Friday, November 8, 2013

Celebrating Snow with the Small Ones

From The Snow Queen
by Edmund Dulac
1911

Last year, my theme for one of my winter lapsit programs was snow. Since snow is in next weeks forecast for the east coast I thought I would share the fingerplays, crafts, songs, etc. we did during our time together.

The songs and fingerplays are not mine, they are found around the Internet with no attribution. Feel free to use them. The interactive game is my creation but I hope you will also find time to "let it snow" with my blessings. Stay warm and happy!






FINGERPLAYS

I'm a Little Snow Person (Tune: I'm a Little Teapot)

I'm a little snow person, short and fat
Here are my buttons, here is my hat.
When the sun comes out, I cannot stay.
Slowly I just melt away.
 
STORY STRETCH

Let’s Make a Snowman

Start with a very tiny snowball (form a fist)
And roll it through the snow (roll hands)
Over and over and over again. Each turn makes it grow (pretend you’re pushing a snowball in the snow)
Now the ball is round and big (make ball with arms)
Add a head and then some arms (set on the head and pack on the arms)
Firm so they won’t fall. Now we’ll be the snowmen!
Here are buttons for his coat (Place buttons on)
A broom for him to hold. (Pretend to hold a broom)
Let’s put a hat upon his head (Pretend to put a hat on your head)
So he won’t get cold. (Pose as a cold stiff snowman.)

There’s a Chubby Little Snowman

There's a chubby little snowman with a carrot for a nose (make the
outline of snowman with your hands)
Along came a rabbit and what do you suppose? (hand up in the air like a shrug)
Well that hungry little bunny he was looking for some lunch (hold up your
hand up to your eyebrow like a lookout)
He stole that snowman's carrot and said, “Thanks a bunch!”(reach up to nose and pull)

Five Little Snowmen
Five little snowmen 0n a winter's day
The first one said, "Wake up, so we can play." (pretend to stretch and yawn)
The second one said, "Let's stomp on the ground." (stomp feet)
The third one said, "Let's roll all around."  (roll hands)
The fourth one said, "Let's run and run and run." (move arms as if running)
The fifth one said, "I'm afraid I feel the sun" (squint, hand shading eyes and look up)
"Oh dear!" cried the snowmen, as they looked toward the sky.
And the five melting snowmen (melting motions with hands)
Waved a fond good-bye. (wave good-by)
 
 
SONGS

Frosty the Snowman - Lyrics found at the link. I cannot list them here due to copyright restrictions..
http://www.41051.com/xmaslyrics/frosty.html

Walk In The Snow (to the tune of 'Mulberry Bush')

"Let's Go Walking in the Snow (walk)
Walking, walking, on tiptoe (tiptoe)
Lift your one foot way up high (hop on one foot)
Then the other to keep it dry (hop on other foot)
All around the yard we skip (skip)
Watch your step or you might slip (pretend to fall)

Dance Like Snowflakes (Sung to Are You Sleeping)

Dance like snowflakes, dance like snowflakes
In the air, in the air, whirling, twirling snowflakes
Whirling, twirling snowflakes, here and there, here and there

INTERACTIVE GAME

This was simple and easy. I brought in a white table cloth and two bags of cotton balls, found at any corner drug store. I taught the children the beginning of the classic song, Let It Snow.

Oh the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
So since we’ve no place to go,
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

(If you don’t know the tune see the video at the end of the blog  below.)
After we practiced it a few times I told the children to children to all hold a piece of the cloth. When it was spread out I emptied the cotton balls into the middle. (Be sure to separate the cotton balls before hand because they have a tendency to stick together in the bag.) I told the children we were now all going to sing the song and when we came to the end and the words, "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow" they were to all wave the cloth up and down to make it snow. The loved it! We did it over and over again. Easy and inexpensive and they even had fun collecting the cotton balls that went awry.

BOOKS ABOUT WINTER
List courtesy of www.perrypubliclibrary.org

  • A Little Bit of Winter: by Paul Stewart
  • Animals in Winter: by Ronald Fisher
  • Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
  • Could it be? by Joanne Oppenheim
  • Creatures of the Woods: by Toni Eugene
  • Deep in the Forest: by Brinton Turkle
  • Deer at the Brook: by Jim Arnosky
  • Good as new: by Barbara Douglas
  • In the Snow by Sharon Denslow
  • Little Fern’s First Winter: by Jane Simmons
  • Lost! by David McPhail
  • Moondance: by Frank Asch
  • Owl Babies: by Martin Waddell
  • Snow Bears: by Martin Waddell
  • The Mitten: by Jan Brett
  • When I’m Sleepy / by Jane Howard
  • When Will it be Spring? By Catherine Walters

DEAN MARTIN'S RENDITION OF THE SONG "LET IT SNOW."




Karen Chace 2013 ©
This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Slow and Steady: Stor e Telling July August 2010

Tortoise and Hare
from Childhood Favorites
and Fairy Tales
1909
I have penned the Stor E Telling column since January of 2002 and the articles from 2002-2006 are the publications page of my website found here http://tinyurl.com/llnn47y . I will be adding the columns from 2007 to 2012 to that page as well. However, I am in the process of checking what link URL's have changed or are now defunct. It is a time consuming process so I am taking the “slow and steady” approach via Aesop and will post the individual columns on my blog for now.

I will not be adding current columns until the following year, so if you want immediate access to the newest websites, consider becoming a member of the National Storytelling Network.

Please feel free to comment on the blog and let me know if you find this useful.

JULY AUGUST 2010

Mother Nature is in full bloom so I offer you some stories to brighten your summer days!

Among the Meadow People by Clara Dillingham Pierson, 1901.
http://tinyurl.com/yyzcgbk

The Stories Mother Nature Told Her Children, by Jane Andrews, 1888.

http://tinyurl.com/y8bof2z

 
August 3 is National Watermelon Day so let’s finish off the summer in style with some ripe and juicy watermelon tales!

The Golden Watermelon – Uzbek
http://tinyurl.com/yc2ntkx 

Never Mind Them Watermelons – Alabama, United States
http://tinyurl.com/y8wr3np

Tony Beaver and the Watermelon Party – West Virginia, USA
http://tinyurl.com/y9kyzjj

Story-Lovers.com - As always, Jackie serves up a plate full of tales perfect for the season. Dive in!  http://tinyurl.com/ya9topl

The Story of Watermelon Island - Vietnam
http://tinyurl.com/y9vaja7

Watermelon Magic - Vietnam
http://tinyurl.com/ybx2how


July 14 is Bastille Day so I offer some stories to celebrate the beautiful country of France.

The Fairy Tales of Marie-Catherine d´Aulony
Marie-Catherine lived in France during the time of Charles Perrault but her tales were shared in a more conversational style and usually featured a female protagonist. Many of her works were collected by Andrew Lang in his Fairy Books.
http://tinyurl.com/ydh2hfe

The Enormous Nose
http://tinyurl.com/y3mrnle

Quackling – French folktale adapted by Aaron Shepard
http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/042.html

Since this issue is on Marketing and Technology I offer some blog posts I have shared through 2008 through 2010. I hope you will find them useful.

Tales, Technology and Techniques – Ancient Tradition Meets the 21st Century
In 2008 I was invited to take part in a panel discussion at the National Storytelling Conference in Tennessee. This is the handout I prepared for the attendees, which is still relevant today. You will find information on:

  • Blogs
  • Digital Storytelling
  • Forums
  • Listservs
  • Podcasts
  • Social Networks
  • Telecourses
  • Teleconferencing
  • YouTube
  • Webmarketing

Branding: It Doesn’t Need to Hurt!
If you are new to the business of storytelling or revamping your image, here are some sites to help you brand yourself with style.
http://tinyurl.com/yg7go8f  

The Business Side of Storytelling
Running your own business can be liberating but it can also resemble running through a maze, constantly trying to catch up, find your way, peek over the next obstacle...in short, being your own boss can be exhausting.
http://tinyurl.com/y9o3vxj

Grow Your Business in 2010
"It is only the farmer who faithfully plants seeds in the spring, who reaps a harvest in the Autumn." - B.C. Forbes
http://tinyurl.com/yhl4t5a

Put Some Pizazz in Your Presentations
Many storytellers also present workshops at conferences and schools around the country. While our presentations are interactive, there are times when we should take the opportunity to use available technology; it may further define our message and make the information easier for your audience to digest.
http://tinyurl.com/ykpb27l

Weaving Storytelling and Business with an Authentic Voice
Storytelling is the ancient art of Oral Tradition and now business executives are discovering what the revered seanchaĆ­ and griots have known for centuries; there is power in story. They are applying the premise to connect with their customer base in commercials and public relations, sometimes with poor results.
http://tinyurl.com/yfzkheo

And if you missed any of the previous “Slow and Steady…” blog posts here are the links to the series so far.

2007


2008


2009


April May 2010
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/10/slow-and-steady-wins-race-stor-e_28.html

 

Karen Chace 2013 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.