND
Number five is quite contrary.
STICK THUMB OF HAND THAT HAS THE 4 FINGERS RAISED, AND POINT TO IT WITH COUNTING FINGER
I’ve named him Opposite Jerry.
SHAKE HEAD ‘NO’

When the four swim slow and low,
HOLD UP 4 FINGERS AND MOVE THEM SLOWLY TOWARDS FLOOR.
quick and high Jerry will go.
RAISE POINTER FINGER OF OPPOSITE HAND UPWARDS QUICKLY
When to the right, the four will glide,
MOVE HAND WITH 4 FINGERS TO THE RIGHT
swiftly to the left Jerry will slide.
MOVE OPPOSITE HAND TO THE LEFT
But, I suppose, what more could I wish
HOLD BOTH HANDS TO SIDES, PALM UP
when I put a catfish with four dogfish.
HOLD FIVE FINGERS, FIRST WIGGLE THUMB
THEN OTHER 4  FINGERS.