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Celebrations Programs Chapter

Life Before Computers: What Folks Did for Fun

Books to Share

Books to Show and Booktalk

Bulletin Boards

Fifty Years of Reading and Still Going Strong

Display book covers or titles of children’s books that have been popular over the years.

Times Have Changed

Take one item, like bubble gum, children’s book illustrations, crayons, Barbie Dolls, clothing or a bicycle, and show how it has changed over the years. Compare the cost, popular brands, and physical appearance. For instance, the Crayola® website provides a chronology of Crayola® crayon colors at www.crayola.com/colorcensus/history/chronology.cfm and the history of the product can be downloaded at www.crayola.com/mediacenter/index.cfm?display=press_release&news_id=80.

Display

Display some of the past Texas Reading Club program themes and posters or display clothes and accessories from over the years. Themes can be found on the Texas State Library web site at www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/projects/trc/themes.html.

Decorations

Make cardboard signs with each decade: 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980 and 1990. Hang objects or photos of things that were popular during the decades on or around the sign.

Refreshments

Food Over the Years

Choose food invented or popular in each decade. For more information go to www.foodtimeline.org for a timeline created by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Some possibilities include:

Sweet Treats

Serve candy that was popular in the past, or give it away as prizes or party favors. Some possible candy to include are: Atomic Fire Balls, Bazooka Bubble Gum, Junior Mints, Life Savers™, Hershey’s® Milk Duds, Necco Wafers®, Root Beer Barrels, Smarties®, Teaberry Gum, Tootsie Rolls®, Pixy Stix, and Gummy Bears. For a comprehensive list of candy by decade, visit Home Town Favorites at www.hometownfavorites.com.

Games and Activities

Teddy Bear

(Traditional. Lead the children in the motions described in the lyrics.)

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn around,

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the ground.

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, show your shoe,

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, that will do!

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, go upstairs,

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, say your prayers.

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn out the lights,

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, say goodnight!

Jump Rope Rhymes

Provide jump ropes and let the children recite these rhymes while they play. The children take turns jumping and their turn ends when they step on the rope.

A, B, C

(Traditional.)

A, B, C and vegetable goop.

What will I find in my alphabet soup?

A, B, C, D, E…

Engine Number 9

(Traditional.)

Engine, engine number 9.

Running down Chicago line.

If the train should jump the track,

do you want your money back?

Miss Mary Mack

(Traditional.)

Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack,

All dressed in black, black, black,

With silver buttons, buttons, buttons,

All down her back, back, back.

She asked her mother, mother, mother,

For fifty cents, cents, cents,

To see the elephant, elephant, elephant,

Jump the fence, fence, fence.

They jumped so high, high, high,

They touched the sky, sky, sky,

And didn't come back, back, back,

Till the fourth of July, July, July.

Game Choosing Rhymes

To play these games, children stand in a circle with fists in the center. While reciting the rhyme, one person moves around the circle, touching each player’s fist with his or her hand. If a question is asked, the chosen child responds and the rhyme continues. One child’s fist is eliminated at the end of each round. The rhyme is repeated until only one child is left.

Bubble Gum

(Traditional.)

Bubble gum bubble gum in the dish

How many pieces do you wish? (The child responds by saying a number. The person reciting the rhyme then spells out that number while continuing to touch each child’s hand.)

F–I–V–E spells five and you are not it.

One Potato

(Traditional.)

One potato, two potato, three potato, four,

Five potato, six potato, seven potato more.

Soda Cracker

(Traditional.)

Icha bacha, soda cracker,

Icha bacha boo.

Icha bacha, soda cracker, out goes Y-O-U!

Songs

All Around the Kitchen

(Traditional. Adapted by Kim Lehman. This versatile singing game is easy and fun. While singing “All Around the Kitchen” walk in a line or circle or stand in place and clap your hands. Add as many the actions and verses as you want to. You can find many version of this song, including one by Dan Zanes on his album Family Dance. Listen to a sample of the melody at Smithsonian Global Sound, www.smithsonianglobalsound.org/trackdetail.aspx?itemid=45609.)

All around the kitchen, Cock-a-doodle-doodle-do.

All around the kitchen, Cock-a-doodle-doodle-do.

Well, you stop right there, Cock-a-doodle-doodle-do.

Put your hand on your hips, Cock-a-doodle-doodle-do.

Then you stomp your feet, Cock-a-doodle-doodle-do.

Then you brrr your lips, (Blow air through your lips.)

All around the kitchen, Cock-a-doodle-doodle-do.

All around the kitchen, Cock-a-doodle-doodle-do.

Well, you stop right there, Cock-a-doodle-doodle-do.

Put your finger on your nose, Cock-a-doodle-doodle-do.

Then you turn around, Cock-a-doodle-doodle-do.

Then you tap your toes, Cock-a-doodle-doodle-do.

All around the kitchen, Cock-a-doodle-doodle-do.

All around the kitchen, Cock-a-doodle-doodle-do.

Well, you stop right there, Cock-a-doodle-doodle-do.

Then you straighten your hair, Cock-a-doodle-doodle-do.

Then you touch the ground, Cock-a-doodle-doodle-do.

Then you sit right down, Cock-a-doodle-doodle-do.

Roll your head around, Cock-a-doodle-doodle-do.

Make a sighing sound, Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Then you go to sleep, (Speaking voice)

Sweet dreams. (Make a snoring sound)

Audio Recordings

Crafts

Easy Play Dough

Materials
Directions

Combine two cups flour and one cup water in a bowl. Mix together well. Add dry Kool-Aid™ or JELL-O™ to create different colors of dough. Provide the children with Ziploc® bags to carry their dough home.

Make a Headband

Materials
Directions

In advance, cut or tear strips of fabric long enough to wrap around a child’s head. Let each child select a piece of fabric. Help the children tie their headband around their forehead.

Peace Necklaces

Materials
Directions

In advance, photocopy the peace sign pattern provided in this chapter onto cardstock. See the peace sign patterns at the end of this program. Cut out the patterns and punch holes in them. Let the children decorate their peace sign by gluing glitter, small beads, and sequins. String the peace sign onto yarn and secure it with a knot.

Chia® Pets

Materials
Directions

In advance, cut the legs off of the nylon stockings and cut the posterboard into strips. Let each child place a handful of seeds inside the stocking and fill it with the sawdust or soil. They close the stocking with string or a rubber band and trim off any excess nylon fabric. Next, they decorate the outside of the stocking with wiggly eyes and markers to create a face. Let the children tape the strips of posterboard into a circle to use as a stand for their Chia® Pets. Mist with water. Remind the children that they will need to mist their Chia® Pet every day and watch the “hair” grow.

Games and Activities

Costume Contest

Host a costume contest and provide awards for costumes by age groups or by categories. Categories could include: funniest, best from each decade, most original, best dressed and most colorful.

Costume Parade

While in costume, have the children walk across the front of the programming room, taking a moment to turn around and take a bow. If you have many children, it works best to call children up by age groups. Or, if they are dressed in costumes representing various decades, call them up by decades. Have a separate entrance and exit to avoid collisions. Play period music in the background.

Dress Up

Have a box of old clothes for children to try on. Provide a full-length mirror for the children to see themselves. Some examples of clothing may be silk disco shirts, fringed vests, poodle skirts, funny ties, and belts. Check out Goodwill for supplies or ask staff and volunteers to clean out their closets.

Game Table

Place board games like Shoots and Ladders, Sorry!, Yahtzee, and Candy Land™ on a table and let the children and families play!

Hula Hoops®

Provide Hula Hoops® and have a Hula Hoop® contest to see who can keep it going the longest. Or, just let the children enjoy playing with them.

Twister

Play Twister! Purchase game mats or make your own by drawing colored circles on a white shower curtain using permanent markers. Set up several game mats and let several groups of children play at the same time. Let one person spin and call the directions to everyone.

Guest Speakers

Invite a local collector of electric trains, dolls, wind-up toys, or wooden traditional toys to talk about their collection.

Have your youth volunteers put together a fashion show with clothes from various decades.

Videos/DVDs/Films

If you have public performance rights, show these videos and DVDs, or segments of them, to the children. Otherwise, display them for home use. The length listed is for the entire film.

These films are based on children’s literature can be displayed for patrons to check out. Or, show the films throughout the summer as a celebration of the decades. The dates indicate when the book was first published, not when the movie was released.

Web Sites

World Almanac for Kids
www.worldalmanacforkids.com
Children will find tons of information, including a timeline of U.S. history.

Professional Resources

Crayola®
www.crayola.com
In addition to providing a history of crayons, this site offers a lot of crafts and activities
Fashion Era
www.fashion-era.com
View magazine fashion photos and learn about fashion history.
Greatest Film
www.filmsite.org
The history section of this site is easy to use and full of film information.
History of Toys and Games
www.history.com/exhibits/toys/
This site is provides a quick reference to many different toys including Hula Hoops®, Chia® Pets, and Silly Putty.
Home Town Favorites
www.hometownfavorites.com
This on-line retailer sells old-fashioned candies in bulk. Candies are listed by decade.
International Association of Culinary Professionals
www.foodtimeline.org
Visit this site for a timeline of when foods were introduced or popular.
Smithsonian Global Sound
www.smithsonianglobalsound.org
Download and learn about traditional music from around the world.
Texas State Library Texas Reading Club Web Page
www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/projects/trc/themes.html
Find themes from 50 years of Texas Reading Clubs at this site.

Craft Art and Materials

Peace Necklace Craft

Pece signs

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