Today we met a turkey, and then met all of his friends from the farm!

Books We Shared

I Spy on the Farm by Edward Gibbs invites kids to guess each animal with three clues: the color of the animal, the first letter of its name, and the sound the animal makes. The illustrations are large and beautiful.

Good Night, My Darling Baby by Alyssa Satin Capucilli, and illustrated by Annie Bach, is a sweet bedtime board book featuring a different barnyard animal on each spread, each saying goodnight to their babies.


Puppets

There’s a book I like to tell as a story with puppets, by Deborah Bruss and illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke, called “Book! Book! Book!” I just have animal puppets act it out, and when the chicken comes along and says “Book!” I say, “I think this chicken wants us to read a book!”


Flannel Boards We Shared

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly.
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – I think she’ll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a spider;
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her!

She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – Perhaps she’ll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a bird;
How absurd to swallow a bird!

She swallowed the bird to catch the spider;
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her!
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – I think she’ll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a cat;
Imagine that! She swallowed a cat!

She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider;
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her!
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – I think she’ll die!
There was an old lady that swallowed a dog;
What a hog, to swallow a dog!

She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider;
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her!
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – I think she’ll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a goat;
She just opened her throat and swallowed a goat!

She swallowed the goat to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider;
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her!
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – I think she’ll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a cow;
I don’t know how she swallowed a cow!

She swallowed the cow to catch the goat,
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider;
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her!
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly – I think she’ll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a horse;

…She died, of course!

I wrote a blog post about my thoughts on this song, its value as a cumulative nonsense song, and how it’s come down through the generations in my own family. There’s a funny home video of my own daughter in it, that always makes me smile: https://athomeinthelibrary.blogspot.com/2019/11/there-was-old-lady.html


Letter of the Day

Our Letter of the Day was F. We made “the world’s biggest F” in the air and talked about words that start with that letter.


Action Songs & Bounces We Shared

Ladies Ride

This is the way the ladies ride
Trit trot, trit trot
This is the way the ladies ride
Early in the morning

This is the way the gentlemen ride
Clip clop, clip clop
This is the way the gentlemen ride
Early in the morning

This is the way the farmer rides
Clippity cloppity, clippity cloppity
This is the way the farmer rides
Early in the morning

This is the way the cowboy rides
Giddy up, giddy up
This is the way the cowboy rides
Early in the morning

And here are some alternate lyrics–This is the way my grandpa used to sing it!

This is the way the ladies ride
Jiggety jog, jiggety jog
This is the way the ladies ride
Jiggety jiggety jog

This is the way the gentlemen ride
Gallop and trot, gallop and trot
This is the way the gentlemen ride
Gallop and gallop and trot

This is the way the farmer rides
Hobbledy hoy, hobbledy hoy
This is the way the farmer rides
Hobbledy hobbledy hoy

This is the way the cowboy rides
Giddy up, giddy up
This is the way the cowboy rides
Giddy giddy up

Goodbye Babies (song in sign)

Click here for video:  Goodbye Babies (Friends)

Goodbye babies, goodbye babies
Goodbye babies, it’s time to say goodbye.


Music from CDs We Shared

Did you know singing and dancing improve brain function?  Here are some of the songs/dances on CD that we used in storytime to power up our early literacy with some great blood flow!

“Clap Everybody and Say Hello” from Sally Go Round the Sun by Kathy Reid-Naiman

“I Know a Chicken” from The Best of the Laurie Berkner Band

“Ladies Ride” from Wiggleworms Love You by Old Town School of Folk Music

“Goodbye in the Bayou” from Bon Voyage by Jazzy Ash

“Goodbye Song” from Shining Like a Star by Laura Doherty


Continue the Fun

Here are some more books about the farm to check out at your Pasadena Public Library Branch: