Saturday morning
In the backyard,
Looking for signs of spring.
Buds, leaves,
Dandelions, in the grass.
Suddenly…
A grey squirrel, in a tree,
Near the house.
Quiet. We look at him. He looks at us. He nibbles. On a bud… a seed… a pine cone? Hard to distinguish.
Whirr of the camera. He takes off. Down the tree. Over the grass. Scampering. Across the greenbelt. Running. To a big tree. Up, up, up. Way up. Climbing. Leaping. Branch to branch. Stops. Nibbles again.
Photos. Thank goodness for digital photos that are easily deleted!
But, some turned out…
Do you know this poem?
The Squirrel
Whisky, frisky,
Hippity hop,
Up he goes
To the tree top!Whirly, twirly,
Round and round,
Down he scampers,
To the ground.Furly, curly
What a tail!
Tall as a feather
Broad as a sail!Where’s his supper?
In the shell,
Snappity, crackity,
Out it fell!Author unknown
Looking for information about squirrels?
Here’s a website about Squirrels simple, fun–and easy for children: http://www.ofnc.ca/fletcher/our_animals/squirrels/grey-squirrels_e.php
Comments on: "‘S’ for Saturday and Squirrel" (3)
Thanks Coral! No I haven’t used this squirrel rhyme or any squirrel ryhmes for that matter but now I have one that I have this one I would use it for other sounds or concepts that were being targeted. The word “squirrel” is such a complex word with and /s/ blend to start and then an /rl/ combination to finish that I often don’t target the word or things to do with squirrels themselves from a speech perspective!
Coral – I love your descriptions of the squirrel experience and the changing pictures too! I also really like how you tied in a squirrel poem – loved the language and patterns in it it too! What a good idea to also give a website! Hope you have a super, sunny, Saturday!
Hi Laura,
Thanks for your positive response – and the extra ‘s’ words! I had fun doing the blog. I was happy to get the photos because the squirrel was so fast and high up in the trees.
‘The squirrel’ was a poem I used a lot in my Prep and Yr 1 classes, especially in my early years of teaching in cool climates. The rhyming words appealed to children – and many knew the poem by heart.
Do you use ‘squirrel’ rhymes or books with your kiddies?
Coral