Here's to Fairytales and Happily Ever After!

The Damsel Sat Behind Behind His Pillow
from Russian Fairy Tales
Illustrator: Noel L. Nisbet, 1915

Welcome 2015!

This is my first blog post as we make our way into the New Year. Since the most important wish on my list is that the coming year be filled with happiness for all, I thought it would be appropriate to share some fairytales.

The first half of this blog contains fun for the little ones, finger plays, etc., and the second half offers hundreds of public domain folktales to ensure that we live “Happily ever after!”

If you have the time and the inclination, I would love it if you would comment on the blog below and let me know if you find this work useful. (Note: If you do comment, it will not be posted until approved.)

COUNTING AND FINGERPLAYS

Where Is The Royal Family? To the tune of “Where is Thumbkin?

Where is the King? Where is King?
Here I am! Here I am!
How are you today, Sir?
Very well, I thank you.
Run away. Run away.

Where is the Queen? Where is the Queen?

Here I am! Here I am!
How are you today, mame?
Very well, I thank you.
Run away. Run away.

Where is the Prince? Where is the Prince?
Here I am! Here I am!
How are you today, Sir?
Very well, I thank you.
Run away. Run away.

Where is the Princess? Where is the Princess?
Here I am! Here I am!
Very well, I thank you.
Run away. Run away.

Where is the royal baby? Where is the royal baby?
Here I am! Here I am!
How are you today baby?
Very well, I thank you.
Run away. Run away.

Five Little Dragons

Five little dragons with great big scales

One lost his balance and bumped his tail
He cried ouch and breathed some fire
And then flew away higher and higher
Repeat for remaining count 4, 3, 2, 1
From Storytime Magic
 

SONG

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Baa, baa, black sheep,

Have you any wool?
Yes sir, yes sir,
Three bags full

One for my master

And one for the dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane.

Baa Baa black sheep have you any wool
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full.

The Jazzy Three Bears
In a wee little house in the forest lived the Three Bears.

One was the Papa Bear, one was the Mama Bear, one was the wee bear.
One day they were walking through the deep woods a’talkin
when along, along, along came a little girl with golden hair, and her name was Goldilocks, and upon the door she knocked, but no one was there;  no, no, no no one was there

So she walked right in had herself a ball,

no she didn’t care, no no no she didn’t care.
And when she got tired she went upstairs

Home, home, home came the Three Bears

“Someone’s been eating my porridge” said the Papa Bear, Humph!
“Someone’s been eating my porridge” said the Mama Bear.
“Hey baba re bear,” said the little Wee Bear, someone has broken my chair! Crash! (clap)

Up woke Goldilocks broke up the story and beat it out of there,

yeah she beat it out of there.

“Hey bye bye,” said the Papa Bear

“Hey bye, bye,” said the Momma Bear
“Hey baba re bear,” said the Little Wee Bear

 And that’s the story of the Three Little Bears

Na   na   na    na   na   na    na   na  na  na  Cha!

STORY STRETCH

Here Is The…

Here is the prince with his feathered cap, (take off hat, bow)
Here are his boots which go tap, tap, tap. (tap toes)
Here is the princess with her golden crown, (put four fingers up over head)
Here is her lovely beaded gown. (curtsy)
Here is their castle tall and wide, (stretch arms up to the sky)
Where the prince and princess play safely inside. (jump up and down)

ADDITIONAL STORIES, SONGS AND CRAFTS

DLTK-Teach.com – This page will lead you to a number of well-known fairytales with crafts to complement the stories, nursery rhymes and songs. Lots of fun to add to your programs!

http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES                                 

Below are three blog posts I wrote containing public domain fairytales.

Celebrate with Tell a Fairy Tale Day 
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2012/01/celebrate-with-tell-fairy-tale-day.html

Celebrate Tell a Fairy Tale Day II

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2014/02/celebrate-tell-fairy-tale-day-ii.html

Wisdom, Wit and Wonder: Fabulous Fairy Tales

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/12/wisdom-wit-and-wonder-fabulous-fairy.html

Karen Chace 2015 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.

Chinese New Year 2015: Celebrate the Year of the Sheep

Su Wu , The Lonely Shepherd
by

Ren Bonian, 1840- 1895

February 19, 2015 begins the Year of the Sheep according to the Chinese Zodiac. (Also recognized as the Year of the Ram or the Year of the Goat)
In Ancient China the sheep symbolized justice. According to legend a divine sheep called xiezhi was able to recognize wrongdoers, and would gore them in punishment. Judges wore and images of the xiezhi on their hats as a symbol of impartiality.

In Guangzhou, China, there is a statue commemorating the Five Sheep. It is said that the people used to eat only fish, until five gods came to earth riding on five sheep. Each sheep was a different color and held an ear of rice in its mouth.  The gods instructed the people to plant the rice and blessed the city against famine. The gods flew back to the sky but the sheep remained standing until they became stones. Guangzhou is nicknamed “Five Sheep City”, and all sheep are believed to be lucky.

Above information from the following sites:
http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_madeinchina/2005-10/21/content_74782_14.htm
http://waypastnormal.blogspot.com/2012/04/sheep-in-legend-and-lore-special-joint.html

Since different sites state it is the year of the sheep, goat or ram, I offer you stories on all of these wonderful creatures.

SHEEP

“Anyone that can walk three circles around a sleeping sheep will get his wish.” 
                                                                                           ~ Icelandic Folklore

The Hyena and the Sheep - Somalia
http://hooyo.web.free.fr/E_tale_13.html

The Lion, the Cow, the She-Goat and the Sheep - Aesop

http://www.mythfolklore.net/aesopica/oxford/14.htm

The Sharp, Grey Sheep – Gaelic/West Highlands

http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/cinderella/stories/sheep.html

The Sheep and the Pig Who Set Up House - Norway

http://oaks.nvg.org/ntales47.html

The Sheep, the Lamp, the Wolf and the Hare - Tibet

http://members.home.nl/marcmarti/yugur/folktale/tale10b.htm

The Shepherd’s Mistake - India
http://mocomi.com/indian-folk-tales-the-shepherds-mistake/

The Sky is Falling - Ethiopia

http://www.ethiopianfolktales.com/en/snnpr/wollaita-zone/300-the-sky-is-falling

Why the Stork Eats Frogs and the Wolf Hunts Sheep - Ukraine
http://www.4to40.com/folktales/print.asp?p=Why_The_Stork_Eats_Frogs_And_The_Wolf_Hunts_Sheep

RAM

The Goat and the Ram - Russia

http://whisperingbooks.com/Show_Page/?book=Russian_Folk_Tales&story=Goat_And_Ram 

The Tiger, the Ram and the Jackal – South Africa
http://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/saft/sft06.htm

The Leopard and the Ram – West Africa
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/books/africa/barker/leopardram.html

The Ram and the Pig Who Set Up House - Norway
http://hazel.forest.net/whootie/stories/ram_pig_house_norway.html

The Wolves, the Sheep and the Lamb – Aesop
http://www.mythfolklore.net/aesopica/oxford/31.htm

GOAT

The Dog, the Goat and the Donkey – Ethiopia

http://www.ethiopianfolktales.com/en/somalia/210-the-dog-the-goat-and-the-donkey

The Goat-Face Girl – Andrew Lang

http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/4890/

The Lad With the Goat Skin - Celtic

http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/cft/cft29.htm

The Sheep, the Goat and the Dog – Chad
http://www.tchad.org/research/folktales.html#truck

Three Billy Goat’s Gruff – Three versions: Norway, Poland, Germany

http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0122e.html

When the Hyena and the Billy Goat Signed a Peace Treaty – Chad
http://www.tchad.org/research/folktales.html#peace

CRAFTS

A number of easy, preschool sheep/lamb crafts and activities.

DLTK-KIDS 

http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/lambs.htm

Danielle’s Place

http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/sheepcrafts.html

 CURRICULUM

First School – Preschool goat themed activities.
Sheep and Lamb
http://www.first-school.ws/theme/animals/farm/lamb.htm
Goat
http://www.first-school.ws/activities/animals/farm/goat.htm

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The Chinese New Year ends with the Lantern Festival, celebrated at night with displays and parades of painted lanterns. The highlight of the Lantern Festival is the Dragon Dance. Beautiful dragons made of paper, silk and bamboo are held overhead, and appear to dance as they make their way along the parade routes.

Storybug.net: Dragons - Mythical, Mystical, Magical Creatures! – Here is a previous blog post filled with dragon tails, curriculum, crafts and more to augment your Chinese New Year celebration.

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/05/dragons-mythical-mystical-magical.html 

Below are previous blog posts I wrote for the Chinese New Year. You will find useful background information to augment your Chinese New Year programs.

Year of the Horse

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/12/chinese-new-year-year-of-horse.html

Year of the Snake
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2012/12/celebrate-chinese-new-year-2013-year-of.html

Year of the Tiger

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2009/12/2010-year-of-tiger.html 

Gung Hay Fat Choy
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2008/02/gung-hay-fat-choy.html

Last year I wrote a blog for the end of March: March Goes Out  Like a Lamb. Since lambs are baby sheep I thought you might find something to add to your Chinese New Year Program here.

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2014/03/march-goes-out-like-lambfolktales-and.html

Karen Chace 2014 ©
This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.
 

Following the Breadcrumbs XXI: Stor e Telling November December 2005

Hansel and Gretel
by
Richard Scholz, 1905

I am traveling back in time and updating all of my Stor e Telling columns for Storytelling Magazine since 2002. I have checked all of the links, updated those that have new URL's and deleted others that have found their way to the Internet graveyard.

I will continue to update the columns and post them on my blog until all of the breadcrumbs lead to the end of 2006. At the end of the blog you will find links to the columns from 2002 - 2004 and 2007 - 2013.

I continue to write for Storytelling Magazine but will not be adding current columns until the following year. If you want immediate access to the newest websites, consider becoming a member of the National Storytelling Network and support the arts!  Please feel free to comment on the blog and let me know if you find this useful. 

The Children’s Book of Christmas Stories
Classic tales dating back to 1926.

https://archive.org/stream/thechildrensbook05061gut/cbcst10.txt

Folktales.net                                                                                                                               Storyteller Eshu Bumpus generously shares a selection of folktales, high lightening the seven principles of Kwanzaa.

http://www.folktales.net/Kwanza1.html

How To Say “Merry Christmas!”Planning on hosting a holiday party? From Afrikaner to Welsh, you will be able to greet your guests in their native tongue.

http://www.infostarbase.com/tnr/xmas/merry.html         

Hasidic Stories
From the website of storyteller Doug Lipman, a fantastic selection of stories. http://www.hasidicstories.com/stories1.html

Mything Links – Yuletide Around the WorldAn annotated and illustrated collection with links to Mythologies, Fairy Tales, Folklore, Sacred Arts and Sacred Traditions around the globe.

http://www.mythinglinks.org/wintersolstice~YuleLinks.html

Planetpals.comSpice up your holiday stories with two easy to do origami folds; a star http://www.planetpals.com/ppcraft2.html
and a Christmas tree. http://www.tammyyee.com/origamitree.html

Sources for Jewish Folktales and StoriesA useful bibliography of tales for both children and adults.
http://databases.jewishlibraries.org/bibliography-bank

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Stor e Telling Columns 2002 – 2004
All 16 blog bogs, with a brief synopsis for reach one in an easy to access post at the link below.http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2014/10/stor-e-telling-resources-2002-2004.html

2005

January February - Fables from Aesop and Robert Lewis Stevenson, spooky stories in time for Halloween, resources sponsored by the California Council for the Humanities, myths and legends from the British Isles and more.
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2014/10/following-breadcrumbs-xvi-stor-e.html

March April -  Sites on Buddhist Studies, Cambodian folktales, lesson plans, public domain music from a variety of cultures, myths, legends and more.
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2014/10/following-breadcrumbs-stor-e-telling.html

May June - There are resources for song lyrics, lessons plans connected to our historical parks in the USA, Hodja, Birbel and Jakata stories, over 544 dragon tales and more.

http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2014/11/following-breadcrumbs-xviii-stor-e.html

July August - Ballad and folk songs resources from England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and America. Also, resources on Hans Christian Anderson, sea songs and shanties, and a list of contact information for state and regional art councils and agencies.

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2014/11/following-breadcrumbs-xix-stor-e.html

September October - Links to Victorian Ghost Stories, folklore and legends from around the world, children’s activities to complement your storytelling programs, and Hodja tales. For the classroom, Beyond the Fire offers real-life stories of 15 teenagers, now living in the U.S., who have survived war in seven war zones, along with lesson plans and timelines.

http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2014/11/following-breadcrumbs-xx-stor-e-telling.html

2007 - 2012

Stor e Telling Columns 2007-2012
All 31 blog posts, along with a brief synopsis for each one, in an easy to access post at the link below.
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2013/12/stor-e-telling-columns-2007-to-2012.html 

2013

From 1001 Night to 2001 Story Resources – This link will lead to you one blog post with all of my columns from 2013.
http://www.karenchace.blogspot.com/2014/06/from-1001-nights-to-2001-story.html

Karen Chace 2014 ©
This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.