There was an Old Lady + free printables

Hello Reader,

Today is my first entry for Teacher Tuesday and it’s a doodle, teacher helps, and mommy fun, all wrapped into one.  One of my favorite things as a teacher was to sing with my students.  I quickly learned my first year of teaching that herding 28 kindergarteners can be frustrating at minimum and I had a choice, to raise my voice over theirs or to sing.  I could sing at almost a whisper and they would stop to see what it was I was singing.  Half the time when I was using singing as a management tool I would just make it up.  Also in my first year, I had the sweetest boy whose name was Bowdy and he would always say at the completion of my song, “Good one, Mrs. Winterrose!”

I can even see it in McGilly, music comes on the radio, TV or someones phone and she is intrigued.  My favorite way to redirect her when she is sad or upset is most definitely with song.  I told my doctor when she was about 9 months that I was afraid she wasn’t going to talk, she was going to sing because most of how we interacted was song.  Needless to say we love music at our house, so here is a few free printables for you to interact with some of the music you may already sing.

First is, I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.

One of Mcgilly’s favorite board books is this song illustrated by Pam Adams and we always have to pull out her Old Lady puppet, she loves pulling the animals in and out of the Old Ladies mouth…Take a look.

My two favorite illustrated versions for a little older kids are by Simms Taback and Jeremy Holmes, Fantastic illustration…if you don’t believe me, take a look.  Also, I love my old Co-teacher {Mrs. Bauer’s}  version of the song at the end–she says, “I know an old lady who swallowed a horse…this is a silly song of course.”

Check out more about the designer/ illustrator Jeremy Holmes on the Two Penny Blue Business Blog-really you should.

So after reading the story if you don’t have the puppet or even if you do I have made for you your very own little old lady and her unsuspecting animals.

To make the old lady:

No. 1 Print the two pages on card stock and let your child give them some color.  Use an exacto knife and cut out the inside of the old ladies mouth.

No. 2 –For version 1 you can paste the animals to a circle cut from card stock like in the illustration, and then place a brad through the old lady and the circle, with the circle behind the old lady.  The goal is that when you turn the old lady you will see the animals through her mouth.

For version 2–add a baggie to the back side of the mouth of the old lady by taping the opening of the bag around the hole for her mouth making a pocket behind the old ladies mouth opening.  Then just cut out the animals and let your child act out the song as you sing it together, placing the animals in the old ladies mouth and into the bag.

For teachers–I enlarged this at the local copy shop and mounted it on posterboard, then I made the wheel version with it because I already had the puppet.  The kids loved it, especially when they got to make their very own to take home and share with their family.

Here are a few others you might like–

Ella the Elephant Chorister–for a child sized Ella, just print on a piece of cardstock, exacto knife out the circle where her trunk should be, and let your child add some color.  After their masterpiece is complete, give them a gray sock and let them put their hand through the hole and pretend to be Ella…and of course teachers, Ella loved to lead music in our class.

For teachers–I enlarged the poster like before and then I attached a ziploc to the back and stored my gray sock so it was always “on hand”.

Novelty String Songs {5 Little Monkey’s Jumping on the Bed} &  {Five Little Frogs}

These are really fun.  All you do is print out the pages on card stock. Have your child artist add some color.  Punch holes in the places shown.  String a piece of yarn tied in a round from top hole to bottom hole and attach the monkeys or the frogs with a piece of tape to the string.  Then as you sing the song your children can make the monkeys fall of the bed or the frogs jump by pulling on the yarn to make them move up and down.  HINT- attach a straw to the back to thread the string through so that the paper is reinforced and doesn’t rip as easily.

For teachers and parents-these can be used to help students learn the concepts of addition and subtraction in a visual way.

These were illustrated in college and inspired by an amazing professor, Merlene Ellington.

Download free printables here:

{Old Lady Puppet}

{Old Lady Animals}

{Novelty Songs} These are all on the same file and include instructions, the pictures are from my professors kid examples that my illustrated versions were inspired by.  They were drawn so I could share them at an Early Childhood teachers conference about 6 years ago.  It also includes {10 in the bed} & {On Top of Spaghetti}.

I hope you enjoy!

As a side note, check out this amazing girl and how her momma’s sweet songs helped her through a difficult experience.  I am continually inspired by this mother and by sweet Clara.

Ash