Here Sits a Monkey

Materials

1. Animal pictures (including a monkey)
2. Scissors
3. Tagboard or poster board
4. Glue stick
5. Laminate
6. Hole punch
7. Yarn
8. Chair

Instructions

1. Collect pictures of various animals from books, magazines, or the Internet. Be sure to include a monkey. Cut out enough so that each child gets one.
2. Glue the pictures to a poster board or tagboard sized for the picture. Laminate for durability and cut out. Punch two holes at the top of each picture.
3. Insert yarn through the holes and tie the ends together to make a necklace.
4. Ask the children to choose necklaces to wear. Whoever chooses the monkey necklace sits in a chair in the middle of the circle. The rest of the children form a circle around "the monkey" and march or skip around it, singing the following American folk song.
   Here Sits a Monkey
   Oh, here sits a monkey in the chair, chair, chair,
   She lost all the true loves she had last year,
   So rise up on your feet and greet the first you meet,
   The happiest one I know.
5. At the proper time, the monkey rises and chooses a child from the circle to take her place. The game is repeated and the name of the new animal is used in the song in place of "monkey."
6. Encourage the child in the chair to choose a child who hasn't been chosen yet so that everyone gets a turn.

Instructions

1. Have "senses week" by learning about a different sense each day of the week
(Monday: sight, Tuesday: touch, and so on).
2. Send a note home to parents describing the week and asking them to send
in an item from home to match each sense. For example:
* For Sight Day, parents can ask their child to describe something they see
in the house. Parents write down the description for children to bring in
and share with the class.
* For Sound Day, children can choose a sound at home (dishwasher, birds
outside, dog barking) and describe it to their parents. Parents can write
the description or tape-record the sound for children to bring in and
share.
* For Touch Day, children can choose an item from home to bring in and
place in a "feely box" (box with a hole that a child's hand will fit through).
The children in the class will take turns feeling the items.
* For Smell Day, parents can send in something with a scent or odor. Ask
them to put the scented item (if liquid) on a tissue and put it in a zipperclosure
bag, or put the item in a jar. At school, the children guess what
they smell.
* For Taste Day, parents can send in a snack. Encourage them to bring
something unique for children to taste. This could be as simple as a
seasoned cracker or sweet and sour pickle. Encourage the children to
taste at least one item, and describe what they taste.
Safety Note: Ask parents to list all food items that their child has an allergy to,
and notify all parents of allergies.