The stories La tells....

So enough about Plastic...let's talk about Paper!
I love making paper with kids. They have a great time and you never know what you will get. Making paper is great for using up the scraps of construction paper, wrapping paper or any kind of paper that is used in the class or at home.
I have included three different vids on papermaking
.
The first is a teacher doing a papermaking demo in class.

The second vid is a very good low tech papermaking vid with kids.

The third vid is a very nicely done slide show about papermaking.

After the vids, I have included a link to papermaking directions and a Yiddish folksong about recycling.







A great site for directions is Learn2 Make Paper ... this site has good pics also.

This Yiddish folksong is the original source for the Tailor Recycling Story in the previous blog.

I HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT
(traditional Yiddish, English by Teddi Schwartz & Arthur Kevess)
(The midi for this song can be found at Mudcat MIDIs )


1.I had a little overcoat, as old as can be
Tralala lalalala lalala
What I'd ever do with it, I just couldn't see
Tralala lalalala lalala
So I thought a little while
And made myself a jacket in the very latest style
Tralalala lalala (2x)
Made a jacket in the very latest style

2. I had a little jacket, it was old as can be
Tralala lalalala lalala
What I'd ever do with it, I just couldn't see
Tralala lalalala lalala
So I thought a little while
And made myself a vest in the very latest style
Tralalala lalala (2x)
Made a vest in the very latest style

3. I had a little vest, as old as it could be
Tralala lalalala lalala
What I'd ever do with it, I just couldn't see
Tralala lalalala lalala
So I thought a little while
And I made myself a tie in the very lastest style
Tralalala lalala (2x)
Made a tie in the very latest style

4. tie / button

5. button / nothing

6. I had a little nothing, as old as it could be
Tralala lalalala lalala
What I'd ever do with it, I just couldn't see
Tralala lalalala lalala
So I thought a little while
And I made myself a song in the very lastest style
Tralalala lalala (2x)
Made a song in the very latest style

1. Hob ikh mir a mantl fun fartsaytikn shtof / Tralala...
Hot dos nit in zikh kayn gantsenem shtokh / Tralala...
Darum, hob ikh zikh batrakht
Un fun dem mantl a rekl gemakht
Tralala... / Fun dem mantl a rekl gemakht

2. Hob ikh mir a rekl... fun dem rekl a vestl gemakht
3. vestl / shnipsl
4. shnipsl / knepl
5. knepl / gornitl
6. gornit / dos lidele

(trad Yiddish, Eng words Teddi Schwartz & Arthur Kevess)

Mudcat MIDIs

You're saying to yourself..."I thought this was a storytelling blog. She said she was a storyteller..storysinger...whatever! So what's up with the crafts?"

(Psst!...not to worry there is a story at the end that relates to recycling but I want you to read the other stuff 'cause.....well just 'cause I want you to, so read!)

Questions, questions, questions! Well, yes, I do mostly talk about storytelling but I have always loved to make things and I find that storytelling and crafts go together rather well.

When working with after school groups or with parties, I sometimes get the chance to do different crafts. I usually choose very simple crafts that can be done quickly but when I have the time, or when I am going to see the same kids over a period of time, I like to pick large projects or projects that take some time and effort.

Anyhoo, while spending time on Youtube (I am soooo addicted) I found a vid on using recyled plastic bags to make bags and that started me looking for more vids on different types of crafts.

I could "tell" you how to make something but the vids are sooo much better.

Someday I am going to figure out how to make a vid or how to post a vid or both and then I can stop looking for other folks vids. (Hmmmm....maybe I should check youtube for an instructional vid on making vids :P You know it's there!)

Back to my orginal subject....Recyled Crafts or maybe just crafts for kids and for all of you big kids, like me.

By the way, Make Magazine and another mag called Crafts....Oh My Flippin' Gosh!!...They are FABULOUS!!!
Do I need to know how to make all of this stuff.....umm...No?
And do I try to make even half of the stuff....uh...No?
But who cares?? It's just so much fun!! Y'all Enjoy!!
GO MAKE SOMETHING!!!

Okey Dokey! THis first vid is by Make Magazine and shows how to recycle plastic bags to make a more permanent bag. It will make sense when you watch the vid, really!


Now this vid is from a college group and they give all sorts of reasons to recycle and they show some of the same steps in the previous vid but with, I think, a better explanation.


This vid uses plasic bags but a little differently.
I especially liked it because it is really simple to do, with or without kids,
and you don't need much.


This vid shows more items that can be crocheted out of plastic bags.
I love of her projects!




And here is the promised Recycling/Reusing Story.
(I appreciate how patiently you've been waiting.)

Once there was a tailor.
He was not only a very good tailor, he was also a great believer in recycling.
This means he liked to "reuse" items. He changed or adapted things for a new use. The tailor wasted nothing!
He was always seen taking an old item of clothing and making it into something wonderful and useful.

One day a wealthy client came to him with a roll of the finest cloth. "Make me a suit from this marvelous material, my good tailor", he said,"and I will pay you well!".
The tailor sat up all night and he cut and he sewed and he snipped and he stitched. And in the morning he had made the suit.
Oh! and what a marvelous suit it was!
He took it to his client, who was very pleased with the suit.

When the tailor returned to his workshop, he looked at the material that was left and thought to himself,"Hmmmm...yeeeees! I believe that there is just enough material to make something else!"
Soooo.....he sat up all night and he cut and he sewed and he snipped and he stitched. And in the morning he had made a very fashionable top coat for himself.
He put it on and thought that he looked quite distinguished.

He loved that coat soooo much that he wore it and he wore it and he wore it until one day he noticed that it was all worn out!
And he was just about to throw it away, when he thought to himself, "Hmmmm....yeees! I believe that there is just enough material to make something else!"
Soooo....he sat up all night and he cut and he sewed and he snipped and he stitched. And in the morning he had made a very stylish jacket.
He put on his new jacket and he thought that he liked this jacket just as much as his top coat.
And so, he wore it and he wore it and he wore it until it was all worn out!

And he was just about to throw it away, when he thought to himself, "Hmmmm....yeees! I believe that there is just enough material to make something else!"
Soooo.....he sat up all night and he cut and he sewed and he snipped and he stitched. And in the morning he had made a very smart looking waistcoat.
He put it on and thought to himself that he quite liked it more than his jacket!
And he wore it and he wore it and he wore it until it was all worn out!

And he was just about to throw it away, when he thought to himself, "Hmmmm....yeees! I believe that there is just enough material to make something else!"
Sooooo....he sat up all night and he cut and he sewed and he snipped and he stitched. And in the morning he had made a very snappy cap.
He put it on and he thought to himself that a hat was just what he needed.
And so, he wore it and he wore it and he wore it until it was all worn out!

And he was just about to throw it away, when he thought to himself, "Hmmmm....yeees! I believe that there is just enough material to make something else!"
Soooo....he sat up all night and he cut and he sewed and he snipped and he stitched. And in the morning he had made a very fancy tie.
He put it on and thought to himself "A man can never have too many ties."
And he wore it and he wore it and he wore it until it was all worn out!

And he was just about to throw it away, when he thought to himself, "Hmmmm....yeees! I believe that there is just enough material to make something else!"
Sooooo...he sat up all night and he cut and he sewed and he snipped and he stitched. And in the morning he had made a very special button.
He sewed it to his favorite shirt thinking that a button is always handy to have.
And he wore it and he wore it and he wore it until it was all worn out!

And he was just about to throw it away, when he thought to himself, "Hmmmm....yeees! I believe that there is just enough material to make something else!"
And what do you think that "something else" was???
That's right!
There was enough material to make a story!

And he told the story to me and I've just told it to you!
And now "you" can tell the story to someone else!

retold© by LaurenLanita,Storysinger

Craftzine Fused Plastic Bag Crafts --- Fabulous!!!
Other Recyled plastic bags crafts from Crafty Daisies
Recycled Plastic Grocery Tote Bag - Directions

I just love all of the different versions of traditional stories that are available. But sometimes it's fun to go back to one of the original stories.
Continuing my bear theme (you do remember my Smokey the Bear blog, right? if not go down two blogs), I thought I would present you with one of the orignal "written" versions of the Three Bears and then show you some of the newer versions.

You'll notice in this version of the Three Bears, published in 1894 by Joseph Jacobs, there is no Goldilocks.
Apparently she was added much later.

Scrapefoot
Once upon a time, there were three Bears who lived in a castle in a
great wood.
One of them was a great big Bear, and one was a middling Bear, and one was a little Bear.
And in the same wood there was a Fox who lived all alone, his name was Scrapefoot.
Scrapefoot was very much afraid of the Bears, but for all that he wanted very much to know all about them.

And one day as he went through the wood he found himself near the Bears' Castle, and he wondered whether he could get into the castle.
He looked all about him everywhere, and he could not see anyone.
So he came up very quietly, till at last he came up to the door of the castle, and he tried whether he could open it.
Yes! the door was not locked, and he opened it just a little way, and put his nose in and looked, and he could not see any one.
So then he opened it a little way farther, and put one paw in, and then another paw, and another and another, and then he was all in the Bears' Castle.
He found he was in a great hall with three chairs in it--one big, one middling, and one little chair; and he thought he would like to sit down and rest and look about him; so he sat down on the big chair.
But he found it so hard and uncomfortable that it made his bones ache, and he jumped down at once and got into the middling chair, and he turned round and round in it, but he couldn't make himself comfortable.
So then he went to the little chair and sat down in it, and it was so soft and warm and comfortable that Scrapefoot was quite happy; but all at once it broke to pieces under him and he couldn't put it together again!

So he got up and began to look about him again, and on one table he saw three saucers, of which one was very big, one was middling, one was quite a little saucer.
Scrapefoot was very thirsty, and he began to drink out of the big saucer. But he only just tasted the milk in the big saucer, which was so sour and so nasty that he would not taste another drop of it.
Then he tried the middling saucer, and he drank a little of that.
He tried two or three mouthfuls, but it was not nice, and then he left it and went to the little saucer, and the milk in the little saucer was so sweet and so nice that he went on drinking it till it was all gone.

Then Scrapefoot thought he would like to go upstairs; and he listened and he could not hear any one.
So upstairs he went, and he found a great room with three beds in it; one was a big bed, and one was a middling bed, and one was a little white bed.
And he climbed up into the big bed, but it was so hard and lumpy and uncomfortable that he jumped down again at once, and tried the middling bed.
That was rather better, but he could not get comfortably in it, so after turning about a little while he got up and went to the little bed; and that was so soft and so warm and so nice that he fell fast asleep at once.

And after a time the Bears came home, and when they got into the hall the big Bear went to his chair and said, "WHO'S BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR?"
And the middling Bear said, "WHO'S BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR?"
And the little Bear said, "Who's been sitting in my chair and has broken it all to pieces?"

And then they went to have their milk, and the big Bear said, "WHO'S BEEN DRINKING MY MILK?"
And the middling Bear said, "WHO'S BEEN DRINKING MY MILK?"
And the little Bear said, "Who's been drinking my milk and has drunk it all up?"

Then they went upstairs and into the bedroom, and the big Bear said, "WHO'S BEEN SLEEPING IN MY BED?"
And the middling Bear said, "WHO'S BEEN SLEEPING IN MY BED?"
And the little Bear said, "Who's been sleeping in my bed?--and see here he is!"

So then the Bears came and wondered what they should do with him; and the big Bear said, "Let's hang him!" and then the middling Bear said, "Let's drown him!" and then the little Bear said, "Let's throw him out of the window."
And then the Bears took him to the window, and the big Bear took two legs on one side and the middling Bear took two legs on the other side, and they swung him backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards, and out of the window.
Poor Scrapefoot was so frightened, and he thought every bone in his body must be broken.
But he got up and first shook one leg--no, that was not broken; and then another, and that was not broken; and another and another, and then he wagged his tail and found there were no bones broken.
So then he galloped off home as fast as he could go, and never went near the Bears' Castle again.
From More English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs

Great story, huh?? I am sure you noticed that Jacobs story is a wee bit more violent at the end than the present day versions. Most folktales and fairy tales seem to have had much harsher consequences than the versions we read now.
Wonder why? More realistic? The better to get a point across??
Apparently we aren't worried about that these days.
Our endings are usually tame and happy.
Personally, I prefer happy endings even if they are a bit unrealistic.

Moving along, below you will find just a small sampling of the many versions of the Three Bears avialable today.

Alaska's Three Bears by Shelley Gill, illustrated by Shannon Cartwright.2003.
This book, written for elementary school kids, teaches about bear ecology while telling the story of a black bear, a grizzly bear and a polar bear and their search for homes in the Alaskan wilderness.

Beware of the Bears by Alan MacDonald, illustrated by Gwyneth Williamson. 1998.
Angry at what Goldilocks has done to their house, the three bears decide to get back at her by messing up her house, but they make an unfortunate mistake.

A Chair for Baby Bear by Kaye Umansky and Chris Fisher. 1998.
This sequel to "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" follows Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear as they go shopping to replace the chair broken by Goldilocks.




Dusty Locks and the Three Bears by Susan Lowell, illustrated by Randy Cecil. 2001.
Way out West live three bears who like to keep their cabin neat and tidy. But one day while they're out for a walk, a dirty little girl named Dusty Locks barges in and helps herself to their supper of beans. The big bear's beans are so full of chile peppers that she burns her mouth. The middle bear's beans don't even have any salt. But the baby cub's beans are just right, so Dusty Locks gobbles them all up. When the bears come home to find their nice, neat house looking like it's been hit by a whirlwind, they get riled -- and Dusty runs home so fast the dust doesn't settle for a week.

Goldie and the Three Bears by Diane Stanley. 2003.
In this story, loosely based on that of Goldilocks, Goldie, who has yet to find a friend to "love with all her heart," makes an unplanned visit to the house of some bears.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Caralyn Buehner & Mark Buehner. 2007.
In this variation on the classic folktale, a rhyming, rope-skipping, little girl rudely helps herself to the belongings of a genteel family of bears.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears: A Split-Page Surprise Book by Harriet Ziefert. 1995.
Will the three bears discover the girl who's been eating their porridge, sitting in their chairs, and sleeping in their beds? Turn the top, then the bottom of each ingeniously split page to find out!

Leola and the Honey Bears: An African-American Retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Melodye Benson Rosales. 1998.
With a large helping of rural southern flavor, this African-American retelling of the tale follows the adventures of Leola as she wanders away from her Grandmama's cottage. Secretly followed by a kindly blackbird, Leola encounters frightening Ol' Mister Weasel, surprised the gentle Honeybear family, and learns an important lesson about strangers.

Goldilocks and the Three Hares by Heidi Petach. 1995.
When Mama burns the oatmeal, the Hare family heads out to eat. Then along comes Goldilocks and the puns and fun begin, commented upon by the zany mice who live downstairs and who carry on their own hilarious story at the same time.

Goldilocks and the Three Martians by Stu Smith, illustrated by Michael Garland. 2004.
Goldilocks is fed up with chores and homework. Can't a girl have any fun? So she builds a spaceship and blasts off for the adventure of her life. After touring all the planets (and finding something wrong with each of them), she finally lands on Mars and is soon ringing the doorbell of a Martian house. You guessed it, no one's home, but some tasty alien stew is cooling on the table. After a little nap and a narrow escape from the returned occupants, Goldilocks heads for Earth, which suddenly feels . . . just right after all.
With a terrific rhyming text that's great fun for out-loud reading, this picture book offers a wacky twist on an old favorite.

Goldilocks Returns by Lisa Campbell Ernst. 2000.
Fifty years after Goldilocks first met the three bears, she returns to fix up their cottage and soothe her guilty conscience.






Jolie Blonde and the Three Heberts: A Cajun Twist to an Old Tale by Sheila Hebert Collins, illustrated by Patrick Soper. 1999.
In this version of the story, Goldilocks is called Jolie Blonde (pretty blonde), and the Three Bears are actually three humans the Heberts (pronounced AY-bair)who live on the bayou. Mama Hebert makes gumbo that is left to cool while the family goes for a pirogue (boat) ride, with the predictable results. The text is sprinkled with Cajun expressions that are explained at the bottom of each page. The appended gumbo recipe is easy enough for any jolie blonde. This book will work well as a one-on-one lesson on Cajun-French words or as a group read-aloud sharing of a unique bit of culture.

Santa and the Three Bears by Dominic Catalano. 2000.
Three bears have a lot of explaining to do when they are caught sleeping in Santa's house.

Somebody and the Three Blairs by Marilyn Tolhurst, illustrated by Simone Abel. 1990.
In a reversal of the Goldilocks story, a bear explores the home of the three Blairs while they are out.

The Three Bears' Christmas by Kathy Duval, illustrated by Paul Meisel.2005.
After taking a walk on Christmas Eve while their freshly baked gingerbread cools, Papa, Mama, and Baby Bear arrive home to encounter another "trespasser," who does not have golden hair but wears a red suit and leaves presents.

The Three Bears' Halloween by Kathy Duval, illustrated by Paul Meisel.2007.
Is it a witch or a blonde little girl hiding in the bushes of the spooky house when the three bears go trick or treating?




The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett. 2007.
Retells the story of Goldilocks, set in an Inuit village and featuring a family of polar bears.





Yours Truly, Goldilocks by Alma Flor Ada, illustrated byLeslie Tryon. 1998.
This lovely book tells its story through an exchange of letters between familiar characters such as Goldilocks, the Three Little Pigs, Peter Rabbit, Little Red Riding Hood, Baby Bear and, of course, the Big Bad Wolf (aka Fer O'Cious). The author chronicles the attempt of the three little pigs to plan a housewarming party. Meanwhile the villains from the previous title (Dear Peter Rabbit) are still up to no good, spying on the residents of the forest and planning an attack on the homeward-bound guests. Fortunately, the surprise is on them because the wolves haven't counted on Baby Bear's mother and her swift reflexes and the two wolves lose both their pride and their fur. This is fairy-tale fun at its best. Following these well-loved characters on a new adventure tickles the imagination with fanciful "what ifs."

Who's Been Eating My Porridge? by M. Christina Butler, illustrated by Daniel Howarth. 2004.
When Little Bear refuses to eat his porridge in the morning, his parents tell him they will leave it in the woods for the mysterious Old Scary Bear.

1. If I like it, it's mine.

2. If it's in my hand, it's mine.

3. If I can take if from you, it's mine.

4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.

5. If you are playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.

6. If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.

7. If I'm doing or building something, all the pieces are mine.

8. If it looks like mine, it is mine.

9. If I saw it first, it's mine.

10. If it's broken, it's yours.

I found this on a child care provider site recently.
It was waaaaay too funny and too TRUE not to share!!!

The picture book cover is of a book on sharing and toddlers.
To find out more about the book go to Mine! Mine! Mine! by Shelly Becker

Last week I went to Tucson, Arizona for a short vacation and to meet a friend.
Well, I am also planning to move there soon so it was partly about getting to just see the area....anyway, I had a fabulous time and one of the places my friend, Michael, took me was up to Mt Lemmon. A beautiful place that goes from typical desert scenery to wonderful rock formations to a lush forest. It was like 3 places in one! The higher you travelled the more it changed.
Hmmm...I am getting a little off topic.
While on the mountain, we stopped at a gift shop run by the USDA Forest Service or something official and parky like that.
While I was looking around for something to buy, because I had to buy something, I saw a picture of Smokey the Bear.
WOW! I hadn't thought of Smokey since I was a kid.
Remember those PSA's by Smokey?
(cue the deep voice)"Only you can prevent forest fires!"
The gift shop had a coloring sheet for the kids with information on how Smokey came to be and a sheet with the Smokey the Bear song.
Who knew there was a Smokey the Bear song? Not I!
Needless to say, so I am saying it anyway, I had to get the sheets and I decided that it was absolutely necessary for me to write a blog on Smokey the Bear.
I wonder if the kids today ever hear about old Smokey?

To understand how Smokey Bear became associated with forest fire prevention, we must go back to World War II. On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes attacked Pearl Harbor. The following spring in 1942, a Japanese submarine surfaced near the coast of Southern California and fired a salvo of shells that exploded on an oil field near Santa Barbara, very close to the Los Padres National Forest. Americans throughout the country were shocked by the news that the war had now been brought directly to the American mainland. There was concern that further attacks could bring a disastrous loss of life and destruction of property. There was also a fear that enemy incendiary shells exploding in the timber stands of the Pacific Coast could easily set off numerous raging forest fires. With experienced firefighters and other able-bodied men engaged in the armed forces, the home communities had to deal with the forest fires as best they could. Protection of these forests became a matter of national importance, and a new idea was born. If people could be urged to be more careful, perhaps some of the fires could be prevented. With this is in mind, the Forest Service organized the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention Campaign with the help of the Wartime Advertising Council.
The Forest Service decided to find an animal that would belong to and speak for the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention Campaign. It was finally decided that the Nation's number one firefighter should be a bear. This bear was to have a short nose, be brown or black, and have a face that looked smart and friendly. They also wanted him to wear a ranger hat and blue jeans. They named him "Smokey" after "Smokey Joe" Martin, a fire chief form the New York City Fire Department.
On August 9, 1944, the first poster of Smokey Bear was prepared. The poster depicted a bear pouring a bucket of water on a campfire. Smokey Bear soon became popular, and his image began appearing on other posters and cards.
Until 1950, Smokey was just a character drawn on posters. Then one spring day in 1950 in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico, an operator in one of the fire towers to the north of the Capitans spotted smoke and called the location into the nearest ranger station. The first crew discovered a major fire being swept along the ground between the trees, driven by a strong wind.
As soon as they contained the fire to one spot, the wind would push it across the lines. During one of the lulls in firefighting, a report of a lonely bear cub who had been seen wandering near the fireline was reported. The men left him alone because they thought the mother bear might come for him.
After the fire passed and the smoke cleared, the only living thing the firefighters saw was the little cub had been caught in the path of the fire. He had taken refuge in a tree that was now nothing but a charred smoking snag. His climb had saved his life but left him badly burned on the paws and hind legs.
The little bear cub was removed from the burned tree and a rancher, who had been helping the firefighters, agreed to take the cub home. A New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Ranger heard about the cub when he returned to the fire camp and drove to the rancher's home to get the bear. The cub needed veterinary aid and was flown in a small plane to Santa Fe where the burns were treated and bandaged.
The news about the little bear spread swiftly throughout New Mexico. Soon the press picked up the story and broadcast it nationwide. Many people wrote or called to inquire about the little bear's progress. The State Game Warden wrote an official letter to the Chief of the Forest Service, presenting the cub to the agency with the understanding that the small bear would be dedicated to a publicity program of fire prevention and conservation. The go-ahead was given to send the bear to Washington, DC, where he found a home at the National Zoo, becoming the living symbol of Smokey Bear.
In 1952, Smokey Bear had enough public recognition to attract commercial interest. An Act of Congress passed to take Smokey out of the public domain and place him under the control of the Secretary of Agriculture. The Act provided for the use of collected royalties and fees for continued education on forest fire prevention.
info found and mostly copied from SmokeyBear.com

A Smokey the Bear PSA....I think it is from the 70's.




SMOKEY THE BEAR song

With a Ranger's hat and shovel
and a pair of dungarees,
you will find him in the forest
always sniffin' at the breeze.
People stop and pay attention
when he tells 'em to beware,
'cause ev'rybody knows that
he's the Fire Prevention Bear.

Smokey the Bear, Smokey the Bear.
Prowlin' and a growlin' and a sniffin' the air.
He can find a fire before it starts to flame.
That's why they call him Smokey,
That was how he got his name.

You can take a tip from Smokey
that there's nothin' like a tree.
'cause they're good for kids to climb in
and they're beautiful to see,
you just have to look around you
and you'll find it's not a joke,
to see what you'd be missin'
if they all went up in smoke.

Smokey the Bear, Smokey the Bear.
Prowlin' and a growlin' and a sniffin' the air.
He can find a fire before it starts to flame.
That's why they call him Smokey,
That was how he got his name.

You can camp upon his doorstep
and he'll make you feel at home;
You can run and hunt and ramble
anywhere you care to roam.
He will let you take his honey
and pretend he's not so smart,
but don't you harm his trees
for he's a Ranger in his heart.

Smokey the Bear, Smokey the Bear.
Prowlin' and a growlin' and a sniffin' the air.
He can find a fire before it starts to flame.
That's why they call him Smokey,
That was how he got his name.

If you've ever seen the forest
when a fire is running wild,
and you love the things within it
like a mother loves her child,
then you know why Smokey tells you
when he sees you passing through,
"Remember...please be careful....
its the least that you can do."

Smokey the Bear, Smokey the Bear.
Prowlin' and a growlin' and a sniffin' the air.
He can find a fire before it starts to flame.
That's why they call him Smokey,
That was how he got his name.

(to hear the tune go to NIEHS Kids Songs - Smokey the Bear )

written by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins, written under license of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to Hill and Range Songs, Inc., and recorded under license by RCA-Victor, Columbia, Decco, Peter Pan, and Golden Records. Copyright 1952 by Hill and Range Songs, Inc., New York, N.Y. International copyright secured. All rights reserved including the right of public performance for profit.

One commenter left a link on Smokey that I really love....>SMOKEY THE BEAR SUTRA BY GARY SNYDER

Smokey Bear Lesson Plans Various Grades

Lots of Fun Pages, Puzzles and other Smokey Bear stuff

SmokeyBear.com

NIEHS Kids Songs - Smokey the Bear

Forest Service Smokey Bear Site

Smokey Bear Park in Capitan, New Mexico

"English is Cuh-ray-zee!" is a great song to sing or chant with kids.
It's fun and it gets them thinking about language.

"English is Cuh-ray-zee!" is a cross between a song, a poem and a rap (Pete said it not I).
The words to this song/rap/poem were written by Josh White, Jr. and Pete Seeger in 1996.
It is based on Richard Lederer's book Crazy English, a fascinating book that I got to flip through because a friend had a copy.

According to Amazon.com:

If you have ever been completely wowed by the power you can have over language, or its power over you, Richard Lederer is your patron saint. His oft-reprinted introduction to Crazy English, which was originally published in 1989, claims that English is "the most loopy and wiggy of all tongues." And then he demonstrates: "In what other language do people drive in a parkway and park in a driveway? ... Why do they call them apartments when they're all together?" And so on. Lederer's pace is frenetic. He alights on oxymorons ("pretty ugly," "computer jock"), redundancies, confusing words (are you sure you know the meaning of enormity?), phobias, contronyms, heteronyms, retroactive terms (acoustic guitar, rotary phone), and a host of other linguistic delights.

Crazy English by Richard Lederer


English is Cuh-ray-zee by Pete Seeger
(to hear a sample of this song go to Seeds - The Songs of Pete Seeger )

English is the most widely spoken language in the history of the planet.
One out of every seven human beings can speak or read it.
Half the world's books, 3/4 of the international mail are in English.
It has the largest vocabulary, perhaps two million words,
And a noble body of literature. But face it:
English is cuh-ray-zee!

Just a few examples: There's no egg in eggplant,
no pine or apple in pineapple.
Quicksand works slowly; boxing rings are square.
A writer writes, but do fingers fing?
Hammers don't ham, grocers don't groce.
Haberdashers don't haberdash.
English is cuh-ray-zee!

If the plural of tooth is teeth,
shouldn't the plural of booth be beeth?
It's one goose, two geese.
Why not one moose, two meese?
If it's one index, two indices;
why not one Kleenex,two Kleenices?
English is cuh-ray-zee!

You can comb through the annals of history,
but not just one annal.
You can make amends, but not just one amend.
If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one,
is it an odd or an end?
If the teacher taught, why isn't it true that a preacher praught?
If you wrote a letter, did you also bote your tongue?
And if a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
English is cuh-ray-zee!

Why is it that night falls but never breaks and day breaks but never falls?
In what other language do people drive on the parkway
and park on the driveway?
Ship by truck but send cargo by ship?
Recite at a play but play at a recital?
Have noses that run and feet that smell?
English is cuh-ray-zee!

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same
When a wise man and a wise guy are very different?
To overlook something and to oversee something are very different,
But quite a lot and quite a few are the same.
How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?
English is cuh-ray-zee!

You have to marvel at the lunacy of a language in which
your house can burn down
While it is burning up.
You fill out a form by filling it in.
In which your alarm clock goes off by going on.
If pro is the opposite of con, what is the opposite of progress?

Well, English was invented by people, not computers
And reflects the creativity of the human race.
So that's why when the stars are out, they're visible,
But when the lights are out, they're invisible.
When I wind up my watch I start it, but when I wind up this rap,
I end it. English is cuh-ray-zee!

Seeds - The Songs of Pete Seeger

I looooove these songs!
Let's face it....I love most of ...okay all of the songs I sing.

This evening I decided I "needed" a cookie. Fortunately, I keep cookie dough around for just such an emergency. So I got out the pan and "made" a few chocolate chip cookies. Yummmmm!
Which is what got me thinking about cookie songs.

The first three songs I thought of were these..."C is for Cookie" (a classic)..."I'm A Little Cookie" (a sleeper song but a good one) and , well, the last song is more like a chant and it's a game...the ever popular "Who Stole the Cookie From the Cookie Jar".
At the end of this blog are some good cookie recipes for kids.

I'm a Little Cookie is a great song about differences and tolerance.
A version of this song can be heard on John McCutcheon's Mail Myself to You CD.
This is where I first heard it.

I'M A LITTLE COOKIE

I'm a little cookie, yes I am
And I was made by the cookie man
And on my way from the cookie pan
A little piece broke off of me
A little piece broke off of me, uh-huh
A little piece broke off of me, uh-huh
But I can taste just as good, uh-huh
As a regular cookie can

I'm a little chocolate bar, I am
And I was made by the chocolate bar man
And on my way to the chocolate stand
I got a little bend in me
I got a little bend in me, uh-huh
I got a little bend in me, uh-huh
But I can taste just as good, uh-huh
As a regular chocolate bar can

I'm a little tootsie roll, yes I am
And I was made by the tootsie roll man
And on my way from the tootsie roll land
I got a little twist in me
I got a little twist in me, uh-huh
I got a little twist in me, uh-huh
But I can taste just as good, uh-huh
As a regular tootsie roll can

I'm a little gum drop, yes I am
And I was made by the gum drop man
On my way from the sugar can
I got a little dent in me
I got a little dent in me, uh-huh
I got a little dent in me, uh-huh
But I can taste just as good, uh-huh
As a regular gum drop can

Oh, I'm a little cookie, yes I am
And I was made by the cookie man
And on my way from the cookie pan
A little piece broke off of me
Now I ain't as round as I might be
But I taste good just wait and see
And I can love back twice as hard
As a regular cookie can

Words and Music by Larry Penn
(c) Larry Penn


And here is everyone's favorite cookie loving monster....

Who Stole the Cookies is a fun game and a marvelous song for helping kids learn to keep a steady beat.
Children pat a steady rhythm on their thighs while chanting the song.
Older child can do a pat...clap...pat...clap rhythm.
Have kids sit in a circle.
Begin the game by going in order around the circle.
Once the kids understand how the game works you can move into choosing students at random.

Accuser/Group: Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?
(name of a child in the circle) stole the cookie from the cookie jar.
Accused: Who me?
Accuser/Group: Yes, you!
Accused: Not Me, Couldn't be!
Accuser/Group: Then who?

This can go on and on until the last person or a designated person (usually the teacher in the beginning) says Who me?...Kids: Yes You!....Teacher/Thief: Possibly! and then you bring out the cookie.

I could explain every step of teaching and playing the game but I found this lovely vid at my favorite place (YOUTUBE!!!) that does an excellent job of teaching the game. The words are a little different but it is basically the same game. YOu will note that the kids are older and that the use a pat/clap instead of a steady patting of the legs which works best with younger children.

Here are a few simple cookie recipes for kids. I found these at Easy Kids Recipies
But there are lots more on the net. Go explore!


Chocolate Cornflake Clusters

2 cups cornflakes, crushed
3/4 cups craisins
3/4 cups flaked almonds
3/4 cup shredded coconut
3/4 cup sweetened, condensed milk
2 cups melted milk chocolate chips, white chocolate, or peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Mix together all ingredients except chocolate chips. Line a cookie sheet with foil and grease. Spoon onto cookie sheet about 1 tablespoon per cluster.

Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then spread the bottom of the clusters with the melted chocolate. Let the chocolate harden, then turn clusters over and drizzle more chocolate over the top.



Mrs. "You Know Who's" Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups flour
5 cups oatmeal
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
24 ounce package chocolate chips
1 8 ounce Hershey chocolate bar, grated
3 cups chopped nuts

Cream together butter,sugar, and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix together flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and add to mixture. For oatmeal, put small amounts into blender until it turns to powder. Measure first, then blend. Add final ingredients and mix together.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheets. Make golf-ball sized cookies and place them oncookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake at 375F degrees for 6 minutes.

Love, Laughter, Peace, Blessings and COOKIES!
La