The Song and Stories of the Cicada

Cicada and Lychee
an original Chinese Brush Painting
by Margaret Koai

Inkstone, Ink

Used with her generous permission

Update: This blog post was originally written in 2013. The link below will take you to the latest information on the reemergence of cicadas in 2021.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/04/01/cicadas-come-out-2021-brood-x/

The cicadas are reemerging along the East Coast in the United States after seventeen; years. It is estimated there will be a billions swarming and flying around from mid to late May and they will be with us for approximately four to six weeks.

The picture to the left is by the talented Margaret Koai, who studied the art of Chinese Brush Painting under a skilled master, Rong Tian Chi. She graciously gave me permission to use her lovely painting for this blog post and shared this background on the painting.

"The buzzing sound of the cicada when spoken is a very similar sound to a Mandarin word which means "a deep understanding or wisdom". Lychee spoken in Mandarin also has a "story".  The spoken "Ly" means profitable, good luck, money or beneficial so it is a very good word! Almost all Traditional Chinese Brush Paintings have an intricate story hidden within its content.”

There is an ancient Italian myth which suggests that once there were no cicadas, then one day there was born on the earth a beautiful, good and very talented woman whose singing was so wonderful it even enchanted the gods.

When she died the world seemed so forlorn without the sweet sound of her singing that the gods allowed her to return to life every summer as the cicadas so that her singing could lift up the hearts of man and beast once again.

Below you will find stories that feature the cicada and more stories about other insects who visit us during the warmer months. But first, some interesting information about our winged friends, along with a video link so you can hear them shake their tymbals!   

* Cicadas are related to crickets.

* The time from emergence to being able to fly is about 2-3 hours in larger species but can be as quick as 30 minutes in smaller ones.

* Cicadas nearly always sing from a position of rest.

* Cicadas were eaten in Ancient Greece, China, Malaya, Burma, Australia, North and South America and the Congo.

* Cicadas are mentioned in the Iliad by Homer about 10,000 BC. In the third book of the Iliad Homer compares the discourse of "sage chiefs exempt from war" to the song of the Cicada.

* In Japan the cicada is a symbol of reincarnation.

* In ancient Greece the cicada was sacred to Apollo the sun god.

* In some of the Maori folk law of New Zealand the cicada is known as "Bird of Rehua". Rehua is the lord of kindness and plenty which also perhaps reflects the cicadas summer emergence.

* In the Southwest desert of the US, the cicada outwitted the traditional trickster, the coyote, in Zuni mythology.  It produced heat in Hopi mythology, heralding the arrival of summer, and it is “the patron of Hopi Flute societies in charge of both music and healing,” according to Stephen W. Hill, Kokopelli Ceremonies.  The cicada played a key role as a scout and a conqueror in Navajo creation myths.  It brought renewal and healing to other tribes.

The above information came from the following websites:

http://www.earthlife.net/insects/cicadidae.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada
http://www.desertusa.com/mag06/sep/cicada.html
https://www.farmersalmanac.com/?s=cicada

 

STORIES

Coyote and Cicada – Zuni
https://www.erikawanenmacher.com/webpics%20copy/website%20copy/bornagain.html

The Cicada – Laos
http://www.seasite.niu.edu/lao/multimedia/cicada.htm

The Cicada and the Ant
http://lafontaine.mmlc.northwestern.edu/fables/cigale_fourmi_en.html

Cricket and the Sea – Guatemala
https://www.quotev.com/story/3909076/Why-praying-mantis-still-shakes-Folktale-from-ghana/3

Cricket and Cougar – Native American
http://www.ilhawaii.net/~stony/lore127.html

How Butterflies Came to Be – Philippines
http://folktales.webmanila.com/folktales/animals/?butterflies

How Fly Saved the River – Native American
http://www.ilhawaii.net/~stony/lore09.html

The Coyote and the Locust
http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/zuni/zft/zft19.htm

The Cricket’s Song – Guatemala
http://www.weingartdesign.com/TMaS/Stories/tmas2-Cricket.html

The Grasshopper and the Ant – Central Asia
http://www.sacred-texts.com/asia/geft/geft29.htm

The Grasshopper and the Toad - Africa
http://www.worldoftales.com/African_folktales/African_Folktale_6.html

The Insects that Wooed a Wifeless Man – Inuit/Native American
http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/inu/eft/eft14.htm

The Lion and the Mosquito - Grimm
https://www.storybookcastle.com/stories/stories/?source_file=the_lion_and_the_mosquito

The Old Woman Who Was Kind to Insects – Native American/Inuit
https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/old-woman-who-was-kind-insects

The Queen Bee – Germany/Grimm
http://www.authorama.com/grimms-fairy-tales-38.html

The Squirrel and the Spider – West Africa https://www.surlalunefairytales.com/books/africa/barker/squirrelspider.html

The Wings of the Butterfly – Brazil
http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/030.html

Why We See Ants Carrying Bundles Bigger Than Themselves – West Africa
https://www.surlalunefairytales.com/books/africa/barker/whyantscarry.html

Yellow Jacket and the Ant – Native American
http://www.ilhawaii.net/~stony/lore46.html

CRAFTS

10 Cute and Crawly Insect Crafts for Kids
https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/insect-crafts-for-kids-1249902

Seven Simple and Silly Bug Crafts
https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/silly-bug-crafts-4026152

DLTK Crafts for Kids – Bugs and Insects Crafts
http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/insects/crafts.htm

  

CURRICULUM

 

Cicada Mania – Charts to tell you when or if they will appear in your area, what they look like and more.

http://www.cicadamania.com/where.html

Insects in the Classroom – A wide variety of lessons plans on various insects for ages 3 – 18.

https://citybugs.tamu.edu/factsheets/resources/classroom/

 

The Learning Network - They’re Back … Learning About Periodical Cicadas http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/03/theyre-back-learning-about-periodical-cicadas-to-participate-in-citizen-science-projects/

 

National Geogrpahic - Cicada

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/cicada/

 

Science Netlinks – Cicada Invasion

http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/cicada-invasion/ 

Smithsonian - The Cicada in China 
https://tinyurl.com/s8fmffw2

FINGERPLAYS/SONGS

The Cicada Hums
https://thewonderofchildhood.com/2011/05/the-cicada-hums-a-verse-and-fingerplay/

Preschool Education – Music, songs, rhymes, and fingerplays about bugs.
https://www.preschooleducation.com/sbug.shtml

SOMETHING EXTRA

The Cicadas

Odysseus Elytis

The Virgin Holy held the sea
in her embrace
Cradling Sikinos isle and Amorgos
and her other children

At the edge of time and weather
and from the far end of winters
I listened to the trumpet conch blow
As the Mermaids swam out

And I amid the sea urchins,
in sandy hollows, by the tamarisks
Like the mariners of old
asked the cicadas:

“My messenger cicadas
hey you, hello! And blessed be your time—
Is King Helios alive?”
and all answered in unison:

“Zi-zi zi-zi zi-zi zi-zi!
He’s -'s -'s-'s-'s-'s-'s-'s ALIVE! ”

https://chs.harvard.edu/j-c-b-yiannis-petropoulos-part-ii-the-cicadas/

 

 

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links.  At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

Karen Chace 2013 ©

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.

 

 

Public Domain VI : Ballads, Folktales, Fairytales and Legends

The Golden Slipper
from
Serbian Fairy Tales

It has been awhile since I posted a collection of public domain books. Here is the sixth in the installment that will continue to for who knows how long! This one offers a collection of ballads, poetry, prose, folktales, legends and fairy tales. I hope you find something delicious to tell among these tasty offerings.

 

A Book of New England Legends and Lore in Prose and Poetry by Samuel Adams Drake 1901. Delve into both these imaginative tales from the New England region of the United States.

http://tinyurl.com/amjox2u

Ancient Tales and Folk-lore of Japan by Richard Gordon Smith, 1918. A collection of “historical legends and folktales from Japan. Themes include ghosts; unrequited love across social boundaries; Shinto landscape, tree and ocean spirits; and tales driven by Bushido and Buddhist ethics.”

http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/atfj/index.htm

Czechoslovak Fairy Tales by Parker Fillmore, 1919. “The old king reached into his pocket, drew out a golden key, and handed it to the prince.” So begins the story of Longshanks, Girth and Keen, one of the many tales that await you within.

http://tinyurl.com/baw8ysh

Fairy Legends of the French Provinces, 1883 – Thirty-four lovely stories filled with charm and enchantment.

http://tinyurl.com/be5ly4j

Mighty Mikko: Finnish Folk and Fairy Tales by Parker Fillmore, 1922. Trolls, princesses, animals and a sixteen part nursery epic await you among the pages of this book.

http://tinyurl.com/acj7atk

Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney, 1903. Myths, Wonder Stories, Historic Traditions and Legends will whisk you away.

http://tinyurl.com/awx8gmj

The Russian Story Book by Richard Wilson, 1916. Fifteen tales, several featuring the hero Ilya, others with Nikita the Footless, the Cake-Baker and more.

http://tinyurl.com/awqvoe2

Serbian Fairy Tales by Elodie L. Muatovich, 1918. Seeking some longer stories to share? This book offers a number of tales in three, four and six parts.

http://tinyurl.com/aqer7bc

Silesian Folk Tales (the Book of Rübezahl) by James Lee and James Thomas Carey, 1915.In legends Rübezahl is a giant, gnome or mountain spirit. He is friendly with good people but if you ridicule him he will take his revenge. Sometimes he is the trickster in folktales.http://archive.org/details/silesianfolktal01caregoog

  

Stories from the Ballads Told to the Children by Mary Macgregor, 1923. The stories of Young Tamlane, Thomas the Rhymer and others await you.

http://tinyurl.com/aguwxro

 

And if you missed the previous blog posts of public domain story collections here are the links for posts 1-5.

• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/05/public-domain-folktales-myths-legends.html
• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/06/public-domain-ii-folktales-myths-and.html
• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/09/public-domain-iii-folktales-fairy-tales.html
• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2011/10/public-domain-iv-folktales-fairytales.html
• http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2012/07/public-domain-v-folktales-fairytales.html

If you found this post useful please take a moment to leave a comment* on the blog. It is always lovely to know that I am not “shouting down a hole.” :)

 

*Please note, if you do leave a comment it will not immediately appear until I have hit the publish button on my side of the Internet street to prevent any spam messages.

  

Karen Chace 2013 ©

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.

 

Mother's Day and Memories

"Yet here's a kiss for my mother dear."
From "The Golden Staircase"
illustrated by M. Dibden Spooner, 1906

“If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do well matters very much.”
   ~ Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

As a child, Mother’s Day sometimes meant a double celebration in my family because every seven years it would fall on my mother’s birthday, May 10. This made it  an extra special day! Patricia was a woman filled with contradictions, one day a bundle of insecurities, the next sharing her hard won wisdom. She carried with her the "lilt of Irish laughter" but also the fiery temper that went with her brilliant red hair.

Born during the Great Depression, raised in a family of twelve children, I never fully appreciated her journey of resilience and strength until I was grown with a family of my own. Whenever she came to visit, she would lightly tap on the door, fling it open and cheerfully shout, “Hello to the house!”  She has been gone for 16 years and I miss her every day, but her voice continues to echo through my life and heart.

Happy Mother’s Day to every woman who has opened their hearts to the children in their lives.

STORIES

The Aged Mother – Germany

http://tinyurl.com/c4facmk

The Bad Mother – Romania

http://tinyurl.com/chxwv8r

The Disobedient Frog – Korea

http://tinyurl.com/burfpvk

The Dragon Prince and the Step-Mother – Turkey

http://www.sacred-texts.com/asia/ftft/ftft25.htm

How the Kangaroo Got Its Pouch - Australia

http://learningtogive.org/materials/folktales/HowTheKangaroo.asp

Native American Mother Stories

http://www.native-languages.org/legends-mother.htm

The Magic Brocade – China

http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/056.html

Mother Holle  - Germany

http://www.authorama.com/grimms-fairy-tales-21.html

Mother’s Darling Jack – Romania

http://tinyurl.com/bnjdobq

Mother’s Legacy – Eastern Nigeria
https://anikefoundation.org/african-folktales/mothers-legacy

The Poor Sick Mother – France

http://tinyurl.com/d637r25

The Son of  Seven Monthers – India
https://www.surlalunefairytales.com/book.php?id=109&tale=3932

The Story of the Aged Mother – Japan

http://tinyurl.com/cz42pq8

The Story of a Mother – Hans Christian Andersen
http://hca.gilead.org.il/sandhill.html    

BOOKS

Collections of mother and daughter tales:

• Fearless Girls, Wise Women and Beloved Sisters by Kathleen Ragan
• Fiesta Femenina: Celebrating Woman in Mexican Folktales by Mary-Joan Gersen
• Mirror, Mirror: Forty Folktales for Mothers and Daughters to Share edited by Jane Yolen
• Mother and Daughter Tales by Josephine Evetts-Secker

CRAFTS

Better Homes and Gardens – Twenty cute and clever crafts.

http://tinyurl.com/bogl8ql

DaniellesPlace.com – Flowers, frames, bookmarks and more will keep the little one’s busy making a cute craft for their Mom.

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

FINGERPLAYS

Helping Mother

I like to help my mother

(nod head knowingly)
To me it's just like play.
(point to self on"me")

I wash the dishes
(pretend to wash dishes)
And sweep the floors
(pretend to sweep)
Because it's Mothers Say
(broad smiles)

Five Pretty Mommies - Sung to "Five Little Ducks"

Five pretty mommies I once knew,
Fat ones, skinny ones, tall ones, too,
But the one in the middle that belongs to me…
I love her and she loves me!

Down to the grocery we did go,
Wibble – wobble, wibble – wobble, to and fro,
But the one in the middle that belongs to me,
I love her, and she loves me!

SONGS

A Mom's a Special Lady - Sung to: "Eensy, Weensy, Spider"

A Mom's a special lady,
So hug her every day.
She gives you lots of food to eat,
And takes you out to play.

Your mother reads you stories,
And buys you sneakers, too.
Aren't you happy that you have
A mom who loves you so?

Five Pretty Mommies - Sung to "Five Little Ducks"

Five pretty mommies I once knew,
Fat ones, skinny ones, tall ones, too,
But the one in the middle that belongs to me…
I love her and she loves me!
Down to the grocery we did go,
Wibble – wobble, wibble – wobble, to and fro,
But the one in the middle that belongs to me,
I love her, and she loves me!

Sometimes Mom Says Sung to: "Twinkle, Twinkle"

Sometimes Mom says "don't do this"
Sometimes Mom says "don't do that"
Still she loves me that I know.
Why? Because she tells me so.
Sometimes Mom says let's do this.
Sometimes Mom says "kiss, kiss, kiss!"

Many more songs for Mother’s Day here:
www.preschooleducation.com/smother.shtml

STORY STRETCHES

Momma don't allow no "jumping " around here (Shake your finger at the children)

Momma don't allow no jumping around here (jump up and down)
I don't care what Momma's going to say (shake finger back and forth)
I'm going to do it anyway (point finger to self)

Momma don't allow no "jumping" around here. (jump up and down)

 

Continue with other actions:

Momma don’t allow no twirling around here. (spin around)
Momma don’t allow no wiggling around here. (wiggle up and down)
Momma don’t allow no clapping around here. (clap hands)
Momma don’t allow no stomping around here. (stomp feet)

Mommy, Mommy

You and the children stand together and do the movements suggested by the verse.
Mommy, mommy, let's sweep the floor. (pretend to sweep the floor)

Mommy, mommy, let's go to the store. 
(pretend to drive a car)

Mommy, mommy, let's bake a cake. 
(pretend to mix ingredients)
Mommy, mommy, let's take a break. 
(wipe brow and whisper "whew")

Mommy, mommy, loves me so. 
(Draw a heart shape in the air with fingers)

Mommy, mommy, watch me grow. 
(Stretch arms up high)

Mommy, mommy, turn out the light. 
(Make a click sound and turn pretend light off)
Mommy, mommy, say good night 
put hands together beside cheek and tilt head)

 

Karen Chace 2013 ©

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links.  At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

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.

Gorgeous, Glorious Giraffes!

A few weeks ago we celebrated giraffes at the weekly lapsit program at the New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park in Massachusetts.

I read the book, Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae, a  beautiful and inspirational story about friendship and the effects of bullying. I highly reccomend it, not only for the message but the colorful illustrations. The children loved naming all of the other animals as the story progressed.

Later, we had fun with fingerplays, and songs. Cara designed a beautiful giraffe craft and the children marched with them during our parade. These songs and fingerplays are found all over the web with no attribution so feel free to use them in your work.

FINGERPLAYS

Giraffes (Tune: Ten Little Indians)
 

One little, two little,
Three little giraffes.
Four little, five little,
Six little giraffes.
Seven little, eight little,
Nine little giraffes.
Ten little giraffes with long necks!

 

Spotted Giraffe

The spotted giraffe is tall as can be,

(raise one arm as high as you can),
His lunch is a bunch of leaves off a tree,

(nibble with fingers of hand of outstretched arm)
He has a very long neck and his legs are long too,

(point to raised arm and legs)
And he can run faster than his friends at the zoo!

 

Giraffe

 

Of all the animals in the zoo,
I am the tallest. That is true. (reach up high)
Who am I? I am the giraffe. (point to self and have children repeat)
I am brown and white with a little red, (point to self)
And I have two knobs on the top of my head. (make small horns with fingers)
Who am I? I am a giraffe. (point to self and have children repeat)
My neck is long, I am very tall, (point and stretch neck)
But I don't have very much voice at all. (point to throat and shake head)
Who am I? I am a giraffe. (point to self and have children repeat)
I have one big ear on each side of my head.
High up in the air is where I am fed.
Who am I? I am a giraffe. (point to self and have children repeat)
I walk right up to the tallest tree.
And I eat the leaves that are good for me.
Who am I? I am a giraffe. (point to self and have children repeat)

SONGS

We had a wonderful time marching around the room as we sang this song.

 

A Hunting We Will Go

A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go
Heigh ho, the dairy-o, a hunting we will go
A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go
We'll catch a fox and put him in a box
And then we'll let him go.

A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go
Heigh ho, the dairy-o, a hunting we will go
A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go
We'll catch a fish and put him on a dish
And then we'll let him go.

A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go
Heigh ho, the dairy-o, a hunting we will go
A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go

We'll catch a bear and cut his hair
And then we'll let him go.

A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go
Heigh ho, the dairy-o, a hunting we will go
A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go
We'll catch a pig and dance a little jig
And then we'll let him go.

A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go
Heigh ho, the dairy-o, a hunting we will go
A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go
We'll catch a giraffe and make him laugh
And then we'll let him go.

 

I know a Giraffe (Tune "On Top of Old Smokey")

I know a giraffe with a neck that's real high
She stretches and stretches till it reaches the sky
She lives on the plains with the elephants too
You might also see her when you go to the zoo 

 

100 Animals

I went to the zoo
And what did I see?
100 animals
Looking at me.
There were,
10 tall giraffes, eating from the trees.
10 silly monkeys, scratching on their knees.
10 sleeping snakes, lying in the sun.
10 munching elephants, eating peanuts one by one.
10 leaping tigers, performing in the shows,
10 pink flamingos, standing on their toes.
10 grouchy bears, trying to get some sleep.
10 happy hippos, in the water deep.
10 roaring lions, walking two by two.
10 galloping zebras, all living in the zoo

 

CRAFTS

Giraffe Handprint Craft

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/giraffe_handprint_painting.htm

Paper Bag Giraffe

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

CURRICULUM

Giraffe’s Can’t Dance Lesson Plan – K-5
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/giraffes-cant-dance-lesson-plan

Letter G activities and printables.
http://www.first-school.ws/activities/alpha/g/giraffe.htm

PBS Nature for Teachers: Giraffes Grade 4-6
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/lesson_plans/tallblondes1.html

 

 

 

Karen Chace 2013 ©

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.