Poems and Songs

I think mice
Are rather nice.

Their tails are long,
Their faces small,
They haven't any
Chins at all.
Their ears are pink,
Their teeth are white,
They run about
The house at night.
They nibble things
They shouldn't touch
And no one seems
To like them much.

But I think mice
Are nice.


Five Little Mice
(tune: Five Little Monkeys)

Five little mice came out to play
Gathering crumbs along the way
Out came pussycat sleek and fat
Four little mice go scampering back


Hickory, Dickory, Dock
(Tune: Hickory, Dickory Dock)

Hickory,dickory,dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
And down he run,
Hickory, dickory, dock

Three Blind Mice
(Tune: Three Blind Mice)

Three blind mice,
Three blind mice
See how they run,
See how they run!

They all ran after
The farmer's wife
She cut off their tails
With a carving knife
Did you ever see
Such a sight in your life
As three blind mice?

Mouse and Cat
(Tune: Skip to My Lou)

Mouse in a hole looking for cheese.
Mouse in a hole looking for cheese.
Mouse in a hole looking for cheese.
Watching for the tom cat.

Cat after mouse, in and out.
Cat after mouse, in and out,
Cat after mouse, in and out.
Mouse runs in the mouse hole.

Three Gray Mice
(Tune: Three Blind Mice)
by Linda Ferguson

Three gray mice,
three gray mice,
See how they run,
See how they run!
They all were chased by the farmer's cat,
They ran and his in an old straw hat.
Did you ever see such a sight as that?
Three gray mice,
Three gray mice.

Mouse Patter
(Tune: Bingo)
Little mice have tiny toes,
And scamper to and fro,
Pat, pat, patter here,
Pat, pat, patter there,
Oh, my please beware,
They wear purple underwear!

If You Think Mice Are Nice
(Tune: If you're happy and you know it)

If you think mice are nice
clap your hands (clap, clap)
If you think mice are nice
clap your hands,(clap, clap)
They love to eat some cheese,
One little one just sneezed, (ACHOO)
If you think mice are nice clap your hands.

Little Mice
(Tune: Jingle Bells)

Little mice, little mice With whiskers and long tails,
Watch them run from old Tom Cat
Oops, one ran over his tail!

Little mice, little mice
The cat is still asleep,
Hurry now and get that cheese,
But please don't make him sneeze.

Mice Are Nice
[tune: "The Farmer in the Dell"]

We think mice are nice. Oh, we think mice are nice!
Mice have noses that twitch and sniff.
We think mice are nice!

Other verses:

feet that hurry and scurry
whiskers that wiggle and jiggle

Literacy Activities

Cut out two large pieces of yellow poster board or construction paper to look like cheese wedges. Write "short vowels" on one cheese and "long vowels" on the other. Program mouse die cuts with long and short vowel words. Kids sort the mice onto the appropriate cheese.

Write a word family on a cut out of a cup of milk. Program cookie shapes with word family words. Place a cup of milk at the beginning of each row in a pocket chart. Learners fill each pocket chart row with the cookies that go with the cup of milk. (at on the cup of milk: cookies cat, hat, bat, mat, flat, pat)

Use this interactive powerpoint to teach about sentences.

Math Activities

After reading If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, give each child a dixie cup of cookie crisp cereal. Use the cereal to tell addition and subtraction story problems.

Print out cookie patterns (can be found on the cookie exploration pack page). Use the cookies to create patterns in a pocket chart.

Use small mice erasers or cut outs to tell number stories.

Program cheese cut outs with numbers. Write number sentences on mice cut outs. Learners must find all the "family memebers" and pair them up with their cheese. This could also be done with mouse holes instead: make a hole in the side of a small box. Write the house number above the mousel hole. Learners pair up the mice with the correct mouse hole. (2+2, 3+1, 4+0 all go to the 4 house).

Graph "Do you like mice?"

Telling time (connecting to Hickory, Dickory, Dock) Give each child a number line that goes to 60 (because there are 60 minutes in an hour). Each child rolls a die. Show a time on an instructional clock. If they answer correctly they may move their counter however many jumps as they rolled on the die. Race to get to 60.

Science and Social Studies Activities

After reading Lily's Purple Plastic Purse, explore the color purple. Use red and blue frosting to make as many shades of purple frosting as you can. After mixing, enjoy purple frosted vanilla wafers or graham crackers.

Read Mouse Paint: practice mixing colors. Try painting pictures using just the primary colors (mix to form secondary colors that you need).

Read Town Mouse Country Mouse and compare city life and country life using a venn diagram. Divide the class into two groups and have each group create a mural that depicts city or country life.

Read Seven Blind Mice: Have kids feel inside a bag and try to guess what is inside. Discuss our five senses. Each helps us "see" and understand our world.

Literature

Kevin Henkes books (Author study)

Owen- (loves his blankie)
Chrysanthemum- (teasing)
Julius, Baby of the World- (new sibling)
Wimberly Worried- (worries)
Lily's purple plastic purse- (mistakes)
Sheila Rae the Brave- (bravery/individuality)
Weekend With Wendell- (respect)
Chesters Way- (friendship differences/acceptance)
Oscar

Other Mouse books:

Mouse Tales
Mouse Soup
Noisy Nora
Town Mouse Country Mouse
Little Mouse the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear
Mice are Nice
Doctor de Soto
Bonjour, Mr. Satie
Top Cat
The Tale of Two Bad Mice
Mouse's First Day of School
Federick
Mr. McMouse
The Story of Jumping Mouse
Mrs. Brice's Mice
Mouse Paint
Mouse Colors
Rats on the Roof
Maisy books
Livingston Mouse
The Tale of Despereaux