Hey Diddle Diddle!

The Cow jumped over the MOON! See, it relates to our theme for the week……. It’s got the word moon in there. Either way, I had fun adding this Hey Diddle Diddle Nursery Rhyme craft to our Nursery Rhyme book, and it was a fun addition for my homeschool preschooler and my kindergarten boys.

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Supplies needed for Hey Diddle Diddle craft

Fancy Version: printout, your nursery rhyme book, paint, brad, glue, markers (or crayons), fun foam or construction paper

Supplies for a simple version: printout, glue, markers, construction paper

Putting together this Hey Diddle Diddle Nursery Rhyme craft, be warned this is messy

Here’s what we did, this is a multi-step project, so be prepared to take breaks.

Put a big glob of green paint at the bottom and blue at the top. Spread it all over with your fingers.

Then when your child refuses to touch the paint with his hands, and just sits there and pouts, spread his paint around. Try not to grumble to yourself too much about silly boys.

Then think calming thoughts after your son ignores your directions and closes the book with the paint wet. Admit after you’ve calmed down that it really does look kind of cool. Then your other two children will think it looks cool, and do the same thing. Remember, this is their project, repeat that over and over in your head as they giggle hilariously.

Have very disappointed kids when you tell them, no they are not going to take a bath, but instead will just wash their hands.

Now, wait a long time for the paint to dry, because Princess needed half a bottle of paint on that paper. In reality, we came back to the project in the afternoon.

Print out the printout (which should be on the subscriber page). I recommend printing the cow on cardstock so it’s more durable.

Come back and color the printouts. Notice how much happier Superman is now that he’s had a good nap?

Cut out and glue on. In the ideal world, all of the characters are put on the grass on the same side of the page, and the kids glue the words on another page. In Batman’s world they go where ever he wants, and he took particularly nasty delight in breaking up the dish and the spoon.

While the kids are excitedly cutting and gluing like crazy cut a quick little circle out of the yellow construction paper or fun foam. Cut out the cow and leave a little stick underneath him. Poke the brad through the cow and the moon, and then glue the moon on the page.

Here’s our completed versions:

Princess doesn’t have a discernable sky or grass (far left), because she was too busy having fun with the paint. Oh, and the moon is lower than the rest of the stuff.

Notice Superman’s (in the middle) doesn’t have a brad, because he decided he didn’t want his cow to move.

Batman (far right) probably has the closest to what I envisioned, but not really. Sigh, this is what happens when the kids direct the art.

For the simple version: Color the pictures, glue the words on one side of the page, and glue the pictures on the other. Cut out a moon and glue it down.

More great ideas for preschool and kindergarten

• Itsy Bitsy Spider Nursery Rhyme Craft
• Days of Creation preschool book
• Picnic in the family room
• Zoo animal preschool unit
• Shadows experiment for kindergarten