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Hey Diddle Diddle Crafts
Below you will find some projects and activities centered around the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle." Keep in mind that this theme page is really aimed at younger children, up to about age 5. Don't be fooled into thinking that these projects and activities are too simple for this age group. Young children thrive on simplicity - it gives them the opportunity to work independently, to understand the task at hand, and to "own" their work. Immersing them in projects and activities that center around a particular theme allows them to gain a greater understanding of the theme and internalize it.
For parents or caregivers, working around a theme makes it easier to craft with your kids. Things will be more organized, and you won't have as much trouble coming up with ideas. In addition, you can plan out a few days ahead of time what you want to do with your child.
The Nursery Rhyme
Hey Diddle Diddle
Hey diddle diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed,
To see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.
Theme Craft Projects
Moon and Star Mobile
You'll need a paper towel tube, a straw, paint, string or yarn, scissors, this template, and a hole punch. Start out by printing the template on heavy construction paper. Paint your paper towel tube any color you want and let dry. Color the mobile pictures on the template and then cut out. Glue each matching picture set together with wrong sides together and let dry. Punch a hole over the X. Thread a string through the hole and tie it off. Cut the straw in half and tie a string to one half of the straw and to the paper towel tube. The string should be about one quarter of the way down the tube and in the middle of the straw. Tie 2 of your shapes to either side of the straw. Do the same with the other straw. In the space between the 2 straws, tie your other two shapes evenly spaced. Tie a string around your tube in the middle so that you have something to hang your mobile with.
Cat Puppet
You'll need this template, crayons, scissors, and 5 brads. Print out and color the picture. Cut it out. Attach the arms, legs, and tail at the X with brads.
Hey Diddle Diddle Wall Hanging
You'll need this template, crayons, scissors, yarn or string, and glue. Print the template on heavy construction paper. Color the pictures and cut out the pieces. To make the wall hanging: cut 6 pieces of string about 6 inches long. Tape a piece of string to the back top and botton of the cow. Tape the bottom string to the top back of the moon. Tape 2 strings to the bottom back of the moon as far apart as possible. Tape one string to the top back of the cat and the fiddle, and one to the bottom of the dog. Tape a string to the bottom of the cat and fiddle and tape the dish to the end of it. Tape a string to the bottom of the dog and then to the top of the spoon. If this is confusing, follow the diagram on the template. Hang your wall hanging from a nail, or tape it to the wall. This makes a very simple project. You could also configure the pieces to make a mobile like the moon mobile above, but mobile space in our house is at a premium.
String the Fiddle
Print out this template. Cut 4 pieces of string (or pieces of yarn) that are the same length and about 8½ inches long. Put glue on each of the dots on the template and glue the strings on the fiddle.
Do you have a great activity, recipe, or craft that belong here? Let us know!
Theme Printables
These are coloring pages, skill-building worksheets, and activity pages.
Hey Diddle Diddle Coloring Page
Help the Dish find the Spoon Maze
Cat Match
Spoon Connect-the-Dots
Hey Diddle Patterning
If you are looking for additional skill building worksheets, you can't do better than the workbooks recommended below. I use worksheets a lot with my children, and I make a lot of my own. If I use a workbook, I copy the pages for them instead of letting them work directly out of the book, then we can use the pages over and over. This is especially handy if you have more than one child, but also works well even if you just have one. A child can do the same page a few weeks later and not even realize it is a repeat, especially if they had trouble with it the first time.
Jumbo Jumpstart Workbook: Pre-K
Big Preschool Workbook
Preschool Giant Step Ahead Workbook
Big Kindergarten Workbook
Uppercase Letters: Pre-K
Preschool Playroom Magazine
Theme Play
Spoon Match: Mix several pairs of spoons together on a table or the floor and have your child match them up. You can use any kind of spoon you have on hand: cereal spoons, tea spoons, serving spoons, wooden spoons, plastic spoons, etc.
Order the Spoons: Lay several different sized spoons out on a table and lave your child put them in order from smallest to largest. You can also have them order and group them in different ways: by what they are made of, what they are used for, etc.
Other Theme Resources
Hey Diddle Diddle - for very young children.
Hey, Diddle Diddle - for preschoolers.
My First Real Mother Goose Board Book
The New Adventures of Mother Goose
Sylvia Long's Mother Goose
Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose EverOr Search Amazon for More Resources...
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