I received an email recently asking about my use of puppet monkeys in the MGOL program. Below are excerpts from the conversation:
I am about to begin my first MGOL session at my library in Connecticut. I am unable to remember what I am supposed to do with the two identical monkey puppets from folkmanis. I remember that they are used to kiss the kids but I don’t remember where this fits into the program. I need your help !
Do you know the rhyme “Two Little Monkeys jumping on the bed. One fell off and bumped his head. The other called the doctor and the doctor said, “No more monkeys jumping on the bed!”?
Well, I do this rhyme first with my hands. Most kids and parents know it so they join along. Then I pull out the puppets and introduce them to the kids. As I am putting them on my hands, I tell the kids to pretend that they have monkey puppets on their hands too and to say the rhyme along with me once again. We do that.
Then, the monkeys talk to each other and say, “These children did such a wonderful job reciting our rhyme, let’s give them each a monkey kiss!” That’s when I walk around the inside of the circle, giving each willing child a kiss from the monkeys (each monkey lightly brushes them on a different cheek at the same time, almost making a “kiss sandwich”).
Please feel free to ask any more questions and let me know how your MGOL session goes.
Betsy