Materials Needed
The song, Headin' On Down to the Barn, from Red Grammer's recording Down the Do Re Mi
A pair of gardening gloves which you can find at hardware stores and many craft stores
Felt
Jumbo box of craft pom poms – animal assortment
6 mm ½ round black beads for eyes (they usually come 50 count)
Miniature house collection milk bottle
Miniature house collection pail
Miniature baby bottle (found in craft stores in decorating cake section)Picture or drawing of a baby Picture or drawing of a small boy in farm overalls
Picture or drawing of a farmer
To make Glove Puppets:
1. On the right hand glove, use pom poms, felt, and ½ round black beads to make a cat, dog, horse, turkey, and cow as shown in the picture. Be sure to have all the animals on the back of the glove (back hand). The cat should be on the index finger, the dog on the middle finger, the horse on the ring finger, and the turkey on the pinkie. The cow goes on the thumb. I added a little bell around the cow's neck.
2. Still on the right hand glove, on the palm side glue the picture of the baby and the baby bottle.
3. On the back of the left hand glove, glue the picture of the farmer. On the palm side of the glove, glue onto the index finger the milk bottle, on the middle finger glue the pail, and on the ring finger glue two tiny gold pom poms glued together for the bail of hay. On the palm of the glove, glue the picture of the small boy in farm overalls.
Procedure
1. While playing the song “Headin' On Down to the Barn” you will use the glove puppets. You wear the gloves during this procedure. Start with both gloves behind your back. I usually sway back and forth while Red is singing the beginning of the song until the line “the animals knew I was on my way.” When Red starts to sing “some milk, some feed, and a bail of hay,” I raise my left glove in a fist, fingers facing the audience. When Red sings “some milk,” I raise the index finger. When Red sings, “some feed,” I raise my middle finger while keeping my index finger up. When Red sings “and a bail of hay,” up goes the ring finger as well. As Red sings “I always knew they were happy to see me,” I show the whole inside of the glove to show the small boy and I move my arm to show that the boy is moving down to the barn.
2. On the chorus, my left gloved hand goes behind my back. My right hand glove comes up in a fist with my fingers facing toward me and the back of my hand facing toward the audience. When Red sings, “when the cat meowed,” put the index finger with the cat up. When Red sings “and the dog went 'woof!'” put the middle finger with the dog up. When Red sings “and the horse went 'phbbbbbbb' and stomped his hoof” put the ring finger with the horse up and I usually stomp my foot as well. When Red sings “and the turkey gobble-gobbled,” put the pinkie with the turkey up. When Red sings “and the cow went 'moooo'” I give a big moo and show the cow.
3. As Red gets to “and the little bitty baby went boo-hoo-hoo,” I turn the right hand glove so the palm is facing out, showing the baby, and waving my hand left to right.
4. Repeat for the second verse and chorus.
5. On the last verse, I start with the farmer all grown up and then flip my glove to show the son eight years old on the palm. Repeat the rest as before.
6. After you've done this a couple of times, the kids can shout out the animals and the sounds that they make while you use the puppet gloves. Then I have kids take turns giving one child the left glove and another child the right glove.
7. Older kids could probably make their own puppets to use.
