A Hippity hippity hop! Heigh-ho!
Away to the baker's shop we go!
The baker makes buns;
They are two for a penny.
If you haven't the money,
You cannot get any.
A hippity hippity hop!
Thursday, March 14, 2024
The Baker's Shop
A Lullaby
A Lullaby by Frank Dempster Sherman
Slumber, slumber, little one, now
The bird is asleep in his nest on the bough;
The bird is asleep, he has folded his wings,
And over him softly the dream-fairy sings:
Lullaby, lullaby-lullaby!
Pearls in the deep-
Stars in the sky,
Dreams in our sleep;
So lullaby!
Slumber, slumber, little one, soon
The fairy will come in the ship of the moon:
The fairy will come with the pearls and the stars,
And dreams will come singing through shad-
owy bars:
Lullaby, lullaby-lullaby!
Pearls in the deep-
Stars in the sky,
Dreams in our sleep;
So lullaby!
Slumber, slumber, little one, so;
The stars are the pearls that the dream-fairies
know,
The stars are the pearls, and the bird in the
nest,
A dear little fellow the fairies love best:
Lullaby, lullaby-lullaby!
Pearls in the deep-
Stars in the sky,
Dreams in our sleep;
So lullaby!
The Sandman
The Sandman
The Sandman comes across the land,
At evening when the sun is low;
Upon his back a bag of sand-
His step is soft and slow.
I never hear his gentle tread,
But when I bend my sleepy head,
''The Sandman's coming!" mother says,
And mother tells the truth, always!
I guess he's old, with silver hair,
He's up so late! He has to go
To lots of children, everywhere,
At evening, when the sun is low.
His cloak is long, and green, and old,
With pretty dreams in every fold-
His shoes are silken, mother says,
And mother tells the truth, always!
He glides across the sunset hill,
To seek each little child, like me;
Our all-day-tired eyes to fill
With sands of sleep, from slumber's sea.
I try my best awake to stay,
But I am tired out with play;
I'll never see him, mother says,
And mother tells the truth, always!
Monday, March 11, 2024
The Wind by Christina G. Rossetti
THE WIND
WHO has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you;
But when the leaves hang trembling
The wind is passing through.
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I;
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.
Where do all the daises go?
by Isabella F. Bellows
WHERE do all the daisies go?
I know, I know!
Underneath the snow they creep,
Nod their little heads and sleep,
In the springtime out they peep;
That is where they go!
Where do all the birdies go?
I know, I know!
Far away from winter snow
To the fair, warm South they go;
There they stay till daisies blow,
That is where they go!
Where do all the babies go?
I know, I know!
In the glancing firelight warm,
Safely sheltered from all harm,
Soft they lie on mother's arm,
That is where they go!
The Little Land
The creatures of ''Little Land'' |
THE LITTLE LAND by Robert Louis Stevenson
WHEN at home alone I sit
And am very tired of it,
I have just to shut my eyes
To go sailing through the skies -
To go sailing far away
To the pleasant Land of Play;
To the Fairy land afar
Where the Little People are;
Where the clover-tops are trees,
And the rain-pools are the seas,
And the leaves like little ships
Sail about on tiny trips;
And above the daisy tree
Through the grasses,
High overhead the Bumble Bee
Hums and passes.
In that forest to and fro
I can wander, I can go;
See the spider and the fly,
And the ants go marching by
Carrying parcels with their feet
Down the green and grassy street.
I can in the sorrel sit
Where the ladybird alit.
I can climb the jointed grass;
And on high
See the greater swallows pass
In the sky,
And the round sun rolling by
Heeding no such thing as I.
Through the forest I can pass
Till, as in a looking-glass,
Humming fly and daisy tree
And my tiny self I see,
Painted very clear and neat
On the rain-pool at my feet.
Should a leaflet come to land
Drifting near to where I stand,
Straight I'll board that tiny boat
Round the rain-pool sea to float.
Little thoughtful creatures sit
On the grassy coasts of it;
Little things with lovely eyes
See me sailing with surprise.
Some are clad in armor green -
(These have sure to battle been !)
Some are pied with ev'ry hue,
Black and crimson, gold and blue;
Some have wings and swift are gone;
But they all look kindly on.
When my eyes I once again
Open and see all things plain;
High bare walls, great bare floor;
Great big knobs on drawer and door;
Great big people perched on chairs,
Stitching tucks and mending tears,
Each a hill that I could climb,
And talking nonsense all the time -
O dear me,
That I could be
A sailor on the rain-pool sea,
A climber in the clover tree,
And just come back, a sleepy-head,
Late at night to go to bed.
Sewing
Sewing
IF Mother Nature patches
The leaves of trees and vines,
I'm sure she does her darning
With the needles of the pines;
They are so long and slender,
And somewhere in full view,
She has her threads of cobweb.
And a thimbleful of dew.
Echo
Echo
I SOMETIMES wonder where he lives.
This Echo that I never see.
I hear his voice now in the hedge,
Then down behind the willow tree.
And when I call, "Oh, please come out,'
"Come out," he always quick replies.
Hello, hello," again I say;
"Hello, hello," he softly cries.
He must be jolly, Echo must;
For when I laugh, "Ho, ho, ho, ho,"
Like any other friendly boy,
He answers me with "Ho, ho, ho."
I think perhaps he'd like to play;
I know some splendid things to do.
He must be lonely hiding there;
I wouldn't like it. Now, would you?
Cloud Castles
LET us watch the castles,
Castles in the air,
Oh, so tall and stately,
Far away and fair!
Oh, the splendid windows!
Oh, the towers tall!
Oh, the winding stairways!
We may have them all !
Let us climb the stairways,
Let us mount the towers,
Then look down at leisure
On this world of ours;
We will see the cities
Where we cannot go;
Where the long roads lead to
We will surely know!
All the ships a-sailing,
Oh, so far away,
To the wonder countries
We will see to-day!
All their white sails gleaming,
Colors flying bright,
And the foam behind them
Sparkling in the light !
We've no wings for flying,
But we need not grieve -
We will do these wonders
All in make-believe!
Under whispering maples
Oh, what fun to lie.
Wide-awake, yet dreaming
Of castles in the sky!
Little Carry's Birthday
A Loaf of Bread
''A little girl named Lucy was shopping with her grandmother.
'' 'Oh, look,' said Lucy, 'look at the tiny loaf of bread.'
''Now the loaf of bread would have smiled, only loaves of bread can't smile and if they should laugh they would crumble, so the loaf of bread kept a perfectly straight face.
'' 'I thought I'd be noticed by a child,' said the small loaf of bread.
'' 'You won't last as long as we will,' said a larger loaf of bread
'' 'Oh, who cares about the size,' said the small loaf.
'' 'Of course you don't,' said another larger loaf.
'' 'Now, now,' said the small loaf, 'don't be mean and unkind to your little friend and relative, the small loaf of bread. I'm the only small one here, though I heard the baker say if folks liked me the size I am and if mothers bought me for their children he'd make a lot like me.'
'''We didn't mean to be unkind or mean,' said the larger loaves, 'only we are a little envious. We've been the same size always. We have to follow our relatives who are baked ahead of us and are sold ahead of us. We always have to follow their example.
'' 'But you have been made differently. You have been made a small size. You're cunning and different. You are just like us in taste and shape and kind, but smaller in size and that makes you very interesting.'
'''Hush,'' said the small loaf of bread, ''I am being bought. Hush!'' And off went the little tiny loaf, in a paper bag, carried by Lucy. Just as soon as it got home, having been carried all the way, for Lucy knew it couldn't walk or run home, a nice fat crust was cut off and Lucy ate it with joy.
'' 'My nice little baby loaf of bread,' she said, 'you are so cunning and so good to eat!'' And the loaf of bread was glad it had been made so tiny and cunning and yet so good.''
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Christmas With The Squirrels
The Pride of Toys
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
A Peppermint Christmas Tree Tutorial
A decorative, peppermint Christmas tree made from a cone for a mantle, shelf or table display. |
The supplies that you will need to accomplish this Christmas project include: a Styrofoam cone, a recycled yogurt cup, Sculpey oven bake clay, red spray paint, white acrylic paints, fancy gift wrap paper, a miniature wooden ornament for the tree topper, a toothpick, Mod Podge, and tacky white glue.
- Roll out the oven bake clay into many small balls. If you make many of these the project will take longer to craft. If you make fewer of them, a younger student will be able to complete a simpler version of the tree.
- Place all of the clay balls on a cookie sheet and then gently press each one flat with you finger tips. Bake at 275 degree oven for 8 or 9 minutes. Check the instructions printed on the box of the Sculpy to make sure if these are the same as mine. Choose those instructions over mine if you should have a different type of clay.
- After these two steps, even older children may need adult supervision with the baking and spray painting.
- Wear oven mitts. Remove the flattened clay with a cake knife or thin spatula before all of the rounds cool completely.
- Place the miniature, faux peppermints into a cardboard box and spray paint them red. Do this step of the craft outdoors because spray paint is toxic. Wait for the paint to dry completely and then repeat the same step for the unpainted sides of the clay pieces.
- Now apply small drops of tacky white glue to the pretend candies and stick these to the surface of the tall cone on it's sides only. You will need to do a side at a time allowing the glue to dry before turning the cone to glue more pieces on. Keep the cone on it's side for this process. Once you have all of the clay candies on the cone and the glue is dry, you may then turn the cone upright.
- Using a very tiny brush, paint the white swirls onto each red faux candy. Let all of the paint dry.
- Meanwhile, clean the surface of a used yogurt container.
- Spread Mod Podge on it's outside surface and apply the decorative paper. Let dry.
- Glue the yogurt cup 'stand' to the bottom of the decorated cone.
- Glue a wooden ornament to a toothpick. Let dry.
- Poke the toothpick down into the top of the Styrofoam cone with some glue and let dry. Paint the wooden ornament in the colors of the tree, red and white.
- Seal the entire surface with Mod Podge
Sunday, December 10, 2023
The Christmas Dog
''A little girl named Peggy,'' said daddy, ''wrote a letter to Santa Claus, and this is what she said:
''Dear Santa Claus:
Paper Chain Wreath Craft
The finished paper chain wreath. |
Left, the wreath with attached paper chain. Center, the snowmen are smiling! Right, a red bow tops everything off! |
A Story of the Fireplace
The Toy Shop
Saturday, December 9, 2023
Make a Frosty Ice Skate Paper Wreath
I colored my ice skates blue, green and red. But you may color them however you wish! |
To make this ice skate paper wreath you will need to gather the following supplies: a paper plate, ribbon for a hanger, silver, blue and white scrap wrapping papers, a print of the ice skates below, colored pencils, white school glue and a stapler.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Remove the center of the paper plate using the tip of their scissors and cutting along the scored center circle. Discard the circle into a paper craft bin for other use.
- Punch a hole into the top of the wreath.
- String a blue or grey ribbon through and knot it for the hanger.
- Use white school glue to attach multiple icy branches to the paper plate wreath. To make many branches quickly, stack four or five layers of wrapping paper on top of each other and cut simple branch shapes all at once. (see the photo below)
- Download the ice skate clip art provided at the bottom of the blog post; print it out on your home computer and color the ice skates however you like.
- Cut these out and paste them to the front of your wintery wreath.
- Hang your skate wreath in your classroom or home!
Left, the wreath with icy covered branches attached with glue. Right, the branches up close. |
I used a metallic bronze pencil to color in the blades at the bottom of my skates. Print and assemble Victorian looking ice skate ornaments at my Belsnickle Blog. |
Ice Skates for personal or classroom use only. |
Friday, December 8, 2023
Make a Christmas Card Window to Hang
Young children can either hang this holiday card window on a Christmas tree or in their room or as a decoration anywhere in their home to remember their loved ones.
A charming and traditional way to recycle past memories and Christmas cards. The greeting card, Christmas window craft has been around for 100 years! |
- Collect and save old Christmas cards that illustrated charming scenes of outdoor views, people sledding, ice skating, or of a tiny neighborhood, like the example shown above.
- Measure your Christmas card so that you can make a window pane the same size.
- Cut the window pane from scrap cardboard leaving square or diamond cut panes intact.
- Cut a shallow set of side pieces approximately 1/2" wide to glue around the exterior of the window pane before attaching the card if you are looking at an outdoor scene with snow. In this shallow space will create a shallow space you may wish to glue cotton batting 'snow' and glitter to make the winter view more convincing.
- Paint the window pane. Let dry.
- Glue the recycled Christmas view to the backside of the window pane.
- Shape wire and attach at the back or top of your window so that it may be hung.
- The History of Christmas Cards
- Craft Miniature Snow Scene Baubles - using recycled Christmas cards too!
- Decoupage Retro Paper Mache Baubles - use left over Christmas paper and cards
DIY a Christmas Toy Soldier Candy Container
To make this candy container you will need the following supplies: a recycled coffee creamer bottle, masking tape, permanent black marker, pom poms, two buttons, small amount of yellow or gold foam sheet, red braid, acrylic paints, Mod Podge, hot glue and hot glue gun.
- Wash out the interior of the bottle and cap thoroughly before using it to craft with.
- Apply masking tap to the entire surface of the bottle, excluding the cap only.
- Draw a toy soldier design on the bottle, use my own if you wish. Draw with a permanent marker once you have the end design determined.
- Paint with bright, cheerful colored acrylic paints.
- Hot glue one details like buttons, foam sheet ruffles, pom-poms and a matching red braid to hold on the toy soldiers tall, dramatic hat...
- Mod Podge the painted surfaces.
- Unscrew cap to insert your choice of candy, I prefer M&Ms. Replace cap which may be opened at the top to pour out small candies as desired.
A "Hands On" Christmas Wreath Craft
Finished "hands-on" classic Christmas wreath craft. |
- one paper plate per student
- green construction paper
- painted green paper
- paste paints or finger paints (shades of green)
- white butcher paper for paste painting
- plastic combs (Hair combs in pack from Dollar General will do.)
- red pom-poms
- yarn for hanging the wreath
- stapler for attaching the hanger
- white school glue
- scissors
- green glitter (optional)
- Day One: Students paint green paste papers using plastic combs and finger paint. Use generous amounts of pale and dark green paints to comb across white butcher paper and sprinkle in some green glitter too! Let the paper dry over night or for two days if needed.
- Day Two: Students will trace around their hands on top of the paste paper and green construction paper using a pencil, green marker, or white crayon. Then they will cut out their hand tracings to use to cover the paper wreath. (above)
- Day Three: Students assemble their wreaths on the paper plates. Older students may cut out their own paper wreaths from the paper plates. Remove the center of the paper plate using the tip of their scissors and cutting along the scored center circle. Discard the circle into a paper craft bin for other use.
- Punch a hole into the top of the wreath.
- String a red ribbon through and knot it for the hanger.
- Use white school glue to attach hand traced 'evergreens' to the paper wreath.
- Glue on red pom-poms for berries.
Patterns for Penguins
The versatile, playful penguin pattern! |
Template/Patterns for construction paper penguins by kathy grimm. |
Cut Simple 3-D Christmas Trees
To make these easy little three-dimensional paper trees you will need to download and print on either your home computer or school computer the template provided here.
The following supplies are needed: a stapler, hot glue and glue gun, colorful papers, scissors, and pom poms.
- Download and print the template for our paper Christmas tree. Link above.
- Cut-out the tree shape and trace around it on top of 3 to 4 stacked papers. I chose green and red, but any color would be attractive. Cut the stack all at once.
- Fold each duplicate paper cut tree separately, in half exactly.
- Staple down the center of the stack on the fold line. You will need to do this four times down the center.
- Now fan out the paper tree so that it stands on it's own.
- Hot glue pom poms in between the tree halves to decorate.
Craft a Paper Snowman Wreath
This easy paper snowman wreath is made with: a white paper plate, a stapler, construction paper (black and white), pom poms, decorative scrapbook papers, white school glue, a cord for the hanger and student scissors.
Left the basic snowman shaped wreath. Center, glue the colorful Christmas tie between the wreath and the snowman head. Right, the finished wreath with all the cheerful trims. |
- Download and print out the template pieces from our blog for this snowman craft here. This particular craft may be used at Christmas using themed papers or it could also be made just during the winter months using different themed papers too.
- Poke a small hole into the paper plate using the tip of your scissors. Then cut out the circle in the center of the paper plate marked by a seam. This cut-away section will become the head of your snowman.
- Staple the head to the top of the paper plate rib to create a basic snowman wreath. (see photos above)
- Now cut out the bow pattern and trace around it on top of decorative paper. Cut out the bow, paste this between the head and body of the snowman wreath using white glue. Let dry.
- Using a black magic marker, draw the different sections of the bow shown on the printed template copy of it.
- Cut out the pattern for the snowman's top hat and trace around this on top of a piece of black construction paper.
- Glue a decorative paper ribbon on top of the top hat and add trims. I've included a tiny holly leaf template for this.
- Glue or staple the top hat onto the snowman's head.
- Glue on the pompoms for his eyes, nose, mouth and holly berries.
- Cut long strips of white construction paper approximately 3 inches wide.
- Cut fringe into these strips and curl them with your scissors.
- Glue the fringes onto the snowman wreath to add texture and 3D surface area.
- Glue on a red tie ribbon to hang the wreath from his top hat.
An easy paper Christmas light garland craft...
Left, rainbow colored lights. Right, yarn 'electric cord' connecting the lights in one long garland. |
These easy little vintage Christmas lights look so cute on a teacher's bulletin board or on a child's Christmas tree in their bedroom. Use the template/pattern below to cut them out of layers of festive colored construction papers all at once. Then paste on black switches or color these with a black crayon. Paste a black yarn electrical cord on the backsides of the bulb switches connecting the light bulbs to one long garland.
Templates for three different crafts at Thrifty Scissors: electric light bulb garland, a snowman wreath and 3-D paper Christmas trees. |
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
Grandpa's Glasses.
Saturday, August 12, 2023
Backward Kiddy Kar Race
This race is much funnier if there are only a few contestants. There should be only two teams, with two on a team, the first one on each team being provided with a kiddy kar. These first two riders are asked to turn their cars around so that they are facing away from the goal, and then sit on their cars with their backs to the goal. When the starting signal is given, they start racing to the goal, backwards. When they reach this goal they are to return to the starting point, going backwards of course, and give up their kiddy kars to the second members of their teams. These second victims run the race in the same inverted order.
Hobby Horse Race
There are seldom more than two players on a team, that being sufficient ! The first one of each team is supplied with a hobby-horse. When the signal is given, these riders start riding their horses to the goal. If they ever reach it, they are to return and give their horses to the other member of their team. Experience proves that most second riders never get a chance to ride, for too many first riders fall by the wayside!
Nose Push Race
If contestants in this race are expected to look respectable for the rest of the party, a sheet should be provided for the race-course. There are not more than three contestants, each one of them being provided with a peanut, and, we hope, a long and practical nose. Contestants are asked to kneel at one end of the sheet, put their peanuts on the sheet before them, and when the signal is given, to push the peanuts to the other end of the sheet and back, using their noses as the pushers, their hands being clasped behind them.
The winner is not the only one who deserves a prize in this contest!
Siamese Twins Race
Children are paired off into couples, the two members of a team having their backs to each other, with their hands joined at the side. One of them is facing the goal. At the signal, all teams start racing to the goal and return, their method of locomotion being anything they choose. Usually they try to run, but they soon get over that foolishness, and finally discover that the best and safest means of getting there is to hop, both members of a team hopping at the same time. The relay plan may be used.
There is no prize good enough for the winners of this race!
Relay Races
In several cases a suggestion is made to the effect that the relay plan may be used. When this is used, all the children are divided into groups of equal size, members of a group standing in lines or columns or couples, as the case demands. When either the first runner or the first couple has run the course, the second contestants are touched off, and then the third and fourth, and so on until all members of a team have run the race. The team whose last runner or couple first finishes the required stunt, gets the prize as the winning team.
Relay races are particularly good for large groups, for a great many children can take part in a race which requires comparatively little space.
The Snow House
" 'Well, well, well,' he said as he saw a snow house and a snow fort and a snow man, 'this is fine. They appreciate me. They know what handsome things I can make. This is really gorgeous.
" 'Look, Prince Icicle, isn't this fine?'
"Prince Icicle appeared with a number of the other princes and princesses who hung down from the roof of the snow house and the top of the snow fort and from the shoulders of the snow man. Prince Icicle himself took a very fine place over the doorway of the snow house.
" 'Isn't this handsome?' asked Old Man Snow. 'Our fine king will be delighted and his royal majesty will be honored.'
"As Old Man Snow said these words along came King Snow. He wore a most beautiful crown of snow and he showed the Icicle family the compliment of wearing icicles from his beard and his crown and his locks of snow and from his hanging snowy sleeves.
" 'They stopped me as I went by the brook,' said King Snow, 'and begged me to have some of their jeweled icicles. Don't they sparkle beautifully? Yes, they asked me to have them, and the brook, which
was beginning to freeze around the edges, begged me to listen to its story.
'It had so much to tell of its travels, how it ran down a long and winding hill and how it couldn't help trickling and laughing all the time with the jokes and merry tales it kept hearing.'
"So Old Man Snow, King Snow, Prince Icicle and the other princes and princesses talked all through the night and told wonderful stories as they sat in the children's snow house."
Craft and Color More Snow:
- Cutting snowflakes and drawing snowman... - Read all about Wilson Bentley too...
- See how we made a snow house for our Christmas display!
- Young people can craft a snowman from a paint stirring stick
Baby Bears
"In the winter, at the start of the new year," said daddy, "when Mother Bear was sleeping and dozing and dreaming in her home back in the hole of a big rock, the little bears arrived. She taught them about the berries they must eat and about the things which would make them feel well and strong. She also told them of the bad things they must not touch - the things which would make their little tummies feel very miserable indeed and which would make them quite, quite sick.
''And when, at last, they went out of the cave, and saw the real world, the trees and the forest paths, they wanted to start off at once for adventures, for the world looked so mysterious and wondrous.
" 'Do you want to leave your old mother?' the black bear asked.
" 'We love you, mother, but we want to see the world,' they said.
" 'Bang,' suddenly went a gun and Mother Bear received a slight wound.
''The baby bears were around her in a flash, but mother bear was safe, for the man with the gun had hurriedly gone when he had seen how near the old bear was. And he had seen her teeth and had almost
been able to feel them!
''And the babies knew their teeth would never have done. They, too, had had a glimpse of their mother's anger and their mother's strength.
''And as they licked the wound they said,
" 'We won't leave you, Mother Bear. We don't know the world as yet.'
''And Mother Black Bear groaned with the hurt from the slight wound in her shoulder, but still more she grunted with pleasure, for her babies had seen that they still needed their mother.''
More Bears To Color:
Friday, August 11, 2023
Facts About Toucans
- In ornithology, it's genus is called Rhamphastos.
- These birds are all natives of tropical America.
- They are easily distinguished by their enormous bill.
- Toucans are irregularly toothed along the margin of their mandibles.
- All of these species live prefer to live in pairs.
- Toucans love the shade of the forests.
- They occasionally congregate in small parties with each other.
- These birds do not approach human habitations when they have only lived in the wild.
- They are generally covered with black feathers and the throat, breast and rump adorned in white, yellow and red.
- Their bodies are short and thick.
- Their tails are rounded or even, varying in length among their species.
- They can turn their tail feathers up over their back when roosting.
- Toucans may be easily tamed and live in confined spaces well, even in cold climates.
The interesting features of the stingray...
A stingray is a fish allied to the rays proper, which are cartilaginous fish related to sharks. It has many distinct characteristics:
- It is remarkable for it's long, flexible, whip-like tail, which is armed with a projecting bony spine.
- The spine is very sharp at the point, and furnished along both edges with sharp cutting teeth.
- Although most stingrays are found in tropical marine waters, one of the species is common on the East coast of North America and sometimes inflict serious wounds with their tails.
- These fish are vulnerable to extinction due to unregulated fishing.
- The flattened bodies of stingrays allow them to effectively hide or conceal themselves in their environments.
- The stingray uses it's paired pectoral fins for moving about.
- These fish come in a wide range of colors and patterns.
- They feed primarily on mollusks and crustaceans.
The Rhyming Years
Then New Year recited this verse: