Spring fingerplays at the table

Spring 2012 Rosebud verses and songs
(Most of these come from Wilma Ellersiek)



Softly tippytoes,
On his trip the Sandman goes.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap,
Slips through garden and the house.
Scatters all his dreams about.
Scatters all his dreams about.
La la la la la la la laa.
Mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mmm.
La la laaa.
Mm mm mmmmm.


Teck teck teck teck teck teck teck.
Hammers here woodpecker small in every bark he pecks.
Teck teck teck teck teck teck teck.
Hammers here woodpecker small a little worm he seeks.

In every bark he pecks.
A little worm he seeks.
T-t-t-t-t-t-t-t teck teck teck.
T-t-t-t-t-t-t-t teck teck teck.


To the woods, the children all take a walk today.
Listen to the birdies' song, joyous tirilay.
Ti-ri ti-ri-li, ti-ri ti-ri ti-ri-liii.
Ti-ri ti-ri-li, ti-ri ti-ri ti-ri-lay.

They stop and listen well.
Teck teck teck, teck teck teck.
Hammers the woodpecker, t-t-t-t-t-t teck.

The mourning dove coos coo-oo coo coo coo, coo-oo coo coo coo.
The chickadee twitters chickadee-dee-dee, chickadee-dee-dee.
The finch sings widgibbet, widgibbet, widgibbet.
The robin chirps tilliwit, tilliwit, tilliwit, tilliwit, tilliwit, tilliwit.

There's a concert in the wood.
Listen, listen, it sounds good.

Teck teck teck, teck teck teck.
T-t-t-t-t-t teck.

Coo-oo, coo coo coo, coo-oo coo coo coo.
Chickadee-dee-dee, chickadee-dee-dee.
Widgibbet, widgibbet, widgibbet.
Tilliwit, tilliwit, tilliwit, tilliwit, tilliwit, tilliwit.

It calls and twitters far and near,
Just as the children like to hear.
The sun to listens as they cheep,
And when he sets and goes to sleep,
The many birdies small
Stop their singing, one and all.
Snuggle in their cosy nest,
From their singing now they rest.
(humming lullaby)
The concert is done.
Children leave now, one by one.


See, but see.
In the green grass, the grass so green,
A million golden suns are seen.

Dandelion, Dandelion
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la
(repeat)

And then all the blossoms must close
And for a little while repose.
A second time the blossoms open out,
And--see!--a puffy flower looks about.

The wind blows strong -- phhhhh
Into the air the star-child throng.

The seeds hover, high and low, high and low,
Hovering so, high and low.
Gently sink down to the earth below,
That a new crop of dandelions may grow.

Dandelion, Dandelion
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
(repeat)


The little daisy, small and fine
Is waiting for the sun to shine.

Climbs the sun up to his height,
She opens up her blossoms white.

Goes the sun to sleep at night,
She shuts her petals tight.

Let's see who comes to visit our garden.

In my garden, the flower in bloom is waiting, waiting for whom?
For the beetle child, the beetle child!
She ree ra rocks it, in the breeze mild, the beetle child (repeat).

The flower in bloom is waiting, waiting for whom?
For the butterfly, the flutter child.
She ree ra rocks it, in the breeze mild, the flutter child (repeat).

The flower in bloom is waiting, waiting for whom?
bzzz, bzzz, bzzz, bzzz, for the buzzy bee, the buzzy child--bzzz, bzzz.
She ree ra rocks it, in the breeze mild, the buzzy child (repeat).

Stays the flower now alone?
O no. To her comes down the sunshine bright.
Stroking her so soft and light.
And when the sunshine goes, she falls asleep at night.

trying something new with the "puppet" show this Friday

Dear Returning Parents,

Although I have tinkered with my method of teaching parent & child classes in minor and significant ways over the past decade, in recent years I have consistently offered what strives to be an age appropriate puppet show after a series of gesture games and right before snack. "The Flower in Bloom," tends to elicit such an enthusiastic response from infants and toddlers that I present it as a spring puppet show year after year. A number of you would have seen this last spring ("The flower in bloom is waiting, is waiting for whom . . . The beetle child . . . and soforth." I will send words to verses and songs once the class roster is settled).

Before its debut as a puppet show in my classes, "The Flower in Bloom" was and is a hand gesture game composed by Wilma Ellersiek. Because my nursery children seem so enchanted and transported and present and delighted by this gesture game presented just as a hand gesture game--that is, with my hands representing the beetle, the butterfly, and the bee--I want to see what is like if for the first two or three weeks, I present this in our Friday class as part of the pre-snack medley without the use of puppets. Perhaps there will be revolution and I will bring the puppets in week 2. Perhaps I will wait 2 or more weeks; I will bring the puppets at some point.

Please help by treating this as a normal part of the routine; no preview or explanation needed. Let's let it be a surprise (hopefully a pleasant one) when the puppets appear as if out of the blue one week. You might observe your child or other children over the coming weeks. I'd be interested if you notice a different affect or expression on their faces with hands or puppets. Thank you for your flexibility.

We will of course share soup and bread. And, it being spring, start dancing the Maypole.

With appreciation,

William